Celebrate with Kim-Joy: Cute Cakes and Bakes to Make Every Occasion Joyful

by Kim-Joy

Let Kim-Joy and her signature cuteness brighten your celebrations. From birthday cakes to year-round events, all occasions are covered!

The 60 sweet recipes are bursting with color, imagination and fun and there's something for everyone, no matter what their baking skills.

Big occasions include birthdays, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Christmas, weddings; and there are plenty of other celebrations too – Graduation Day, New Year's, new baby, Pride, Thanksgiving, Day of the Dead, Pancake Day and many more.

Vegan and gluten-free alternatives are provided so that no one needs to miss out!

This joyful collection of recipes includes all the step-by-step photography, clear instructions and words of positivity you need to learn to bake and decorate just like Kim-Joy.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Food and Drink

192 pages, Hardcover

Published November 9, 2021

About the author

She was born in Belgium to an English father and Malaysian-Chinese mother and now lives in Leeds with her partner.
Kim-Joy rose to fame having made it to the final of the Great British Bake Off 2018 with her unique, intricate baked creations that captured the hearts of the nation.
Her iced woodland creatures, space turtles and beautifully decorated cakes - along with her calmness and vibrant positivity - put a smile on everyone's face and Kim-Joy has since earned a legion of baking fans around the world.
Having previously worked in mental health, she now devotes her time to creating cakes and treats that bring a little Kim-Joy to as many people as possible.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own the other two of Kim-Joy's books and they're amazing!! She's so good at decorations and flavours. There are loads of different bakes for different celebrations which I hadn't heard of before in this book! I would definitely suggest this to anyone who likes baking and decorating for any celebration!

[Kristin Eoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library after noticing it on their "new books" shelf. I enjoyed watching Kim-Joy during her season on "Great British Bake Off" and thought she was so cute and sweet. This book really showcases that quirky, chirpy creativity with a series of the most amazing bakes. They include cakes celebrating a myriad of diverse holidays, many of which I had never heard of before. Her cakes look really challenging and complicated but impressive, and each one displays Kim-Joy's unique, whimsical charm. I like a lot of things about this book, such as its cultural diversity, its inclusion of instructions for those who want to make vegan cakes, its cute little drawings, its encouraging puns and its thorough instructions. I will probably never make any of these recipes, but it was fun looking at all the pictures.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I enjoy the art that Kim-Joy creates. I don't think l would be attempting any of these creations. In this edition, she also includes options for gluten free and vegan which is great! The ginger cake impressed me and I love her meringue work. Always a great read however I want to see inside the cake not just the pretty outside.

[Nancy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kim Joy, a finalist on the Great British Baking Show, is well known and loved for her adorable, animal creatures, and other really creative bakes. Well, this is one of her gorgeous, colorful cookbooks, and it is terrific! I can’t wait to try some of her creations to surprise friends and family.

[Beth E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this cookbook would be very intimidating. I was impressed with how it started with basic cake recipes and showed how recipes could be made vegan.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this is so cute! I know I will probably never cook/bake anything from this book, but I'm still tempted to buy it just to sit and look through. I especially love the Dinosaur Burnt Basque Cheesecake on page 42 and the Hurricane Spider Swiss Roll on page 73. So adorably horrifying!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing sweet creations to celebrate a diverse variety of occasions. Many of them are much too complicated and time-consuming for the average home baker to attempt, but Km-Joy does an admirable job of walking you through each step, as well as providing vegan and gluten-free alternatives as much as possible.

Regardless of whether you want to try any of these bakes, it is a wonder to see what Kim-Joy can come up with using just a little bit of creativity. I was most impressed with her use of rice paper spring roll wrappers -- what a great way to create edible decorations!

Because Kim-Joy is British, she measures her ingredients by weight. She does provide volume conversions for American audiences, but there are sometimes awkward amounts (like 3.5 Tbsp butter). A good time to invest in a food scale anyhow.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim-Joy has done it again! Another incredibly sweet cookbook with plenty of her signature creativity and cuteness. As usual, she has included swaps to keep the recipes vegan, as well as weight and volume measurements. There is something for every occasion that you could possibly think of (and some extras!), but the options for each are a bit limited. Perhaps we were spoiled by Christmas with Kim-Joy. 😊

[Brandi Pearl Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celebrate with Kim-Joy: Cute Cakes and Bakes to Make Every Occasion Joyful is very creative and the directions to each of the desserts are easy to understand & follow along with. I love the cute illustrations as well as the photos and there are so many wonderful ideas in this book. The layout of the book makes it easy to find a dessert suitable for each occasion and there is a good index at the back. The book itself is an excellent value and I would personally rate it five stars :)

[Ligaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Kim-Joy's cookbooks have something else that no other cookbooks that I've read have: a message of positivity. Also, I am biased toward cat-lovers, puns, and cute illustrations. All of that is here. I immediately flagged seven recipes I'd like to try. The Tips that are sprinkled throughout the book are very helpful or whimsical, sometimes both. Nice photography, adorable illustrations, well-edited. I haven't made one thing from this book yet, but soon hope to.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will forever and always by anything Kim-Joy puts out. She is a wonderful baker and her books are a delight. She makes it clear to embrace the imperfections of any bake and how to just have fun. I’m excited to make these!

She’s also wonderful for adding the US measurements instead of just the weights, she includes vegan and gluten-free alternatives for every recipe.

[Charlie Easterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's cute, great decorating suggestions and ideas. I also appreciate the multiple expressions of every measurement and heating instruction so it works internationally without a lot of thought. Will I spend the time to make most of these? No. But it does sort of a evoke a dream version of myself that would.

[Jennifer Sibilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent division of baking via chapters. The beginning of the book gives you vegan and ‘standard’ recipes for base cakes and icings, and the remainder of the book is split into more involved and fanciful cakes based off of occasions. It’s excellent to flip through for ideas.

I made the ginger cake and halved the ingredients. Very straightforward instructions.

[Cheryl]

Beyond creative!! Super fun! Detailed instructions.
And not a chance that could make anything in here - I SUCK at baking. :)
Highly recommend for a fun perusal - and, if you can actually bake, much inspiration.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love her style. such a wide range of celebrations that span the globe, traditions and seasons. As always her cute ideas inspire although I don't feel that I could make anything that matches her artistry. I also appreciate that she gives vegan recipes as well.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space Turtles return!
Gorgeous cakes with a treat for every occasion.
Love how the recipes can be adapted to vegan or gluten free quite easily.

[Bookish]

Beautiful, show-stopping treats - imminently doable for the determined baker!

[Leane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully presented and with good directions and pictures...much too complicated for me. But entertaining and creative-thinking out of the box.

[Krystina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing, it feels like she's just repeating the exact same things from previous books but changing the name.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm gonna try to make some of these adorable bakes, but I'm sure my final products will look like I was auditioning for Nailed It!. I don't really care as long as they taste yummy.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to dream about