{ four I adore . Cake Bakers }

There was little question of what this month's four I adore should be about. With National Cake Week falling in this first week of October, it was the opportune moment to share some of the fabulous foodie bloggers I follow, the ones who seemingly have the same fondness for cake as I do. I could wax lyrical about the culinary creativity of these bloggers, their absolutely beautiful styling and photography, but quite frankly I know that you are just here to gaze at all that cake, so without further ado, here are four cake bakers that are worthy of our adoration.

 . Call me Cupcake .

Call me Cupcake began back in 2009, and is written by Linda Lomelino. She published her first book back in 2012, aptly titled Lomelino's Cakes: 27 Pretty Cakes to Make Any Day Special, which is a pretty lovely way to think about cake. A lot of her baking is inspired by her Swedish heritage, none more so than the Cinnamon Bun Cake pictured above. As today also happens to be Cinnamon Bun Day in Sweden, it was the perfect recipe of hers to share. The cake is scented with cardamom and speckled through with that most Swedish of fruit, lingonberries, the brown butter frosting is heavy with cinnamon, and the whole thing is doused liberally with a cream cheese glaze *sigh* How incredibly lovely does that all sound?  Just as incredibly lovely as it all looks. 

. The Kitchen McCabe .

For something just as Autumnal, but perhaps a little simpler, lets pop over to The Kitchen McCabe. Cardamom also appears in this recipe for Spiced Wholewheat Apple Cake, which is topped with an intriguing sounding Honey Caramel. A delicious sounding way to use up that glut of in-season apples you may have, and the use of wholewheat flour turns this into a slightly more healthier treat of a bake. Kayley, the author behind the blog, has a baking style that gravitates towards wholesome ingredients, and making a considered choice about the nutritional qualities of the recipes she develops. 

. butter & brioche .

At the moment I have a few fresh figs languishing in my fruit bowl, which is one of the reasons this layered Fig and Almond Cake caught my eye. The other reasons being all those lovely lovely layers, and that most darling of dark chocolate glazes. Butter & brioche is one of my favourite blogs, not just because of the recipes, but because of the quality of Thalia's writing. Using the most poetic of quotes and prose to accompany her posts, her writing has a literary quality, and more often than not, a melancholic note, that can resonate far deeply than perhaps a recipe post should. Butter & brioche is one blog where you should not just skip to recipe. Or perhaps skip to recipe, bake the cake, then sit and take time to read her wonderful words.

. Souvlaki for the Soul .

After the fanciful layers of that Fig and Almond Cake, we return to something a little simpler, though no less delicious I'm sure. My final bake, and baker, is this Tahini Cake, from Souvlaki for the Soul, the perfect cake to bake if you happen to find yourself without butter and eggs, or you need to bake yourself a vegan friendly cake. Souvlaki for the Soul's author is Peter, an Australian with a strong affinity to his Greek heritage, who marries his loves of food and travel in his blog. A photographer by trade his imagery is an absolute delight. Simply styled, but with a strong narrative, in line with his aim of capturing the beauty and simplicity of the food we eat and the big wide world around us.

Now, are you still with me, or are you already busy in the kitchen, lining cake pans and searching for enough eggs to make all of the cakes featured here? If you're already in the kitchen, I can't say I blame you. If you're still with me, then what the heck are you waiting for. Go. Bake. Cake!

{ have a happy day }