Love Is A Pink Cake: A Warhol Title Shares Its Name with Claire Ptak’s Beautiful New Book

The Pastry Chef and Owner of Violet Cakes London has written her fifth book

LOVE IS A PINK CAKE by Claire Ptak, W.W. Norton, 2023 Link: Here

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you know I’m a big fan of Andy Warhol’s work.

So when I found out that Claire Ptak had a new book coming out, and the title was (with the blessing of the Warhol Estate) LOVE IS A PINK CAKE after Warhol’s 1952 self-published book of illustrations, I was very happy.

The Cover of LOVE IS A PINK CAKE illustrated by Andy Warhol, 1952, with words by ‘Corkie’ (Ralph Thomas Ward) and calligraphy by Warhol. Reprinted by TASCHEN

I asked Claire how she first learned about the Warhol title:

I was obsessed with Warhol in middle school and then high school and I went to the retrospective in Chicago with my father. As I delved deeper I discovered he illustrated a cookbook for Amy Vanderbilt as a young man. I also came across the LOVE IS A PINK CAKE book twenty years ago and wrote the title down.

I thought, “One day I’ll use that!”

— Claire Ptak, 2023

Claire’s career is as brilliant as her talent. She’s also one of the nicest people I’ve never met. Baking through the pandemic, I asked Claire a question on Instagram about her ginger molasses cookies and the exchange turned into one of my earliest posts here. She has always been so gracious and ready to help.

With Alice Waters in California. Photo courtesy of Claire Ptak.

The California native was the pastry chef at the celebrated restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley. In fact, owner and culinary icon Alice Waters wrote the introduction to one of Claire’s earlier books, The Violet Bakery Cookbook.

When she followed her heart to London, she set up a market stall of baked goods that became so popular she was able to open Violet Cakes in 2010 on a quiet street in East London. It became a destination for locals and visitors alike.

Violet Cakes London. Photo courtesy of Claire Ptak

Then, in 2018, the Palace came calling. Her bakery and lemon elderflower cake was a favorite of another California native, Meghan Markle. Claire was invited to make it as the Royal Wedding Cake, a stunning multi-tiered and layered creation decorated with her signature fresh flowers.

Claire with the Lemon Elderflower Wedding Cake at Windsor Castle, May, 2018. Photo courtesy of Claire Ptak

The Heart of LOVE IS A PINK CAKE

LOVE IS A PINK CAKE brings together recipes from England and from Claire’s home state of California. She wants you to know they are accessible for home bakers so you will love baking from it.

She writes:

This, my fifth book, is a collection of my current favorites — what I am baking throughout the day, for any occasion.

I’ve always loved the collection of prints, Love Is A Pink Cake by Andy Warhol, where he looked at different iconic love stories.

Baking is, in its own way, a love story too.

— Claire Ptak, 2023

Thank you so much, Claire. 🌸

The book is available for pre-order now. Published by W.W. Norton. Link: Here

Honey and Rose Water Madeleines

Honey & Rosewater Madeleines. Photo: Jolene

This recipe is from The Violet Bakery Cookbook. These madeleines are light and tender and infused with the flavor of rose water. They’re also glazed with a rose syrup and confectioners sugar mixture (I just drizzled a bit at the top) but you will get a darker pink with a touch of food color added if you like. Claire suggests serving these right away after dipping the warm madeleines in the syrup. They are delicious.

The Recipe is included in this article. Link: Here

Coming Up Next Week

Chocolate Cake For Imaginary Lives, by Genevieve Jenner, 2022, Deixis Press. Link: Here

Genevieve Jenner’s debut short story collection of magical realist food writing, Chocolate Cake For Imaginary Lives has become one of my all-time favorite books.

Published in February of 2022, the author seamlessly weaves recipes throughout the pages with wit and candor. Her writing is as gorgeous as her chocolate cake —which I’ll be making next week — along with an interview with Genevieve.

Here’s the first line of the title story, which I love:

We all have imaginary lives, and if we are lucky we have a dish to go with them.

— Genevieve Jenner from Chocolate Cake for Imaginary Lives, 2022

I’m really looking forward to sharing this conversation (and cake) with you next Friday.

Vintage Illustration of Chocolate Layer Cake, 1930, via Getty Images/Corbis

More Warhol

Andy Warhol, Seven Illustrated Books, 1952-1959

There is a beautiful boxed set published by TASCHEN of seven illustrated and self-published books that Andy Warhol produced during the 1950’s.

LOVE IS A PINK CAKE is among the seven, along with another book I want to write about here at some point Wild Raspberries, a Warhol-illustrated spoof cookbook of imaginary dishes whose title is a send-up of Ingmar Bergman’s film Wild Strawberries. The boxed sets are available at many online sites and booksellers including second-hand copies on eBay.

Warhol’s alma mater, The Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in his hometown of Pittsburgh is also home to the Carnegie Museum of Art and the set is available there as well. Link: HERE

Warhol’s Illustration of the mischievous troublemaker, Cupid. 💘 Fill in the blanks with your choice of expletives. The words are by Warhol’s friend, the poet Ralph Thomas Ward who went by the name ‘Corkie’ and the calligraphy was done by Warhol. LOVE IS A PINK CAKE, 1952. Reprinted by TASCHEN.

Love, Sweet Love

When I heard that legendary composer, songwriter and pianist Burt Bacharach died, I felt a pang.

I also thought about Dionne Warwick and Jackie DeShannon. Each of their poignant and soaring recordings of Bacharach and Hal David’s 1965 hit ‘What The World Needs Now Is Love’ never fails to get to me.

Hal David’s lyrics and Burt Bacharach’s music felt hopeful, even set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the chaos of the 1960’s. Their sophisticated and romantic songs will always be some of the most loved and recognized music of the second half of the 20th Century.

Thank you for the music, Burt Bacharach.

What the World Needs Now is Love

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love

It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of

What the world needs now, is love sweet love

No not just for some, but for everyone.

Music, Burt Bacharach. Lyrics, Hal David.©️BMG Rights Management

Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone.❤️

Jolene

Andy Warhol, Flower, 1957, from his self-published A Gold Book, printed on gold-coated paper, hand traced from photographs. Reprinted be TASCHEN