DUBLIN based baker Graham Herterich is better known as The Cupcake Bloke.
Having first trained as a chef, he went on to open a wholesale bakery, and a retail outlet which he runs in Rialto, Dublin.
But this month he has dusted off his apron and stepped outside his bakery to launch his first book.
Graham Herterich has released Bake: Traditional Irish Baking With Modern Twists (Pics: Elisha Clarke)Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists was published by the boutique Irish publishing house Nine Bean Rows on September 9.
In it, the culinary whizz - whose family moved from Stuttgart to Ireland in the mid-1920’s and opened pork butcher shops across the country - presents a snapshot of present-day Ireland.
“Bake includes traditional recipes that hold a special place in our hearts and on our tables while also making room for contemporary new influences, inspirations and ingredients,” his publishers explain.
Herterich’s beautiful hardback book “offers something for every kind of baker”, they add, “from first-timers looking for answers to all their baking questions to more accomplished bakers in search of inspiration and adventurous new flavours”.
Food has always forged a connection to the baker’s past and recipes in the book pay tribute to the women in his life who inspired his love of baking.
Coffee and walnut pavlovaMany recipes also pay homage to Middle Eastern flavours, reflecting Graham’s trips to Morocco and Egypt in his twenties and more recently to Palestine and Israel with his father.
Featuring 100 recipes, traditional bakes like soda bread, tarts, porter cake and brack all the way up to modern classics like jambons, cheesecakes and fifteens are given a contemporary twist using the ingredients available in Ireland now, from advieh to zhug.
Readers can choose from Graham’s twists on classic dishes like coffee and walnut cake reinterpreted as coffee and walnut pavlova with coffee poached pears or rhubarb crumble reimagined as chocolate, banana and coconut crumble with banana ice cream.
Coffee and walnut cakeAlso included is Graham’s recipe for Guinness brown bread and the updated alternative, rye, ale & honey bread, while Graham’s beloved mammy buns are brought up to date as tahini and black sesame cupcakes.
Other favourites include panch phoron soda bread with lamb keema curry; chocolate stout cake with honeycomb whiskey frosting; gin, lemon and fuchsia tart; and Buckfast baked ham with pomegranate and mint.
Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists also includes a brief history of Irish baking by Ali Dunworth along with Dee Laffan’s take on the modern landscape of Irish food as well as a comprehensive guide to baking essentials and lesser-known ingredients.
Rhubarb crumble“Ever since I was a little boy sitting at my Granny Flynn’s table learning to bake, I’ve loved traditional Irish baking,” Herterich explains.
“And ever since I first stepped foot in the souks of Morocco over twenty years ago, I have loved discovering new and exciting flavours, spices, foods and cultural influences.”
Herterich's Mammy BunsHe adds: “Bake has given me the opportunity to combine these two loves. For every traditional Irish recipe I have created a modern twist on the dish – it may be a twist on a classic soda bread or a complete reinterpretation of a classic flavour combination like coffee and walnut and more besides. I’ve loved creating Bake and I feel it brings traditional Irish baking bang up to date.”
Chocolate stout cakeMEET THE BAKER:
Graham Herterich learned to cook as a young child at his granny’s side and developed his love affair with baking.
He continued his training in Culinary Arts at Waterford Institute of Technology and his studies included stints at well-known restaurants and hotels like Kilkee Castle, Marlfield House, Mount Juliet, Chapter One, Peacock Alley and The Commons.
Graham briefly left the industry to spend two years as part of the Carmelite community before returning to it aged 21, ultimately founding The Cupcake Bloke in 2012 and opening his first retail store, The Bakery in Rialto, Dublin, in 2018.
He is a Bosch ambassador and the winner of several Blas na hÉireann Awards and Chef Ireland Awards.
Graham is passionate about flavour and quality while bringing an element of fun to his food. Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists is his first book.
Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists by Graham Herterich, published by Nine Bean Rows, €25, is available at all good bookshops and many independent retailers across Ireland as well as online at ninebeanrowsbooks.com
