Saved by Cake

by Marian Keyes

[wyvernfriend]

Saved by Cake is how Marian Keyes pulled herself from depression to somewhere a bit better. She's the first to admit that she isn't "cured" per say but in a better place than she was before she discovered that baking was a way of concentrating her mind and making her focus on what was in front of her and it helped. She also says that before baking she had tried other things that didn't work, but that this was what worked for her and that that's what you should do for yourself if you find yourself in her shoes, find something, drugs, therapy or activity that works for you and use it.

The recipes are very readable, yes, readable, the intros are often hilarious and the way she has of writing the recipes is more like a friend telling you how to cook or bake something rather than a dry clinical average recipe. I loved them. Even the heavily chocolate one (yes, I'm not all that into chocolate, yes I'm female)

I haven't tried any of the recipes, yet, but the book is heartwarming.

Gluten Free recipes in the book that caught my eye (because this is really important to me!) Apart from the fair few in pastry cases that could be converted by using Gluten Free pastry or the chapter on Cheesecakes that could be easily converted using gluten-free biscuits instead of standard biscuits there is:
Fridge-Set Honeycomb Cheesecake p91 (using home made honeycomb or Crunchies for the base)
Green Tea Panna Cotta p104
Blueberry Mess p140
Shirely's Ginger and Pineapple Pavlova p143
Zagina Reform Torta p144
Basic Cranberry Macaroons p151
Tiramisu Macaroons p155
(actually pretty much the whole chapter on Meringues and Macaroons is littered with Gluten free goodies)
Sean's Rosemary Truffles p213

And if you do want to bake for a gluten-avoiding friend (Coeliac or gluten sensitive like me) please be careful of flour and crumbs of flour in baking trays and pans.

And her twitter feed is hilarious!