Founded in 2011 as a small café bakery in Exeter, Exploding Bakery has grown significantly over the years. Co-founders Ollie and Tom, who have known each other since childhood, take inspiration from their Devonshire upbringing which celebrated local, seasonal ingredients. The bakery now supplies cakes to retailers like Fortnum & Mason and operates a thriving online cake shop, in addition to their café. 

Ollie and Tom maintain their commitment to social responsibility, sourcing sustainable ingredients from ethical producers like Casa Luker (chocolate), Food & Forest (nuts), Shipton Mill (flour), Trewithen Dairy (milk and butter) and St Ewe (eggs). They also share profits with employees and donate to environmental causes through 1% For The Planet. They recently came to visit us at the Mill, and you can read more about their visit on their website here: Exploding Bakery X Shipton Mill

The Exploding Bakery’s second cookbook, Bake It Easy, was released in March this year by Quadrille, and they have very kindly agreed to share two recipes from it with us on our Journal – the stunning Roasted Rhubarb & Cream cake, and the Grape and Ricotta loaf.

Written by co-founders Ollie and Tom, this new offering from the award-winning, independent Devonshire bakery builds on the success of their debut, Bake It. Slice It. Eat It.. This time however, the duo have gone back to basics, penning a book which features simple, affordable, and quick-to-make recipes.

All of the 50 recipes require just one baking tin or tray, with many bakes featuring as little as four ingredients and most taking only 30 minutes to get oven-ready. Precision and perfection aren’t required - this cookbook is designed for busy home cooks looking for easy recipes that won’t break the bank. Ingredients are often simple and rely on pantry staples that are likely already on hand.

With Bake It Easy, the Exploding Bakery duo continues their mission to make baking accessible, enjoyable, and environmentally conscious. Sit back, bake it easy, and scoff the fruits of your labour. 

For more information, visit explodingbakery.com or follow them on social media:@explodingbakery

You can find their cookbook available to purchase in Waterstones  and lots of independent book shops or direct from the Exploding Bakery website -https://explodingbakery.com/products/bake-it-easy-one-pan-recipe-book

Photography by Sam Harris, https://www.instagram.com/samaharris/