There is something about the smell of a cake baking in the oven that instantly feels like home. Whether it’s a batch of biscuits made with grandchildren on a rainy afternoon or a pavlova that appears on the Christmas table every year, baking has a unique way of bringing generations together.

For bestselling cookbook author and baker Jessica Holmes, that sense of connection is exactly what inspired Something Sweet, her latest collection of approachable desserts designed for everyday home bakers.

While Holmes is now known for her reliable recipes and hugely popular baking website, she admits she wasn’t raised in a family of bakers.

“While I’ve loved food and sweets all my life, my love for baking only began in my twenties,” she says.

“I had no prior baking knowledge, so I really had to teach myself everything.”

Armed with plenty of determination and an undeniable sweet tooth, what started as a hobby soon became an obsession. After years of testing recipes and building her food blog, the dream of writing a cookbook finally became a reality.

That journey has shaped the way Holmes writes every recipe. Rather than assuming readers already know the tricks of the trade, she focuses on making baking accessible and achievable.

“I found many recipes to be overly complicated, assume a lot of baking knowledge or they just didn’t work,” she explains.

“As I discovered things in the kitchen that did work, I really wanted to share them.”

That practical approach has earned her a loyal following of home bakers who appreciate recipes that deliver consistent results without requiring professional skills.

Holmes says some of her favourite feedback comes from readers who are now baking with their grandchildren.

“I think baking is just one of those truly special activities that crosses all generations and ages,” she says.

“It is something that anyone can do and it’s even more fun when you get to enjoy it with someone else.”

She believes those afternoons spent measuring flour, stirring cake batter and licking the spoon become memories that last a lifetime, while quietly teaching children maths, science and confidence along the way.

At home, however, Holmes has two particularly honest taste testers.

“My two kids are definitely my toughest critics in the kitchen,” she laughs.

Her daughter prefers fruity treats, while her son is firmly on Team Chocolate, meaning chocolate chip cookies and lemon blueberry cookies regularly make an appearance in the family kitchen.

Despite the convenience of supermarket desserts, Holmes believes more people are rediscovering the satisfaction that comes from making something from scratch.

“It’s not just about eating it,” she says.

“There’s joy in the creative process … there is a joy and fulfilment that comes through that effort and you don’t get that from a packet.”

Among the many recipes in Something Sweet, one holds particular sentimental value.

Holmes included her mother-in-law Helen’s much-loved pavlova recipe, a dessert that has become the centrepiece of the family’s Christmas celebrations every year.

“She is a total meringue master and her pavlova is always the star of our Christmas dessert table,” Holmes says.

For anyone hoping to improve their baking immediately, Holmes has one piece of advice that she believes makes all the difference.

“Buy a kitchen scale!”
She says weighing ingredients rather than relying solely on cup measurements helps avoid common mistakes that can leave cakes dense and cookies dry, particularly when working with flour and cocoa powder.

If readers only bake one recipe from the book this weekend, Holmes recommends the Rhubarb Sour Cream Cake. (See the Recipe on Starts at 60 this Monday)

“It’s a simple one-layer cake with a gorgeous brown sugar crumble on top,” she says.

Although rhubarb is the star ingredient, she notes it can easily be swapped for apple, pear or peaches depending on what’s in season, making it a versatile bake for morning tea, afternoon tea or dessert.

If all this talk of baking has inspired you to dust off the mixing bowls, keep an eye on Starts at 60 over the coming weeks, where we’ll be sharing two delicious recipes from Jessica Holmes’ Something Sweet.

Something Sweet by Jessica Holmes, published by Plum, RRP: $44.99, photography by Mark Roper.
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