Fancy a masterclass in home baking from the Stylish Baker herself, Faaiza Omar? The self-taught baker and owner of The Stylish Baker has curated her favourite cakes and bakes in her debut book, My Sweet Life.

Inspired by flavours from Paris to Peru, My Sweet Life aims to bridge the gap between baking enthusiasts and pastry chefs with both easy and advanced recipes, simplifying some of the more complicated techniques and making it accessible to all.

Bursting with beautiful bakes, from delicate Petit Fours and celebration cakes to everyday cheesecakes, brioche, ice-creams and delectable desserts, My Sweet Life is the only baker’s book you’ll ever need to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Passion for patisserie

Passionate about all things sweet, Omar is a trained skincare therapist with 20 years of baking experience, which was sparked by her love for French-style baking. “I’ve been consumed by the sweet life for over 20 years. My passion was sparked by perfecting the art of macaron making and has since flourished into a part-time career.”

But it seems what started as a side-hustle has blossomed into something so much more, with the launch of her book and the success of her online pastry supply store, The Stylish Baker. In 2018, she baked her way to the Big Apple by winning the Lancewood Cake-off challenge with her rose, pistachio and raspberry gateau, and it’s been all systems go from there.

Omar, who is also a content creator with an impressive 49 000 followers on social media, says she is constantly keeping up with the latest food and baking trends and trying out new techniques and ingredients to share with her fans. “I regularly keep myself in the know by attending pastry master classes with world-renowned chefs locally and abroad.”

She continues, “When I am not in my kitchen working my magic with a whisk in my hand, I’m planning my next adventure or trying out a new patisserie. With this book, I invite my readers to explore the style and confectionary delights from around the world.” Omar also loves collaborating with brands and sharing her creativity.

Faaiza shared the recipe to her famous biscuits, with us:

Flake biscuits

250g butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
5 Tblsp cocoa
3 Tblsp corn flour
1/3 cup roasted almonds crushed
1 1/2 flake crumbled
2 cups cake flour (enough to make a soft dough)

Cream butter and icing sugar. Add the cocoa, cake flour, cornflour flour, crushed almonds, and flake, mix to make a soft biscuit dough, flatten to half a cm thick, roughen up the surface using a fork. Cut into 1cm by 5cm bars.

Bake for 15min on 180. Drizzle generously with melted chocolate, top with flake and drizzle with chocolate again.

Win with The Stylish Baker

In addition to the launch of this highly anticipated book, novice bakers can also get a chance to gain free entry to one of Omar’s masterclasses, which will take place via Zoom and hosted by The Stylish Baker herself. To be a part of this exciting opportunity, simply purchase My Sweet Life during the month of October via the My Sweet Life website (currently available for pre-order). If you’re one of the first 300 to purchase, you could be joining this insightful and inspiring baking masterclass. There will also be a Golden Ticket up for grabs, where one lucky person will find a ticket hidden in their book. Prizes include a KitchenAid mixer and a one-on-one Zoom Masterclass with Faaiza. So make sure you get your hands on that golden ticket.

My Sweet Life launched yesterday, on 21 October 2020 and retail at R450. Get your copy at book stores nationwide or pre-order on the My Sweet Life website. For more information, follow Faaiza on Instagram or Youtube.