Bake Club

An online baking school based in Australia offering online resources and courses. Welcome to BakeClub!

BakeClub makes baking easy, fun, inspiring and, above all, relevant to your busy life. Founded by Sydney-based author, food editor, consultant, teacher, publisher and passionate baker Anneka Manning, BakeClub specialises in teaching not only the ‘how’ but also the ‘why’ of baking through our hands-on baking classes and online courses. Packed with invaluable how-tos, tricks and tips that will take your baking skills to the next level, all of our courses will teach you the principles of baking in practical and approachable, yet inspiring ways.

22/10/2026

BAKETIP: Sandwiching a sponge

When sandwiching a classic sponge cake with jam and cream, a few simple tricks will help you get a neat finish, with the cream sitting beautifully between the layers.

First, whisk your cream to firm-soft peaks — halfway between soft and firm. Too soft, and it will ooze out between the layers; too firm, and it can split and become grainy as you spread it.

Spread the bottom sponge with a thin layer of jam, then add spoonfuls of cream evenly over the surface. Gently spread the cream, working it as little as possible to keep it smooth.

Finally, be sure to leave a one-centimetre border around the edge. This gives the cream room to spread under the weight of the top sponge, without squeezing out and dribbling down the sides.

PS: If you’re keen to learn more tricks when it comes to sponge making, join me for my ever-popular Sponges online class this Sunday, 25th October, 10am-1pm (AEDT). The link to book is in my bio.

19/10/2026

It’s not just what goes into your sponge, but how you bring it all together!

When making a traditional sponge, the little details in the mixing technique can make a real difference to the finished cake.

If your recipe includes milk or melted butter, pay attention to how you add them. When these liquids are added alongside the flour, pour them down the side of the bowl, keeping them away from the flour as much as possible. Direct contact can cause the flour to clump, leaving little hard lumps in your finished sponge.

It’s these little details that can make all the difference when you’re baking - and the more you understand the why behind a technique, the more confident you’ll become in the kitchen.

If you’d like to get to grips with sponge-making, I’d love you to join me for my Sponges online course this Sunday, 25 October. We’ll explore the techniques behind successful sponges, so you can take what you learn straight into your own kitchen.

You can find all the details and book your place via the link in my bio. I hope you can join me!

16/09/2026

RECIPE OF The WEEk: Layered Banana & Hazelnut Cake with Caramel

Three layers of tender banana and hazelnut cake, layered with creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting and finished with lashings of homemade caramel but honestly some cakes are worth making just for the caramel drizzle!

Impressive looking, it’s actually deceptively simple to make and perfect for a special occasion, afternoon tea… or simply when you have a few very ripe bananas waiting to be used!

Find the recipe through the link in our bio.

📸 Alan Benson

14/09/2026

Still wondering whether it’s time to finally get your sourdough sorted?

Sometimes the best people to ask are the people who’ve already done it.

We’ve gathered a few words from students who’ve joined our Sourdough course over the years – from those who were completely new to sourdough, to experienced bakers who simply couldn’t get consistent results.
Their experiences say it better than we could.

Our next 4-week Sourdough course starts this Friday.

If you’ve been wanting to understand your starter, your dough and the whole sourdough process – and bake with more confidence – we’d love to have you join us.

Find out more via the link in our bio.

📸 Alan Benson
Styling Sarah O'Brien

10/09/2026

Is your sourdough behaving itself?

Dense loaf? Dough spreading instead of holding its shape? Dough so sticky it’s almost impossible to handle?

Or perhaps your starter simply doesn’t seem to be doing very much at all!

Sourdough can feel a little mysterious, particularly when things don’t go quite to plan. There are so many variables at play – temperature, flour, hydration, starter activity, fermentation, dough strength and shaping – that it can be tricky to know what’s actually gone wrong.

But once you start to understand what’s happening, it becomes much easier to work with your dough rather than against it.

That’s what I love about teaching sourdough – helping bakers understand the process, not just follow a recipe.

I’ll be exploring all of this in my Sourdough Guided Online Course, starting Friday 18 September, along with everything from making your own starter to baking your loaves and using starter discard in your everyday baking.

If you’d like to join me, you’ll find all the details via the link in my bio.

Xanneka

📸 Alan Benson
Styling Sarah O'Brien

09/09/2026

A very special cake for a very special milestone. 💛

Bill’s brief was simple: “None of that fluffy stuff!” 😂 So, for his 100th birthday, it had to be a rich, delicious fruit cake – covered in marzipan and fondant and finished with a touch of gold and green.

It was a real privilege to make this cake for Bill a few weeks ago, and such fun to revisit some old-school cake-decorating techniques that I haven’t used in quite a while!

Celebrated at The Barn On The Ridge
📸 Carly Brook Photography
Ribbon from Jack Joy Living

07/09/2026

A little reminder for BakeClub & Co. members - Baguette Technique Tuesday Masterclass is happening tomorrow night at 8pm AEST. Yey!

This month we’re getting into the detail of what makes a really great baguette and well work through everything from mixing and fermentation through to shaping, scoring and baking, as well as looking at flour choice, hydration, steam and some of the common mistakes that can get in the way of great results.

And, crucially, we’ll spend some time on how to shape a baguette - including the specific shaping technique that helps you achieve that beautiful traditional baguette shape while also encouraging the open, airy texture we’re looking for.

Whether you’re making baguettes for the first time or are looking to improve your technique, there’ll be plenty to take away and put into practice at home.

And if you’re not a BakeClub & Co. member yet, it’s not too late to join us for tomorrow night’s masterclass. Join before the class and you’ll have access to the masterclass, as well as all the other benefits of BakeClub & Co. membership - including monthly Technique Tuesday masterclasses, live Q&As, the recipe library, member discounts and more.
Memberships are available monthly, quarterly, bi-annually and annually.

Head to the link in my bio for more information and to sign up.

And if you can’t make it live, that’s not a problem - the recording will be available afterwards, along with all the supporting materials.

See you tomorrow evening!
XAnneka

02/09/2026

Ready to bake better sourdough?

If you’ve ever wondered whether your starter is really ready, how to know when your dough has proved enough, or why your beautiful-looking dough sometimes turns into a less-than-beautiful loaf… you’re not alone!

Sourdough can feel a little mysterious, but once you understand what’s happening, it becomes so much easier to work with – and much more rewarding.

That’s exactly what we’ll be exploring in my Sourdough online course, starting Friday 18 September.

Over four weeks, I’ll take you through the process step by step – from making and maintaining your own starter and creating a levain, through to mixing, folding, shaping and baking your sourdough loaves. We’ll also look at how to make the most of your starter discard, using it in your everyday baking to add an extra dimension – like in these delicious baked doughnuts!⁠

Along the way, you’ll learn the why behind each stage, so you can feel more confident reading your dough, troubleshooting when things don’t go to plan and baking beautiful sourdough at home.

If you’d love to understand sourdough from the very beginning _ and get much more out of your starter – I’d love you to join me.

Find out more and enrol here: https://bit.ly/4wY9AGh

📸
Stylist and ⁠⁠( #3 + #8)

20/08/2026

Still dreaming of macarons with smooth, glossy tops, those gorgeous little feet and that perfect crisp-yet-chewy bite?

Then this is your last chance to join me LIVE this Sunday and finally get to the bottom of what makes macarons work – and what makes them go completely rogue!

We’ll make them together from scratch, step by step, and I’ll show you the little things that make a BIG difference: how to get the batter just right, what you’re looking for when piping, why temperature matters, how to avoid hollow or cracked shells, and how to know what’s gone wrong when things don’t quite go to plan.

And because it’s LIVE, you can ask me your questions as we go. No more staring at a tray of wonky macarons wondering “What happened?!”
By the end, you’ll have the skills and confidence to make beautiful macarons at home – plus the recipes, resources and lifetime access to the recording so you can come back and bake along again whenever you need.

Macarons LIVE | Sunday 23 August | 10am–1pm AEST
💻 Online via Zoom
🎥 Recording included
💛 BakeClub & Co. Members get 50% off

Last call...come and crack the macaron code with me!

Book here: https://bakeclub.teachable.com/p/macarons-live-aug-26

📸
Stylist

19/08/2026

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Choc-Orange Loaf with Chocolate Glaze

Chocolate and orange. A combination that really doesn’t need much help, but this cake takes it to a very delicious place.

It’s rich and deeply chocolatey, with the fresh, slightly bitter sweetness of a whole orange baked right into the crumb. Then comes the glossy chocolate glaze, followed by toasted pistachios for a little crunch. It’s the sort of loaf that looks perfectly innocent sitting on the bench… until you cut yourself a slice, then somehow find yourself going back for another.

And despite all that chocolatey, orangey deliciousness, it’s wonderfully easy to make — the whole orange goes into the food processor, rind and all, so there’s no zesting, juicing or fussing about.

The recipe is on the BakeClub website and you'll find the link in my bio.

You’ll find the recipe here: https://bit.ly/4c0oST7

📸
Stylist

Address

Sydney, NSW

Website

http://www.bakeclub.com.au/

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