I knew the purpose of my baking from reading the title of a single cookbook. In Japanese, the book was titled "Sozai Yori Sozai Rashiku", meaning something like "More Ingredient Than Ingredient"These words are difficult to translate into English but to me they mean something similar to the concept of "Less Is More".

Essentially allowing the ingredients to speak for themselves, using delicate techniques to bring out the best in them. Whenever I've felt unsure or uninspired when developing new cake recipes, these words guide me back to my original intentions. What do I want to express? What do I want to communicate?  With these words in mind I can come to understand. To me these are magic words. No matter where you come from, I hope to make a cake you can enjoy.