“My Mom Didn’t Like You Anyway, Cupcake.”

Cupcakes and dating. Biscotti and breakups. Cheesecake and kisses.

They may seem like odd pairs, but Erin Bolger knows just how well they go together.

She self-published a cookbook, The Happy Baker: A Dater’s Guide to Emotional Baking, which is full of recipes and her own illustrated dating stories.

Its release, through Chapters, met rave reviews from critics across Canada and claimed the Gourmand World Cookbook award for Best Canadian Dessert Cookbook (English) in December.

There’s also talk of selling the book in other countries and of Bolger getting her own TV show.

The 30-something, who lives in Toronto, is also appearing on Dragon’s Den tonight with a proposal to get the tough judges to invest in her cookbook’s future.

“They weren’t that mean. I fed them cookies,” she says. “The scariest thing was walking down the stairs (in) heels.”

The former makeup artist mixes her mostly light-hearted and funny stories with simple recipes because “dating’s hard enough,” she quips.

But she says she never expected to write a book until fate came calling.

Bolger’s psychic, who she’s been seeing for seven years, told her she was going to write a book and it would be translated into French.

“I told him he was crazy. I thought it was funny,” she says.

But while taking a break from work in 2008, she came up with an idea to combine her dating stories with baking, one of her favourite hobbies since childhood.

“I couldn’t help . . . doing it,” she says. “Nothing has ever felt so right. I feel like I’m meant to be an entrepreneur.”

It took about a year (and a few panic attacks over loans and paper samples) to research, write and create the book, which was officially released in May 2009.

It was natural for Bolger to combine dating and baking because she often whips up some treats when she’s stressed.

It’s not emotional eating, she says, just baking. The book focuses on creating something positive (and coincidentally delicious) out of the ups and downs of dating.

And the recipes reflect that.

They include “Me + You – You = Ice Cream Sundae,” and “My Mom Didn’t Like You Anyway, Cupcake,” and “My Eggs Aren’t Getting Any Younger Crème Brûlée.”

Although the Blyth, Ont. native describes herself as feisty, sassy and honest, she says it was difficult to relive some of the memories described in her book.

Bolger writes about everything from her first kiss with “Hoover Dam,” to breaking off a seven-year relationship and finally “getting her balls back.”

It’s her brutal honesty and sense of humour that make the book so relatable. And possibly a couple of the reasons why more than 500 people follow her on Facebook.

“I’m not the only one who’s been broken up with my e-mail,” she says.

Readers get a clear sense of Bolger’s personality – even in the simplest of ways, such as her description of trying to impress her first crush by wearing pleather pants and her red-haired Afro perm.

Now, what’s next for her includes knocking on doors as a one-woman show – doing her own public relations and making goodie bag press kits.

This also includes her ongoing project: Operation Oprah.

“It’s more than a full-time job, (but) I’m really enjoying everything to do with this book.”

Take Five with Erin Bolger

1. What ingredient can’t you live without?

“Chocolate. You can eat it, you can bake with it. You don’t have to put it with other things to make it taste good.”

2. How about makeup item?

“Mascara. That would be the first thing I’d put on.”

3. Favourite recipe in the book?

“It’s kind of like picking a favourite child. I feel like this book is my child, like I’ve given birth to it. It’s like, ‘What’s your favourite thing about your kid?’ Well, everything.”

4. Favourite book in general?

“Other than my own? I’m obsessed with In Touch Magazine. It’s my zone out time. I get it once a week, I watch Ghost Whisperer, and I drink red wine. I can just shut my brain off.”

5. Sandals or stilettos?

“Sandals. I walk like a trucker. I will wear heels, but it’s not always pretty.”

Erin’s tips for new writers

1. No matter what, finish the book.

2. Ask questions and find other authors to talk to.

3. Register an ISBN number at the library.

4. Talk about your book and meet people.

5. Look into self-publishing your book for total control.