France has some of the best and most famous pastries and cakes in the world. Across the country, let’s discover what can be found in French boulangeries.
Using simple ingredients like milk, sugar, flout and butter, with special fluted molds, this French Canele recipe yields a delicious dessert, perfect for Christmas or holiday baking!
Let's be real. Making éclairs is not an easy dessert to learn but I'm here to tell you that you CAN do it!! This is where my éclair cake enters the scene. I'm not a professional French pastry chef by any means and look at how elegant this cake turned out. Consider this your basic guide to éclairs.
Hello everybody! It’s time for cake and for this, nothing better than a buttery cake from Brittany! This region is very well know for its delicious cookies and cakes and I’m sure you mu…
Canelés de Bordeaux, also know as cannelé Bordelais, are magical French bakery confections, little fluted cakes with a rich rum and vanilla interior enclosed by a thin caramelised shell. This brilliant recipe was developed a long ago by an anonymous Bordeaux cook, whose innovation has been subjected to 300 years of refinements. Glossy and dark brown almost black at first sight, bittersweet at first bite, the crunchy burnt sugar canelé-shell makes an exquisite contrast to the smooth, sweet filling, fragrant with vanilla and rum. These little cakes have recently gained cachet after years of neglect, to the extent that they may one day rival the popularity of crème brûlée in the category of caramelized French desserts. Baked in special tin-lined copper moulds, these delicious dessert cakes are often served with Cognac and Wine if you partake of a local degustation! The copper moulds are quite hard to find even in France - if you cannot find them, then these cakes can be made in individiual dariol moulds, small pudding basins, or the silcon moulds which are quite easy to find. This recipe makes 12 to 16 canelés, depending on the size of your moulds. Traditionally beeswax is used to line the moulds, I have dispensed with this and have suggested a sprinkling of sugar inside the well buttered moulds.
The kouign-amann is pronounced "queen a-mahn" and is from Brittany, France. It's like a cross between a croissant and a palmier, with layer after layer of buttery, flaky pastry on the inside, yet caramelized with ever-so-slightly-burnt sugar on the outside.
French Almond Cake is a fluffy and moist cake made with almond flour, yogurt, oil. The cake has a almondy aroma which fills the house when baked.
These pastries are from Le Gibas in the South of France. They are similar to a danish dough and have an amazing full bodied orange flavour. These take a few hours to make, which makes them perfect for lazy Sunday mornings. Traditionally these include Anise seed, and candied orange peel,...
My first lesson about Kouign-Amann . What is it ? Kouign-Amann is also called Breton Butter Cake. It is yet another fabulous baked goods ...
With just a handful of ingredients and 20 minutes, you’ll have a delectable dessert ready to enjoy. These pastries are perfect for satisfying your sweet cravings in no time. Now, ... Weiterlesen »
This Chocolate Fondant Cake is a delicious recipe from La Baule, and is possibly one of the most well-kept culinary secrets in France… (updated recipe – January 2019). La Baule is a picturesque seaside resort town on the Atlantic coast, where beautiful stoned-façade villas and casinos mass along stunning sand beaches. It is a beloved weekend getaway spot for Parisians, who yearn for a slower, sun-bathed atmosphere and some fresh Atlantic air. In 1980, in his little shop in La Baule, a man known only as “Mr. Denis” invented a…
The Kouign-Amann is all about flour, salted butter and sugar. This special pastry from Brittany, region in the northwest of France, is very buttery and crusty but it is also so delicious you will probably have problem to stop eating it. If you are on a diet, forget about it! Or not. Go on, and try it. You are allowed to treat yourself. We won’t tell anyone.
Kouign Amann recipe with video. Hot, caramelised layers of pastry, drenched in Brittany butter with salt crystals and sugar. (La recette du Kouign Amann - le gâteau au beurre de Bretagne).
This Turkish yogurt cake is a lightened up dessert that tastes like a luxurious treat. It has a creamy, smooth texture similar to a cheesecake, yet it also has a light, airy quality thanks to the egg whites that are whipped into the batter. The combination of Greek yogurt and the raspberry sauce give it a sweet, tart flavor.
With layers of nutty meringue and rich whipped filling, the classic French cake dacquoise - pronounced dah-kwahz- is so impressive.
A Bordeaux dessert specialty made up of rum-flavored, sticky little cakes.
I wish I could say that I first tasted cannelés in France, escaping from a Bordeaux bakery with a glossy brown cake that could easily fit in the palm of my hand and eating it while it was still warm. This is where my boyfriend had his cannelé epiphany. He claims it was so good that it just isn’t possible for any other cannelé, anywhere outside of Bordeaux, to compete.
Ideally, you want to use a high-sided Kugelhof mold or bundt pan that has a 6 to 8 cup (1,5-2l) capacity. I made it in a larger-sized bundt pan (10-inch/25cm) and it works fine, but the cake will be lower than a traditional Kugelhopf and will take less time to bake. I don't use instant yeast (nor did I use fresh cake yeast for this cake), but if you want to use one of those, check the manufacturer's website for instructions on substituting them for the active dry yeast.
This fabulous French Grandmother’s Lemon Yogurt Cake has a really fun history. It’s also moist, super delicious and can be thrown together in minutes!
Recipe video above. Also known as Parisian Flan, this traditional French custard tart is the most magnificent custard tart in the world (in my humble opinion!). It's like a giant Portuguese Tart - but better, because there's so much more custard!The custard is truly incredible - rich, creamy, but not overly sweet. Sets perfectly to cut neat slices but melts in your mouth.DO NOT BE DAUNTED by the lengthy looking instructions. At its core, it is just a puff pastry crust filled with custard. Details are provided to ensure there's enough information even for less confident bakers.(And PS, it's SUPPOSED to look rustic!)At its best in the 24 hours after 12 hours refrigeration after finished custard comes out of oven (crispiest base). Keeps 4 - 5 days but pastry starts to lose crispiness (it's still AWESOME though!).My typical workflow: Make custard and line pan with pastry in evening. Bake in morning, fridge all day, serve that evening. Or bake in early evening, fridge overnight, serve the next day.
Kouign Amann: A recipe for the famous buttery French pastry from Brittany
This post shares an authentic French brioche recipe that I learnt from my baking class in Le Cordon Bleu Paris. The bread is super tender, moist and soft...
Recipe video above. Also known as Parisian Flan, this traditional French custard tart is the most magnificent custard tart in the world (in my humble opinion!). It's like a giant Portuguese Tart - but better, because there's so much more custard!The custard is truly incredible - rich, creamy, but not overly sweet. Sets perfectly to cut neat slices but melts in your mouth.DO NOT BE DAUNTED by the lengthy looking instructions. At its core, it is just a puff pastry crust filled with custard. Details are provided to ensure there's enough information even for less confident bakers.(And PS, it's SUPPOSED to look rustic!)At its best in the 24 hours after 12 hours refrigeration after finished custard comes out of oven (crispiest base). Keeps 4 - 5 days but pastry starts to lose crispiness (it's still AWESOME though!).My typical workflow: Make custard and line pan with pastry in evening. Bake in morning, fridge all day, serve that evening. Or bake in early evening, fridge overnight, serve the next day.
A superb Gluten-Free Frangipane is exactly the kind of recipe you need to have in your back pocket. Made from ground almonds this delicious pastry cream can be used to top simple fruit tarts or mince pies. It can also be made into a deliciously simple Frangipane tart baked into a pastry crust and sprinkled with flaked almonds.
A small group of French pastry chefs aim to preserve the quality and techniques used to make the buttery, flaky and indulgent pastry from Brittany.
Cannelés are golden and crispy cakes with a custardy centre, flavoured with a hint of rum and/or vanilla. Recipe for Cannelés with step-by-step photos, with instructions for using copper cannelé moulds or silicone cannelé moulds. Recipe also for Mini Cannelés.
The kouign-amann is pronounced "queen a-mahn" and is from Brittany, France. It's like a cross between a croissant and a palmier, with layer after layer of buttery, flaky pastry on the inside, yet caramelized with ever-so-slightly-burnt sugar on the outside.
Brioche Bread is a rich and tender loaf with a subtle sweetness that is a little bit pastry-like, a little bit cake-like, and a whole lot of deliciousness! It's a versatile bread that can be enjoyed on its own, used in French toast, for sandwiches and burgers, and more.
All the cream puffs, soufflés, and tarts to ooh la la over.
You don't have to be a French pâtissier to master the art of kouign-amann.
The classic opera cake takes some making, but it is so worth the effort. Follow the recipe's instructions carefully, it is easier than you think.
The kouign-amann is pronounced "queen a-mahn" and is from Brittany, France. It's like a cross between a croissant and a palmier, with layer after layer of buttery, flaky pastry on the inside, yet caramelized with ever-so-slightly-burnt sugar on the outside.
The typical French galette des rois made with a mix of puff pastry and almond cream filling called frangipane is here flavored with dark chocolate, actuallly cocoa powder. Prepare pastry cream and almond cream. Mix them together to get a frangipane cream. Assemble the two pastry puff disks with the frangipane filling carefully following the instructions.
The Dacquoise cookies I made a few weeks ago were so good that I decided to make dacquoise again recently, but this time, in the more traditional cake form. I was going to fill the layers with a Sw…
I love using Pepperidge Farm puffed pastry for so many of my recipes. Not sure what I'd do without it! Making your own puffed pastry can take so much time. Here is one of my favorite recipes to make with puffed pastry dough. So pretty and so easy to make! Classic French Napoleons Vanilla pastry cream 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 large egg yolks 1/4 cup cornstarch 2 tablespoons butter, cubed Pastry 1 package (2 sheets) Pepperridge Farm puff pastry 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 2 teaspoons light corn syrup 2 tablespoons butter, melted 3-4 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon cocoa powder In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Continue to add the milk mixture until it has been fully blended. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until it has thickened, about 2 minutes longer. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter. Continue to whisk vigorously until the butter has melted, and the mixture has cooled slightly. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream so that you do not develop a skin. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Next, stack the two separate sheets of thawed puff pastry, and with a rolling pin, roll them out into one 12 x 12 inch square using parchment paper so they do not stick. Cut the square into three 12 x 4 inch strips and transfer the dough and parchment to a large baking sheet. Prick the dough all over with a fork and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes, until golden around the edges. Set another baking sheet directly on top of the pastry strips and continue baking for 6 minutes more. Carefully remove the top baking sheet and bake until the pastry is baked through and golden brown, 6 minutes more. Cool completely. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, butter, and enough milk to reach a consistency that is pourable but still thick. Transfer a quarter of the glaze to a small bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder. Transfer the chocolate glaze to a piping bad fitted with a 1/8-inch tip. If you do not have a piping bag, fill a Ziploc bag and snip the bottom corner. Pour the white glaze onto one of the pastry strips, spreading it evenly. Next pipe lines of the chocolate glaze across the white glaze, about 1/2-inch apart. Drag the tip of a toothpick down the length of the glazed strip in alternating directions to create a pattern. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip and fill it with half of the pastry cream. Pipe an even layer of the pastry cream onto one of the remaining pastry strips. Top with the remaining pastry strip, pressing gently to adhere. Fill the bag with the remaining pastry cream and pipe evenly onto the strip. Place the glazed pastry on top. Slice with a sharp knife and serve. Photography is owned by and copyrighted to Welcome Home 2014 Recipe adapted from Peanut Butter and Julie
Recipe video above. Also known as Parisian Flan, this traditional French custard tart is the most magnificent custard tart in the world (in my humble opinion!). It's like a giant Portuguese Tart - but better, because there's so much more custard!The custard is truly incredible - rich, creamy, but not overly sweet. Sets perfectly to cut neat slices but melts in your mouth.DO NOT BE DAUNTED by the lengthy looking instructions. At its core, it is just a puff pastry crust filled with custard. Details are provided to ensure there's enough information even for less confident bakers.(And PS, it's SUPPOSED to look rustic!)At its best in the 24 hours after 12 hours refrigeration after finished custard comes out of oven (crispiest base). Keeps 4 - 5 days but pastry starts to lose crispiness (it's still AWESOME though!).My typical workflow: Make custard and line pan with pastry in evening. Bake in morning, fridge all day, serve that evening. Or bake in early evening, fridge overnight, serve the next day.
