Not dressed for shopping while raining, I sadly hopscotched my way home hiding under the occasional shelter with a wet dog and a bag of ruby fruits. Standing under trees in the park with other misfortuned damp individuals I started making a mental list of how to use my cherries.

That afternoon I made a batch of my favorite fresh cherry scones, poured a hot espresso and started writing out a recipe for chocolate cake. A simple but luxurious one bowl, one pan, stays moist for days, not too dense, not too fluffy chocolate cake.

Four cakes later, I was close, but not quite there. I took a pause and decided to work on the cake topper instead. What would be the best compliment to such a cake? Something fruity, creamy, light, and with French cherries? Yes!

By Wednesday night I had nailed the chocolate olive oil cake. One bite standing by the stove at 10pm. That’s it! This is the one! My husband, who had liked every previous cake tested, also agreed. I sent some to friends for feedback and began pitting cherries.

Wednesday morning I made cherry puree, blended it with heavy cream and raspberry white chocolate (it’s a little expensive, but worth it!). I tucked the ganache into the fridge to chill overnight. Then I baked another chocolate cake. This is why I’ve gone back to running 2 miles everyday. Eye roll.

Thursday it all came together. A perfectly level, lush, single layer of chocolate adorned with whipped cherry ganache and a few leftover cherries. She’s cute and spunky, less intrusive than a black forest cake, like girly pop meets little black dress.

I enjoyed two slices. I gave the rest away at a French music gathering Thursday night to the lovely sounds of “oh la la”!

Make one for your next party or celebration and let me know what you think!

Happy Baking,

Jenn

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Cherry Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

More cherry recipes to try…

Fresh Cherry Crisp

Peach & Cherry Galette

Let’s go on a little chocolate tour together and I’ll share with you what I like to get from each shop.

1. Cadiot Badie

If you only have time to visit one chocolate shop in Bordeaux, make it Cadiot Badie. Chocolate luxury at its finest. Right on Allees de Tourny, the large glass windows, glass walls and chandelier sparkle with reflections of edible wonders. The oldest chocolatier in Bordeaux, established in 1826 with handcrafted techniques still used today.

Walking into Cadiot Badie is like stepping into a luxury fashion house. Except that here I can afford everything and the ladies behind the counter give free samples with a smile. On the left is a huge glass display of chocolates. On the right, white marble covered in seasonal offerings and gift boxes. Glass shelves of confectionary treats lead to a salon of chocolate bars. Leaving with a little brown chocolate purse tied with ribbon brings me more excitement than Chanel ever could.

Travel Goodie:

By now, I’ve sampled almost all of their creations, but my top recommendations will always be the chocolate cherries. Grab the boozy ones! If you’re into truffles, try the Diamont Noir (black diamonds), filled with Bordeaux grape ganache.

2. Chocolaterie Lalère

Strolling down my favorite street in Bordeaux, rue Bouffard, you’ll find the black corner facade of Chocolaterie Lalère with it’s stained glass windows. A chocolate factory and bar all in one. A former chocolatier of Cadiot Badie, Xavier Lalère opened his own delicious maison in the city. Here you can sit at a cozy table, sip hot chocolate and nibble on one of the many ganache or praline filled treats.

Travel Goodie:

It’s a given that a box of any of their chocolates are going to be delicious. I like Raisins Dorés au Sauternes, chocolate covered raisins. Just one of their many gift tubes filled with gourmet selections.

3. Hasnaâ Chocolats Grand Crus

At the top of the foodie street is Hasnaâ chocolats, one of the most awarded shops in the city. Hasnaâ Ferreira uses only premier cru beans for making her ‘bean to bar’ chocolates. And it shows!

For the King’s Cake lovers, during Epiphany you can purchase a dark chocolate galette filled with frangipane almond praline and crispy puff pastry. And during Easter, molded chocolates of bunny astronauts and planets were some of the most creative chocolate figures I’ve seen.

Travel Goodie:

A box of Les Nénés for a special occasion (and by special occasion I mean treat yourself today and everyday with chocolate). This is the closest French version to a s’more I’ve found. With a praline cookie base, topped with a delicate marshmallow and dipped in chocolate, it’s quite sophisticated.

4. La Maison Darricau

Just around the corner from Hasnaâ is La Maison Darricau, a family business run by fourth generation chocolatiers. With tantalizing window displays of chocolate creations, this small shop is quite magical. From glass jars packed full with an array of flavor creations to colorful candy coated almonds, and gold dusted seasonal creations, I’m literally a kid in a candy store, err chocolate shop.

Travel Goodie:

Huîtres au praliné, chocolate oysters for the summer season (also saw these at Christmas). Packaged cutely in a little wooden crate a trio of oysters, dark chocolate shell, a praline topped with crunchy corn petals and a caramel fondant. These are the only oysters my husband will eat!

5. Saunion

Ranked among the best chocolatiers in France, Saunion is the oldest family run chocolate shop in Bordeaux. Two time Tablette d’Or (golden tablet) award winner and a member of the Club des Chocolatiers Engagés (Club of Committed Chocolatiers ). Raising awareness about sustainable cocoa sourcing, production of high-quality cocoa, and preserving the environment. I’ll take two boxes s’il vous plait!

Travel Goodie:

Sometimes you just need a bite of chocolate without frills or fillings. A sleeve of milk and dark chocolate flower tablets fits so neatly in a purse. Perfect for when that chocolate craving hits!

6. David Capy

Tucked down a little side street from Place Tourny, with an entremet display window full of colorful creations, is David Capy. With the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France) in 2007, you know the chocolate is going to be good! A chocolatier and pâtissier combo full of uniques flavors, I can’t help pop in every time I walk by. Which is a bit dangerous since it’s on my way home from most places in town.

Every year for Ash wednesday, David Capy offers a selection of chocolate snails, Cagouilles de Caudéran. Exquisite milk and dark chocolate in honor of the Bordeaux quartier Caudéran. My old neighborhood boasts a crest featuring three snails. And rightly so, since snails are everywhere! When I first moved to Bordeaux, I was surprised to see them on my back windows, porch and across sidewalks on morning dog walks. Now I can enjoy them not only with parsley and butter, but as chocolate reminder of my old home as well.

Travel Goodie:

My suggestion is to select an entremet or two to enjoy right away. Then grab a selection of chocolates, or fruit pâte to take home.

I recently grabbed some whisky soaked thistles, which are booze enhanced French chocolate balls. Or try the raspberry, pear, and plum medley. They pair nicely with an after dinner digestif.

7. L’Atelier du Chocolat

Originating from Bayonne in 1951, the chocolate capital of France, L’Atelier du Chocolat is a unique artisanal experience. From large chocolate medallions to tempered 100% cocoa chocolate leaves.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with choosing just one type of chocolate bar in a chocolatier shop, I know. That’s why I love their chocolate bouquets. There’s a wide range of chocolate shards in display bins across the shop. You can purchase a pre-selected mixture or make your own. Samplers are the way to go.

Travel Goodie:

I’m obsessed with their Feuillants D’Or. WARNING! In my experience once you start tasting it’s almost impossible to stop. Little squares of almond and hazelnut praline, dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in crispy crepe flakes. Hello?!

The idea for this cake came to me during pastry school on a day that we were making grapefruit crémeux for a citrus tart. I loved the stable pastry cream texture and immediately wanted to squish some between cake layers. At lunch while dining upon a banana that had ripened in my bag (yum), it hit me. Banana crémeux! But in what? Cake? Yes! Novel I know.

I used my recipe for banana cupcakes, moist, rich and lots of banana for the base. From there I did a few tweaks to the ratio of bananas to crème fraiche and added a touch of oil. Instead of the classic mixing method of creaming butter into sugar, I use the reverse technique of creaming the fat into the dry ingredients. The ripe banana, eggs, and crème fraiche are blended together like a smoothie, then mixed in last. Fluffy, moist, fat cake layers. Win!

In the center is a thick layer of banana crémeux, think lighter banana pudding. And the whole cake is frosted in a silky honey Swiss meringue buttercream. I love to use “smbc” on my layer cakes, it’s so easy to decorate with and not as heavy nor as sweet as American buttercream.

Why not cream cheese frosting? Well that’s what everyone does. Besides, with a robust cake crumb and banana pastry cream filling the frosting needed to be light to balance in both texture and flavor. Honey is the perfect compliment to banana without making the whole cake feel too heavy or too rich.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Happy Baking!

Jenn

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Banana Layer Cake

Just need the frosting??

Honey Swiss Meringue Buttercream

If you’re baking a spring flavored cake with florals, citrus, or fruit, this light honey Swiss meringue buttercream is the perfect frosting. It’s silky, smooth, and has a not too sweet honey profile.

After eight weeks of pastry school, generously sampling on every bake, I think it’s time for some veggies. During my Sunday stroll through the river marché I noticed a huge stack of giant chou-fleur (cauliflower). Why not start here?

A simple roasted veg soaked in brown butter and lemon juice. Toasted pine nuts. Golden raisins. Fresh aromatic herbs. One of those recipes, you can adjust to your mood or pantry. It works just as well as a side dish as it does a light meal. Honestly I make this weekly if not twice a week for lunch in the summer.

I prefer to serve it warm alongside a rotisserie chicken or some baked salmon. Pair with a cold crisp white wine or fresh lemonade.

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I made three versions of the banana cake layers along with some banana crémeux. Actually I made five slightly different takes on the crémeux. Basically it’s a creme anglaise that is stabilized using some type of chocolate, but in this case I’m adding gelatin to keep the texture light and silky. This allows for the banana flavor to really shine through.

The overall process is pretty simple. It just takes the patience of an overnight chill to develop the flavors and set the cream. Since this one is made with cream and no chocolate, a quick whip in the mixer transforms the texture into a silky smooth pipeable crémeux.

To me it tastes better than banana pudding. I mean the pups keep following me around the kitchen asking for more spoonfuls. So it must be delicious.

If you try it, let me know.

Meanwhile I’ll be working on the banana cake and the frosting to put it all together!

Bon Weekend!

Jenn

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Banana Crémeux

Banana crémeux, aka banana creamy in French is a custard cream, made by stabilizing crème anglaise with a bit of gelatin and an infusion of caramelized bananas. What you get is a silky smooth pipeable cream that tastes like banana pudding, minus the ‘nilla wafers.

another Banana recipe to try…

Brown Sugar - Brown Butter Banana Bread

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: “Alright, hands down this is the best banana bread out there. I know there’s a lot out there but when I made this one weekend for my family it was devoured in a couple hours. The consistency of this bread is perfect. Phenomenal recipe, can’t recommend enough.”

However, working full time to pay for rent, groceries, and a new life in France does not equate to multiple years of attending a culinary program. So when I came across an 8 week intensive program here in Bordeaux, taught in English (though everything is written in French) I jumped at the opportunity to level up my French techniques.

And I’m so glad I did!

I’m taking away so many priceless lessons and validations, from experienced French chefs. And I want to share the biggest ones with you. They’ve already carried over into my own work and I hope they help you on your baking journey as well.

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It sounds (and is) pretty dreamy. Even despite the 15 minutes of muzzle wearing at the train station, an on-edge labrador thinking the air compressed doors were ducks that needed to be murdered, and a sneaky schnauzer trying to say hello to everyone on the train, does make for a stressful, comical, toddlereque traveling situation. But watching them run on the beach and say bonjour to so many French dogs this morning makes it all worth it.

Now I have several days for just walking, looking at the ocean, and eating. You know that’s what vacation really is right? We just walk over here look at the view, then eat something, walk over here, then eat something, take a nap and then eat something.

I’m sitting at a small cafe table, next to the sea speckled with surfers like sprinkles on frozen yogurt, watching to see if anyone will go for a wave. Two wet pups under my chair watching as a waiter sets down pastries and yogurt topped with raspberry coulis. A bit of golden flaky crust, jammy raspberry, a sip of espresso and the sounds of the waves on the beach. Ahhh.

I’ll have to work on a raspberry beach inspired dessert to share, but for now the closest thing I have are Raspberry galettes. Fresh early summer berries, flavored with vanilla, orange, mint and basil. All baked in a mini pie crust until golden. Top with a simple whipped mascarpone cream and we’re basically eating the same thing.

Here’s to a lazy weekend with raspberry pastry, the sound of the ocean, and hopefully several naps.

Bon Weekend!

Jenn

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Raspberry Galettes

Homemade pie crusts filled with sweetened fresh raspberries for a personal sized way to enjoy a raspberry pie.

If you’re craving a whole pie….

Raspberry Crumble Pie

Fresh raspberries baked inside a flaky homemade buttery pie crust, with a streusel oat crumble topping. This is the ultimate dessert combo of cobbler, crisp and fruit pie served warm with a giant scoop of ice cream.

Baking a single loaf of bread can feel slow and meditative. It’s just you and the dough. Taking one step at a time with long pauses in between. This is not the case in a professional kitchen. No time for smooth jazz background music, sipping coffee, or taking a power nap in between steps. Instead, it's juggling six timers at once, measuring for one bread while the other is mixing, remembering which bench you left your tray of pre-shaped dough balls in, checking to see if your laminated pastry dough needs to go back in the fridge, and stabbing everything with a thermometer.

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Instead of an overly hot French weekend, let’s have a sunny Italian one instead. Maybe in the AC, maybe on a terrasse sipping an iced spritz. Definitely with a few slices of focaccia and lots of olive oil for dipping.

Here’s my favorite recipe for a tender, flavorful herb and cherry tomato topped focaccia bread. Swap out the tomatoes for olives, extra cheese, or chopped chorizo.

Ciao!

Jenn

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Herb Focaccia

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: “This bread is amazing!! It is so delicious that I could hardly stop eating it.”

More Breads to Try…

Dutch Olive Bread

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: “I have been looking for good olive bread but couldn’t find any in the local supermarkets and bakeries. I decided to make my own and found this recipe. I never leave comments on recipes BUT I just made this bread and I love it. I will definitely make it again.”

Rosemary Challah Bread

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: “This is my go to challah base recipe. I use this as the base for any challah I make and it’s absolute perfection!”

At least here in Bordeaux, there is a chocolatier on nearly every street with even a hint of foot traffic. From bonbons to praline-filled bars, intricate chocolate molds, truffles, pâtes de fruit, and of course nougat, each shop feels entirely its own, with precision always at the heart.

Last week, I put on my own chocolatier hat and spread melted cacao across marble. Used tiny pitchforks to toss praline in a warm bath of milk chocolate. Painted colorful cocoa butter into polypropylene molds. Cut fruit jellies with a metal guitar, and made raspberry marshmallows the color of bubblegum. I also successfully molded a hollow chocolate frog, which I lovingly named François. It was pure Wonka-esque chemistry every day.

Not So Sunny Side Up Eggs

First of all, what even is this egg candy? Who came up with the concept? Do French children actually eat these floppy, flaccid egg sugar bombs? Haribo, I have thoughts.

The egg white is a gummy, basically flavorless, candy made with sugar, water, glucose, and gelatin. I piped it onto a piece of acetate overtop a colorful print out of eggs, while laughing my ass off. Maybe it’s the years of steaming perfect sunny side up eggs for food photography shoots that tickled my funny bone, but I just cracked at the ridiculousness.

Passion fruit puree, citric acid, and gelatin were the key components of the yolk. I was hoping for some breakfast inspired tropical gummy bears. Unfortunately, something went wrong. The ill timed fate didn’t show itself for about 10 minutes. But soon enough the yolks began to seep across the white jelly bottoms, running away, in true runny egg fashion straight to the bin.

Improperly mixed with too little gelatin, maybe a French translation gone awry… I will never really know, because I don’t plan on making them again. I do, however, wish I had the chance to sprinkle them with some kind of pepper look alike to complete the breakfast candy experience.

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A Delicious Chocolate Mess

I was especially excited to make an array of chocolate bonbons and bars with different flavored fillings. After a couple of prior lessons, one in English and the other in French, I felt pretty confident in the multi step process. Even if I was wearing all white.

To properly temper chocolate it is first melted to a high temperature, brought down slowly to cooler temp, either by spreading it onto marble with a spatula, which is the quickest and most professional technique, or letting it cool in the bowl, which takes FOREVER. Then gently warming it back up to a specific workable temp before using.

Tempered chocolate gives a sexy, firm outer shell when done properly. If it cools a little, you can warm it slightly, but too much fluctuation and you’re starting all over again. This is why tempering machines exist, to hold chocolate at its exact working temperature so you’re not constantly checking it with an infrared thermometer. We, however, stuck to the good old-fashioned method…marble and a heat gun.

The lineup of fillings was top notch. I made half-spheres filled with lime caramel, little coffee pods stuffed with cappuccino ganache, and gold-dusted bars with a black sesame almond praline center. Right?! (Sorry, not sorry, Whitman’s Sampler, but French chocolate is just superior.)

It’s hard to choose a favorite, but the black sesame is so uniquely tasty, it’s at the top of my list. Perfectly savory with hints of caramel and toasted almonds, not chewy or gooey, soft like peanut butter but more sophisticated. Biting into a gold dusted shiny chocolate bar with a rich black center, feels elitist like I accomplished something applause worthy. I’m so glad they didn’t stick to the mold.

The process is for someone who loves making chocolate, likes art projects, and doesn’t mind the possibility of having chocolate everywhere.

Prep polycarbonate molds with a good clean cloth wipe, then paint colored cocoa butter designs enhanced with shimmering powders into each cavity.

Temper the dark chocolate and pour it into the molds, inverting and tapping out the excess to leave a thin shell. Set it aside—ideally in a chocolate fridge—then fill almost to the top with your chosen flavor. Chill again, then seal with a final layer of tempered chocolate. Sounds doable, yes?

The hardest part is making a minimal mess and, for me, becoming coordinated enough to scrape the mold with one hand while holding it steady with the other.

If you don’t have a chocolate fridge…I mean, who really does besides a chocolatier, let it sit at room temperature between steps. A regular fridge adds moisture and can make the chocolate sweat. And sweaty chocolate is just as embarrassing as a pit stain. No one wants that.

You do, however, need a bit of regular ole fridge chill at the very end. Place the mold in the fridge for just a few minutes after the bonbons are completely firm to help the chocolates release. Then flip it over and tap it onto the countertop. Sometimes with a bit stronger tap, for that oh so satisfying chocolate drop. Exhale.

If your chocolate was properly tempered and sealed, they’ll last for months at room temperature. My sesame bars are already gone, the green galaxy lime caramels are disappearing quickly, and the cappuccinos are being carefully rationed. This is why my jeans have become so tight!

Let’s take a moment and admire this beautiful mess of chocolate on marble. All scraped, melted and used again shortly after. It’s giving Picasso, yes?

French Frog

François came to fruition using the same steps as the chocolate bonbons. My choices of molds were owl, penguin, chicken and frog. The choice was obvious. With colorful cocoa butter at exactly 29.5°C, I piped and painted his blue spots, bright eyes, and little flower details into the mold. Once set, I poured in the tempered dark chocolate, then left him chocolate side down to firm before an overnight rest in the chocolate fridge.

The next day, after a quick two minute fridge appointment and a couple of taps on the counter, François was free. I placed each half onto a heated table to gently melt his outer edges, then filled his belly with milk chocolate rochers from the day before, and pressed him together. Cuteness overload.

I’ve never been much of a chocolate bunny person, but this chocolate frog has me absolutely smitten. He’s the only Frenchman I’ll be taking back to my place. Just don’t call the cops when you find out I’ve eaten him.

Candied Guitar Solos

Just the mere thought of a Sour Patch Kid makes the back of my tongue twinge. Most sour candies don’t quite compare in either texture or that sharp instant pucker. And since Sour Patch Kids aren’t exactly common in France, I’ve been living without them for quite some time.

Pâte de fruit, a fruit-flavored gummy, usually tucked at the end of a chocolate shop counter is lightly dusted in a mix of sugar and citric acid. The fruit flavor is lovely and clear, but it won’t quite give you that desired tongue-numbing effect if you’re a true sour candy lover. IFYKYK.

That is, until you make them yourself and have full control over just how much citric acid goes in. My opportunity for homemade, French style Sour Patch Kids in the form of apricot pâte de fruit, has arrived.

No gelatin needed, just pectin, sugar, glucose, and apricot pulp cooked down into a thick, glossy mixture. A touch of liquid citric acid, then poured into a square mold to cool and set into one giant, jiggly square slab of candy.

Then comes the sour sugar coating. I tripled the recipe’s so-called “sour” amount, and it just barely scratched the itch of my Sour Patch addiction If you can’t find it, you might as well make it yourself.

I placed the slab onto the metal guitar for slicing. Just like cutting pasta in Italy. The strings cut through the soft candy with perfect precision, to the tune of a slightly off-key chord. Music to my taste buds. Two passes, and I was already sneaking bites of sour little squares.

I packed a few small plastic candy bags (ok, maybe more than a few) with my creations and hopped into a sweet, highly air conditioned Uber ride home. Snacking on a caramel filled chocolate I smiled at the hot sardine packed tram in the other lane with pure satisfaction.

Looking back on this week, it’s fucking hilarious at how many mistakes and messes we made and still ended up with gorgeous chocolates. I’ll be the one at the movies this weekend with a tasty little secret of a French candy filled purse.

I’ll share more about my chocolate and confectionery adventures in my next post, but in the meantime… Let’s try some chocolate recipes that don’t involve spreading chocolate onto marble, checking the temperature every few minutes, and storing everything in a chocolate fridge that I know none of us have but all secretly want. Or is it just me?!

Three of my go-to chocolate recipes when I’m needing a cocoa fix are a lush chocolate cake topped with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, killer peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies, and the most decadently moist dark chocolate cupcakes. Be careful with the chocolate ganache frosting on the cupcakes. You may just want to sit on the floor and eat it all straight from the bowl.

Happy chocolate baking!

Jenn

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Rye Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

The combination of cocoa, rye flour, brown sugar, and sour cream, infused with brewed coffee makes a rich chocolate cake. Full of deep chocolate flavor, this cake stays moist without being overly heavy. A classic three layer cake, finished with a soft, not too sweet chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: “These cookies are DELIGHTFUL! My kids and I enjoyed them so much and the recipe was easy to follow. Will be adding these to our regular rotation.”

Moist Dark Chocolate Cupcake

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: “These chocolate cupcakes are just as amazing and moist as I thought they would be!! Both friends and family have just raved over how delicious they are. One friend said that she isn’t really an icing person, but she could eat a bowl of this Chocolate ganache buttercream frosting with a spoon!”

“Food is art” couldn’t be more true when referring to French entremets. Intricate, eye-catching edible creations with layers of texture and flavor. They demand a combination of patience and precision. This week, I learned they are my favorite dessert to make.

Entremets are often the shiny, colorful, tasty wonders that draw you in from the sidewalk, twinkling in the glass window display. At first glance, you think you know the consistency of each layer, but once you slide your fork through the center, the surprise of fluffy mousse, silky flavored crémeux, tangy coulis, fruit compotes, crispy biscuits, and fluffy cake layers emerge for an unforgettable experience. Most entremets consist of a minimum of four components, but often more than six. One thing’s for sure, your mouth will never get bored.

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Maybe it’s a buttery pound cake, the kind you leave on the counter and slice into every time you pass through the kitchen. Or a batch of classic chewy oatmeal cookies where you can swap the raisins for chocolate chunks, dried cherries, or your favorite nuts. My blueberry crumble muffins are also a good choice. Yes, there’s that extra crumble step, but it’s absolutely worth it (and don’t forget the big blueberries). And if even that feels like too much, bake up a batch of maple granola and snack on it while you lounge around.

As for me, I’ll be spending the weekend walking the dogs through the park, while checking out the giant cruise ships along the Garonne. Maybe wandering through the marché and definitely fitting in a few naps.

Happy Baking and Bon Week-end!

Jenn

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Classic Buttery Pound Cake

Perfect for snacking on its own or paired with whipped cream and fruit compotes, a scoop of ice cream, or a lemon glaze.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: “Loved these cookies – and so did my entire family! We will definitely be making them again!”

Blueberry Crumble Muffins

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: “❤️❤️❤️ Wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe. They’re big, fluffy, and, of course, delicious.”

Maple Almond Granola

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review: '“I love this recipe! I make it every Sunday and it makes the kitchen smell delicious and warm. The recipe is so easy and I can switch up ingredients with what I have available, like swapping in pecans for one of the nuts/seeds.”

And piping ice cream? My skin seems far more sensitive to the cold than the heat, as my less-than-perfect popsicle symmetry makes very clear.

I did however make a couple of intricate ice cream cakes, use a refractometer for some incredible lemon sorbet, and stock my little French freezer full of homemade ice cream pints.

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I’ve just spent the past week immersed in milk, cream, egg yolks, fruit purées, chocolate, and meringue—ice cream week at French pastry school. It was as technically challenging as it was delicious, and now my freezer is overflowing with frozen treats. Naturally, that means it’s time to bake a few things to go alongside them.

Start with my coffee ice cream studded with sugary, crunchy croissant pieces, my creamiest honey ice cream, or roasted cherry ice cream. Then maybe a honey cheesecake inside a Biscoff cookie crust, you can top with fresh fruit for a beautiful Easter dessert. Even tastier with a generous drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.

Pair any of the ice creams with a rich chocolate rum cake, mixed berry cake, or slice of vanilla cake piped in lavender buttercream frosting.

Happy Baking and Churning!

~Jenn

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Salted Honey Ice Cream

Croissants and Coffee Ice Cream

Roasted Cherry Ice Cream

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Reader Review: “Absolutely perfect and delicious! My husband loved it on our vanilla ice cream tonight I added the tablespoon of bourbon (Elijah Craig Wood Reserve) and it was taken to a new level!”

Honey Cheesecake with Biscoff Crust

Chocolate Rum Cake

Reader Review: “Delicious moist cake, made for a birthday. First time of making and a big success.”

Mixed Berry Yogurt Cake

Fluffy Vanilla Bean Cake

Lavender Buttercream Frosting

A flood of emotions, big sister energy, clouds of flour, extra large ovens, mounds of dough, blocks of butter, cross cultural confusions, and delicious breads. Welcome to my fourth week of French pastry school.

You know the saying: “if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen”? Well, in France when the bakery gets hot and tensions are building, you stay in the kitchen, open the window and load the dishwasher.

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Happy Spring Baking!

Jenn

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Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Reader Review: “This cake is both beautiful and delicious! The lemon flavor of the cake compliments the wonderful strawberry buttercream, which I think tastes just like strawberry ice cream. I could eat it with a spoon!! This cake is a winner!!”

Fresh Strawberry Almond Cake

An easy one layer moist tea cake filled with raspberry liquor soaked strawberries, almond flour and slices of toasted almonds. Hints of fresh basil and lemon zest round out the flavors of this delicious spring cake recipe.

Moist Carrot Cake

Reader Review: “Delicious and forgiving recipe that was a hit with the whole family including the toddler! Can taste the fresh carrots and the figs with coconut give it a nice little festive twist.”

Fluffy Vanilla Bean Cake

Reader Review: Thank you for sharing this delightfully easy, mouthwateringly delicious recipe. Have baked this cake several times since I first tried it a few weeks back and it’s been a huge success each time!

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

Reader Review: These cupcakes are beautiful and delicious! I loved the tart raspberry flavor in the icing!

I’m not sure I’ve ever been this happy to go to school, nor actually enjoyed a morning commute this much.

What I love most about baking is that it is indeed attainable. With practice, proper ingredients, patience, and attention to detail, a technique, flavor, and final bake can be replicated without the need for superpowers, deep pockets, or extraordinary physical talent. My éclair may not look exactly like my instructor’s, your éclair may not look exactly like mine, but I’m confident they’re all pretty damn close and taste equally delicious.

This post is too long for email, will need to be read online or in the Substack app.

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Here are five of my favorite breakfast recipes to welcome spring with a delicious, made-from-scratch morning.

Happy Baking! And let me know which one you make :)

Jenn

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Ham and Cheese Spinach Quiche

Reader Review: “This is the perfect quiche. Super easy to turn this into a vegetarian recipe. I added more mushrooms in place of the ham.”

Blueberry Crumble Muffins

Reader Review: “❤️❤️❤️ Wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe. They’re big, fluffy, and, of course, delicious.”

Buttermilk Bacon and Cheese Scones

Light, fluffy buttermilk breakfast scones packed with sharp cheddar, nutty gruyere, and hearty chunks of thick bacon.

Cheesy Mushroom and Spinach Hand Pies

Reader Review: Outstanding, thank you for this winning recipe!

My ever growing list of pastry equipment to fill my apartment kitchen now includes a line that says “small at-home laminator machine.” Imagine the amount of wrist longevity I could acquire by not using a rolling pin.

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