I made the chocoflan 3 times this year and getting better each time.

The filling gets all the attention, but for me, a great cherry pie always starts with the crust. My goal is always the same: buttery, flaky layers that shatter with every bite, while staying sturdy enough to hold all those juicy cherries without turning soggy. Nothing is more satisfying than cutting into a pie and hearing that crisp crack before the filling starts bubbling onto the plate. What's your secret to the perfect pie crust? Are you team all-butter, or do you swear by another method? The full recipe is linked in the comments.

Recipe from Ladurée Sucré book

I used 2” Matfer Borgeat copper molds coated with beeswax, baked on a preheated 3/8” baking steel.

To combat cul blanc, I leave the batter out overnight at room temperature. The batter was made 2 days before.

I fill the molds with 75 grams of batter and use convection bake. I turn the pan 180 degrees mid-bake for even color.

Turn out the molds immediately after baking and cool for 1 hour on a wire rack.

The real trick is figuring out what temps to use when baking! 😆

Hi. This is kind of a failed five layer chocolate cake.

The original recipe would be this one: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZXhDFtsshU/

I then decided to, between each layer, add the following cakes (without the cheesecake / mousse part):

• https://scientificallysweet.com/brownie-chocolate-basque-cheesecake/ (brownie batter, bottom)
• https://bakewithzoha.com/chocolate-mousse-cake/ (sponge, top)

I baked them separately and then added them between layers.

I don't know if the measurements in the video are wrong or I've done something different but:

• The cookies were not enough to reach the top, should've probably added more (might be because they're different cookies).
• The white and milk chocolate don't seem to solidify as much as in the video, might be because I've added a cake layer in between and the weight is too much for them, but in the video they seem like they could hold some weight. Could also have to do with the chocolate used.
• My dark chocolate ganache is not anywhere as liquid as the one in the video, and from the others I've done with around the same measurements, they never were, so I'm not sure if the measurements there are correct or if it has to do with the %, I've used 60-70% in all the dark chocolate ganaches I've made.

Regarding the other batters (brownie and sponge):

• I've overbaked the brownie batter and it burnt quite a bit, I left it for 20 minutes because I didn't think it through, as the recipe is for a whole cheesecake and therefore won't require anywhere near as much time (nor temperature) to cook it. It became quite dense / hard and had to remove quite a bit of it.
• I've probably overmixed the sponge cake batter? It became denser than I thought it would, I tried not overmixing but I think this sponge cake was softer the other time I've made it.

So overall it's a bit of a failure, but that's part of it.

I had some leftover matcha so decided to make a custard with it and then ended up making puff pastries

Yesterday I decided to try my luck at making pink pralines then go a step farther to make a pink praline tarte.

I love treating myself to pink pralines when I’m in France and had a crsving. It isn’t difficult to make them but it’s a bit time consuming.

Get whole almonds. Toast them @350 f for five minutes. Set aside.

Take 2/3 granulated sugar. 1/3 water. About 5 drops red food coloring. A drop of rose water ( optional). Heat in a large skillet. Set on medium high heat.Put the almonds in. Keep stirring. Coat the almonds keep stirring until the moisture evaporates and the sugar gets like sand.

Pour the nuts onto a baking sheet.

Into a medium saucepan, add the remaining sugar that was leftover from t coating the nuts. Add 1/3 cups sugar and a drop or two of red coloring. In the meantime put the coated almonds back into the skillet. When the “sauce” gets bubbly, pour over the nuts in the skillet and heat until coated and moisture is gone.

Repeat process once more. The nuts will have a thick layer of dark pink sweet sugar coating.

These are great to give as gifts or for just when you crave a sweet.

Then there’s the tart: I made a regular tart crust. Then, pulsed a cup and a half of the pralines until they were well chopped. Poured the same amount of heavy cream into a saucepan ( medium). Added the pralines. Cooked over medium heat high until bubbling. Cooked together about 20 minutes.

Poured into the blind baked crust.

Set in fridge 4 hours.

We enjoyed after France won the match against Paraguay.

Anyway, I am no professional just a home cook and this tart was excellent!

my mom bought this in our local market and we thought it was just a simple leche flan. there are two layers of graham crackers and top of it was the flan. and honestly, it was so goooood !!! the flan was so creamy and not too sweet. it balances the overall taste of the graham. it literally melts in your mouth. 10/10 recommended ! 🤤

Looking for a refreshing summer treat? 🍋☀️ Try Butternut Bakery’s Gooey Lemon Butter Cake, a delightful mix between lemon cake and lemon bars 😋

RECIPE:

Ingredients

Lemon Cake

• 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of 2 lemons (2 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cup (165g) all-purpose flour or 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Lemon Cream

• 6 oz full fat cream cheese, room temp
• 3 cups (330g) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting on top (spoon the sugar into your measuring cup for light and fluffy cups)
• 1 large egg, room temp
• Zest of 1 lemon (1 tbsp)

Instructions

Lemon Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line a 9″ round springform pan.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Then add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
5. Spread the thick batter in an even layer in the bottom of the springform pan. Set aside.

Lemon Cream

1. In a mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until thin and creamy.
3. Then mix in the egg and lemon zest.
4. Pour the cream on top of the lemon batter, pouring right in the middle and allowing it to naturally spread close to the edges. It may need some help fully spreading, so use a spoon to nudge it out close to the sides.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top has formed a golden skin and it’s evenly puffed.
6. Allow the cake to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill uncovered for about 2 hours. This is important as it allows the cream to set.
7. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and release the cake. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar then slice and enjoy!

I also added some strawberry syrup for good measure. This was actually even better than I thought it was going to be!

I made one earlier this week for my husbands coworker and decided to make one for us!

This is the recipe i followed - https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/cinnamon-roll-cheesecake/

I don’t do a typical water bath, instead i put a large pot on the shelf under the cheesecake with hot water in it.

The first one is a Black Forest tart sprayed with dark chocolate and finished with cherries and dark chocolate bits

- Almond pate sucree
- Salty dark chocolate ganache
- Cherry gel
- Vanilla white chocolate ganache montee

The second one a pistachio and cherry tart with a mirror glaze, pistachio Chantilly and ground pistachio

- Pate sucree
- pistachio and feuletinne crunch
- Almond biscuit
- Cherry cremeux
- Cherry gel
- pistachio mousse

And the last one is a lime and coconut entremet finished with a velvet spray, lime cream and some shredded coconut and lime zest

- Almond biscuit
- Coconut and feuletinne crunch
- Coconut cremeux
- Lime gel
- Lime mousse