eat dessert first
There are a few classic dessert flavors, but perhaps none more so than peanut butter. Its rich, creamy texture and unmistakable taste always transport me right back to childhood. I’ve put together a list of my favorite peanut butter desserts to bring you back to that happy place too, and […]
When my boys were little my dad set up elaborate egg hunts for them on Easter. A tradition he took very seriously and had started when I was a little girl. In the mid 1970s, when I was about 7, my dad decided to surprise the neighborhood kids and rented a […]
If you have my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes, you likely know from the intro that the story of my life with sweets started with an auspicious meeting with the humble Twinkie. I would never presume to create anything as iconic as the original, but these homemade Twinkies are freakin’ delicious.
Bold, bright and perfect for spring, these 14 lemon desserts are sure to please! Whether you are searching for an Easter dessert or a little ray of sunshine as you wait for the warmest days of spring, these are the recipes for you. Tart, bright, delicious, versatile — you can […]
Every bite of this bright and dreamy lemon-curd pound cake has all the enthusiasm of a spring morning. There are layers of tartness from the luxurious lemon curd, lemon zest, and pieces of baked lemon that nestle perfectly into the buttery rich batter. A light and easy drizzle of lemon […]
This halva diva cake with tahini buttercream, chocolate ganache and crushed pistachios is a perfect cake for passover. There was always a brick of halva in my mom’s refrigerator, right on the door, where the butter was supposed to be. I have no idea where it came from, because Vermont […]
I made this honey cake for a fundraiser for World Central Kitchen in Ukraine in 2022. World Central Kitchen is a wonderful organization that does humanitarian work around the world and you can help them in their mission by donating $30 to receive a video of my class featuring this […]
Whipping up a batch of pâte à choux is both easy and super satisfying. Milk, flour, butter and eggs transform when cooked and baked into delicate puffs of pastry. If you’ve never ventured into the world of éclairs, profiteroles, cream puffs or even a Croquembouche, I think a Tuesday is […]
The first book I bought when I headed off to culinary school was the Larousse Gastronomique (LG). It was to me then, what google is to current students at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). All the French recipes and kitchen terms I needed to know in one 1,200-page volume. […]
Happy Birthday! If you’re reading this you’re on the hunt for birthday desserts, which means it’s somebody’s birthday. I love choosing birthday treats because you can make anything that the birthday celebrant loves. Sure, you’ll find a bunch of cake recipes below, since it’s the faithful symbol of birthdays, but […]
I will start out by saying that I am not a vegan and therefore I have not experimented much with vegan desserts or substitutions. I do have friends who avoid dairy and/or gluten and/or eggs, so I have dabbled a little bit with vegan swaps, but I am by no […]
For National Baking Month I asked on Instagram for your baking questions. When I got hundreds of responses, I decided to make this a series of posts on my site. So far we’ve discussed Pies + Pie Crust, Cakes + Decorating, Meringue, Bread Baking, vegan desserts and now Baking Equipment. […]
I'm Zoë François and I love to bake. This is where I play with sugar and take the mystery out of baking everything from cookies to wedding cakes. I studied pastry at the CIA (the culinary school, not the spy agency), worked in restaurants, have written 10 cookbooks and you can find more of my creations in my Substack Newsletter and YouTube videos. More...
