eat dessert first
You can watch me make these squash scones with my son, Charlie, on my show Zoë Bakes on Max! In this episode my eldest son, Henri, and I head to a pumpkin patch to pick out squash and pumpkins to bake with. We make the scones below, plus a delicious […]
This hot chocolate cake from Zoë Bakes Cakes is unbelievably delicious! Combining layers of moist Devil’s Food cake and creamy, luscious chocolate frosting, the entire cake is topped with homemade toasted marshmallows. This recipe is the perfect dessert for any occasion! With hot chocolate as its inspiration, it has layers of […]
This chocolate peanut butter pie recipe is oh-so delicious. With a graham cracker crust, a smooth peanut butter filling, layer of chocolate ganache, and a whipped cream and candied peanut topping, this dessert is deluxe and irresistible. I typically like to mix up the flavors and styles of the desserts […]
Sometimes a baking fail is just the inspiration I need to try something new. I originally baked my Devil’s Food Cake from Zoë Bakes Cakes in cupcake liners that promised to be sturdy enough not to need a muffin pan to support them. Well, I put them to the test […]
From Memorial Day to the Fourth of July to Labor Day, summer is all about weekend gatherings with friends and family. A good meal should always accompany a get-together, which means you’ll need some tasty desserts for a crowd. I put together a list of some of my favorite cookies, […]
I made the delicious Mango Pudding and Passion Fruit Caramel recipes from Hetty McKinnon’s newest book, To Asia, With Love! I layered them together and wanted a little something light and airy on top, like meringue or whipped cream, but her recipes are vegan, so I needed it to be […]
A sheet cake may be the simplest of cakes, but done right, it can be perfectly elegant. This strawberry sheet cake with passion fruit starts with a simple white cake. The strawberries come in as a topping with passion fruit mixed into the buttercream. A special occasion doesn’t always require […]
This simple, rustic, and absolutely delicious blueberry galette recipe can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries. Using my perfect pie dough, the galette has a flaky pastry crust that holds in the blueberries beautifully. You can serve it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream! Blueberry Galette! This is […]
How do you choose the perfect Mother’s Day dessert? You need to know what mom loves, of course, but I think you also need something beautiful and sophisticated. For me, something with meringue is perfect, but every mom loves something a little different. I’ve put together a list of some […]
I often get asked about my go-to baking equipment and one of the things people ask the most is what I think is the best stand mixer. A good mixer is the workhorse of a baker’s kitchen—it does so much of the work for you. In fact, I have three!
Fool! That’s the name of this creamy fruit-filled dessert. What is a fool? It’s a British dessert that includes fruit folded into a custard. The original version was most often made with gooseberries, but it evolved over the years to include different fruits, and some have simplified it by using […]
At a super young age I discovered baking brings me joy and feeds my soul. What I’ve learned from a career in professional kitchens is that I love teaching other people how to bake even more! Now I get to do both, on TV. Joanna and Chip Gaines have given me a series on their new Magnolia Network where I can bake, teach and be inspired by some phenomenally talented bakers (and chefs, farmers, bee keepers and more …) in my Minnesota community.
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...
