eat dessert first
I am obsessed with cake. So much so, that I wrote a whole book on it. If you’d like more of my cake recipes, check out my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes! Looking for video tutorials? Check out my Cake Basics series on YouTube! You’ll learn how to trim and slice, how to fill a layer cake, how to crumb coat and how to decorate!
When I was growing up my paternal grandmother made a dessert she called “Swedish Cream” on Christmas day. It was rich beyond imagining (at least when I was a child) and its arrival meant the festivities were coming to a close, because we’d all slip into a Christmas Swedish Cream […]
This cherry cake features layers of sponge cake and a simple whipped cream with cherry sauce. It’s best with fresh juicy cherries, but frozen berries work too. I adorned the cake with gorgeous royal icing cherry blossom flowers. How To Decorate Cherry Cake I learned the magic of cake decorating […]
Looking for video tutorials? Check out my Cake Basics series on YouTube! You’ll learn how to trim and slice, how to fill a layer cake, how to crumb coat and how to decorate! This Silver Ombre Cake was inspired by the arrival of Tessa Huff’s new book, Icing on the […]
This little Disco Party of a Chocolate Mug Cake is perfect for a late-night snack, a super-fast and easy dessert for surprise dinner guests, and/or an afterschool treat. No matter the reason you want a little cake, this is a delicious option and requires nothing more than a bowl and […]
This Strawberry Rhubarb Fool Cheesecake was a happy mistake. You know how they say you learn from your failures? Well, I was going for a tourteau fromage and it went wrong in a big way.
Oh, you know me, I love a flourish. Sometimes it’s a rose crown on a bundt cake or a ruffle of gossamer apples topping a tart or maybe, just maybe a crazy swirl of toasted meringue on anything! But, sometimes simple is best. A summer snack at the lake, a […]
Last week my youngest son turned 18. It hit me that he’s a man and about to head out into the world to make his mark. I am so excited for him and looking forward to watching him and his brother become their own men, but it’s a touch bittersweet […]
There is nothing more quintessentially breakfast than blueberry muffins. This recipe is easy to make and creates perfect, moist muffins packed with blueberries. For me a blueberry muffin has to be chock full of contrasts. It should have enough sweetness to feel decadent, but balanced by the tartness of the […]
At the core this almond cake is a pound cake that has a perfectly dense crumb and is rich with almond paste, but it is also a tribute to spring. The buttercream roses are a fun way to add beauty for a celebration! The decoration came to me after I […]
This pear-cardamom cake, with a cardamom confectioners’ sugar glaze, slices up so beautifully. I love leaving the stems on the pears for extra drama. It’s a fun fall cake, and perfect for the holiday season! Cardamom is the quintessential flavor of the holidays in Scandinavian countries. I hadn’t used it […]
This post is from a while back, but I was inspired to bring it to the fore when I created a Baked Alaska for the Holiday issue of Better Homes and Gardens. You will find a picture of my Egg Nog version at the bottom of this post, along with […]
This past summer I created cake recipes for the Holiday issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Once I baked, tested and ate dozens of cakes, I went to Iowa, home of the magazine, and created the final cakes for the issue. It was about 99°F and the midwest sun was […]