Cooking Channel Archives

Lemon Meringue Cake for Mother’s Day – How-to Video: piping roses

May 4, 2016March 22, 2022 Zoë François 59 Comments

Piped Meringue Roses | ZoeBakes | Photo by Zoë François

These meringue roses remind me of fine porcelain china, dainty and ultra feminine. Perfect on an occasion that requires something spectacular, even a bit over-the-top. Mother’s Day is one such time. It is the day when we give thanks to the women who raised us. I have been blessed with more than my fair share of extraordinary women, who have influenced how I walk through this world. They have shown me great generosity, shared their wisdom and loved me unconditionally. I only hope to possess these same qualities as I now raise my own children. I wanted to create something as unique and beautiful as these women, to reflect my deep appreciation, so lemon meringue cake it is.

I’m Making Cheesecake on the Cooking Channel this Saturday!

June 28, 2012January 20, 2019 Zoë François 23 Comments

On a lark I entered my Chocolate Glazed Praline Cheesecake in a Cooking Channel contest and WON. Oh my, what an adventure. It meant a trip to NYC, an appearance on The Cooking Channel’s Kelsey Nixon Show, a tour of the Food Network Kitchens and an excuse to eat my way across NYC. All of that happened in February and the segment we taped is airing this Saturday 6/30 on the Cooking Channel. I hope you will tune in and see my cheesecake on TV.

As if that wasn’t enough I also met one of my baking/writing/career/life mentors, Dorie Greenspan… Read More

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

June 15, 2011July 10, 2022 Zoë François 11 Comments

This is a strawberry-rhubarb crisp I created for my Cooking Channel Weekend Baking post. There is really nothing better than the combo of sweet berries and tart rhubarb. If you are one who has never tasted rhubarb, or tried and decided it is not your thing, I beg you to try it again. Maybe you won’t want to grab a stalk out of the garden and plunge it, raw, into a jar of sugar. That is a more advanced move. The trick is to start gradually, combine it with lots of strawberries and a sweet crunchy crisp. This is not cheating, the rhubarb is still playing an essential role in the flavor of your crisp. It is adding a tart dimension to a potentially overly sweet dessert; like adding lemon zest to balance sweetness, but it is even more interesting. Pretty soon you will have a rhubarb plant growing in your yard and long for the first stalks to poke out from the spring snow and then dread the last days, when the heat of summer has made the plant too tough to eat. That is why I make this plea now, when rhubarb is at its best!

Carrot Cupcakes – Plus a Decorating Set Giveaway!

May 14, 2011February 7, 2022 Zoë François 104 Comments

This is a carrot cupcakes recipe I developed for my Weekend Baker post on the Cooking Channel website. It is a new version of one of my most popular cakes to date, The Ultimate Carrot Cake. This version is made with pineapple and walnuts. Try them both and let me know which is your favorite.

In a continued attempt to clean out the pantry I want to give away this Cuisipro Cupcake Corer and Decorating Set.

It is a perfect set for both adults and kids to get the feel for cake decorating. Please leave me a note below about what cake or cupcake decorating techniques you are most interested in learning.

Here are some techniques I have covered already: Read More

Linzer Torte – (aka Jam Biscuits in honor of the Royal Wedding!)

April 29, 2011February 7, 2022 Zoë François 11 Comments

A layer of raspberry jam is spread between a rich, buttery, hazelnut cookie dough. The crisscrossed lattice top is the signature design of what may be the oldest recorded pastry; the Linzer Torte. It was developed in Linz, Austria around the year 1650 and has been made much the same way ever since. Why fix it, if it is perfect just as it is. However, I can rarely leave things as they are, so I made them in bite sized portions.

There is a version of this same dessert in England and they call them Jam Biscuits. Today, after watching the Royal Wedding I think it fitting that we bake something British, even if they originated elsewhere. Check out the Linzer Cookie I made for the Cooking Channel blog, same ingredients, different look!

How to Pipe Icing Roses

April 22, 2011November 28, 2021 Zoë François 101 Comments

I baked this spring bouquet of cupcakes for my Weekend Baker post on the Cooking Channel blog. I was limited in space in that post, and wanted to go into a ~~bit~~ lot more detail on how to pipe the icing roses, so I am sharing the expanded version here. Creating these flowers is not at all difficult, but it helps to have some simple tricks of the trade. With a little practice and the right tools you can easily recreate these flowers. The contrasting color that tips the petals is one of those easy tricks that takes them from ordinary icing roses to extraordinary. Here is how I did it: