eat dessert first
Is there anything more gorgeous than the sight of drizzling caramel? Homemade caramel just adds the perfect sweetness to a favorite dessert, and is much easier to make than many people think! This list of caramel desserts features all kinds of recipes, including pies, cakes and so much more. If […]
It is Sweet Corn season in Minnesota and this year it’s incredible. My friend’s family has an organic corn farm and he delivered dozens of ears to me, which I have made into corn chowder and this brilliant Sweet Corn Ice Cream. The taste of corn can be easily overpowered, […]
This is the cornbread I make in the Sweet Corn Ice Cream episode of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network! It’s the season finale of season 3 and sweet corn is one of the ways we know summer is winding down here in Minnesota.
What makes this the best-ever homemade carrot cake? The classic flavor and beautiful addition of candied carrot peels. This is both an easy carrot cake recipe and a showstopper. This carrot cake is perfectly spiced, moist, and unbelievably good! Using candied carrot peels as decoration (optional), cream cheese frosting, and […]
This beautiful lemon ice cream cake is from Amy Thielen’s new book, Company. She calls it lemon nemesis because it combines three of her personal temptations into one dessert: a salted butter-cracker bottom, lemon custard middle and swirly toasted meringue topping. It is perfect to me for so many reasons, […]
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 is the coffee chiffon cake I make on season 3 episode 10 of Zoë Bakes in […]
Order my new cookbook, Zoë Bakes Cookies, now! My next cookbook, Zoë Bakes Cookies, will feature about 100 recipes and I test my recipes over and over until they’re perfect. Enlisting my sons, Henri and Charlie, to be taste testers and incorporating their feedback makes my books even better. In […]
This stunning angel food cake covered in cherry whipped cream was inspired by a recipe my friend, Jessie Sheehan, included in one of her cookbooks. Jessie joined me to eat our way through the Minnesota State Fair for season 3 episode 8 of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network! Angel food […]
These are the orange creamsicle pops that I made on season 3 episode 8 of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network! In this episode I taste my way through the Minnesota State Fair with my friend and fellow cookbook author, Jessie Sheehan. Inspired by our visit, I make an angel food […]
This post was originally written in 2011 and it is hilarious for me to read it since my boys are now grown men and no longer have little fingers because they’re 6 feet tall. The only thing that remains the same all these years later; they still love these Blueberry […]
It’s had to beat a breakfast featuring beautiful, flaky scones. These blueberry scones are prefect with a cup of coffee or on a brunch platter. These are the blueberry scones I make on season 3 episode 7 of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network! In this episode, I prepare to go […]
Pizza is easily my favorite food. There is nothing more satisfying than one straight from the oven with bubbling sauce, a pull of cheese and all your favorite toppings. This crispy, cheesy cast iron pizza with ombre cherry tomatoes is my version of the 2020 Recipe of the Year from […]
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...
