Almond Cake with Buttercream Roses

Almond Cake with Buttercream Roses | ZoeBakes photo by Zoë François

At the core this is a pound cake that has a perfectly dense crumb and is rich with almond paste, but it is also a tribute to spring, which is on its way. The decoration came to me after I made the blood orange glaze, that is the prettiest pink you can find in nature. The color is from the red fruit, without use of any food color (the season is short, so you can recreate this color with all natural food color that I link to below).

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Chocolate Bundt with White Chocolate-Raspberry Cream

Chocolate Bundt Cake with White Chocolate-Raspberry Cream | Photo by Zoë François

This Nordic Ware Brilliance Bundt Pan is my recent favorite piece of kitchen equipment. It is so elegant and fun. A simple cake baked in it really is worthy of standing alone on a pedestal. However, I decided to gild the lily and add white chocolate raspberry cream to the inside.

It is a perfect party cake (Mother’s Day is coming up or just a Tuesday will do). To create this, you’ll want a cake that has a bit of body to it, so I picked a chocolate cake that was developed especially for the bundt pan from the trusted folks at Bake from Scratch. Then I wanted something creamy and bright in the middle. Adding white chocolate to whipped cream will stabilize it and allow it to keep its shape when cut into slices. To get the flavor of raspberries, without adding a ton of extra liquid to the cream was a challenge, but I think I found a pretty clever solution.

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Homemade Jello (Fresh Strawberry!)

Homemade Jello With Strawberries Recipe | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

Jell-O always seemed a bit like magic to me. Add water to the brightly colored, sugary powder and in no time it’s solid and giggles like a good belly laugh. The problem is, the stuff in the box tastes like congealed, watered-down kool-aid. There is no actual fruit involved, just artificial color and flavor.

Luckily gelatin desserts have earned more respect in the past decade with the popularization of panna cotta and other sophisticated, intense flavors, like wine and espresso. I even have a recipe for Vietnamese Iced Coffee Panna Cotta!

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Mother’s Day Meringues

On mother’s day, I personally think there should be over-the-top displays of appreciation and beauty. This will come in the form of children helping their mom plant flowers in the garden, cleaning the garage, a foot massage, a favorite meal (basically anything cooked by someone else) and, of course, a gorgeous dessert. After eating the aforementioned favorite meal, she may long for something light and ethereal. Meringues. This is one easy recipe, served three different ways. It can be made by children of all ages, maybe with a little help from dad. By adding flavors to the meringue, you can personalize the dessert.

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Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day!

Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day | ZoëBakes | Zoë François

This has been a big week in my household. My eldest child turned 12 and got an electric guitar, we celebrated Mother’s day with breakfast in bed, and my first book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day made the Wall Street Journal Best-sellers list. I have all of you to thank for this last piece of good news. We are beyond thrilled and grateful that the book continues to bring homemade bread into so many homes!

Finally, after two years of eating artisan pizza at nearly every meal (my kids love me for it), our third book is available on Amazon for pre-order. It is a thrill to see it alive and in color after working so hard on it. Though the official publication date for the Pizza book is October 25, 2011 (just in time for cooler weather), you can place a pre-order for Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day now on Amazon.

Cheers! Zoë

Please visit breadin5.com for recipes and if you have any questions about the books.