Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich)

09/13/2024

Bee Sting Cake, or Bienenstich in German, is a unique and absolutely delicious cake made from sweet yeast dough topped with caramelized almonds. After baking, the cake is split in half and filled with a custard filling. I first experienced Bee Sting Cake while working at Patisserie Conversation in Philadelphia,…

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Birthday Cake

08/26/2024

The one thing that remains part of our birthday celebrations as we progress through life is a cake. And a homemade version is a special, personal, gift to the birthday person. Whether a simple American layer cake or an elaborate version such as the one here, it sends the same…

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Orange Currant Scones

08/07/2024

These scones were a constant at the Chilmark Epicure stand at the West Tisbury Farmers Market in early 1990’s along with jars of homemade jam, brandied cherries, and vanilla bean peaches. The scones, in cellophane bags tied with raffia would be gone within an hour after opening. This is an…

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Almond-topped baked goods on wood.

Sour Cherry Almond Crunch Cake

07/26/2024

This simple and absolutely delicious coffee cake is another wonderful use of sour cherries. While the fresh season for these gems is behind us, good quality bottled sour cherries work fine in this recipe. Whole milk buttermilk provides tenderness and its distinctive tang. Sour Cherry Almond Crunch Coffee Cake is…

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Cherry tart with a glossy glaze.

Browned Butter Cherry Tart

07/17/2024

This wonderful tart is a combination of farmers market sour cherries, a browned butter custard, and a crisp Pâte Sucrée tart shell. It may be served as is, with a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar, or dressed up a bit with an apricot glaze. Browned butter, or beurre noisette in…

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A cake with chocolate frosting and orange decorations.

Orange and Chocolate Gâteau

06/27/2024

This light and flavorful cake, a marriage of orange and chocolate, is a perfect summer dessert.  In it, soft butter sponge cake layers are brushed with an orange-scented syrup, layered with a rich orange buttercream, then coated with the same bittersweet chocolate glaze used in many of our chocolate tortes.…

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Strawberry galette with flaky crust.

Strawberry Galette

06/06/2024

I love galettes but had doubts about one made with strawberries, worrying that they would lose their structure and turn to jam. However, those doubts were totally unfounded, as this Strawberry Galette is a fabulous dessert. The sliced strawberries soften but remain intact, and the baking process intensifies their flavor…

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Homemade bread pudding with powdered sugar.

Bread Pudding

05/23/2024

Bread pudding is a wonderful comfort food dessert, but it is not as straightforward to get right as I initially thought when I started testing recipes. I assumed you just needed to make a custard, pour it over some day-old bread slices with dried fruit in a baking dish, and…

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