Pavlova

Pavlova with Strawberry topping

We have used several types of meringue in Friday Baking Project desserts – nut meringue in Dacquoise, Italian Meringue in Baked Alaska and Swiss Meringue in buttercream. This week we delve into Pavlova, the queen of baked meringue desserts and a perfect ending to a spring or summer meal. It features a crisp on the…

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Chocolate Truffle Cake

Chocolate Truffle Cake

This intensely chocolate cake originated from an all-day baking session in my home kitchen with an old friend. We were working to recreate the rectangular Chocolate Tile Cake from a long-gone Greenwich Village restaurant, La Tulipe. The process presented many challenges, including maintaining even, straight lines during the assembly of the free-form rectangle, and shaping…

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Bête Noire

Bête Noire French style chocolate cake

For the second installment of the French-style chocolate cake search I returned to my baking book library and came upon one with an eye-catching title – Growing up on the Chocolate Diet by Lora Brody. It’s been on the shelf for years with one page bookmarked, the recipe for Bête Noire.  I vaguely remember being…

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