Bavarian Walnut Stollen

12/17/2021

My interest in pastry baking had just begun in December 1979 when I came across an article in Gourmet Magazine from the previous year on German Christmas baking. Among the many enticing recipes, one stood out – Bavarian Walnut Stollen. Totally different from Dresden Stollen, with its raisins and candied…

A chocolate cake sitting on top of a black plate.

Ivoire et Chocolat

10/22/2021

This wonderful cake came to life as I was working on a chocolate roulade based on the delicious and versatile flourless chocolate souffl© sheet, from Paula Peck’s The Art of Fine Baking. The roulade is not a thing of beauty (it tends to crack) but the flavor contrast of the…

A wooden bowl with some food on top of it

Apple Crisp

10/15/2021

I was cleaning out my freezer when I came across a Ziploc bag of oatmeal crisp topping, a leftover from a late September Blueberry Crisp. Several summers ago, in search of a good way to use beautiful farmers market blueberries I came across a Williams-Sonoma Blueberry Crisp recipe. It is…

Muffins for sale at The Friday Baking Project

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

10/01/2021

Among baking book author Maida Heatter’s many contributions to the American dessert repertoire were her recipe for Budapest Coffee Cake. It appeared in her first book in 1974, and by the late 1970’s and early 1980’s it was on the counter, under many different names, in specialty food stores across…

Plum Torte

09/03/2021

For many in the northeast, early fall baking always includes the simple, yet wonderful Plum Torte from Marian Burros of the New York Times. According to the Times, this recipe was reprinted annually from 1983 to 1989, and there was an uproar when they stopped. The base itself is a…

Wild Blueberry Streusel Pie

08/27/2021

This summer my partner and I took a drive to Woodstock Vermont and later that day crossed into New Hampshire to visit her stepsister and her husband. Upon our arrival we were given a tour of the house, and I spied a large bowl of beautiful wild blueberries on the kitchen…

Challah

08/07/2021

The Challah recipe search represented the unofficial beginning of the Baking Project. Which is fitting as Challah is a happy and deeply embedded food memory of mine. Growing up, Friday night dinner was special as it was the beginning of Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest and reflection. Among other…