Fruit cake

I had made a beautiful fruit cake for my neighbor's Birthday.  Paula was so so surprised, because 5 neighbors came together to celebrate her Surprise Birthday!  Oh boy was she surprised!  She was so touched she almost cried, and if I think about it she may have shed a few tears that she wiped away real fast.  Paula said "no one had ever done this for me", it made her so happy and emotional. 

The neighbors also had a great time and were so happy that all of them said " this was really great".  It could not have been a more beautiful day of getting 5 neighbors together for a great celebration.  I think I will have to make this a tradition of gathering the neighbors together once every couple months. It is so nice to chat and catch up with everyone and this creates more of a family neighborhood.

Thanks to Kirsten who told me it was her 60th Birthday and initiated the whole event to take place.  We are so blessed to have such caring, loving, and wonderful neighbors.  Everyone brought something to contribute to the celebration which made it even more special.  There was plenty of cake for everyone and they all enjoyed having a large peice of cake, since it was quite tall in height.

This cake was our famous white cake with strawberries and kiwis inside, and decorated with fruit on top.  I think this was the last cake I made before my oven gave out on me.  So yes I have been out of an oven for several months now, and it is absolutely torturous for me.  We have finally ordered another oven and hope it will arrive soon, so I can get back to baking at my home.  I hope to blog again soon with another wonderful and delicious dessert.  Eat healthy and stay happy until next time, bon-appetit!

Blackforest Cake

Our good friend Steve just had a party, and his favorite cake is a Black forest cake. Most people love chocolate cake and some feel an addiction to it. Maybe it's because chocolate has a little caffeine in it that gives you a kick. This is also my husband's favorite cake, it has fresh whip cream and dark black cherries inside the layers. It can also taste amazing with layers of chocolate ganache and dark black cherries. This is what Prabakar my husband requested for me to make for his Birthday cake. It becomes twice as rich with the chocolate ganache, and so amazing if you are a big chocolate fan. He fell in love with one bite and said it is the best cake I had made for him.  This cake also has No oil or butter in it and low sugar, yet very moist and delicious.  You really don't need oil or butter in cakes, if you know the secret method of making your cake.  It is all in the process of making the cake, so you don't need the extra fat and calories any more.  I am still working on recipe books for you so you can make gourmet cakes and pastries right from your home. 

Apricot Almond Tart

I have been craving apricot tart desserts and apple tarts lately, and one of my favorite apricot desserts is my traditional French apricot tart. It is always our tradition to have some kind of apricot pastry, apricot tart or the apple tart for special gatherings or events. I call it a tart instead of a pie because a tart can not compare to a pie. I would rather call them pie tarts than just a pie.

The ingredients used in this French apricot tart compared to the ingredients of a pie are a lot different. A French tart is of a higher quality than a regular pie and the taste afirms that. It's shell or crust compared to a pie crust is so different. When ever I eat pies I am always disappointed with the taste of the crust or shell. Pie crusts usually taste so bland and buttery, but the crust on this apricot tart is delicious and so satisfying for the pallate. My recipes for making tart shells uses a combination of butter and natural vegetable oil products such as Earth Balance, which is organic and cholesterol free. Earth Balance spread is naturally free of trans fats and hydrogenated oils and may help to improve your cholesterol ratio. Ordinary tart shells use only butter which can be very greasy and heavy and have a high cholesterol content.

The filling of the tart is a mixture of marzipan (another word for almond paste) and custard with the apricot halves placed on top. I also like to brush on an apricot glaze that gives the apricots a sweeter taste and makes the appearance look great. For creating the apricot glaze, I use organic reduced sugar apricot preserves. Then my final touch is to place some slivers or slices of almonds for the final gourmet taste.

Marzipan really does wonders to your baking, it gives it a taste of uniqueness. It also gives the tart a true gourmet taste that keeps you from ever wanting to eat or make another ordinary pie.

Next time don't just bake an ordinary pie for your guests. Instead make the apricot almond tart with French custard that will make your guest's taste buds dance. A dessert tart entices one to come to an event or gathering. I am in the process of writing some tart recipes, and especially apple tart recipe's which every one loves to eat. In all my recipes, I use healthy and high quality ingredients, which makes my desserts rich in taste but light in calories.

Red Rose Wedding cake

This Red Rose which can be a symbol of love, passion, wedding, anniversary, or valentines cake can make some one very happy. It is comprised of 4 layers, one of the layers has strawberries and cream, then another layer of kiwi's and cream, and finally a layer of both strawberry and kiwi's and cream. It tastes heavenly for those of you who love white cake with fruit and fresh whipped cream. I personally love the rose decoration, red roses are just so romantic and can always sweep a lady of her feet. It also makes a great surprise and makes a lady feel special, so next time for Valentines Day get her a cake or make it, to be even more special.

It really is not as hard as it might look to make, you just need a little time with lots of love put into it. Some people may think oh the calories and fat, but actually this cake has no oil or butter used in it, yet it is so moist. Surprising and remarkable! That is why I think people will easily have 2 slices, mostly the ones who say I don't like cake. I love it when there are people who say I don't eat cake and don't like it, and then have a bite to prove it just is not good. Then after the first bite end up eating two pieces! I think not adding the oil and butter really makes it less fattening and so light. It is all in the technique of how you make the cake, you really don't need butter or oil! How fantastic is that? Plus another bonus, it is very low in sugar and tastes out of this world. Again you don't need a lot of sugar to make a great cake. If you are interested in the recipe just let me know. I am still in the process of putting together the French recipe book to sell.

Until next time, try to stay away from the cakes that use lots of sugar, oil, and butter, they will help you put on weight. Try a healthier cake that is light and delicious, so you don't feel guilty about eating two pieces :)

Palmier

Palmier is such a tasty dessert with some tea or coffee. It is rather easy and quick to make and people always marvel at it as if it is a difficult dessert to make. This is one dessert you can control your sugar intake. You can make it as sweet as you want or not very sweet at all. It is flaking and crispy and fun to eat with a shape that is so different and that makes it look difficult to create.

Palmier's can be very addictive too, because they taste so good and are light and so satisfying if you have a sweet tooth. Just make sure the puff pastry dough is good quality like the Napoleon dough. They use the same kind of dough and if it is high quality then it will taste great. So be sure to buy a popular brand name when making these desserts. All you use is the puff pastry dough and some sugar and this creates an amazing dessert with tea or coffee.

Don't forget you control the amount of sugar you use, so if you have some restrictions on your sugar intake no worries you are in control of how much to add. Recipe's soon to come! Have a great week.

Napoleon Pastry

Hello Fellow Bakers, looking for a low sugar, yet delicious tasting pastry? Here is something that I made recently? In this post I am going to talk about a Strawberry Napoleon Pastry.

A French pastry that is one of my favorites, is the Strawberry Napoleon pastry. The pastry ingredients are strawberries, custard, puff pastry, and whipped cream. It makes one messy, but delicious dessert. If you want something light that contains low sugar but is extremely tasty, then Strawberry Napoleons are what you will certainly enjoy.

Strawberry Napoleons have three layers to it with puff pastry dough in between. There is the bottom layer which is filled with custard, a middle layer filled with whipped cream and strawberries and finally the top layer which is decorated with Powdered sugar (optional), whipped cream and strawberries. In another post I will talk about my style of making french custard. French custard is very different from your traditional custard that you see in most pastry and dessert aisle in restaurants. I use natural and high quality ingredients, so its healthy for you and is made in a unique way. Its like nothing you have tasted!!!

The strawberry napoleon is made from scratch, and that is why it taste so incredible! Yes you can even make the puff pastry dough from scratch if you want. However, if you want to make your baking a little bit faster and easier, puff pastry dough can be bought from the grocery store. Make sure you buy a popular brand name and not an unknown name. High quality ingredients is what makes your baking spectacular, so don't go cheap on materials and ingredients!

By the way, I am in the process of putting a French Recipe Book together that will have many pastry recipes. Feel free to write to me and ask questions. Until the next baking visit, remember high quality creates an amazing treat for the palate.

French Rollet Baking Class

Our first French Baking class took place finally last Sunday. I had one person after another ask me, "when will you start teaching your classes?" I also started getting emails from people asking about classes, so finally I just decided I had to just do it.

There was a lot to prepare for in a very short amount of time and I must admit I was a little panicked the night before. Thanks to my husband, he calmed me down and helped me prepare. I taught some of my closest friends first who had been wanting to take the class, and decided they would be great students to experiment on. Also I knew they are easy going and fun to be with and would give me good feedback. The baking class was on how to make a Rollet cake from scratch. The cake comprised of chocolate shavings and fruit decorations on top and fresh whipped cream inside the white cake.

There were 6 students, Amy, Mike, Nancy, Maria, Sally, and Jinous. The class was held at Jinous' home who was very generous to open up her kitchen and host the class. Her large kitchen with an island was the perfect setting for the baking class. The students made their own Rollet cakes with complete hands on experience. I provided all the equipment and ingredients needed, so they did not have to worry about bringing anything. I demonstrated and guided them in what they were to do, and then allowed them to do it on their own which they preferred and was the best way to learn. Their final work of art was impressive for their first time. I am definitely proud of each one of them and know they will go home and practice and perfect their baking talents even more.

You are all talented and awesome baking students and have inspired me in your conviction and dedication! Your efforts definitely paid off and it shows in your beautifully decorated Rollet cakes. I thank each one of you and wish you success in your baking endeavours!

Now that the first class is behind me, I am going to be having these classes regularly. If any of you are interested, please contact me. We can either have these classes in my kitchen or at your homes. I offer giving classes for up to 6 students at a time.

Finally, I also want to share that I have dedicated my baking business and endeavours to raise money for the less fortunate. My husband and I wish to dedicate our time and efforts to raise money to help those in need. We are so fortunate and have many wonderful things in life to be grateful for, that we cannot forget the less fortunate peoples of this world. We know we can't solve world hunger, but if we think that way, then nothing will get done. Instead we have to do our small part individually to make a change because its the multitude of small parts that make the difference. All proceeds from my baking business will go towards charitable purposes.

Chocolate Eclairs

Chocolate eclairs, ooh how tasty the eclair can be!!! We recently had a Baha'i study circle at our home with about 20 people participating. It was an all day intensive study circle, we started at 9:00am and finished at 5:30pm. I knew I had to make something that would keep people functioning all day long, besides for food (breakfast and lunch). My answer was mini eclairs with hot tea or coffee, Yumm! How to make eclairs? It is easy all you need is a great recipe for eclairs.

A Chocolate eclair dessert is one of my favorite pastries. One of my guests was a beautiful French lady (both inside and out) named Guilmette. She came up to me and said "this is real French custard". She knew her true Eclairs living in France for so many years, and could not believe I had made them. I had also experimented with my original recipe and decided to do something a bit different, that made it more nutritious and tastier. (It will be revealed in my classes and recipe book - hint hint).

I do have to say that French Baking is a labor of love. The reward is seeing the happiness it brings to people and their stomachs. Also the reaction that people have after they eat the pastry - takes me by surprise a lot of times. Some will come up and hug you and love you for it while others will just say you are the best! This is when I have to remember not to let it go to my head, which too many compliments can do to someone. I sometimes don't realize how much people appreciate the effort and quality of a well made dessert and this is why I keep making them. I love to see the joy it brings to people besides for their tummies.

It makes the hard work...well not so hard and definitely worth it!

Until next week, be happy, eat healthy, and bring about more love in this world.

White Strawberry cake with white chocolate shavings

This cake was made for a little angel who turned one! Her name is Nura which means light in Persian, and you guessed it she is a little angel of light. This was an enormous 21 pound cake, filled with three layers of strawberries and fresh whip cream, and about 5 to 6 inches in height. This cake easily fed 70 people plus there was left overs for the family to take home. Niky, who is Nura's mom had told me for several mornings after the B-day party, her family had cake for breakfast, and day by day it tasted even better. This is actually true as the strawberry's juice and whip cream soak into the cake over time.

I never use oil or butter in my cakes and that makes for a very healthy and light cake, and that is why people can easily eat more than one slice. Also using fresh whipping cream and not frosting which is made of butter and sugar, makes my cakes very light and healthy. As we try to live a healthy life we need to be aware of what we put into our bodies. Therefore if we can eliminate cakes that have butter, oil, and lots of sugar, we will then eat a healthy cake that is delicious and brings a sigh of yum with every bite we eat.

Niky wanted Nura's cake to have the appearance of snow, so she wanted only white chocolate shavings for the decoration with happy birthday to Nura written on marzipan. There were many Marzipan lovers at the party, especially Anisa and Tandis, who could not keep their eyes off the rich tasting marzipan piece (they knew how tasty marzipan can be). Either you are a big fan of marzipan and love it, or you simply may not know enough about it and may not have taste buds for it (yet). As for me, I love a high quality marzipan. Happy Birthday little Nura and may you have many more angelic birthdays to come!

I was very happy with the review from Nura's family, friends of the family, and those who don't like cake, but really enjoyed this one. I will be putting together all my recipes in a book for sale in the near future, for all of those who have been asking and like to bake. Also sometime soon I will begin teaching classes for those who have asked. Happy New Year to all, and best wishes for 2010!

Fruit Tart

For a holiday dessert I thought it would be nice to have a colorful, beautiful dessert to eat. My family loves fruit tarts, because it is a light and a healthy dessert, and fruits are so tasty and good for you.

Fruit tarts are truly works of arts, and this brings out my artistic side. There are so many gorgeous designs you can create with fruit and it brings out the art in your baking. Many people don't want to cut into this gorgeous creation, but eventually you have to eat your artistic creation.

It tastes just as good as it looks, the shell is filled with chocolate then a thin layer of cake, topped with custard and finally fruit. Most people who have ate fruit tarts have not had it with a layer of cake in it. Adding the layer of cake in it really makes the taste and texture even more incredible tasting. Some of you have experienced this incredible taste and know what I mean, and for those who have not you just might want a bite.

I will be putting together all my recipes in a book for sale in the near future, for all of those who have been asking and like to bake. Also sometime soon I will begin teaching classes for those who have asked. Happy New Year to all, and best wishes for 2010!

Chocolate Covered Pecan Pie

Tonight we are invited to a study circle / dinner party at our good friend Pari's home. I didn't want to go empty handed, and since dinner was provided, I wanted to whip up some dessert. I had about three hours to come up with something different, mouth watering, and relatively quick. So I go through my fridge and see that I have a bowl of caramel and pecan filling and dough which I can use for a shell. I got it! I can make a chocolate covered Pecan Pie.

Chocalate covered pecan pie takes about several hours to make so I do have enough time. This is a unique pecan pie that has always been a hit. Everyone who tastes this extraordinary dessert falls in love with it because of its rich taste.

The caramel and pecan filling is enclosed in the mouth watery shell. Finally chocolate is poured over it to form a complete covering. Very rich in taste and so delicious with tea or coffee, it hits the spot! My husband Prabakar was very excited as this is one of his favorite desserts. As we drove to the party Prabakar was stating that he could smell the chocolate and it was killing him. He was so hungry that he wanted to have the dessert first because of the incredible chocolate smell. At the party, it was a hit. No one had taste a pecan pie like it!

kiwi strawberry rollet cake

Great news! I will be giving French baking classes soon. I have been putting together plans to start teaching french baking classes. It has been on my mind for a while and I have been talking to my friends and customers to get some feedback. Many of them have asked to come and learn, watch, be an assistant or to get recipes for my cakes and pastries. So look forward to more plans and details on that.

My friend Atousa had invited us over for dinner this past weekend. My husband and I decided to make a rollet cake to take as dessert. I figured I would experiment with teaching him how to make a rollet cake. Mind you, it was a little frustrating teaching him :) as he just doesn't listen sometimes, but he was a good student after all. It took us about 2 hours to get it all done and believe it or not, it came out great.

Here are the quick details of the cake we made. It was a white cake with whip cream and chocolate shavings with fruit on top. Kiwis and strawberries look great on chocolate shavings. It gives a holiday look, feel and taste. Everyone loved the taste and the design. They couldn't believe that my husband had made it and not me. Rollet cakes are easier to make than a standard round or square cake and I think they taste better too if you want something different. I add a lemon and orange Zest for additional flavoring and a unique taste. I think there was about 4 or 5 people at the party who wanted to take the class. Yeah!!

Holiday Yule Log Cake

Its the holidays! Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanuka, Kwanzaa, or holiday, its a great time to add the sweets as part of your celebration.

This year I am making Holiday Yule Log cakes. Several friends have already placed their orders and here is my first one for the season. What is a Yule Log cake you ask?

The term goes way back to the 12th century, when it was customary for families on Christmas eve to sit around a fireplace and light a log. Yes, it was actually a real fire log that had to be burned for 12 hours. Families and friends would watch it burn for hours while telling ghost stories . Then over time, tradition changed and the log was replaced by luscious desserts made to represent the log. Therefore the circular tree rings on the Yule log cake.

My Yule log cakes are made french style, no oil, no butter, just natural and healthy. It is a white cake with orange zest, fresh whip cream and chocolate shavings on top with holiday decorations. A lot of love went into it to make it as delicious and pretty as can be. It is a very festive and fun dessert to have during the holidays. I still have to do all my clean up and dishes, but it was worth the hard work.

Raspberry White cake with Chocolate Shavings

During our bakery days, our french style cakes were the most popular. We made french cakes for all kinds of occasions, from birthdays to anniversaries to weddings and just parties. Making french style cakes has always been my favorite part of the bakery days and I truly enjoy the experience and results.

Today was my friend Anthony's birthday party. I decided to make a white cake with raspberry whip cream filling for him. I always like to decorate with chocolate, so I'll top it off with some chocolate shavings. There is an art to making french style cakes. The difference is not only in the recipe but also the process. My father taught me one of his secrets to making cakes spungy and moist. We never use oil or butter in our cakes. Surprised??? Yes, for all the years that we have been making cakes, we never used oil or butter to make the cake soft and moist. It is a secret that has made our cakes so popular. It is healthly, all natural, and tastes so great! So have an extra slice without worrying too much about the fat :)

Here it is! A white cake with raspberry whip cream filling and chocolate shavings on top and on the sides and decorated with raspberries on top.

Rollet chocolate cake with chocolate shavings topped with raspberries

Today I had a French Chocolate Rollet birthday cake order. This is a birthday cake for a friend's mom and she loves chocolate and raspberries. It will be a chocolate cake with fresh whip cream in it and on top, then decorated with chocolate shavings and raspberries. For my cakes I never use frosting. I am totally against frosting - its high in sugar, cheap, and does not make for a delicious tasting cake.

Lets get started and see how it turns out............. I have finished! Check out my work of art - it looks fabulous.

It will taste delicious too. Recently most of my orders have been rollet cakes and I enjoy making them. I also decided to add mandarin oranges to it for a more diverse colorful look. This particluar cake will easily serve 20 people and it is something different than your usual round or rectangular birthday cakes. It has a different look which I think captures the eyes. It will be eaten on Thanksgiving day, so I will have to wait and hear the reviews. It is really fun making something too pretty to eat :)

OK, gotta get back to other thanksgiving day pastries. I will be making an apricot pie with almond and custard filling - a french style of making pies. It was a huge hit in the days of our bakery and I expect it will be a hit again this year. Of course there will be pumpkin pie as well, but thats nothing to rave about. I will post some pictures of the apricot pie though.

Happy thanksgiving to all!

Why blog about french baking?

Wow! I have finally started my blog. Been thinking and talking about this for some time now and decided to start blogging :) Why? Well, for quite some time now, friends and customers have been telling me how much they love my work, how great it tastes, whether I sell my recipes or books, give lessons, and to share with them my work. So here it is...

A little about me. My family and I ran a very successful french bakery in Santa Barbara, CA called Le Chateau French Bakery for about 12 years. Then I moved to San Diego and worked as a school teacher and real estate agent for a number of years. Recently my passion for baking was re-ignited by my husband (who kept asking me how come he doesn't get to taste those delicious desserts that he has heard so much about). After baking a few french cakes and pastries whenever family or friends came over for dinner, I realized how much I missed baking. Slowly I got the word out that I was baking again and orders started to come in from friends and referrals. The thing I enjoy most about baking is to see the expression on people's faces when they see my work of art and to hear their delight when they taste it. Yes, the art of gourmet desserts! It is such a rewarding experience for me.

What I hope to achieve is to share with my readers the experience of making french baked cakes and desserts! The process (yes, its hard and labor intensive), share some pictures, and eventually put my work together for a book (that might take some time). If you have any ideas, questions, comments, please share them with me.