Category: Patisserie information

Skills and method descriptions, advice, hints and tips, troubleshooting, ingredients, resources etc

Alice in Wonderland Victorian fancies

Ink Sugar Spice4 Comments

This was a little project I've been hatching for a while. It combines a bit of research into Victorian treats, a bit of illustration and drawing and some recipe reverse-engineering. It also marries an homage to Alice in Wonderland in its 150th birthday year (as I love the story and, in particular, John Tenniel's original… Continue reading Alice in Wonderland Victorian fancies

Esterházy torte – nut dacquoise layer cake

Ink Sugar Spice2 Comments

Esterházy cake is a dacquoise layer torte originating in Budapest in the late 1800s. It was created (as many famous/regional speciality cakes are) by a confectioner keen to impress one of the great houses of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire and one of its members in particular, Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy de Galántha. Its longevity as… Continue reading Esterházy torte – nut dacquoise layer cake

Paris-Brest with passionfruit crème diplomate

Ink Sugar Spice1 Comment

This Paris-Brest choux is another Daring Bakers' challenge. I have made Paris-Brest before on a few occasions and to follow the original recipe is to produce one large ring-shaped choux filled, decorated simply with toasted, flaked almonds and filled with crème mousseline. It's typically large enough that it can be sliced to serve a number… Continue reading Paris-Brest with passionfruit crème diplomate

Chocolate tempering – a visual guide

Ink Sugar Spice3 Comments

I got a bit bored with never remembering the crucial temperatures in each part of the tempering process every time I wanted to work with chocolate in my bakes. Searching for websites or leafing through numerous books is time consuming so I thought I'd draw up a resource to help me - a visual aide… Continue reading Chocolate tempering – a visual guide