A collection of easy and delicious baking recipes. Cakes, cookies, pavlovas, brownies … there is something here for every occasion! Included are birthday cake recipes and gluten-free cake recipes.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter

slice of chocolate chip banana bread on wire rack

A moist and tasty Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter. The perfect way to use over-ripe bananas! Banana Bread Recipe I know it sounds cliché, but there really is no better use for over-ripe bananas than to make them into a banana bread of some sort. I usually reserve such bananas for my Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, but as I wanted something a bit more homely today, I

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Zopfhasen (Easter Bunny Rolls)

Cute and delicious Zopfhasen, which are Swiss Easter Bunny Rolls, filled with raisins and decorated with pearl sugar. Easy recipe which you can make with the kids, with step-by-step photos. Zopfhasen In the lead up to Easter, many bakeries in Switzerland start selling these delicious Zopfhasen, or Easter Bunny Rolls. Or, as my daughter likes to call them, Bunny Buns.

Chocolate Madeleines

Tender and fluffy Chocolate Madeleines which will steal your heart! Tips for making the perfect madeleines and recipe with step-by-step photos. Heart-Shaped Madeleines Call me kitsch, but I couldn’t resist adding to my madeleine pan collection when I saw this heart-shaped mould late one night on Amazon. Those last five words also explain why the postman shows up at our place almost everyday, the poor guy.

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

A quick and easy Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie to impress your friends and family. And it takes less than 10 minutes to make! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Skillet Cookie This is what I make when I want to impress my kids and their friends. Hands down, every time, this skillet cookie gives maximum wow factor. And it takes less than 10 minutes to make!

Blushing Betty

A Blushing Betty is a rhubarb sponge pudding with a moist and delicious cake baked on top of a luscious rhubarb compote. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Rhubarb Dessert There was a time last year when I accidentally ordered 3 kg (6 lb) of rhubarb instead of 3 stalks with my online grocery order. It was one of those errors where, upon realising the magnitude of my mistake, we could only laugh and be

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Eve’s Pudding

An Eve’s Pudding is a deliciously comforting dessert with a soft tender sponge on top of baked apples. This Eve’s Pudding will tempt you! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Eve’s Pudding One of the most comforting puddings I know of is this Eve’s Pudding. Whether it is cold and snowy outside and you need something warming for dessert, or it happens to hot and balmy but you want something familiar with your bowl of

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How to Make Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream)

An easy to follow recipe for Crème Pâtissière, also known as pastry cream or vanilla custard. Comprehensive recipe with step-by-step photos. Pastry Cream Recipe Pastry cream is a popular component of many French desserts. It is a thick, vanilla custard which you will often find inside Profiteroles or Éclairs, spread between the layers of a Millefeuilles, or used as the filling for fruit tarts.

Angel Food Cake

A light and fluffy Angel Food Cake, perfect for entertaining. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Angel Food Cake An Angel Food Cake is a tall cake with a bright white sponge and fluffy texture. In Australia, it is a cake which I used to order in cafés and which was always popular at parties and celebrations. But, here in Europe, Angel Food Cake is virtually unknown.

Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)

A spectacular and easy Yule Log (Bûche de Noël) to make at Christmas time. Tips to make a gluten-free Chocolate Yule Log Cake. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Yule Log My family in Switzerland has always celebrated Christmas with a Yule Log (or Buche de Noel), and when I realised that it was essentially a Swiss Roll rearranged to look like a log, I thought it was worthwhile trying to make my own one

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Pork and Sage Sausage Rolls

No party is complete without a batch of sausage rolls, and these classic Pork & Sage Sausage Rolls will be a hit with your friends and family! Sausage Rolls As an Aussie, sausage rolls have been in my food memory for as long as I can remember. My parents ran a busy suburban bakery throughout my childhood, and I can still remember the sight and smell of the gigantic tray of freshly-baked sausage

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Yoghurt Flatbreads

Easy Yoghurt Flatbreads which are thick, soft and chewy. Make this delicious, no-yeast flatbread recipe with step-by-step photos. Easy Yoghurt Flatbreads Whenever we have Indian food for dinner, whether it’s home-delivered or home-made, there has to be flatbreads to go with. And these Yoghurt Flatbreads are the easiest, and most delicious, flatbreads you could make.

Moist Carrot Cake with Lemon Frosting

A delicious and fail-proof recipe for a Moist Carrot Cake with Lemon Frosting which is both tangy and delicious. My Carrot Cake I had a friend coming around for afternoon tea today, and whilst my first instinct was to go out and pick up something from the local bakery, I decided instead to turn on the oven. In running a quick mental analysis on which would require more physical and mental exertion, setting

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Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

peanut butter spider cookies on metal tray with baking paper

These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are a cute and chocolatey Halloween treat! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Peanut Butter Spider Cookies I was scrolling through Pinterest one evening, looking for Halloween baking ideas, when I came across these awfully cute Peanut Butter Spider Cookies from A Spicy Perspective. Not only are they adorably sweet, but they combine two of my favourite loves – peanut butter cookies and Lindt Lindor chocolate truffles.

Gingernut Biscuits

Crunchy and slightly chewy Gingernut Biscuits, spiced with ginger and sweetened with honey. They are deliciously addictive and so easy to make. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Gingernut Biscuits There is a book shop in Zurich which has a large section filled with English books, and a curiously large section filled with American and British food for the expats. I use the term “food” loosely because it is really only snack food (or, rather,

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake

A stunning Pumpkin Bundt Cake made with homemade pumpkin purée, and drizzled with an orange glaze. Pumpkin Patch On a recent visit to the Jucker Farm, a pumpkin patch just outside of Zurich, I treated myself to a slice of their famous pumpkin cake which was topped with lemon icing and pistachios.

Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan)

Japanese Milk Bread is soft, fluffy and pillowy, making it the perfect loaf of sliced white bread! Make Japanese Milk Bread at home with this easy and delicious recipe with step-by-step photos. Japanese Milk Bread If you are a fan of Japanese bakery treats, you might already be familiar with Japanese Milk Bread, also called Hokkaido Milk Bread or Shokupan. This fluffy and pillowy-soft white loaf is a bread-lover’s dream, perfect for slicing

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Homemade Pizza Dough

Make your own pizza at home with this easy and delicious pizza dough recipe! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Easy Pizza Dough For me, a pizza dinner usually involves calling the local pizzeria up the street and sending my husband to pick up the order 10 minutes later. That is how we do fast food in Switzerland!

Date Scones

Classic Date Scones with a hint of orange, perfect with a cup of tea. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Date Scones Freshly baked scones with a pot of freshly brewed tea are an irresistible combination for me, and something which I love to indulge in at any time of the day.

Butterzopf

Butterzopf is a classic Swiss bread which is often served for weekend brunches. Try this Butterzopf recipe with step-by-step photos. What is Butterzopf? In Switzerland, it is a ritual in most households to serve a loaf of Butterzopf for breakfast on the weekends, so much so that many bakeries do not even sell these loaves during the week.

Iced Finger Buns

Soft and fluffy Iced Finger Buns (or Iced Buns), a classic Australian bakery treat! Easy recipe with step-by-step photos. Finger Buns If there is one baked treat from my childhood which evokes nostalgia, it would be Finger Buns (also called Iced Buns or Iced Fingers in the UK). These sweet yeasted buns, filled with sultanas or raisins, and decorated with pink icing and dessicated coconut, were my idea of heaven.

Easy Chocolate Cake

easy chocolate cake on wire rack with cake knife

An easy chocolate cake recipe that is moist and delicious, perfect for birthdays and celebrations. This easy chocolate cake recipe includes instructions for different sized cake pans, plus tips for making chocolate cupcakes. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Easy Chocolate Cake I am mindful that I have already shared quite a few chocolate cake recipes here on this blog, and that they all happen to be recipes which I frequently return to whenever a

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Pie Maker Meat Pies

Makes these delicious meat pies using a pie maker! Perfect for parties and entertaining. Easy pie maker recipe with step-by-step photos. Pie Maker I have jumped on the pie maker bandwagon. I never intended to. Our kitchen is 9 square metres in size with minimal storage, and I already felt that owning two (yes, two!) waffle machines was a bit excessive. But this unusual period of isolation to avoid a certain virus has

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Anzac Biscuits

Easy Anzac Biscuits which you can make with the kids! Crispy on the outside and chewy in the centre, these Anzac biscuits are perfect with a cup of tea. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Anzac Biscuits I wish I could say that I grew up baking Anzac biscuits at home but, the truth is, my parents sold these biscuits year-round in their bakery. Which meant that I got to enjoy these biscuits whenever I

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Classic Meat Pies

Classic Meat Pies with a chunky beef and Guinness filling. A delicious meat pie recipe with step-by-step photos. Meat Pies For many Australians, a meat pie at lunch with a good squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup) is almost a daily ritual. You can find meat pies at nearly all Australian cafés and bakeries, corner shops and supermarkets, but making your own at home from scratch can be very satisfying.

Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns

Delicious and decadent Hot Cross Buns with chocolate chips! These buns are subtly spiced and generously studded with chocolate, making them the perfect Easter treats. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Hot Cross Buns There are so many baking choices at Easter, and Hot Cross Buns are a must for me. My Easter Egg Nest Cake is also an annual treat for us which I like to make on Easter Sunday.

Easy Cornbread

A quick and easy Cornbread recipe which you can make in 30 minutes! This cornbread is perfect as a side dish or even served as a sweet snack. What is Cornbread? As an Australian, I didn’t know what cornbread was until one of my trips to the US. In fact, my first taste of cornbread was at a breakfast one day during our honeymoon in Nantucket. That cornbread muffin, served warm with a

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Hot Cross Buns

Light and fluffy Hot Cross Buns with delicious spices and raisins. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Hot Cross Buns For as long as I can remember, Easter has always been celebrated in my family with a batch or two of Hot Cross Buns. This sentiment only amplified when I moved to Switzerland and discovered that these spiced buns were not as universal as the religious festival.

Easy Waffles

Quick and Easy Waffles which are crisp and crunchy, perfect for a lazy brunch or breakfast. Follow this waffle recipe for the perfect results! Waffles in France On one of our many visits to my husband’s family in France, my mother-in-law decided to make waffles for dessert after lunch one day. She made them to order in the kitchen whilst we sat impatiently at the dining table until she would appear with a

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Rhubarb Crumble with Strawberries

An easy recipe for Rhubarb Crumble with step-by-step photos. Delicious served warm with a scoop of ice-cream, or even cold the next day at breakfast! Rhubarb Crumble with Strawberries I think a fruit crumble would have to be my favourite dessert of all time. When I am not making a classic Apple Crumble, I am probably making my favourite Rhubarb Crumble, especially when forced rhubarb (the bright pink variety) is in season.

Apple Crumble

Easy and delicious Apple Crumble. A comforting and nostalgic dessert which everyone will love. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Apple Crumble Sometimes when I am stuck for ideas for dessert, I will fall back on my trusty Apple Crumble and know that this humble, yet fabulous, dessert will hit all of the right notes, no matter who I am sharing it with.

Carrot Cake with Cream-Cheese Frosting

A deliciously moist Carrot Cake with a light and fresh Cream-Cheese Frosting. This carrot cake recipe is sure to become a favourite with your family and friends! Carrot Cake Recipe One of my favourite past-times is chatting online with my foodie friends. We talk about a whole manner of things, mostly food-related, frequently veering off-topic but somehow always circling back to the matter at heart.

French Crepes

A simple and delicious recipe for basic crepes, or thin French pancakes. Recipe with step-by-step photos. French Crepes Recipe My husband hails from the French region of Brittany where crepes (or more correctly spelt, crêpes) are thought to have originated. And so it goes without saying that, in this part of the world, it is completely acceptable to have pancakes at breakfast every morning, or even as a goûter, the French equivalent of afternoon tea.

Profiteroles with Chocolate Ganache

profiteroles with chocolate sauce on white plate

A classic and foolproof recipe for Profiteroles served with a vanilla pastry cream and drizzled with a decadent chocolate ganache. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Profiteroles with Chocolate Ganache If I had to name one dessert as my “desert island dessert”, it would probably have to be profiteroles. It seems most people are abuzz with French macarons these days (which I also adore) but, to me, the profiterole is what encapsulates a typically French

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Vasilopita – Greek New Year’s Cake

Celebrate New Year’s Day with this delicious Greek New Year’s Cake, called Vasilopita. Vasilopita We love celebrating New Year’s Day with our Greek friends – a somewhat cosy affair which doubles as a belated Christmas celebration for the little ones but without the stress of Christmas Day itself. In the spirit of Greek family gatherings, there is always an abundance of deliciously-prepared food on offer, and always a Vasilopita – a Greek New Year’s

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Galette des Rois with Frangipane

Celebrate the Epiphany with this classic Galette des Rois with Frangipane, also known as a French King’s Cake. What is a Galette des Rois? A Galette des Rois is a cake or tart which is traditionally eat in France on 6 January to celebrate the Epiphany. A Galette des Rois is comprised of a top and bottom layer of puff pastry, with a filling made from ground almonds (called a frangipane). Hidden inside

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Reindeer Cookies

Everyone will love these adorable chocolate Reindeer Cookies at Christmas. Christmas Baking As someone who painfully lacks culinary artistic skills, I have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen lately making novelty cookies, like the Peanut Butter Spider Cookies which were a big hit at Halloween. It is worlds away from making something spectacular like a pristine-looking fondant covered cake with beautifully piped buttercream roses, but I have accepted long ago

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Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake

A Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake for the festive season. Christmas Tree Bundt Pan In between all of the preparations for Christmas Day, not to mention the last minute shopping and gift-wrapping, I snuck in some time to use my Christmas tree bundt pan once more this year, thus making me feel a tiny bit more justified in purchasing this seasonal piece of kitchenware.

Gingerbread Sablé Cookies

Gingerbread Sablé Cookies, a Christmas twist on a traditional French butter cookie. Tips for using cookie stamps and embossed rolling pins. Sablé Cookies It’s that time of the year again to get out the Christmas cookie cutters and, this year, I’m having much fun with my newfound cookie stamps and cookie moulds.  I love the old-fashioned Swiss-style Christmas cookies, and I thought it would be fun to replicate them using a favourite family recipe.

French Cookies with Chocolate (Pétit Écolier)

Delicious homemade French Cookies with Chocolate, also called Pétit Beurre or Pétit Écolier. Pétit Beurre and Pétit Écolier As a child visiting my family in France and Switzerland, I always loved snacking on Petit Beurre cookies, especially those made by the French brand, Lu, and especially the ones which came with a bar of chocolate on top, called Petit écolier.

Gingerbread Man Cookies

Easy gingerbread man cookies with step-by-step photos, including tips for making a gingerbread man garland. These gingerbread cookies are perfect to give as gifts or to decorate around your home! Gingerbread Man Cookies For me, no Christmas is complete without at least one batch of gingerbread man cookies. I say “one batch” but what I really mean is “one baking session” with maybe a triple batch! As a child growing up in Australia,

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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These fudgy and chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are a delicious treat at Christmas! Christmas Cookies We bake a lot of cookies in the lead up to Christmas, and whilst we tend to recreate old favourites like Gingerbread Sablé or Swiss Walnut Christmas Cookies for the sake of tradition, I always try to sneak in a few new recipes to keep things fresh and exciting. My Reindeer Cookies have proven to be quite popular already,

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Christmas Gingerbread Cake

A moist and mild Christmas Gingerbread Cake which is easy to make and looks fabulous! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Christmas Tree Bundt Pan I had been holding off on buying a Christmas tree bundt pan for many years, especially after first seeing it on one of Nigella Lawson’s Christmas shows. Why would you buy something which you could only use once a year? Well … why not?!

French Madeleines

These classic French madeleines are dainty little sponge cakes baked in a scallop-shaped mould. This madeleine recipe includes tips on how to make the perfect madeleines with step-by-step photos. Classic French Madeleines Something which my children and I associate with our visits to France are homemade madeleines. I have loved eating madeleines since I was a child, and even though I bake them quite regularly at home, my son associates madeleines with his

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Aebleskivers (Danish Pancakes)

Make these delicious Aebleskivers (Ebelskivers) or Danish Pancakes which are lightly scented with cardamom. A classic Danish recipe with step-by-step photos. Aebleskivers On a recent trip to Copenhagen, I spent a quiet morning on my lonesome cycling around the city, visiting various kitchenware stores where I filled up my bike basket with fragile Scandinavian-designed teacups, Nordic bundt pans, and chunky crochet dish cloths.

Lemon Curd Pavlova

A fresh and summery pavlova served with whipped cream and lemon curd. A perfect combination for summer! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Easy Pavlova Recipe As an Australian, I am quite impartial to the pavlova. To me, nothing is more welcoming than the sight of a tall and magnificent pavlova adorned with lashings of cream and topped with fruit. Quite often, and especially in summer, my go-to topping for pavlova is simply whipped cream

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Apricot Crumble Cake

A delicious apricot cake topped with a cinnamon crumble topping. This Apricot Crumble Cake is perfect for using seasonal apricots, but you can easily substitute with other fruits. Apricot Crumble Cake With apricots in season at the moment, the best way to enjoy them is to simply eat them as they are when they are juicy and ripe.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Delicious Healthy Oatmeal Cookies which are sugar-free! This recipe uses maple syrup as a natural sweetener. These oatmeal cookies are perfect for school lunchboxes and as a healthy snack. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Healthy Cookie Recipe I am always on the lookout for healthy options for my childrens’ lunch boxes, and when I came across this recipe for oatmeal cookies which were sugar-free, I was sold.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

A Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake recipe with step-by-step photos. A French chocolate and almond cake which is light, moist, gluten-free and also dairy-free! Also called a Queen of Sheba Cake (Reine de Saba). Queen of Sheba Cake (Reine de Saba) I am conscious that I have quite a few recipes for chocolate cake on this blog, but I suppose one more can’t hurt … This recipe for Queen of Sheba Cake (or Reine de

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Swedish Chocolate Cookies (Chokladsnittar)

Irresistible Swedish Chocolate Cookies (Chokladsnittar) decorated with pearl sugar, perfect for Fika. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Visiting Stockholm If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that we were recently in Stockholm. It’s a city which I always enjoy visiting for both the local food scene, as well as to indulge in Scandinavian-designed home decor and kitchenware. You can read my comprehensive guide on where to eat and shop in Stockholm

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