Your dreams of baking like a French pastry chef are about to come true! These incredible French desserts are surprisingly easy to make and taste just as good as anything sold in an authentic patisserie. From crème brûlée to beignets, it is time to bake your way through this list and discover your inner French chef!
Mille Feuille
Mille feuille (or "thousand leaves") is a famous French dessert made from layers of puff pastry and pastry cream. To make homemade mille feuille, you bake puff pastry under weights so it remains compacted and crisp and doesn't puff up high. Afterward, the crispy layers of Mille Feuille are stacked with crème pâtissière or crème mousseline. And finally, topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or fruit.
Get the recipe: Mille Feuille
Crème Brûlée
Crème brûlée (which translates as "burnt cream") is one of my favorite French desserts. It is a rich cream custard baked in a water bath with sugar sprinkled over the top that is torched (or brûléed) until it melts to form a hard and crunchy top layer. It is made of a few simple ingredients and many people don´t know how incredibly easy to prepare!
Get the recipe: Crème Brûlée
Financiers
French Financiers are small bite-sized tea cakes, kind of like fancy French muffins! These French sweets are made with nut flour and browned butter (a "beurre noisette") and baked into dainty rectangles. They can be flavored with spices like cardamom, and they are often decorated with chopped nuts, too.
Get the recipe: Financiers
Charlotte Cake
A Charlotte cake (or "Charlotte aux Fraises") looks so professional but is in fact incredibly easy to make! This beautiful French cake is filled with silky and luxurious Crème mousseline and decorated with fluffy ladyfinger biscuits and fresh strawberries.
Get the recipe: Charlotte Cake
Palmiers
Palmiers are a great example of how something doesn't have to have lots of ingredients to be delicious! Puff pastry and sugar are rolled up into the shape of a palm and baked in the oven. That's it!
Get the recipe: Palmiers
Fraisier Cake
Fraisier cake is a famous French dessert that looks beautiful and tastes even better. It is made from two layers of moist Genoise sponge, a vanilla-flavored créme mousseline filling, strawberry jelly, strawberry compote, and fresh strawberries. It is really much easier to make than any other cake and looks so fantastic!
Get the recipe: Fraisier Cake
Rum Baba
Rum baba (or "Baba au rhum") is a yeasted bundt cake (similar to brioche) soaked in rum syrup that was invented in Paris in the 19th century. It's a moist, boozy, and unbelievably tasty French dessert usually smothered in whipped mascarpone frosting and perhaps best enjoyed by adults!
Get the recipe: Rum Baba
Brioche Bread
Brioche bread is a type of French bread made from dough enriched with butter and eggs. It has a tender, moist crumb, and signature golden brown crust. Brioche is a versatile sweet, and rich bread used in both sweet and savory dishes.
Get the recipe: Brioche Bread
Mini Strawberry Tartlets
Have you ever seen dainty mini strawberry tartlets in the windows of French patisseries? These classic French desserts are not that hard to make and they are very beautiful desserts. Tarts are super versatile and I have an entire range of recipes for them but the most classic tart is a Pâte sablée shortcrust pastry case filled with silky vanilla custard and topped with fresh fruit decoration. Tartes are sometimes brushed with a glaze after baking for a high gloss finish.
Get the recipe: Mini Strawberry Tartlets
Napoleon Cake
Napoleon cake is a perfectly moist and deliciously creamy dessert made of crunchy puff pastry and silky pastry cream that can be a great fit for any occasion. This recipe will show you how to make Napoleon cake that is flaky, elegant, and overflowing with homemade goodness.
Go to the recipe: Napoleon Cake
Beignets
Popular in French cuisine and a staple in the Louisiana city of New Orleans, these homemade beignets are fun to make and hard to resist! Their light, sweet, and pillowy texture make them the perfect treat to enjoy any time of day: For breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert. Top them with sugar, fill them with cream, or dip them in your morning coffee.
Go to the recipe: Beignets
Chocolate Brioche
For chocolate lovers who also enjoy the tender, fluffy texture of brioche bread, this chocolate brioche gives you the best of both worlds! This easy chocolate brioche recipe takes classic brioche bread and fills it with swirls of creamy chocolate and cocoa powder before topping it with melted butter. Enjoy it for breakfast with a cup of coffee or for an after-dinner treat!
Go to the recipe: Chocolate Brioche
Chocolate Mousse Cups
These no-bake, five-ingredient chocolate mousse cups are a chocolate lover's dream come true! Made with rich dark chocolate and topped with delicious airy chantilly cream and sweet chocolate shavings, they are the perfect treat to satisfy your post-dinner sweet tooth. Not only are these drool-worthy desserts easy to make, but they are also eye-catching and beautiful!
Go to the recipe: Chocolate Mousse Cups
Creme Brulee Cookies
This easy creme brulee cookies recipe combines two dessert favorites to create an irresistible handheld treat! Gooey, soft sugar cookies are topped with a creamy pastry cream and then finished with a crispy caramelized sugar topping. It is a cookie lover's dream come true!
Go to the recipe: Creme Brulee Cookies
Creme Brûlée Cake
Your classic crème brûlée dessert just got even better with this irresistible vanilla crème brûlée cake! This eye-catching dessert is made with a light and spongy vanilla cake base, topped with a creamy homemade vanilla pastry cream, and then brought to life with a caramelized layer of crunchy burnt sugar. It will quickly become one of your favorites!
Go to the recipe: Crème Brûlée Cake
French-Style Lemon Tart
This is the traditional French-style lemon tart with creamy lemon filling and a buttery crust. You will need just a small piece to fall in love with this delicate French pastry!
Go to the recipe: French-Style Lemon Tart
Parisian Flan
This Parisian flan, aka "Flan Pâtissier" in French, is a classic French dessert that is deliciously creamy. This baked custard tart is perfect for a dinner party, dessert, or afternoon tea.
Go to the recipe: Parisian Flan
Classic Chocolate Eclair
This is seriously the BEST classic chocolate eclair recipe that will take you through how to make eclairs at home step by step. It's a foolproof recipe designed for home bakers in their kitchen environment but delivers professional results. Mastering homemade eclairs is one of the most rewarding skills to learn!
Go to the recipe: Classic Chocolate Eclairs
Floating Island
Also known as île flottante in French, a floating island is a light, fluffy, and creamy classic French dessert that is, in fact, no-bake and super easy. Made with milk, sugar, egg, and vanilla, the floating island dessert isn't just simple to make but also gluten-free!
Go to the recipe: Floating Island
Profiteroles
Featuring a crisp choux pastry shell, luscious pastry cream filling, and a decadent, glossy chocolate glaze, every bite of these easy profiteroles is like a taste of heaven! Whether making them for a special occasion or just because, these fun, bite-sized treats are guaranteed to impress!
Go to the recipe: Profiteroles
Peach Galette
Making this easy peach galette recipe takes literally zero effort with incredible delicious results! Looking for a super quick and pretty summer pie without all the fuss? This Homemade Peach Galette recipe is for you! Flaky and buttery pie crust – that comes together in 3 minutes – loaded with fragrant peaches and baked to perfection!
Go to the recipe: Peach Galette
Cream Puff
This easy cream puffs recipe is the perfect combination of fancy and simple! With a crisp choux pastry shell, a silky chantilly cream filling, and a dusting of sweet powdered sugar, this French-style favorite is just as perfect for a cozy night at home with friends and family as it is for an elegant dinner party or special event. The best part? Even novice bakers can make them with the help of my step-by-step recipe!
Go to the recipe: Cream Puffs
Raspberry Frangipane Tart
Raspberry frangipane tart recipe consists of contrasting layers of Pâte Sablée (sweet shortcrust) tarte filled with an incredibly delicious, easy almond cream (frangipane) and raspberries! For the ultimate luxurious experience, after baking, the tartlet is decorated with creamy raspberry rosewater mousse domes covered with velvet spray and super-easy rosewater whipped mascarpone piping, as well as some fresh raspberries.
Go to the recipe: Raspberry Frangipane Tart
Madeleines
Classic French Madeleines are one of the easiest, most delicious little tea cakes you can make. I flavor them with vanilla and lemon for a classic taste, and the iconic shell shape makes them look so elegant. It's clear why this traditional French snack is so popular!
Go to the recipe: Madeleines
More Desserts
These are the best ricotta desserts to make with this deliciously soft and creamy Italian cheese. My list of ricotta dessert recipes has delicious cakes, cookies, and more. You'll be amazed by what you can make with ricotta!
Go to the recipes: Ricotta Desserts
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