One of the best reasons for having a kid: an excuse to make adorable Minnie Mouse cupcakes for a Minnie Mouse birthday party. I probably wouldn’t have thought of making these years ago, but here I am fancying up some cupcakes for Isabelle’s birthday! Just for the record: we celebrated Isabelle’s third birthday on her […]...
Alice Medrich’s Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Happy Easter! I took opportunity of the occasion to try out another recipe from one of my current bookshelf must-haves, Alice Medrich’s Flavor Flours. The hubby had marked the particularly tempting Carrot Spice Cake for my list to Things He’d Like Me to Make, so I pulled out the carrots and cake pans to give […]...
{Sweet San Francisco}: Hearth Coffee
San Francisco is full of unexpected and pleasurable pastry discoveries lately. I made a recent visit to the Castro and discovered a new place that will likely become a regular stop when I’m in the area. Hearth Coffee is a roastery, cafe, and even restaurant, that serves up a warm, modern ambience, stellar coffee, and […]...
Chinese Cocktail Buns (Gai Mei Bau)
I’m still getting comments on my Hokkaido milk bread post, and I’m really pleased that’s working out for so many bread lovers! I was feeling hungry for some of that bread myself, so fitting that my next baking challenge used the milk bread recipe to make another Chinese bakery classic: Cocktail buns, or coconut buns, […]...
Theo Chocolate Stout Cake with Mint Whipped Cream
In the never-ending quest for the perfect chocolate cake, I realized that I’ve never tried a very popular variant, the chocolate stout cake. I’m not much of a beer drinker, which is why I’ve passed by this cake many times, but with St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I thought what better time to revisit my […]...
{Sweet San Francisco}: Paris Baguette Bakery
I’m excited to see an increasing number of globally-inspired bakeries rising into the spotlight in the Bay Area’s ever-growing pastry scene, opening people’s eyes to a world of sweet pastries beyond just American and French-inspired treats. Asian bakeries have always flown a bit under the radar, but several modern new chains are making Asian pastries […]...
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
