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Dessert First

a san francisco food and travel blog | all things sweet

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Fig and Honey Cake with Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream

Oct 10 by Anita Leave a Comment

This fig and honey cake is my official farewell to fig season. I know, I’m late, it’s already October and I should be moving on to pumpkin everything. But there was still a bevy of gorgeous, ripe figs at the market last week, and we’re still in the midst of Indian summer here, so I […]...

Filed Under: Cakes, Fruit, Recipes Tagged With: cake, fall, fig, honey cake

Apple Meringue Crumb Cake

Oct 17 by Anita 2 Comments

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting crisper, and fall baking season is fully underway.  I’ve spent the last few weekends baking various things with apples because it just feels so properly autumnal, and also because Isabelle, at four and half, declared herself capable of learning how to peel apples. She was right; with the proper […]...

Filed Under: Cakes, Cookbooks, Fruit, Recipes Tagged With: apple, apple meringue cake, cake, cookbook, review, traditional jewish baking

Happy Birthday to Me: Strawberry Pink Velvet Cake

May 10 by Anita 25 Comments

This is a big post, and it’s a big birthday for me. Last week I turned 40. (I actually made this cake in time for my birthday, I’ve just gotten to posting about it now). When I started this blog ten years ago, I was single, working full time as a design engineer in San […]...

Filed Under: Cakes, Personal, Recipes Tagged With: birthday, buttercream, cake, life, pink velvet, strawberry, swiss meringue

Alice Medrich’s Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Mar 27 by Anita 8 Comments

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 […]...

Filed Under: Cakes, Cookbooks, Recipes Tagged With: alice medrich, cake, carrot, cream cheese, easter, flavor flours, frosting

Theo Chocolate Stout Cake with Mint Whipped Cream

Mar 10 by Anita 9 Comments

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 […]...

Filed Under: Cakes, Chocolate, Cookbooks, Recipes, Reviews Tagged With: cake, chocolate, cookbook, mint whipped cream, review, st patrick's day, stout, theo chocolate

{Sweet San Francisco}: Paris Baguette Bakery

Mar 6 by Anita 1 Comment

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 […]...

Filed Under: Sweet Spots Tagged With: bakery, bay area, cake, millbrae, paris baguette, san jose, sweet spots

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best of dessert first


The Making of Macarons (Sucre Cuit Style)

Hong Kong Eggettes (Daan Jai) for Mom


Tis the Season

A Better Brioche for World Bread Day


Consider the Humble Chocolate Chip Cookie

A Feast of Figs


Pure Dessert, Pure Inspiration

My Own Remembrance of Things Past: Dan Tats


The Slow Drip of Coffee on a Languorous Summer's Day

Still Life of Strawberry Tart

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about pastrygirl

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, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

my latest cookbook


My newest cookbook, Lollipop Love, is now out!

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