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Dessert First

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Sunny Clementine Cardamom Cake

Jan 17 by Anita Leave a Comment

Happy January! This clementine cardamon cake from Greg and Lucy Malouf’s Suqar is a ray of sunshine in these grey and wintry first weeks of January. It’s one of the many desserts from their gorgeous cookbook that I tabbed to try, and I’m super happy I went for this one first. It’s quick and simple, […]...

Filed Under: Cakes, Cookbooks, Recipes Tagged With: cake, clementine, clementine cardamom cake, gluten free, middle eastern, suqar

Apple Marzipan Cake

Nov 8 by Anita 13 Comments

This pretty little apple marzipan cake might be one of my favorite new baking experiments. Since it’s November and officially holiday season, I’ve been in a serious baking mood. Leafing through my cookbooks last weekend, I came across The Wednesday Chef‘s apple marzipan cake (or apfel-marzipan-kuchen) in her excellent Classic German Baking. The description of […]...

Filed Under: Cakes, Cookbooks, Recipes Tagged With: apple, cake, classic german baking, marzipan

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 26 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

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best of dessert first


The Making of Macarons (Sucre Cuit Style)

Hong Kong Eggettes (Daan Jai)


Tis the Season (Chocolate Mint Macarons)

A Better Brioche


Consider the Humble Chocolate Chip Cookie

A Feast of Figs


Pure Dessert, Pure Inspiration (Chocolate Citrus Tart)

My Own Remembrance of Things Past: Daan 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, daughter, and dog Max. More about pastrygirl

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Please e-mail anita {at} dessertfirstgirl {dot} com with all collaboration inquiries, pastry questions, or just to say hi! I look forward to hearing from you!
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