Summer’s coming to an end and alas I didn’t get my tropical vacation this year. I have a couple of other small trips coming up that prevented us from adding in a Hawaii getaway. Maybe that’s why I found myself craving something sweet and fruity and faintly exotic, that could make me feel like I’d […]...
Happy Birthday to Me: Strawberry Rose Fraisier
Yearly birthday confession time: in the last few years I’ve gotten really bad at remembering my birthday. Not in a I-don’t-want-reveal-my-age way, but in a I’ve-got-so-much-to-do-I-just-plain-forgot way. I’m way past the age of all-night celebrations in a nightclub anyway, and once you have kids, all the elaborate party planning ends up going to their birthday […]...
Strawberry and Cream Minnie Mouse Birthday Cake
Last weekend we celebrated Isabelle’s second birthday. We’ve officially survived babyhood and now we’re parents to a toddler! It’s been a dreamy two years – not that we didn’t have our share of sleepless nights or days when the house was a disaster zone of dirty laundry, unwashed dishes, and toys scattered everywhere. But […]...
Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream and Apples
Indian summer continues on in full swelter here in the bay area. It’s honestly the hottest it’s been here for the last six months: the mornings start out promisingly grey and overcast, and then by mid-morning it’s just cloudless sky and shimmering heat. Not-so-little-Isabelle is growing out of her summer t-shirts and shorts, clothes […]...
Chocolate, Strawberry, and Rose Geranium Cake (and a bonus giveaway!)
chocolate, strawberry jam, and rose geranium cake Here’s the bonus strawberry-inspired recipe I mentioned on my strawberry tour recap post a couple days ago. Sometimes after several posts where I’m constantly trying to one-up myself in creativity, it’s nice to go back to the basics. Sometimes all you really need is a good chocolate […]...
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. 
