Long weekend bakes
The perfect Berry chantilly cake for a potluck, essential weekend pancakes and more!
I’m staying put this Memorial Day weekend and I couldn’t be happier about it! I’m looking forward to using the time to re-test a crepe recipe, have chill hangouts with friends and go on some long city walks in this warmer weather.
As we dive into this long weekend, I wanted to send some brunch and baking inspiration if you’re looking for a new project or just a very solid pancake recipe.
Feel free to hit reply and let me know if you’re looking for any specific recipe recommendations and happy weekend!
Weekend brunch
Golden ricotta pancakes: My latest pancake hyperfixation—these have the crustiest edges and fall-apart tender middles. If you don’t have a cast iron, you can also bake blobs of batter on a sheet pan! A perfect hands-off way to make pancakes for a crowd.
Cottage cheese pancakes: A nice higher-protein way to start the day (and these are delicious with sweet or savory toppings). Double the batch and refrigerate/freeze any extras for another time—they’re great re-warmed! (Or try these cottage cheese crepes)
Fluffy no-buttermilk pancakes: All you need are pantry staples for this soft and buttery stack of classic pancakes.
Almond paste scones: My favorite moist and tender scone base layered with fragrant almond paste (and jam if you want to be extra). (PS. If you’re looking for a new cookbook, I cannot recommend The Scone Queen Bakes enough. Her scone recipe is PHENOMENAL!)
Easy almond croissants: Grab some plain croissants and dress them up with homemade almond paste for a bakery-worthy treat!
Whole wheat molasses bread: A thick slice of this, toasted with butter and jam next to a pile of soft scrambled eggs…
I have nearly no savory brunch recipes on the blog, but my friend did request this ancient, very easy, baked egg recipe that I managed to pull for her from my archives…
Bakes for a BBQ (or any kind of party)
Miso chocolate chunk cookies: Tweaked slightly for my ideal balance of salty-sweet dough, crisp edges and chewy/gooey middles
Berry chantilly cake bake off: This is an undisputed crowd pleaser of a cake - our crowd favorite was from Broma Bakery, but lots of other great options to make from this bake off!
Grammy’s Texas sheet cake: I hate transporting cakes to events, but a Texas sheet cake is meant to be served directly out of the pan. Slap a lid on top of the pan after the cake is baked, frosted and cooled and this is the easiest transport ever! (More options abound in the Texas sheet cake bake off.)
Blood orange raspberry tiramisu: Such an unexpected but delightful fruity tiramisu. Don’t forget to make this a day before you want to serve it to let everything macerate together. (For a classic tiramisu, A Cozy Kitchen was the winner of the tiramisu bake off!)
Red wine chocolate cake: This cake couldn’t be easier to throw together (one bowl, oil-based, pantry ingredients) and perfect to use up any wine leftover from hosting. Expect a bit of sinking in the middle; this is a very tender cake.
Chocolate raspberry tart: To me, chocolate and raspberry is the dream combination. The inspiration for this was chocolate-covered strawberries, but in tart form. (Or make a classic fruit tart from the fruit tart bake off!)
Black bean chocolate cake (gluten-free): If you’re skeptical, feel free to scroll the comments—the number of people who’ve left reviews saying that no one can detect beans gives me confidence that I’m not the only one! This is a fun one to serve to kids, especially when paired with this chocolate Greek yogurt frosting.
Vegan chocolate s’mores pie: An irresistible trifecta of chocolate, a graham-inspired crust and a marshmallow-y topping. You’ll need a can of chickpeas for this one—but just the liquid drained out of the chickpeas (aquafaba) to make the vegan meringue.
Bigger project bakes
For when you have a little more time on your hands…
Raspberry dome cake: No dome cake mold needed for this one! You can make a dome cake with any size of pan—just carve the top layers into your desired dome shape. I made mine with chocolate cake, but you can use any cake recipe. Carve it into a dome, cover it in buttercream and your fruit of choice, and you have a show-stopping cake!
Pistachio matcha lamington cake: My roommates gave this cake a rare 10/10. The matcha is subtle, the pistachio praline is bold and addictive, and the cream plus jam plus the chocolate dip and coconut is just chef’s kiss if I do say so myself.
Coconut mango sheet cake: Mango curd, homemade feuilletine, sponge cake, toasted coconut and a mascarpone whipped cream make this a bit of a project, but one that’s well worth it.
Guinness chocolate princess cake: I highly recommend using storebought almond paste if this is your first time making a princess cake. But jazz up the inside flavors using whatever cake and jam you like!
A giant strawberry cake: Layers of dense, moist strawberry cake with a brightly strawberry-flavored frosting. Perfect for garnishing with new summer strawberries!
Mini croissant cereal: Actually the opposite of a “bigger bake”—these tiny croissants are just a fun baking project that requires a bit of patience. Inspired by the L’Appartment 4F boxes of croissant cereal that go for $50, this is the fun DIY version.
Enjoy the weekend!! ☀️💕✨