Millefeuille with Crème Patissiere and Mixed Berries
If you’ve ever wandered past a French patisserie, you might have spotted a delicate pastry stacked with crisp, golden layers and silky cream. That’s the mille-feuille, sometimes known as the “Napoleon,” a timeless French dessert whose name literally means “a thousand layers.The pastry’s signature thin, crunchy layers are made with laminated puff pastry, which rises beautifully in the oven to create delicate, buttery sheets. When assembled with care, the layers give you a bite that’s light, airy, and indulgent all at once.
Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Fruit
By searching the internet, you will be able to find hundreds of tutorials on how to fold puff pastry shapes. One of them is the pinwheel. Easy enough to make in 4 steps. Fill the centre with a cream or custard and decorate with mixed berries and a preserve.
Apple Tarte Tatin
Tarte Tatin is known for its rich, glossy caramel, tender apples, and crisp pastry base. Unlike a traditional tart where the puff pastry sits underneath the filling during baking, a Tarte Tatin is baked upside down, with the apples at the bottom of the pan and the puff pastry on top. Once baked, it is inverted so the caramelised apples become the topping.
Angel Cake with Honey Buttercream
One the most prettiest and fluffiest crumb that any cake might have is the angel cake but be ware, it has almost no shelf life as it has no fat added to it. So do eat it the same day!
I’ve paired mine with a honey buttercream and orange zest. Sweet, tangy and full of flavour!
Chocolate and Raspberry Mini Cakes
This was so much fun to make! A perfect valentine’s gift to anyone loving chocolate and raspberries.
I’ve used my most trustworthy moist chocolate cake recipe and paired it with a Raspberry purée and Condensed Milk Buttercream. Flowers are always fun to add to any baked good so remember to style them pretty too!
Moist Chocolate Cake
My most trusted chocolate recipe, paired with a classic chocolate buttercream frosting. What makes this cake so special is its exceptional moisture and keeping quality. The use of sour milk (milk and lemon juice) combined with the oil in the recipe helps the cake stay beautifully moist for more than four days when stored correctly. It also freezes extremely well, making it perfect for advance preparation (especially for celebration and wedding cakes).
Chocolate Ganache Cake
This chocolate cake recipe goes very far back in my family recipe book. It is, without a doubt, the most trustworthy and reliable moist chocolate cake I know, one that has been baked for birthdays, weddings, celebrations, and desserts in our family for generations, and is still used today.
Mini Baked Cheesecakes
For years this baked cheesecake recipe was given to my students that studied at our La Petite Patisserie Food Academy. It is such a simple recipe to follow no one can make a mistake.
In fact, I still get contacted by students to send them the recipe again, so here we go…
Classic Fridge Cheesecake
Fridge cheesecakes are quick and easy desserts that require no baking, making them ideal for beginners and busy kitchen environments. They rely on chilling rather than baking to set, which gives a smooth, creamy texture when prepared correctly. Always use full-fat dairy products for the best texture and flavour. Gelatine is optional but recommended if the cheesecake needs to hold its shape for neat slicing or buffet service. To ensure food safety and maintain the structure of the cheesecake, it must be kept refrigerated until serving.
Pâte à Croissant
Croissants have been a cornerstone of our training at the Patisserie Academy for many years. While they are often seen as one of the more technical pastries to master, we’ve proven time and again that with the right guidance, structure, and understanding, they can be made successfully and consistently. At the heart of great croissants lies baking science, from gluten development to temperature control and fermentation.
Greek Pecan Shortbread Cookies
This recipe goes way back to a much-loved pecan biscuit that has been in our family for years. We own a pecan farm in South Africa called Karoo Pecans, and I love creating new recipes using our own pecan nuts whenever I can.
Each family traditionally would use their own selection of nuts, some almonds and some walnuts. Ours is for sure Pecans! Their dusted with icing sugar but not overly sweet. Definitely my favourite type of cookie.