Flour is one of the top bakeries in the United States and the head baker, Joanne Chang, is a genius. Her understanding of flour and sugar leads her able to have inventive bakes that you can’t find any where else. If you don’t live near Flour like me, never fear there is one way to try her goods without stepping foot inside her bakery. I recently purchased her latest cookbook, Pastry Love. Pastry Love is filled with recipes from the bakery and a few of her personal favorites.

In Pastry Love, she shares not only her inventive bakes, but tips for home bakers to get success. The tips range from techniques such as always toast your nuts to a master recipe for bread dough that can be customized later. Even if you aren’t an expert baker, you will be able to follow along. I picked three recipes from her book to test the ease and tastiness of her recipes.

The first recipe I tried was a Almond Orange Pudding Cake. It is a European cake that is more dense than your standard cake since it is made with almond flour but the cake is full of flavor. The candied oranges are sweet and tangy. Any leftover syrup from cooking can be used to spread on your toast the next morning if you would like. The chocolate pairs well with the orange flavoring. It reminds me of chocolate covered orange peel I had as a kid and would eat with fever during the holidays when we could find them. I truly believe anyone can whip up this cake with the right tools and ingredients. Just look at the final product below.

The second recipe I tried was Cherry Ricotta Scones. Let me make this clear. I did not like scones until I had these. Any scone I had before these were tough and inedible in comparison. These scones were soft and tender. The cherry flavor was strong and perfect to compliment the tender structure of the scones. I even gave them to family members that were fellow scone haters and they loved it! Just look at how tasty they are below.

The third recipe I tried was Lime Cream Pie. Her take on a Key Lime Pie. OH MY YUM! This has easily become my favorite pie recipe. It was refreshing. It was filling.  It was creamy. It was custardy. It was zesty. It was easy to create. I cannot sing enough praises for this pie. My family of 3 cleared the pie pan within 2 days. I am glad I took photos before setting it on the table cause that was not going to happen after we tasted it. Now we are trying to find a time to share this pie with our friends and family, because we think they would love it too. I mean just look at it in the photo below. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?

If you couldn’t tell already, I love this cookbook and the creations from it. I may have marked over 10 new recipes to try in the future after baking these 3 recipes to start. The recipes are unique to Joanne Chang and no other cookbook has them. No one will call these bakes boring or not flavorful. If you want baking recipes that not any old baker will have then I suggest using this cookbook as your holy grail. It is the cookbook that is the first steps into more advanced home baking. So why not order your copy of Pastry Love today?