Paris–Brest (Pâte à Choux With Praline Crème Mousseline)

Almond-studded choux pastry and rich, nutty praline crème mousseline join forces in this impressive French dessert.

Gingerbread Buche de Noel From 'Baking Chez Moi'

Among the plethora of simple, straightforward French desserts that fill the pages of Dorie Greenspan's new Baking Chez Moi, there is a handful of more involved desserts, and those she reimagines in her own way. Her Gingerbread Buche de Noel is both. Yule logs are a staple of the French holiday season, but this version seems quite American, with it's cream cheese filling and sweet meringue frosting.

Croquembouche

A towering masterpiece of caramel-covered cream puffs surrounded by golden threads of spun sugar, the croquembouche is the celebration cake of France.

Gâteau Basque

The grown-up version of a Pop-Tart, gâteau Basque combines elements of a cookie, a tart, and a pie, with a filling of pastry cream or cherry jam.

Rose Levy Beranbaum's Gâteau Breton

Once I put the batter for this Gâteau Breton into the pan and in the oven it was only a matter of minutes before an intoxicating began to fill my kitchen. It was a sweet mix of sugar, eggs, and almonds that brought to mind freshly baked almond croissants.

Quick King Cake

This version is a quick take on the cake, made with store-bought puff pastry. The filling is cinnamon-sugar, and as a nod to its Southern state of residence, contains bourbon-poached golden raisins. This cake calls for a dried bean to be placed, so warn your guests prior to biting in lest you want a king or queen with a cracked tooth!

Champagne Cake Roll With White Chocolate (White Chocolate Bûche de Noël)

Filled with Champagne buttercream and decorated with gold chocolate shards and sugar pearls, this cake roll is the pinnacle of festivity. Instead of using ordinary Champagne, I make this cake with Marc de Champagne, a pomace brandy made from Champagne grape skins, seeds, and stalks that pairs beautifully with the cake's creamy buttercream filling and sweet white chocolate ganache coating.

Croissants

For all of you ambitious bakers out there who have been wondering just how the buttery layers of a croissant come to be, here's a comprehensive recipe that will hold your hand from dough rolling to shaping to proudly pulling lovely, flaky croissants out of the oven.

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Bûche de Nöel

A traditional Christmas cake roll, frosted with chocolate icing and filled with salted caramel filling.

Crêpe Cake (Gâteau de Crêpes)

With layers of paper-thin crêpes and luxurious pastry cream lightened with whipped cream, this is a stunning dessert worth making for a special occasion.