While most French bakeries offer dazzling cakes and pastries—St. Honoré, Croquembouche, Mille-Feuille, among others—French home cooks have always adopted a more approachable method to baking. Making a dessert at home is first and foremost a moment of pleasure, full of the delightful anticipation of sharing it with friends and family.
The following desserts are traditional and very dear to home cooks. They are often the desserts of choice to wrap up a traditional Sunday family meal.
Naturally, they each feature cherished ingredients of their region: crème fraîche in Normandy, salted butter in Brittany, olive oil in Provence…. But you’ll encounter a few surprising recipes too, such as the exotic Le Gâteau Nantais (Rum-Soaked Nantais Almond Cake) or the Andalucian-influenced Le Pastis Gascon (Flaky Armagnac Apple Pie) from Gascony—showcasing a unique part of that region’s history.
Unlike the more renowned classic French desserts, these don’t require piping bags, blow torches or advanced techniques. Often, a bowl, a spatula or whisk and a little elbow grease are all you need. These are the kind of recipes passed on from generation to generation, with each family often putting their own twist on it.