Latest news with #Cronut
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Recipe of the day: Bake at home crispy meringue cake
Bake at home with our recipe of the day: Discover the secrets of perfect meringue. Renowned pastry chef Cédric Grolet says eggs serve multiple purposes. They act as emulsifiers, helping to combine fats and liquids smoothly, and contribute to the structure of the baked item. He also frequently uses egg wash, a mixture of beaten eggs brushed onto pastries before baking to achieve a golden-brown crust. Award-winning French pastry chef Dominique Ansel, best known for his invention of the Cronut (a croissant-doughnut hybrid made with eggs), is a huge fan of baking with eggs because of their incredible versatility. He notes that whole eggs are binders, helping to hold ingredients together and increase the viscosity of batters and doughs, while egg yolks add richness and flavour, and can be incorporated to provide structure and moisture. Whipped egg whites, he says, are the only way to obtain a light and airy end result. In his famous Buche de Noël, he uses both whipped egg whites and yolks, demonstrating how different parts of the egg can be used to create different textures. This season, we're giving a nod to artisanal bakers with a trendy high tea featuring a crispy meringue cake. ALSO READ: Recipe of the day: Simple no-bake holiday snacks to make with the kids Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Cost per recipe: Serves 12 for under R120 Ingredients: For the cake: 125 ml (½ cup) softened baking margarine 180 ml (¾ cup) sugar 2 eggs 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence 60 ml (¼ cup) plain yoghurt 250 ml (1 cup) self-raising flour 2.5 ml (½ tsp) salt For the meringue: 3 egg whites 2.5 ml (½ tsp) cream of tartar 180 ml (¾ cup) castor sugar Icing sugar, for dusting Method: Working quickly, carefully spread the meringue evenly over the top of the cake. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the meringue is crisp. Cool. Turn out onto a cake stand and dust with icing sugar. For the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a deep 19cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Beat together the margarine and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and yoghurt until combined. Fold in the flour and salt until smooth. Spread into the prepared tin. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cake is puffed up and slightly golden. Meanwhile, for the meringue, beat the egg whites until foamy. Beat in the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add the castor sugar while beating until glossy with medium peaks. Recipe of the day : Bake at home crispy Meringue cake Author: Thami Kwazi Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Category: baking Ingredients Scale 1x 2x 3x FOR THE CAKE 125 ml (½ cup) softened baking margarine 180 ml (¾ cup) sugar 2 eggs 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence 60 ml (¼ cup) plain yoghurt 250 ml (1 cup) self-raising flour 2.5 ml (½ tsp) salt FOR THE MERINGUE 3 egg whites 2.5 ml (½ tsp) cream of tartar 180 ml (¾ cup) castor sugar Icing sugar, for dusting Instructions For the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a deep 19 cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Beat together the margarine and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and yoghurt until combined. Fold in the flour and salt until smooth. Spread into the prepared tin. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cake is puffed up and slightly golden. Meanwhile, for the meringue, beat the egg whites until foamy. Beat in the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add the castor sugar while beating until glossy with medium peaks. Working quickly, carefully spread the meringue evenly over the top of the cake. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the meringue is crisp. Cool. Turn out onto a cake stand and dust with icing sugar. Notes Serves 8-10 for under R120
Vancouver Sun
18-06-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
What makes this Ottawa doughnut better than a cronut is Canadian butter
3500 Fallowfield Rd., Unit 6 in Barrhaven; 2208 St. Joseph Blvd., Unit 112 in Orléans; 21 Bridge St. in Carleton Place, Because 'Cronut' is a U.S.-registered trademark, you won't catch the Kanata couple behind three Holey Confections locations in the Ottawa area using that catchy, common term. Even if the specialty treat sold at their stores in Barrhaven, Orléans and Carleton Place is indeed the love child of a croissant and a doughnut, Holey Confections' founders and owners, Tyler and Samantha Armstrong, refer to it more generically as a 140-layer doughnut. 'We're in the process of trademarking 'dossant,'' Samantha says. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Get past that sticking point, though, and you'll discover massive pastries in multiple flavours — Boston cream, cinnamon, New York strawberry cheesecake, raspberry apple, blueberry and maple bacon to name a few — that justify the business's preferred hashtag #DietStartsTomorrow. This month, I took home several of these sweet, flaky guilty pleasures and indulged sufficiently to say that if you're not dieting, then one of the Armstrongs' confections, or even a portion of one, is a fine morning or post-dinner treat. I was just as interested in the backstory behind the pastry. It's a tale of a former pandemic pastime turned smash-hit business. What began in the Armstrong's Kanata kitchen now employs 17, made a successful pitch to the moguls on the CBC show Dragons' Den and has ambitions to expand beyond Ottawa, into Montreal, across Canada and even into the U.S., where the Cronut debuted more than a decade ago at Dominque Ansel Bakery in New York. Tyler, an office worker whose job vanished after the arrival of COVID-19, and Samantha, an interior designer, began by making 140-layer doughnuts in their home soon after the pandemic started in March 2020. Their inspiration was Five Daughters Bakery, a Nashville, Tennessee business that made '100-layer doughnuts.' 'We thought we could do it better,' says Tyler. Buoyed by the enthusiasm of friends and neighbours, the Armstrongs were eventually mass-producing batches of 200 doughnuts from the baking facility they built in their basement. In the fall of 2021, the main Barrhaven location opened. In addition to selling doughnuts on site, it supplies stores that opened in Carleton Place in 2022 and in Orléans a year later. Behind the Barrhaven storefront, bakers are involved in what the Armstrongs call a very labour-intensive process, in which butter-rich, laminated dough is key. In comparison, the doughnuts served at nearby Tim Hortons are not baked from scratch on site. Instead, they're partially baked at a large production facility, flash-frozen and then shipped to locations where they are finished off and served. The Armstrongs plan to open a fourth location in Stittsville, as well as a store in Montreal, Tyler says. He adds that he knows of no other doughnut business focused exclusively on 140-layer pastries. The Armstrongs say business has succeeded because they've targeted the suburban market. It's not that people in the 'burbs have sweeter teeth. But the families who live there are more likely to make bigger orders of a half-dozen doughnuts or more, while downtown couples and single folks buy a doughnut or two at a time, says Tyler, who has the data from pop-ups in downtown Ottawa to prove it. Nor are downtown students buying from Holey Confections because its price point is higher, he adds. Their doughnuts go for $5.80 a piece or $34.80, which isn't taxed, for six. Holey Confections sells roughly 2,000 doughnuts on a good Saturday. The Armstrongs say that based on their social media and e-commerce data, more than 90 per cent of the people who follow Holey Confections are women. '(Women) are very organized. They're the planners for the party,' says Tyler. In the spring of 2023, the Armstrongs pitched their business on Dragon's Den . The appearance, televised in early 2024, resulted in a buy-in of $500,000 for a quarter-share of Holey Confections and drove up the business's popularity in Ottawa. If Holey Confections were ever to crack into the U.S. market with Canadian-made doughnuts, they might well prove better than their American competitors, the Armstrongs say. The reason why: Canadian butter, the key ingredient in Holey Confections treats, is better than the U.S. stuff thanks to Canadian regulations, the Armstrongs say. 'In Canada, we have very strict guidelines for butters and milks. Our butter is better,' says Samantha. 'It's the biggest ingredient, and if it's not top quality, the doughnuts get stale quicker. They don't fluff and give those layers that you need.' 'We have an advantage being Canadian,' she says. phum@ Previous Treats of the Week: Nanaimo bar chocolate chip cookies at Union Kitchen / Cafe / Local Store Tartelette's heart-shaped treats Pie Rogues' Russian hand pies SuzyQ's doughnuts Dubai Chocolate mini-pancakes and waffles at Yummy Waffle Bougatsa at the Nutty Greek Bake Shop Patriotic chocolate bars at Stubbe Chocolates Stuffed cookies at Stuffed Cookies By Kat Easter treats at Les Moulins La Fayette Maison Oddo's maple treats Casa Bonita's mochi doughnuts Want to stay in the know about what's happening in Ottawa? Sign up for the Ottawa Citizen's arts and life newsletter — Ottawa, Out of Office — our weekly guide to eating, listening, reading, and watching.
Los Angeles Times
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
8 bakeries with globally inspired croissants that are uniquely L.A.
Angelenos love croissants. In recent years the obsession has reached a fever pitch, thanks to new bakeries that have followed in the footsteps of lauded croissant-makers like Proof Bakery and the erstwhile Konbi. Trendy croissant hybrids have also helped fuel the pastry's resurgence, including the Cronut, Cruffin and Crookie, as well as viral shapes like cubes and spirals. And while the classic French version has frequently been at the center of L.A.'s croissant craze , in 2025 local bakers are turning to global flavors — reinterpreting the flaky, buttery icon through the lens of their own heritage and childhood memories. Pastry chef Sharon Wang, owner of Sugarbloom Bakery in Glassell Park, purposely sought to challenge her classic European training when creating her signature kimchi Spam musubi croissant. 'The idea came from the diversity of L.A. and also a rebellion against working for an organization that favors only European ingredients,' she says. In Victor Heights, Bakers Bench chef-owner Jennifer Yee uses the croissant to reinterpret a beloved generational recipe. 'The egg roll croissant is something I'm really proud of,' she says. 'My paternal parents owned a Chinese restaurant in Columbus, Ohio and they were known for their egg rolls,' says Yee. 'It tastes very nostalgic if you grew up in the Midwest eating Chinese American food.' And that's just the beginning. In Silver Lake, you'll find a Cuban bakery with Cubano sandwich-inspired croissants that pay homage to neighborhood history. In Pasadena, one baker is infusing her Persian heritage into a viral croissant shape. From Korean to Argentine-inspired creations, the croissant has become a new creative canvas among local pastry chefs. Here are eight bakeries with globally inspired croissants to try in L.A.
Time Out
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Dominique Ansel is serving hot dog Danishes and pretzel egg tarts at his new bakery
Ever since we first heard intel about Dominique Ansel's upcoming French-Asian bakery in downtown Manhattan, the anticipation has been high for the sweet new concept—and now we've got a delicious first look. Ansel—king of the Cronut and founder of one of the best bakeries in New York City —will expand his NYC dessert empire with a brand-new bakeshop called Papa d'Amour, debuting at 64 University Place (between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues) next Thursday, May 22. Named for the sweet sobriquet his two young children call him, the bakery pays tribute to his kids' Taiwanese and French heritage with a spotlight on Asian bread culture—think fluffy shokupan and pillowy milkbreads, steamed buns, rich egg tarts, flaky layered pastries, and more. And this being an Ansel property, of course there will be plenty of playful inventiveness on the menu, too. There will be mochi doughnuts inspired by the chef's favorite dim-sum dish, the taro puff: vanilla mochi and strawberry guava jam center surrounded by creamy taro and that flaky crispy lace batter crust that shatters with each and every bite. A Danish gets a savory twist in honor of Ansel's favorite late-night meals, filling flaky laminated brioche with a center of sticky rice (nuo mi fan) seasoned with shallot oil, soy-glazed Kurobuta pork hot dogs, furikake, and nori. And a classic, silky egg tart gets a nostalgic nod to New York with pretzel salt for a bit of saltiness and crunch. Clotted cream to spread on the shop's shokupan loaves—which will also be used for savory sandos and toasts—will be made in a rice cooker, and a steam station will turn out things like a steamed croissant bao (filled with soft scrambled eggs with blistered tomato and vermicelli) and a banana-bread version of a fluffy steamed Malay sponge cake. You can take a gander at some of those tasting-sounding creations below ahead of Papa d'Amour's opening next week:
Time Out
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Dominique Ansel and Kith Treats are debuting a collab Mystery Cronut this weekend
Two NYC heavyweights—one in streetwear, the other in sugar—are teaming up to drop a treat that's as stylish as it is flaky. Pastry king Dominique Ansel and Kith Treats are launching a limited-edition Cronut, and here's the twist: the flavor is a total mystery until the day before launch. Dubbed "The Metropolitan," the collaborative Cronut is inspired by Kith's global tagline, 'New York to the World,' and lands just in time to toast Dominique Ansel Bakery's 14th anniversary and Kith Treats' 10th. It's the first-ever crossover between the two brands, both known for remixing tradition with high-impact creativity—and in this case, butter. The mystery flavor will finally be revealed via @dominiqueansel and @kithtreats on Thursday, May 15. Until then, speculation is fair game—Ube? Baklava? Pizza Rat Praline Swirl? Okay, maybe not that last one. Starting Friday, May 16, through Sunday, May 18, the Cronut will be available exclusively at Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo (189 Spring Street). Meanwhile, all U.S. Kith Treats shops, including the newly reopened SoHo flagship (337 Lafayette Street), will serve up a soft-serve swirl infused with the same secret Cronut flavor, because what's a celebration without an ice cream sidekick? Ansel, famously the creator of the Cronut in 2013, has a reputation for keeping New Yorkers on their toes and in lines that wrap around the block. Add Kith's design-savvy fanbase to the mix, and it's safe to say this collab will draw sneakerheads and sweet tooths alike. So whether you're a downtown fashion devotee, a pastry purist, or just in it for the Instagram, mark your calendars. This one's got 'future collector's item' written all over it—if you can get your hands on one.
