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Bake with Anna Olson – Previous Season Recipes

Prestigious pastry chef Anna Olson, showcases her delectable world of baking mastery, from muffins to meringue and from cream cake to croissants in this tantalizing new instructional series.

Like your favourite professor in college, Anna’s kitchen-wit and wis­dom makes learning enjoyable and entertaining. Each episode Anna focuses on a foundation baking skill and builds on it, taking viewers on an exciting learning curve from beginner baker to master.

In beloved Olson style, Anna adds the icing on the cake with personal anecdotes, touches, tips and tricks. The series promises to deliver a go-to repertoire of excellent recipes for all skill levels.

View the previous season here

Episode 1 –  Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Ganache—sounds fancy, doesn’t it? It’s simply a mixture of chocolate and cream and it’s delicious! Ganache is used as a base for truffles and a fillings for tarts, cookies and cakes. Anna starts with a simple ganache and makes Individual Ganache Tarts. Next Anna takes a more complex recipe and creates Molten Centre Chocolate Cakes. For her third recipe Anna bakes a true showpiece dessert—an Opera Torte—ganache at its most elegant. And for an extra little bonus, Anna finishes up with creamy Chocolate Truffles.

Recipes:

Episode 2 – Lady Fingers

Part cake, part cookie, ladyfingers are extremely versatile in the pastry kitchen. Anna starts by showing viewers how to make these light and spongy biscuits and dips them in chocolate to create Chocolate Dipped Ladyfingers. Next she uses those same delicious ladyfingers as a key ingredient in everyone’s favourite Italian dessert, Classic Tiramisu (rum). Anna then really ramps it up when she prepares an Elegant Raspberry Lemon Torte. When your guests are raving you’ll know it was worth the effort. And for a little fun, Anna transforms classic ladyfingers into Coconut Almond Madeleines.

Recipes:

Episode 3  – Sandwich Cookies

A sandwich cookie is a cookie with a surprise—something delicious waiting in the middle. Anna bakes an assortment of sandwich cookies in this episode and shares some of her trade secrets. She starts with Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, perfect for dunking into a glass of cold milk. Anna then ups the ante with a more challenging recipe: Almond Linzer Cookies. But for the most technically demanding sandwich cookie, and the unofficial cookie of France, Anna creates elegant French Macarons. And to top this episode off, Anna builds a Macaron Tower of colourful macarons, a spectacular dessert for a special occasion.

Recipes:

Episode 4 – Squares

Squares are so versatile with a flavour to suit every taste. In this episode, Anna shares her secrets on how to make her favourites. She begins with a rich and delicious classic: Fudge Brownies. Next she moves on to a two-layer square requiring a little more finesse: Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares. For a truly challenging and elegant square, Anna shows viewers how to prepare smooth and silky Lemon Meringue Squares. Finally she breaks the mold on squares, creating a ‘round’ square— Rocky Road Cinema Tortes.

Recipes:

Episode 5 – Chocolate Pastry

Chocolate pastry is a buttery, rich and crispy base that is fundamental in a professional kitchen and an important element for the home cook too. Anna starts by teaching viewers how to make basic chocolate pastry dough and turning it into Chocolate Slice Cookies. Next Anna advances the lesson when she prepares a delicious French classic, Tarte au Chocolat. For the ultimate use of chocolate pastry Anna creates a decadent restaurant-style dessert—Warm Chocolate Orange Tarts (orange liqueur). And for a final bit of fun Anna shares her secrets on beautiful plating with Piped Chocolate Garnishes.

Recipes:

Episode 6– Shortcake

Part biscuit and part cake, shortcake is both casual and elegant and traditionally served split in half and filled and topped with fresh fruit and sweet cream. In this episode of Bake with Anna Olson Anna shares her favorite shortcake desserts featuring strawberries. She begins with thequintessential North American summer dessert, Classic Strawberry Shortcake, and then moves on to a more complex British version, Strawberries and Cream Cake. For a truly elaborate shortcake Anna prepares a French-inspired Fraisier Torte—perfect for a special occasion. And finally Anna combines all of the elements together in a new way to create Strawberry Shortcake Trifles (cream sweet sherry).

Episode 7 – Strudel

Strudel is a buttery pastry that is a bakery staple; layer upon layer of flaky goodness wrapped around a delicious filling. Anna starts with a basic strudel made from thin sheets of dough, rolled up with filling and baked to perfection in her Caramel Apple Jalousie. Next she moves up a level when she makes individual Cabernet Pear and Walnut Strudels (cabernet). For an advanced dessert Anna goes back to strudels’ roots with a Classic Cherry Strudel. This strudel has paperthin pastry and is a must in any professional bakery. And finally Anna fancies up strudel with a delicious garnish—Caramel Springs.

Recipes:

Episode 8 – Pound Cake

Pound cakes are wonderfully rich, moist and buttery with a lovely golden brown crust. In this episode of Bake with Anna Olson Anna starts with a favorite, Classic Lemon Pound Cake. Building on the principals from the first recipe Anna moves to a more advanced one: individual Marble Bundt Cakes with a delicious ganache glaze. And for the ultimate application of pound cake, Anna creates a Fondant Covered Heart Cake, this spectacular cake is one that turns heads in a bakery window and is perfect to bake for that special someone. Anna takes fondant a little further when she shares with viewers her tips and tricks to create Fondant Flowers, an ideal addition to that beautiful pound cake.

Recipes:

Episode 9 – Steamed Puddings

Steamed puddings are restaurant favorites and Anna shows viewers how to make them at home like a pro. She starts with a familiar British steamed pudding, English Sticky Toffee Pudding. This classic dessert is moist and delicate and oh-so-mouthwatering. Anna builds on the principals learned in the British-style steamed pudding and creates Steamed Lemon Soufflé Cakes. This steamed dessert is light and airy and has a little Asian inspiration with the addition of lemongrass and ginger. But for the ultimate in steamed pudding Anna creates the Christmas classic that is delicious anytime of year—Grand Plum Pudding. And for that little something extra to take your steamed pudding over the top, Anna shares how to decorate steamed pudding cakes with Marzipan Fruit.

Recipes

Episode 10 – Brioche

Brioche is a traditional French pastry. Anna begins showing viewers how to make a Classic Brioche. It is slightly sweet, buttery and bread-like—and is perfect for breakfast or brunch. Anna builds on that basic brioche recipe and makes Tarte Tropézienne, a light vanilla pastry with cream filling. For that over-the-top decadent dessert, Anna shows viewers how to master a Chocolate Hazelnut Brioche Cake, the grand-dame of brioche. And to switch it up, Anna uses her brioche as the foundation for a variety of Brioche Tea Sandwiches.

Recipes

Episode 11 – Upside Down Cake

An upside down cake is a single-layer cake baked with gooey-sweet fruit at the bottom. Then it’s flipped and served with that delicious fruit side up. Anna starts with the classic favourite: Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Then she advances the techniques from the first recipe and creates individual Upside Down Lemon Cakes. For the showstopper, a truly decadent restaurant-worthy dessert, Anna makes Cranberry Gingerbread Cakes with brown butter caramel sauce. Simply scrumptious. And finally, Anna takes the lemon cakes one step further and creates delicious Lemon Berry Meringue Cakes

Recipes:

Episode 12 – Nut Cakes

Nut cakes range from easy little cakes to elaborate grand tortes. In this episode, Anna shows viewers how to make a few cakes that she’s just nuts about, desserts where nuts feature prominently in the recipe. Anna begins with a lovely little French teacake prepared with almond flour called Financiers. Next she moves on to Italian Pine Nut Cake. This classic cake from Italy has a rich and complex nutty flavor. And for a grand dessert 2 featuring nuts, Anna prepares an elegant Mont Blanc torte—an impressive cake to serve at a dinner party. And what could be more fun than nut brittle, served as a garnish or a treat on its own.

Recipes:

Episode 13 – Flourless Pies & Tarts

Flourless pies and tarts are gluten-free desserts made without conventional wheat flour. Anna starts with delicious Raspberry Clafoutis, a classic French dessert that uses ground almond as a base rather than a traditional tart pastry. Next Anna moves on to a Flourless Pear and Cranberry Pie, an exquisite winter dessert. To show viewers another option that is a little more complex but worth the extra effort, Anna prepares Flourless French Apple Tart with a flourless crust. This is a truly elegant dessert. Anna uses that same flourlesscrust and shows its versatility by making Cheddar Shortbread and Preserves.

Recipes: