Want to look at cakes and ponder baking ideas?  This is for you!  2020 was a strange year with many challenges (to put it mildly) but also lots of time spent in the kitchen.  So we’ll take a peek at what was made from my to-do list.  I’ll also include links and stats for the top 2020 blog posts and new baking plans for 2021!  Might not be able to plan any trips abroad yet, but I sure can plan kitchen activity! 😉  Maybe you’ll find inspiration here and enjoy the galettes des rois, then share your own ideas and plans in the comments?

You can go straight down to the 2021 baking plans if you prefer.  Meanwhile, here are the top 20 posts.  Starting at the bottom, numbers 19 and 20 are French meringue discs and nests and the coffee, walnut and carrot cake.

Those in 10th to 18th position are:

In order, start in the top left-hand corner with Chinese steamed bun dough (no.18), then spiral around to shaping a puff pastry tart shell, Earl Grey loaf cake (a newbie here), lining a French tart ring with pastry and blind baking, Gâteau Moka, French fruit jellies, flan parisien, tempering chocolate – easier with mycryo cocoa butter, and finish in the centre with inverted or inverse puff pastry (no.10). Click on one to go to the recipe.  These are the stats:

The photo above shows the top nine posts.  Again, spiral round from the top left-hand corner with savoury goats cheese macarons with fig, walnut and black sesame (no.9), followed by making thin decorative shapes with tempered chocolate , sourdough orange and lemon cake, Basque burnt cheesecake (another newbie here), Kanelsnurrer cinnamon and cardamom buns, fresh raspberry jelly layer for entremets, Dreams of Florence caramel and raspberry dome cakes, Neutral mirror glaze and finally finish with the winners, Earl Grey melting moments cookies in the centre!  Clap clap.  More stats (!):

Not that I’m obsessed with stats or anything (cheesy grin).  Anyway, there are lots of old favourites on the list with a few newbies like the Earl Grey loaf cake.  This year it’s cookies for the win and another new arrival, a trending bake, the easy burnt Basque cheesecake!

Stats rose quite a bit compared to 2019, with the increase in visitors probably being a consequence of the COVID situation.  Sigh.  Many of us have had more time at home near the oven.  Still, if you enjoy baking, it’s great therapy, relaxing and fun.  And you fill your house with yummy treats! 🙂

2020 bakes

Most of the stuff on last year’s to-bake list (on my 2019 post) got ticked off.  Yay!

1. Dulce de leche chocolate cake (decorated for Easter) ✓
2. A new sourdough cake – Mojito oblivion sourdough brioche layer cake ✓
3. Sourdough stollen – coming in 2021!
4. A version of the World’s Best Cake – will maybe make again in 2021
5. Puff pastry mini cakes like puits d’amour or pont neuf pastries ✓
6. An entremets ring cake (mousse cake) – made as a yule log: Purple Wonderland fruity entremets log cake ✓
7. Adventurous fun cookies – chocolate salami!
8. Something colourful but healthier (to break from the beige) – Halloween black and orange sourdough bagels ✓
9. A bake with that charcoal powder I still haven’t used! (the bagels) ✓
10. Savoury Swedish sandwich cake ✓
11. A glutenfree cake with interesting organic flour mixes (the Dulce de leche choc cake) ✓
12. Xmas mousse cake baubles – maybe in 2021 (will become mandarins instead)

So here’s a new list…

2021 baking plans

Some stuff has been made and just needs tweaking.  Fingers crossed.

• Sourdough stollen (from last year’s list) – tested at least five times so will finally post for Xmas this year!!
• New galette des rois, adapting the lemon or Bounty one
• Sourdough lemon and poppyseed cake
• Lemon cake with a raspberry jelly insert in a hole! ✓ Holey Moley lemon loaf cake
• Sourdough English muffins – love these so much!
• Some kind of entremets – mandarin mousse cakes?
• Apple tatin mini domes ✓ Autumn tatin domes
• nobake lime and blueberry custard cheesecake pie ✓ Purple Dawn cheesecake
• Healthier new cookies ✓ Swedish dammsugare vacuum cleaner cookies
• Something savoury

I’ve always liked making lists (and cakes).  It helps me focus, and not totally forget what I’m planning to do!  Lol.

And I’ve always loved French galettes des rois.

Galettes des rois

This is my classic almond galette des rois (King’s cake) for Epiphany.

You can eat French galettes des rois during all of January to see who finds the favour hidden inside and is crowned King or Queen for the day, or who gets the bean and has to buy the next galette.

This year I made them with homemade inverted puff pastry (so good!) and decided to go non-traditional with a Lemon curd and almond galette (Galette citron) and a Bounty galette (coconut and chocolate); you can follow the links for these French recipes by Hervé Cuisine.  On his facebook page he lists ingredients in English and posts clear videos.  I’ll also try to include one of these adapted galettes on the blog in December.  They’re so easy and yummy!

You have until January 31st to make your galette.  But there’s always next year! 😉

Apologies for bombarding you with cakes, but I’ll leave you now with another photo of a 2020 favourite and lovely discovery:  the Swedish sandwich cake.  Yum yum.

Thank you for dropping by and being here dear reader and friend.  Take care of yourself this year and have lots of happy baking and eating! 🙂 Lili x

What are you planning to bake next?  And what kind of recipes would you like to see next on the blog?