A whimsical French rose and cardamom cake

Chic, delicious, playful and simpler than you think

Hello! Hello!

If Aleksandra Crapanzano were to write a 328-page book on the art of folding laundry, I’d buy it and I’d urge you to also – she’s such a beautiful writer! Fortunately for us, Aleksandra’s new book is about a subject we love and one that is so very close to her: Gâteau. Specifically, the simple cakes that are treasured in the country where she spent part of her childhood: France.

I love this book!

I love Aleksandra’s writing. I love that she made a book without photographs – the watercolors by Cassandre Montoriol are beguiling. And I love today’s recipe from the book – the Rose and Cardamom Cake. It captures the book’s subtitle: “The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes”. Also the romance. And elegance. And whimsy. And even the casualness.