European baking recipes

When toasted and buttered this delicately flavoured bread is a breakfast in itself

This traditional spiced cake is served with a cinnamon whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar

A classic Polish honey gingerbread cake is adapted by Edd Kimber. It's layered with plum jam and coated in chocolate with sprinkles of edible gold

These cute cakes make a perfect finish for a special dinner and you can bake the sponge up to two days ahead

We show you how to master this soft bread enriched with eggs and milk. Serve split and filled with barbecued meat, burgers or pulled pork

These beautiful shell-shaped light sponge cakes are ideal with a cup of tea, or serve with creamy desserts

For an alternative wedding cake, try croquembouche

Follow our step-by-step guide to rolling the perfect peach, cream and raspberry sponge roulade or Swiss roll

Soured cream makes for a light and moist pretty, ring-shaped cake that's offset by a creamy, crunchy drizzle

With a rich, creamy vanilla custard and crunchy, caramelised topping, our crème brûlée makes the ultimate indulgent dessert. Follow our professional tips for mastering this classic French sweet

Vegetarians will love you for giving them something that is not pasta, rice or an omelette, and this can be relished by everyone

A classic profiterole recipe with an added kick for coffee lovers - pile up a batch as modern wedding cake!

Two festive giants collide in these shortcrust pastry bakes with marzipan, madeira cake and mincemeat

Give morning pastries a bakeover by swapping the sweet for a savoury butternut squash, blue cheese, bacon, onion and beetroot filling

The longer the dough for this sweet fruit bread stays in the fridge the better the flavour - perfect with a cup of tea

Blintz is the Russian name for a thin pancake often wrapped around a filling

This favourite dessert of Maman Blanc is an ideal way to use up an autumn apple glut

Edd Kimber, champion of BBC's Great British Bake Off, shares his expert knowledge for baking picture-perfect macarons

These mini French pastry swirls with soft cheese are a great cheat's canapé - quick, simple and stunning

Perfect your whisking skills for these light baked meringues - a blank canvas for tasty flavour combinations.

Paul Hollywood's almond and apricot 'couronne' is crammed with fruit and nuts and is a great alternative to stollen

Use ready-made custard in these tropical desserts, for all the 'wow' factor but less of the effort

Bake a batch of these sweet German buns over Christmas and enjoy at breakfast or teatime... or both

A German biscuit similar to gingerbread, lebkuchen is easy to make and a great Christmas treat