Just four more days until Christmas! It really has felt like it for the past few weeks. With the radio blasting timeless songs and Spotify recommending playlists like “Christmas Pop” and “Merry & Bright,” it feels like Christmas is already here. And such vibes are bringing back memories of my last Christmas… when I visited Paderia Bakehouse yet again!
You may wonder, “What more could this blogger possibly have of that bakery?” I’ve got lots more to say: this time, it’s Paderia Bakehouse – the Christmas edition!
December 23, 2022
Last year, on December 23, 2022, I flew to the John Wayne Airport in Irvine, CA and stopped by Paderia. (Now, this alone should give you a hint as to how good the place is.)
I was SO excited to be back at Paderia. The feeling can only be compared to standing outside one’s close friend’s grandmother’s house, waiting to see her (and the treats she has baked for you two).
Uniquely Cute Christmas Decorations
When I entered, I was pleasantly surprised by this interesting Christmas tree:
Now, from afar, it looks like a funky pile of a tree. But close up, it’s really uniquely aesthetic:
It’s got a whole contemporary hodgepodge look!
And then at the bottom was this:
Do you see it? I mean, how cute is this little pug?
It’s got on a little scarf! 🧣
Other parts of the bakery were left as clean & modern as it usually was:
Love the touch of green here and there. 💚
The Menu (Feat. Special December Items)
The menu is on the wall next to the counter:
Or at the counter, where items are always shown inside a glass display. And the glass display was decorated with the same Christmas glam the tree had:
They had placed their ever-cute egg tart plushie (not for sale though 😕) along with little trees, cotton, reindeer and alpaca/llama plushies! The menu items were the same (delicious egg tarts, banana bread pudding, award-winning cookies, ensaymadas, and drinks) except there were some special seasonal items:
Tiramisu Cheesecake 🧀
“once-a-year seasonal favorite” White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookie 🍪
and a newly launched Orange Cardamom Malasada 🍊
The Food (Seasonal Items + More)
I couldn’t get the Orange Cardamom Malasada (as it was available only at the Foundation Valley store) but I did get the Tiramisu Cheesecake, White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookie and my usual go-tos (egg tarts and banana pudding).
Paderia treats galore! ✨
The Tiramisu Cheesecake was as delicious as the photo appears. But in my opinion, it wasn’t as mind-blowingly tasty as the egg tarts, probably because I’m an egg-tart kind of person.
Look at those layers of soft bread and creamy fillings!
The White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Cookie was good, too, as just the name of it sounds. Each bite was filled with the buttery dough, fruity cranberry, and the nutty macadamia.
Look at those bits of white chocolate, cranberry, and macadamia!
But then again, as someone who already has a Paderia go-to item, the cookie was a bit too buttery for me. Nonetheless, it was richly smooth and good .
I don’t think I’ll have to review my favorite items (i.e. banana bread pudding and egg tarts) again. So here is just a short reel to make your mouths water!
🍪 To read about my first post on Paderia Bakehouse, click HERE!
P.S. Did you know that the bakery hosts giveaway contests on Instagram? They’ve offered giveaways for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, product launches and more! Visit their IG page HERE.
P.P.S. Speaking of giveaways, I was one of the lucky winners of one of the giveaways! So I visited the Santa Monica location last week to redeem my coupon and treat myself to the ever-delicious Paderia items. And I have to say, Paderia Bakehouse in Santa Monica was looking good this Christmas!
Nestled in an eco-friendly retail campus surrounded by the 73, 55 and 405 highways is a glass building with a logo reminiscent of the pirate flag. It’s none other than Blackmarket Bakery!
Allow me to introduce you to the unique bakery serving scratch-made treats, fresh bread and savory sandwiches.
The CAMP at Costa Mesa
Blackmarket Bakery is a small, locally-owned business located within the CAMP, a green, eco-friendly shopping center in Costa Mesa, CA. It’s located near South Coast Plaza, LAB Anti-Mall, Mitsuwa Marketplace, and John Wayne Airport.
It really looks and feels like a camp in the middle of the city, with lots of wild plants, old trailers and camp-related decorations scattered about:
With around 25 stores that focus on healthy, active lifestyles, the shopping center hosts a bunch of events designed to bring awareness to the environment and the local community. (Plus arts & craft classes, free movie showings and drive-in concerts!) *For a full list of shops and services, visit the CAMP’s website HERE. For their calendar of events, HERE.
Now, back to Blackmarket. The bakery sits at the tip of the CAMP, right in front of the main parking lot that’s painted with feel-good messages in white:
I highly recommend choosing and parking at your favorite message! 😁
The Vibe
The first time I visited, I was taken aback by the exterior. From the outside, it didn’t look anything like a bakery with its modern glass windows and wild plants growing outside. I mean, I couldn’t see a single trace of baked goods. But the logo of a cake shaped like a skull, words “Bakery” pasted here and there plus these UFO-shaped cakes let me know that I had come to the right place.
It looks nothing like a bakery, with the only hint being the logo with the Jolly Roger cake. ☠
UFO cakes taking people away! 🛸
Though it didn’t look at all like a bakery, it was plenty chic with its unique logo and vinyl stickers. As I entered, I expected the interior to be more “normal,” with clean walls in warm colors and baked goods neatly displayed in glass countertops like other bakeries.
But the interior was as eccentric and chic as the exterior:
There’s so much to see! 👀
The bakery was like an industrial factory with metallic lights hanging from above. I honestly didn’t know where to look with all these cool merchandise and aesthetic chocolate bars lying about. They had these cool periodic table lunch boxes, cookies shaped like dragonflies, metallic trailer displays and treats that all look good.
Menu & More
After being overwhelmed by all the products and standing dumbfounded for about a minute, I was able to make my way towards the counter to order. As I stood at the very end of the line, I got to watch bakers kneading the dough by hand:
Bakers kneading behind rows of freshly made breads.
When I moved a few inches closer to the cashier, I saw this huge menu board:
Having witnessed all the tasty-looking cookies and bread at the entrance, I had confidence in all the menu items. In fact, I wanted to try everything on the menu plus all the treats displayed. But as I physically and financially couldn’t afford to do so, I narrowed down my choice to the Hot Potato Egg Sandwich, i.e. Hot Potato “Eggywich,” as called by the crew.
Along with the Berry Basque Tart and latte.
The Food
By the time I received my orders, I was too hungry to remember about blogging it. So… I devoured the Hot Potato Eggywich without taking any photos of it! 😫 But I remember and can say with confidence that it was good. The over easy eggs, bacon, and hash brown patty made it a hearty meal – an excellent breakfast. The pickled onions and garlic aioli sauce made it very savory.
Despite my overall satisfaction, I personally found the Eggywich to be a bit overwhelming. It was too much to eat the aforementioned ingredients with its butter croissant bread. I didn’t realize while I was eating it, but once I finished, I really was feeling overwhelmed.
The Berry Basque Tart was VERY good. It had a crumbly tart crust with fresh raspberries, thin almond slices, and lemony cream with powered sugar sprinkled on top. And the latte was smooth, with a good amount of foam. Both the tart and the latte were excellent. HOWEVER, I wouldn’t drive all the way to Costa Mesa just to have these again – especially with the insane gas prices these days. I would if I happened to be in the area and wanted some good tart and latte.
A few weeks later, I had another chance to visit Costa Mesa and so I went again to Blackmarket Bakery. This time, I ordered the Fresh Prince Eggywich. I liked it better than the Hot Potato Eggywich:
Healthy ingredients & savory sauce 👍
+ Update 6/18/22: I visited the bakery yet AGAIN and this time I got the Plain Jane. It wasn’t overwhelming with just cheddar cheese, eggs and brioche bun. It tasted great with fresh orange juice:
Delicious! I liked it better than the other eggywiches I tried.
A Bakery Worth Visiting
Blackmarket Bakery is definitely worth visiting – at the very least once. They’ve got good food and superb treats – made fresh every day. And equally importantly, they’ve got unique, clever decorations that you won’t be able to find anywhere else, like the metallic UFO cakes, chess boards painted on tables, and whisks hanging from above.
It’s a must-see bakery for photographers, bloggers and tourists alike who appreciate industrial chic decor with creative, artistic culinary touches.
More About Blackmarket Bakery
🏴☠️Fun Fact #1: The unique Blackmarket Bakery in Costa Mesa was founded back in 2012 by Rachel Klemek, a UCI alumni. Her first Blackmarket Bakery opened even further back in 2004 in the city of Irvine (now closed).
🏴☠️Fun Fact #3: According to the founder herself, the name “Blackmarket” comes from the fact that baking fundamentals like butter, flour, sugar and eggs were only available via black markets during World War II. She says in an interview with OC Weekly that the name for the bakery was developed during the Atkins diet craze in the early 2000s when baked goods seemed culturally outlawed (read the full interview HERE).
What brilliant way to incorporate history to one’s bakery! 🤩
Photo by Patrick Fore
🏴☠️Fun Fact #4: There are currently 2 Blackmarket Bakeries: one in Costa Mesa and one in San Diego (with another San Diego store coming soon). They offer online ordering, gift cards, and loyalty cards that you can use to get free coffee:
The chic red loyalty card from Blackmarket Bakery.
Visit these links to learn more about Blackmarket Bakery!
After attending the fun lemon tart class I attended last year, I signed up for the “Apple Pie and Tatin Tart” class when it opened a few months back. Despite registering early for the Irvine baking class, I almost decided to withdraw the night before. After months of hectic schedule, I didn’t think I could show up on a Wednesday night to bake from 7PM to 9:30 PM. Just the thought of it exhausted me.
However, I simply could not miss out on another opportunity to learn French baking from a French instructor. And I’m so glad that I didn’t! 😉
Snapshot of the baking classes offered by the city of Irvine. The OC French baking class hosted by the city of Irvine is really popular so spaces fill up quickly. Early registration is recommended!
Before the Baking
Just like last time, the class was taught by instructor Sylvie Roux at the Irvine Fine Arts Center. The center has a studio with an oven and kitchen, and participants simply have to show up on the designated day and time wearing closed-toe shoes and a $10 ingredients and tolls fee.
The studio where the class was held. The kitchen with a fridge (shown above) & oven (not shown) and all the ingredients prepared on the front table.
*The ingredients fee is separate from the class fee, which was $47 (around $50 with convenience fee). We were told to pay the ingredients fee in cash, in check or via Venmo only (no credit card).
We were also told via email that we could bring small or medium containers to bring home our pastries. (From my experience, it’s best to bring a large/wide container that can hold pie-shaped pastries. Both the lemon tart and apple pie + tatin tart were baked in round shapes.)
Apple Pie
Baking supplies & recipes placed in front of each seat around the main table.
Led by our instructor and her assistant, us twelve participants sat around a large table and worked in groups of 3~5 to create both the apple pie and tarte tatin. We started off with the pie and tart dough, mixing the ingredients together in a food processor. Since we worked in groups, sometimes watching was all you could do while others did the work. But I think watching others bake helps you learn as well.
After creating the batter, we each got a small batch to place inside our given pie molds. While we preheated the pie dough in the oven, we moved on to the highlight of the apple pie/tatin tart: 🍎
Apples Galore
Photo by Shelley Pauls.
Each of us were given a single Gala apple to peel with an apple peeling machine. It was my first time using an apple peeler/corer/slicer, and I must say it does wonders!
Since there was only one apple peeling machine, us participants each took turn peeling our Gala apples. Then, we further cut the beautifully peeled apples into smaller bits and pieces to place on top of the preheated dough.
Beautifully peeled Gala apple cut and placed on top of preheated dough.
As for the finishing touch, we sprinkled whipping cream + egg + sugar preparation on top before completely baking our pies in the oven.
Waiting for the apple pie to bake…
Apple pie ready to go! 🍎🥧
Tarte Tatin
As inexperienced as I am in French baking, I thought that “apple tatin tart” and “apple pie” were similar, i.e. interchangeable. So I thought we were making apple tart for this class. But I learned that tarte tatin is completely different and we were making BOTH the apple pie and apple tatin tart.
First of all, tatin tart has caramel in it. Our instructor taught us how to make caramels, and to our surprise, caramels are nothing but heated sugar!
Secondly, to make a tarte tatin, you pour the caramel on the bottom of the mold, put in the sliced apples, cover it with the dough, and then flip over the tart once baked. With apple pies, you put the dough then the apples, but with tarte tatin, you put the caramel and the apples then the dough.
Pouring the caramel first inside the mold.Then placing the sliced apples on top and covering everything with the dough.
Tarte tatin being baked.
The final step: flipping over the baked apple tarte tatin! Our instructor advised us to be extra careful in this step as the caramel was very hot. 🔥
Takeaways
My second French baking class taught by instructor Sylvie Roux was as informative and fun as my first one. She handed us her recipes for both the French apple pie and apple tatin tarte, which are authentic French recipes from her family with her own tips. And after class, we each left with one small apple pie and one small apple tatin tart.
Apple pie (left) and apple tarte tatin (right). Both tasted really good!
The OC French baking classes offered by the city of Irvine are great ways to explore French pastries as well as opportunities to work in a collaborative environment with fellow beginner bakers. They’re wonderful in that you get to learn French baking from a French instructor without overly expensive fees/tuition or the need to travel to France.
If you dream of baking but don’t know where to start, I recommend OC French cooking classes!
Not all pastry shops are the same. There are the good ones that sell pastries that aren’t overly sweet but still taste excellent; the bad ones with tasty but sugary goods that make one feel really guilty for having consumed them. And the ugly, where cheap-looking, sugar-coated treats make one feel sick after a few bites.
And then there’s Paderia Bakehouse, where even a single item (i.e. their Portuguese Egg Tart) makes one visit the shop again and again despite the distance. Not to mention their award-winning Cookie plus their Malasada that I haven’t even tried yet.
The Square Shopping Center
Left turn leads to John Wayne Airport while at the right is The Square.
Tucked away in The Square next to the John Wayne Airport, Paderia Bakehouse may easily be overlooked. In fact, one may opt for the better-known Starbucks several shops away. Yet, once you experience their desserts and/or drinks, the shopping center will become that spot where you get all your Paderia goodies.
The Square shopping center.
On the outside, the bakery looks nothing special with its bland but neat store front and clean fonts:
The Bakehouse
But once you enter, you will be pleasantly surprised by the chic designs of the dark interior with gilded accents. Along with the stylish, modern interior design, the green plants placed here and there help give off an eco-friendly atmosphere.
A few steps further in, you’ll face the counter with the baked goods displayed behind the glass:
Here’s a close up of the baked treats sold at the Irvine location:
A Limited Menu (Serving Only the Good Stuff)
What I also found somewhat unique to Paderia was its limited menu. They only have select drinks and treats to choose from, compared to, say, Starbucks or other cafes.
This is their complete menu from the Irvine location:
I conjectured that this was due to the fact that they were confident in their select items. The limitation, to me, felt like a sign that this bakery only served top-quality food and drinks that they knew (like really knew) how to make.
And I was correct!
Portuguese Egg Tarts
On my first visit, I chose to get some Portuguese egg tarts, cookies, and Mazapan coffee. I had never tried Portuguese egg tarts even though it’s easily available in other bakeries that I visit, as I never expected it to taste particularly good, given the visuals. The egg tarts at Paderia prompted me to try, and little did I know that my life would change forever!
The egg tarts are just…
(How do I type this as accurately as possible..?)
They are SO GOOD that they haunt you. Seriously. After tasting their egg tarts, I became HOOKED. Me, a skeptic of egg tarts and an opponent of the concept of putting more eggs in pastries other than during the baking process, became a FAN.
Portuguese egg tarts with an ensaymada.
It’s warm & soft in the inside, crunchy & flaky on the outside, with hints of sweetness that explode as you savor each bite. It’s COMPLETE BLISS.
Other Items
As for the other items, they were excellent, too. The hot Mazapan coffee, which is hazelnut “harmonized with a crème froth & Mazapan peanut candy bits” is as good as its description on Paderia’s website. The cookies, which are satisfyingly fatter than other cookies, are great. According to their site, their Chocolate Walnut Cookie is an “Award-winning Cookie.”
Who doesn’t want to try an award-winning cookie?
My favorite thing about the cookie was how thick and chunky they were. You really get to just dive in the chocolatiness and the buttery texture. But as such, it can get overwhelming if you eat more than one in a single seating.
On my most recent visits, I tried the Ensaymada, Drip Coffee (both hot & iced), and the Vietnamese Coffee (+more Portuguese egg tarts), and I can say with confidence that they are all good. As for the rest of the items, I haven’t tried yet so I can’t say but they all sound & look delicious. Especially the Malasada that they only sell at their Fountain Valley location!
Paderia Bakehouse: For the Cosmopolitan Connoisseur
Paderia is not some bakery to try out. As their self-description, they are a bakehouse serving traditional baked goods from around the world, with emphasis on “basics, quality and authenticity.” They make “fresh-from-scratch” products in their kitchen with “intentionally sourced” ingredients, making sure to not sell old inventory with their “Open until sold out” policy.
Dear Cosmopolitan Reader, do yourself a favor and check out Paderia Bakehouse next time you’re around Fountain Valley, CA/ Irvine, CA / Santa Monica, CA.
This modern, globally-inspired bakehouse will inspire you.
P.S. Paderia Bakehouse was founded by the two young Vietnamese owners, Nathan Vuong and Davion Tran. Check out the duo’s interview here! 🤩
P.P.S. They have this cute little egg tart crochet plush displayed with the egg tarts behind the glass display. I’ve asked the cashier if they sold plushies (as I said, I’ve become quite a fan), but she said that they don’t. 🙁
The cute little Portuguese egg tart crochet plush.
P.P.P.S.2/16/2022 Update: I visited the Fountain Valley location to try the malasada – and it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. It was good, for sure, but not as good as a beignet I’ve tried in Corona Del Mar, CA (view the post HERE.)
It is unfair to compare a malasada with a beignet but the two pastries all share similarities with the doughnut and I can’t help myself from comparing them…
The malasadas at Paderia Bakehouse in Fountain Valley, CA.
The dough and vanilla cream of Paderia’s Malasada were both very light, and I prefer my dough and cream heavier with more substance. I wouldn’t drive all the way to their Fountain Valley store to eat their Malasada whereas I would drive to both their Fountain Valley and Irvine locations to get their Portuguese Egg Tart.
Here’s a short clip of the pretty signage inside the Fountain Valley location to wrap up this post!
They have coffee cups with words “Fuck Mornings,” “Anti-Bitch Club,” “Anti-Bitch Serum.” and a banner that says “No Karen, You Can’t Talk to the Manager.” With their pretty pink aesthetics and eye-catching slogans, Coffee Dose is a unique place to check out if you like their “cheeky” merchandise, “vegan + keto-friendly treats,” and all things aesthetically pink.
Coffee Dose (Irvine) one cloudy morning.
Some Basic Info:
Coffee Dose was founded by the couple – Jeni and Oscar Castro. They kind of remind one of the wife-husband team that founded Honey & Butter Macarons, as they’ve also started their shop in Costa Mesa. (Check out my post on Honey & Butter Macarons HERE.)
And from the fact that the shop now has three locations (from just one in Costa Mesa), their business seems to be a success. It’s not surprising – their stylish merchandise and cheeky slogans are bound to be popular, especially amongst young women who appreciate good coffee and aesthetically pleasing goods. It really is no wonder that Coffee Dose has made their marks at their Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, and Irvine locations:
Images of Coffee Dose in Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, and Irvine (from left to right) from coffeedose.cafe.
Coffee Dose in Irvine, CA
The shop I’ve visited is the one in Irvine. It’s located in the middle of a business park.
It’s literally placed right between two office buildings:
And so, on my two visits to Coffee Dose Irvine, there was always a group of customers. They were most likely a mix of office workers, influencers, and customers who so appreciated Coffee Dose’s unique menu and aesthetics that they drove all the way to the office park for them.
Once you get close to the pink container box, you’ll be able to see the menu and the cute merchandise they have out in front of the cashier.
This is where you order, buy merchandise, and receive your drinks. (Plus where the food menu is.)
The other end of the pink container where you get your food items. Plus where the menu for the drinks are. (On the right)
Oh, and they always have music playing out loud:
From my experience (which amounts to only a few visits), I found the lattes to be better than any other drinks. The cold brew was really strong and not to my taste.
But the latte? It was delicious! 😋
This is the menu they have out in the Irvine shop:
Now, this shop is a coffee shop, and I do think they have good lattes. But what I consider their best is the food.
I’ve tried a few items on their menu, including their cookie, banana bread, lemon bread from their bakery items, “The OC OG,” “Foxy Loxy,” “Jen & Berry’s,” “The Goat,” and “The Gentle Monster.” Wow. Now that I list them, I actually tried quite a number of their food items!
The Foxy Loxy (and the ever-strong cold brew that I couldn’t finish).
Anyways, they were all delicious, with top-quality ingredients. But my favorite of all has to be “The Goat.” 🐐🧀
“The Goat” is a toast with herbed goat cheese, figs, candied walnuts, saba and microgreens. And it’s EPIC.
I tried this only because I saw on Coffee Dose’s Instagram that “The Goat” will be available only until November. And I thought – why not give it a go before I can no longer try it?
It was such a good decision… Because it was the most delicious toast I’ve ever tasted! And the combination of goat cheese and figs along with the candied walnuts and other ingredients is genius; it’s an out-of-this-world tasting experience that belongs uniquely to Coffee Dose.
It was so good that I had to to-go another one before leaving. Their to-go bag is cute, too!
Drawbacks
The only drawbacks of Coffee Dose (I speak only of the Irvine location) would be that it isn’t cheap. It’s definitely on the pricier side, as “The Goat” costs about as much as two cheeseburgers at In-N-Out.
And another drawback is that they don’t share your Instagram stories that you @ them at, as I’ve tried multiple times. I think they only share if you have enough followers to promote their brand. 😔
*Fun fact: There are Coffee Dose stickers you can use in Instagram to create your stories.
Regardless –
Visiting Coffee Dose Irvine was a fun experience. With the aesthetic surroundings and the unique, DELICIOUS food, I highly recommend visiting there at least once!
P.S. If you have any canine companions, you’ll definitely want to check this place out. The shop is dog-friendly with even “puppy cracks” for your pups!
Last Saturday on October 16th, Honey & Butter released macarons in collaboration with LINE FRIENDS (characters popular in Asia). According to their website, they will continue to release these special macarons for two more dates, on October 23rd & 30th. As I expected there to be much competition, I set out at 9AM, an hour before the store opened.
Honey & Butter Macarons is located in the city of Irvine, in a shopping center called Irvine Spectrum Center. This center deserves a post of its own, with its unique architecture and a plethora of good shops. 👍
As the center itself also opens everyday at 10AM, there was nobody there when I arrived.
Usually, there is always a bustling crowd at the shopping mall. But not at 9AM in the morning!
Or so I thought.
Once I walked in deeper inside, I saw some residents living around the Spectrum Center walking their dogs and meeting their friends. But still, these were people who lived in the area; they weren’t headed towards the macaron shop. So I quelled my concerns and walked on to Honey & Butter.
A rare sight to behold at Irvine Spectrum Center.
And then I saw:
It was only 9:30 AM, and yet, there was a line already!
I thought I’d be the first or at least the third person in line for Honey & Butter Macaron’s exquisite macarons. But in reality, I turned out to be the 30th! 😳
Though I was disappointed to join the long line, I was still one of the first 100 customers who would get free stickers of the Honey & Butter Macarons X LINE FRIENDS collaboration. Hence, I was content to wait behind 29 fellow zealots of cute & aesthetic macarons.
The Wait
I waited for about an hour before it was my turn to order. While waiting, there were many passersby wondering at the long line so early in the morning. They stared and muttered while Honey & Butter Macarons employees took promotional pictures and videos of eager customers like me. It was tiring to wait, but all the hype and anticipation was fun to witness, as well as the satisfied customers coming out of the store with bagfuls of macarons.
*Plus, a Honey & Butter associate handed out flavor guides & wristbands to everyone waiting in line. The wristband system is their new way of preventing unfair purchases of creature (special character) macarons, which are limited in quantity.
The Flavor Guide handouts!
*If you plan on visiting Honey & Butter Macarons to purchase creature macarons, check out their wristband policy HERE!
Finally!!!
I am finally close enough to see the store!
When I finally got close enough to the store, I was able to see the cute decal stickers pasted on the clear glass windows. People (including myself) were busy taking photos of them while in turn being photographed by Honey & Butter associates.
When I stepped inside the store (at last!!!) the interior was as aesthetic as it could be, with puffy clouds hanging from above and photo booths in front of walls of plants and flowers. (Even a 🕷 for a touch of Halloween!)
Plus there was the LINE FRIENDS X Honey & Butter Macarons wall, which was too cute not to share here:
They were selling their regular, non-character macarons for $3 each, and character macarons for $5 and $7 dollars each. It’s really expensive… It’s more expensive than a burger or a Chick-fil-A sandwich! 😫 But considering the amount of effort and artistry put into these macarons, I think it was worth it.
Here is a video of the macarons sold at Honey & Butter Macarons last weekend:
Close up of the creature (character) macarons! 🐻🎀🐰🐥🐸
I purchased regular macarons, creature macarons along with two pins (limited editions of Honey & Butter X LINE FRIENDS). I also got free stickers for being one of the first 100 customers and a postcard, too. And before heading out of the shop, the employees helped me take photos in front of the aesthetic photo booths. It was so much fun! 😁
When I stepped out of the cute macaron shop, it was 11:12 PM. And yet, there was a line still in front of Honey & Butter Macarons, as shown in the video above.
Even the box is cute!
I spent an entire morning from 9AM preparing and waiting for this event. Plus, I spent way too much on the macarons. But it was a memorable day, with such artistic, charming little pastries for me and my family. It was worth the money and the wait!
I had to display the artsy macarons in the middle of my living room in all its beauty for my family to see. Aren’t they just…Adorable pieces of art? 😍💕💕
About Honey & Butter
From my knowledge (and online research), Honey & Butter Macarons was founded back in 2014 by Leanne and her husband Pawel Pietrasinski. Leanne was born in Vietnam and Pawel was born in Poland, and the couple met via a MMORPG game, Neverwinter Online. Sharing the same dream and passion, they created their own bakery. To read more about their unique story and journey, check out these links:
I highly recommend Honey & Butter Macarons if you love aesthetic/cute things or French pastries, specifically macarons. If you are planning to purchase creature macarons though, be aware that they don’t have those everyday. I think they used to, but nowadays they are available only on special occasions like this or on days noted on their website.
P.P.S. Follow their Instagram! Honey & Butter sometimes announces character macaron drops in their stories. They’re up for grabs till supplies last. Here are the ones that were released around noon on 5/27/2022:
Cute clam and sushi macarons.
They were as aesthetic and delicious as ever! 😉
(These macarons were wrapped in seriously cute packaging illustrated by kiraimai! 💕Visit the Japanese illustrator’s official website for more: https://www.kiraimai.com/)
On a crisp October morning, I went to attend a French baking class in Irvine that I had signed up for a few weeks back. To tell the truth, my very first dream was becoming a patisserie. Of course, back when I was little, I had no idea that such a word existed. So I told everyone – my family, relatives, and friends – that I wanted to own a bakery to decorate cakes. I thought it was the same thing as a “patisserie.” But I didn’t become a “bakery owner,” and my dreams shifted around multiple times.
But today, I finally got to revisit my very first dream and bake a lemon tart at the Irvine French baking class! 🍋🥧
Photo by an_vision.
Making a Lemon Tart – The Beginning
The materials all being provided for (with a fee of $10), my fellow classmates and I simply had to follow instructions given by our French instructor, Sylvie Roux. She was efficient and friendly, giving us professional tips and knowledge on the details of making a good lemon tart.
Materials provided.
Everyone received a ceramic pie holder/mold to create their lemon tarts on, and each holder was named with a French word. Mine was “Montmartre,” the famous hill in Paris. Others got “Paris,” “France,” “Merci,” “Bisou,” and other beautiful French words.
Lemon Zest
So the first thing we had to do was create lemon zest. The 11-12 of us got into groups of two to create the lemon zest under the guidance of 3 French instructors. Some people were given zesters and others graters.
I was the only person to receive a knife to cut the lemon peels as supplies were low. If I had been better acquainted with knives, I wouldn’t have had a problem. But as I was only a baker by heart, not by hands or actual skills, I cut myself. (It was so embarrassing!) The cut wasn’t deep so I tried to hide it away, but my caring class mates and teachers got me a band aid.
It had only been 10 minutes into the cooking class and I already hurt myself! 😖
Lemons used for creating the lemon zest and juice! 🍋 🍋 🍋
I thought that I was the only person to cut the lemon with a knife (and cut oneself with it), but others were also given knives later on to cut the lemons. Luckily, no other baker was injured, and we successfully made 200g of lemon juice and piles of lemon zest.
Zests ready to go.
The Sugar Dough
After producing the lemon juice and zests, our next step was to create the sugar dough. In large groups of about 5 to 6 people, we took turns mixing butter, powder sugar, lemon zest, almond powder, egg, yolk, vanilla extract, and flour.
Mixing the ingredients altogether.
After about 40 minutes, we got a gritty dough to work with.
My little batch of dough.
Each of us had our little batch of gritty dough (sugar + butter). As instructed, we covered them up with plastic wrap, left them in the fridge for 30 minutes to get:
Voila!
The Lemon Cream
The lemon cream was created before the sugar dough. Our French instructors were very efficient with time, so we worked on the lemon cream while waiting for the sugar doughs in the fridge. Similar to how we produced the dough, groups of 5-6 took turns heating the lemon juice and mixed it with sugar, zest, 6 eggs, agar agar, and cold butter.
Mixing ’em up.
It’s Baking Time
After creating the lemon cream, we took out our doughs, rolled them on the sheets and put them in our molds.
While our doughs baked in the oven at 370°F for 15 minutes, our French instructor introduced us to making meringues. It was surprisingly easy: you mix egg whites and sugar together at high speed:
The Finishing Touch
Once the doughs were taken out (and cut out of the molds by our instructors), we all poured lemon cream into what had become crusts. And with the meringue our instructor created, we each took turns decorating our lemon tarts.
Mine looked as follows:
Lemon Tart & Dreams
The lemon tart was délicieuse! The sweet and sour complemented each other so well. But I think I can definitely do better next time, especially with the decoration..
The French baking class led by Slyvie Roux was such a treat – a fun experience where I got to reconnect with my younger self who wanted to create pastries and “own a bakery.”
Though I most likely won’t become a patisserie at this point, I can and will bake more pastries. And hopefully create better-looking lemon tarts. 😉
Photo by an_vision.
To learn more about the Irvine French baking class, check out these links:
P.S. I attended the Irvine French baking class again to learn how to bake apple pie and tarte tatin. Check out the post HERE.
*Update: A couple of weeks after the class, I tried to bake the lemon tart by myself at home, and it turned out great!
My lemon tart (feat. strawberries & blackberries instead of meringue)
And it was délicieuse! 😁
The Time Traveler is an upcoming author who holds great appreciation for both classic literature and history. The author aspires to publish historical fictions and other written works in the near future, in hopes of creating works that entertain, inform, and inspire.
The author also appreciates all things aesthetic and enjoys traveling around the world to learn and observe.
