Douce France, cakes from our childhood

• Waffle, Lille

Quentin Bailly, 2013 World Pastry Champion, has been missing a must-have Northern specialty: Lille waffles! Since the end of 2020, he's been offering a version made from an ultra-moist brioche dough topped with a creamy caramel flavored with speculoos, vanilla, vergeoise and rum, coffee or with a heart of chocolate ganache. Don't wait to try the speculoos one, 200% nordiste!

Quentin Bailly. 65, rue des Arts, 59800 Lille.

www.quen tinbailly.com

• Kougelhopf, Sélestat

If there's one specialty in Alsace, it's kougelhopf. Mathieu Kamm's kougelhopf is one of the must-tries. "I like well-buttered dough, rich in raisins, which we macerate in kirsch. After baking, our kougelhopfs are soaked in kirsch syrup, then rolled in vanilla sugar to add crunch."

Let yourself be tempted by one of the two shareable versions (420 g or 670 g). You can also try the savory versions: smoked salmon, parsley and onion, or the more traditional walnut and bacon.

Pâtisserie Kamm. 15, rue des Clefs, 67600 Sélestat.

www.pati sserie-kamm.fr

• Kouign-amann, Pornic

Brittany rhymes with kouign-amann! In the Gavet family, the recipe for this puff pastry has been handed down since 1982. "Our kouign-amann, literally butter cake, is made with semi-salted butter; one of the keys to its success is its slow baking at no more than 150°C in a deck oven, so that the sugar caramelizes without bitterness."We're crazy about this sharing cake, ultra-melting at the core and crispy on the outside. Best enjoyed warm!

Pâtisserie Gavet, 64, quai Leray, 44210 Pornic.

www.pati sserie-gavet.fr

• Gâteau nantais, Nantes

Renowned for its fondant chocolate cake, Fondant Baulois offers another Baul treasure: gâteau nantais. A fondant sponge cake with almonds, flavored with amber rum at the end of baking and covered with a white rum and lime glaze. Bite into the small 20 g bites without hesitation, before indulging in the family-size version.

Le Fondant Baulois. 1, rue Franklin. 44000 Nantes.

www.lefo ndantbaulois.com

• Praluline, Roanne

Created in 1955 by Auguste Pralus, now a heritage of the Roanne region, Praluline is a pastry brioche, very rich in butter, containing half its weight in pralines, hazelnuts and almonds coated in several layers of sugar. The know-how, particularly the folding of the dough, has been handed down from father to son (François and Hugo). We love the ultra-melting, slightly flaky texture and the crunch of the large pralines.

Pralus. 8, rue Charles-de-Gaulle, 42300 Roanne.

www.choc olats-pralus.com

• Cannelé, Bordeaux

Cannelé or canelé? If it comes from Bordeaux, it's spelled with a single n, according to the Confrérie du canelé de Bordeaux, to certify its origin. A pillar of Bordeaux heritage, the authentic recipe calls for it to be baked in copper canelé molds. We love the taste of vanilla and rum, the crunchy caramelized texture on the outside and the soft center. Choose the 30 g Lunch canelé for a snack! For those with a sweet tooth, there's a 60 g version and, for smaller appetites, a 17 g bite-sized canelé.

La Toque Cuivrée. 5, rue Sainte-Catherine, 33000 Bordeaux.

www.la-t oque-cuivree.fr

• Tropézienne, Saint-Tropez

Thierry and André Delpui set up their patisserie in this former 1830 confectionery over thirty-eight years ago, and now offer a must-have artisanal tarte tropézienne. The ultra-moist fresh egg brioche is traditionally filled with a mixture of buttercream and creamy vanilla-scented custard. In spring, you'll love the strawberry or raspberry version.

Aux Deux Frères. 3, rue des Commerçants, 83990 Saint-Tropez.

• Basque cake, Anglet

Custard, chocolate or cherry, there's something for everyone! For his Gâteau Basque, Thierry Bamas, MOF Pâtissier, uses a supple pastry filled with an almond-rich cream for a cake that can easily be kept for five days. What makes it special? The incredible crispness of the pastry. We taste the traditional almond version to share.

Thierry Bamas. 3, rue Charles-Kraemer, 64600 Anglet.

www.thie rrybamas.fr

• L'Antibois, Antibes

Pastry chef at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Lilian Bonnefoi opened his first boutique in Antibes in 2015. Reminiscent of his apprenticeship with Troisgros, he launched his VIP (Very Important Pâtisserie) Antibois, a cake of puffed crepes interspersed with a citrus confit (orange, grapefruit and Menton lemon) on the way to becoming a regional tradition. We also love the Kid version with chocolate-hazelnut spread, to share.

Lilian Bonnefoi Pâtisserie & Chocolats. 7, avenue Robert-Soleau, 06600 Antibes.

www.lili anbonnefoi.com

• Pithiviers, Orléans

A historic cake, fondant pithiviers - versus its more recent flaky recipe - is one of the emblems of the Loiret region. "It's a cake that's very rich in almonds, which we grind with the sugar to add softness. In my version, I use rice flour and, of course, amber rum. I make a supple, unmounted cake and, for the icing, a fluid fondant to create a thin layer of crunch decorated with bigarreau and angelica," confides Bruno Cordier, MOF Glacier. Of course, you'll want to choose the version for 8 people.

Chocolaterie Cordier. 20, rue Bannier, 45000 Orléans.

www.cord ier-mof.fr