65 deliciously inventive recipes for French-inspired cakes, cookies, bars, and other tempting pastries from the charming New York City bakery From Lucie Lucie Franc de Ferriere is the owner and head baker at From Lucie, a small bakery tucked away in the East Village that is known for its whimsical French pastries made with unexpected but delightful seasonal flavors and adorned with gorgeous fresh flowers. Born and raised in Southern France, Lucie grew up baking cakes with her mother at the family''s bed-and-breakfast, and after moving to New York City, she became homesick and turned to baking for a taste of home. Eventually, Lucie’s baked goods became so popular at café pop-ups that she decided to take a leap of faith and open her own bakery. Now in Chamomile Cake with whipped cream and strawberry sumac jam or bake up a tray of irresistible Raspberry Cheesecake Swirled Brownies for a perfect weeknight treat. Try Lucie''s spins on French classics like her Tahini Black Sesame Earl Grey Marble Loaf and recreate bakery favorites such as the beloved Carrot Fromage Frais Cake and;the bestselling Salted Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies . With transportive photography from Lucie’s family chateau in France and personal stories woven throughout, <Cake From Lucie <captures the romance of the French countryside and the buzz of New York City while relaying Lucie’s secrets for effortlessly beautiful and memorable treats.

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Lucie Franc de Ferriere

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Inventive, French-inspired dessert recipes from the founder of the beloved New York City bakery, From Lucie.

“I dare you to page through Lucie’s book and not feel a flutter of joy. These are desserts to make you dream.”—Dorie Greenspan, James Beard Award–winning author of Dorie’s Anytime Cakes

Lucie Franc de Ferriere is the owner and head baker at From Lucie, a small bakery in the East Village known for its whimsical baked goods adorned with fresh flowers. Born and raised in Southern France, Lucie grew up baking cakes with her mother at the family's farm and bed-and-breakfast in their 165-year-old chateau, and after moving to New York City, she became homesick and turned to baking for a taste of home. Eventually, Lucie’s baked goods became so popular at café pop-ups that she decided to take a leap of faith and open her own bakery.

Now in Cake From Lucie, Lucie invites home bakers to join her in creating gorgeously imperfect treats in her signature style, from easy everyday recipes to more intricate showstoppers. Lucie’s creations are less sweet than American-style baked goods, allowing her subtle and unique flavor combinations to shine. Indulge in a moist Zucchini Honey Mascarpone Cake that highlights the tastes of summer, or a layered Chamomile Cake with Whipped Cream and Strawberry Sumac Jam that beautifully melds citrus and herbal notes. For an effortless bake, try Lucie’s Blueberry Fennel Loaf, or if you’re feeling more adventurous, turn to her Blood Orange Olive Oil Princess Cake. Her popular Salted Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies are the ultimate afternoon treat, and a Tiramisu Charlotte will wow at your next dinner party.

With transportive photography from Lucie’s farm and personal stories woven throughout, Cake From Lucie captures the charm of the French countryside and the buzz of New York City while relaying the secrets for Lucie’s beautiful and memorable desserts.

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Introduction

As I sit down to write this, my kettle is boiling, a generous slice of cake rests on my plate—a portion some might say could serve two—and my dog, Dalida, is fast asleep. It sounds like the perfect, cozy afternoon, but it’s 11 p.m. on a Tuesday, after a long day at the bakery. My approach to baking mirrors my approach to life. People have called my baking whimsical, and I love that. Whimsy implies something imperfect, messy, and full of personality—just like me. I embrace it because, truth be told, I’m not an organized person, but I am a generous one. I love the look of overflowing cream and jam on a cake, preferring to see it oozing from a slice rather than tucked away neatly. For me, flavor always comes first, and design follows naturally.

I grew up in the countryside of southwest France, in a small village called Pessacsur-Dordogne, with our family vineyard, Château Carbonneau, as my playground. My mother ran a bed and breakfast with a tearoom. My father made wine and raised cows, dogs, cats, and chickens, whose eggs made the most wonderful cakes! In a town of just four hundred people, teenage curiosity pushed me to explore beyond our quiet hills. I studied art history in Toulouse, then in Rome, and ultimately completed my master’s degree in Leeds in northern England. After graduating, I landed an internship at an art gallery in Manhattan, packed my bags, and within two weeks, arrived wide-eyed with no clue how the subway worked. I was jet-lagged and five minutes late on my first day, but I kept repeating to myself: “Fake it until you make it.”

My bakery, From Lucie, was born out of both necessity and love. In April of 2020, after three years in New York, I lost my gallery job at the height of the pandemic. Flights home felt impossible, and I was madly in love with my then boyfriend (now husband), Gurpreet, so I decided to stay in New York. Gurpreet had just opened Sunday to Sunday, a cafe on the Lower East Side, and when their pastry suppliers closed, I started baking for them in my free time. At first, it was just simple things like cookies and banana bread, but cakes have always been my true love and what I really wanted to devote my time to. There wasn’t a market for layer cakes at the cafe, so when pop-ups gained traction around the city, I started working with different brands to sell my cakes. That led me to embrace social media. I didn’t have a storefront, and it was a way for people to discover and buy my cakes. It was also a great way to share my baking journey and stay connected with friends and family back home during a troubling time.

Over the next three years, my cake business grew dramatically, and I realized I needed my own space. We opened the tiniest bakery in a charming spot in the East Village that I found almost by accident. Despite its moldy floors and clutter, I saw its potential as a welcoming place where people could pick up a cake or stop in for a slice and a coffee. We crowdfunded the renovation (thank you to our 475 backers), bringing touches of my home country to the bakery, from the mustard yellow exterior inspired by houses found in the South of France to the ceramic tiles we used for our address that came from my uncle in Menton. On our opening day, January 14, 2023, I watched in awe as a line started wrapping around the block. We were completely unprepared, but with the help of some friends and family, we served nearly everyone. That day, I felt overwhelming gratitude for the community we had built.

This book is for anyone who doesn’t know where to start with baking. As much as I’d love to say I was born baking, that’s not the case. I was born eating my mother’s incredible desserts, but did I bake a lot? No. I simply watched her. It wasn’t until I moved to New York that I truly learned to bake—spending hours on the phone with my mum, scouring the internet, flipping through cookbooks, and mostly trying and failing, and trying and failing again, until something finally clicked. I once handed out samples of a chocolate chip cookie I was working on at Gurpreet’s cafe, and a customer said, “Oh, I didn’t know you sold rocks here.” Instead of giving up, I took the feedback and perfected the recipe, which the New York Times declare…