Passover baking shouldn’t scare you as it really only requires a subtle shift in your thinking. With the growth of the gluten-free community, there are now more Passover desserts out there than ever. And when I was in pastry school in France, we used ground nuts as a flour substitute all the tine with delicious results and that taught me how to bake for Passover.

The Holiday Kosher Baker Cookbook has 45 Passover desserts, both everyday cookies for snacks and wow desserts for Seders and yom tov

The New Passover Menu cookbook has 15 Passover desserts including the Linzer Tart above, opera cake and nut-free lemon meringue tarts

For video about my latest creations, click here.

Learn about the Passover cake that went viral last year plus a new lemon cake you wont want to miss.

Passover Cooking and Baking Substitutes

1 cup all-purpose flour = ¾ cup ground nuts plus ¼ coconut flour, tapioca or potato starch OR  3/4 cup potato starch plus 1/4 cup  matzoh cake meal if baking nut-free

1 tablespoon flour = 1/2 tablespoon potato starch or coconut flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch = 1 tablespoon potato starch

1 cup confectioners’ sugar = 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon potato starch pulsed in a food processor or blender until it becomes a very fine powder

1/2 cup corn syrup = 2/3 cup  granulated sugar plus 1/2 cup  water boiled for 2 to 3 minutes or until it starts to thicken; let cool, and then store in a jar or container. You can also use honey as a corn syrup substitute.

1 cup vanilla sugar = 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 split vanilla bean left to sit for 24 hours in a tightly covered jar

1 teaspoon cream of tartar = 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

Beating Egg Whites

During Passover we beat egg whites until stiff for many baked goods. They will beat thicker and hold their shape better if they are at room temperature. Remove eggs from fridge and separate eggs. Place the whites into the mixing bowl. Place that bowl over a bowl with a few inches of hot, not boiling, water. Let sit for a few minutes until the whites warm.

Soft peaks are when you lift the beater and the beaten whites bend slightly when the whisk attachment is turned up. Stiff peaks are when the beaten whites stand straight up.

Baking Equipment

Many people use disposable baking pans during the holiday, which work adequately for round cakes, baking loaves and pies, but cookies do not bake as well on them. Here is a list of the essential items

you will need to bake most Passover desserts:

Hand mixer

Food processor

Large, medium, and small mixing bowls

Liquid and dry measuring cups and spoons

2 silicone spatulas

Hand whisk

0ne 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan (disposable OK)

12-cup (2.8-l) Bundt pan

2 sturdy, heavy-weight sheet or jelly-roll pans

9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan

12-cup muffin tin (disposable OK)

12-cup mini muffin tin

Zester

Metal flat-blade spatula

Large glass bowl to melt chocolate in the nicrowave

Parchment paper or silicone baking mats

The Passover Baking Pantry

Some key ingredients:

Almond and hazelnut flour or whole nuts to grind –  I dedicate a coffee grinder to nuts and grind my own, which is cheaper and fresher.

Almond milk

Baking powder

Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate – bars and chips – buy the best quality you can

Citrus – lemons and oranges flavor everything

Confectioners’ sugar

Coconut oil or Margarine –  Some years, stores have only sold parve Passover margarine in one-pound blocks.It is best to cut the solid pounds into four quarter pound “sticks” and wrap them in plastic wrap before refrigerating so you have easier sizes to work with. If you need a cold fat, measure coconut oil and then place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.

Potato starch or coconut flour

Unsweetened cocoa

Vanilla extract – make your own vanilla sugar