Inspired to Taste

Inspired to Taste I’m Liz Joy, a pastry artist and dessert designer creating delicious & imaginative edible art.

I’m really late sharing the birthday dessert I made for my dad back in June!This year’s dessert scene brings to life his...
09/09/2025

I’m really late sharing the birthday dessert I made for my dad back in June!

This year’s dessert scene brings to life his very first time on an airplane: a beat-up WWII cargo plane packed mostly with animals. To gain enough lift, the pilot essentially had to fly the plane straight off the edge of a cliff. I asked my dad to narrate the story himself, and I’ll be sharing it on YouTube later this week.

Flavors

Pastureland Tart
• pineapple–lemon curd
• mascarpone & Honduran crema topping
• cake “grass”
• crumble of panela, cardamom, toasted coconut & feuilletine

Cargo Plane
• citrus–cardamom sandwich cookie with guava ganache

Jungle Tart
• caramelized plantain filling
• lime namelaka
• toasted cardamom–lime Italian meringue
• gelée “river”
• citrus–cardamom cookie leaves, finished with royal icing

Flavors 🍽️

Pastureland Tart
• pineapple–lemon curd
• mascarpone & Honduran crema topping
• cake “grass”
• crumble of panela, cardamom, toasted coconut & feuilletine

Cargo Plane
• citrus–cardamom sandwich cookie with guava ganache filling

Jungle Tart
• caramelized plantain filling
• lime namelaka
• toasted cardamom–lime Italian meringue
• gelée “river”
• citrus–cardamom cookie leaves, finished with royal icing

My husband requested an axolotl-themed tart for his birthday. 😄Naturally, I took that as a challenge to build a quirky l...
09/02/2025

My husband requested an axolotl-themed tart for his birthday. 😄

Naturally, I took that as a challenge to build a quirky little edible storyworld. I wanted the final dessert to feel like something you could dive right into.

And technically, you could.

And he did.

With a fork.

🫧 Specs (a.k.a. Everything this little water dragon was guarding with its life):

▪️ Pressed sablé crust with browned butter, lime zest & toasted almond
▪️ Crispy “pond floor” of caramelized almonds, feuilletine & white chocolate
▪️ Peach compote with yuzu + lime
▪️ Peach namelaka
▪️ Citrus white chocolate ganache
▪️ A glossy citrus gelée “water” surface
▪️ Axolotl body: modeling chocolate with ganache fin
▪️ Axolotl head: pâte sucrée topped with hand-painted royal icing
▪️ Lily pads: pâte sucrée + thin modeling chocolate + isomalt dew drops

There was lots of happy nomming.
There were… not so lots of leftovers.

Which layer would you steal a spoonful of first? 🍽️

This lime namelaka is giving:🍋‍🟩 desserted island vibes🍋‍🟩 mellow magic🍋‍🟩 delicate citrus goddess energyTexture: Smooth...
08/25/2025

This lime namelaka is giving:
🍋‍🟩 desserted island vibes
🍋‍🟩 mellow magic
🍋‍🟩 delicate citrus goddess energy

Texture: Smoother than your ex’s apologies.
Flavor: Like a beach day for your tastebuds — bright, breezy, and just a little bougie.

The recipe’s in the slides. Save it before you scroll into oblivion.

Lemon three ways. Because one layer is for quitters. Lemon pâte sucrée shell. Lemon curd ganache. Lemon royal icing. 🍋🍋🍋...
08/22/2025

Lemon three ways. Because one layer is for quitters.

Lemon pâte sucrée shell. Lemon curd ganache. Lemon royal icing. 🍋🍋🍋

This deliciously creamy filling is one of my new faves.
It’s beautifully bright, soft, and just gently sharp.
Pretty much like lemon curd after a weekend in the country and a month of therapy.

Ganache recipe is in the carousel (save for later! 😋)

🎥 Full build + decorating tutorial linked in my profile.

I had so much fun treating my sweet niece to a special “un-birthday” celebration. These little brown butter and salted g...
07/18/2025

I had so much fun treating my sweet niece to a special “un-birthday” celebration. These little brown butter and salted ganache sandwich cookies were part of a snail-trail scavenger hunt that led her to her cake and gifts. 🐌🎉

You know those couples who shouldn’t work, but somehow do? This is them. In edible format.I pulled together 10 dessert p...
06/16/2025

You know those couples who shouldn’t work, but somehow do? This is them. In edible format.

I pulled together 10 dessert pairings that made me do a double take (and then go back for another bite).

A few personal favorites:
• Ginger + plum (like spiced compote with oomph)
• Tarragon + pear (fancy without being showy)
• Salted pumpkin seed + mango (my current go-to for a texture fix)

Curious? I wrote up the full list:
👉 https://www.theinspired.network/blog-layer-by-layer/10-dessert-pairings-you-didnt-see-coming-but-totally-work

Give it a scroll, save a fave, maybe even bake one (and please tag me if you do! 😃).

Bright and delicious lemon butterfly sandwich cookies—crisp pâte sucrée shells with a tender, buttery bite, filled with ...
05/24/2025

Bright and delicious lemon butterfly sandwich cookies—crisp pâte sucrée shells with a tender, buttery bite, filled with silky lemon curd ganache and finished with a delicate lacy glaze of lemon royal icing. They’re like little bites of sunshine 🍋☀️

(recipes and tutorial linked in the comments).

I’m calling these sweet treats “Fairy Garden Cakelets.” Made to share with family and neighbors, these little cakes feat...
03/04/2025

I’m calling these sweet treats “Fairy Garden Cakelets.” Made to share with family and neighbors, these little cakes feature layers of toasted almond sablé breton, almond and rosemary genoise sponge soaked in amaretto syrup, raspberry compote, and brown butter vanilla bean Italian meringue buttercream frosting. Topped off with more buttercream, toasted almond slices, candied raspberries, and rosemary sprigs, my utmost hope was that they were as enchanting as they were time-consuming 😅

My parents just celebrated 52 years of marriage — 52 years! I wanted to honor their journey with a special dessert that ...
02/10/2025

My parents just celebrated 52 years of marriage — 52 years! I wanted to honor their journey with a special dessert that captured who they are both as individuals and as a couple.

A couple years ago, I created a two-in-one pastry for them, and revisited that concept here. Their favorite flavors couldn’t be more different (just like their personalities) but together, they create something whole that just works.

Their story began when my mom was a young nursing student and my dad had just immigrated from Honduras. He didn’t speak much English. She had never heard of Honduras. He knew right away she was the one. She, on the other hand, walked away from their first meeting thinking about work, not love. But my dad never gave up on her (I get my stubborn streak from him), and after four proposals, she finally said yes.

I wanted to capture a bit of that story in this heart-in-heart, tart-in-tart. The outer tart is for my dad — bold and bright, with pistachio frangipane, tangy lemon curd, and swirls of toasted Italian meringue. The center tart is my mom — sweet and full of warmth, with caramel mousse, a crispy layer, chocolate ganache, hazelnut sablé breton, and a silky chocolate crémeux.

Their love has never been about being the same. It’s about balancing each other, bringing out the best in one another, and standing side by side, even when things aren’t easy.

I’ll be sharing more of their story (told by them!) later this week on YouTube. Stay tuned 🥰

With Valentine’s Day less than a month away, I thought it was the perfect time to whip up a dreamy new collection of AI-...
01/16/2025

With Valentine’s Day less than a month away, I thought it was the perfect time to whip up a dreamy new collection of AI-designed holiday-inspired mixers. With options from sweet and simple to bold and romantic, which of these fantasy designs has stolen your heart? 💖 Let me know which one you’d fall for!

Lord of the Rings cupcakes! These were actually apricot-honey muffins. I topped them with pistachio cream cheese frostin...
11/15/2024

Lord of the Rings cupcakes! These were actually apricot-honey muffins. I topped them with pistachio cream cheese frosting, cookie rings, chocolate rocks, fondant flowers, and royal icing butterflies. 💚

Another look at this pumpkin spice couture dress cake, perfect for celebrating the autumn season in high style 🍂🍁
11/06/2024

Another look at this pumpkin spice couture dress cake, perfect for celebrating the autumn season in high style 🍂🍁

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