These pastries for the Paris rentrée 2026 will have you swooning.

We headed to Pleincœur, the bakery-pastry-chocolaterie of Pleincœur, the Batignolles-based shop of Maxime Frédéric in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, to sample his new 2026 season offerings. Crowned best pastry chef in the world in 2025, the chef and his team have put together a compact seasonal collection that puts sun-warmed fruits alongside chocolate. We tried them, and here’s what we tasted.

Facing the Sainte-Marie des Batignolles church, Pleincœur is a family-and-friends affair (the chef even opted not to put his name on the sign). The pastry chef from Le Cheval Blanc Paris has enlisted his wife Claire, Gaëtan Lucas (head pastry chef) and Antonin Racinet (head baker). The result: a concise lineup of pastries that changes with the seasons, each showcased under a glass cloche in the display window.

Peach, apricot, fig: fruity desserts for the new season

Our pick goes to the Panier Pêche entremet, a dream of softness and freshness. Beneath the vanilla sponge and the almond crunch, you’ll find yellow peach, a vine-peach gel, and a white peach confit with a hint of fennel blossom, all enrobed in jasmine bavaroise. The generous chunks of fruit, sun-kissed, make all the difference.

• To be read
• This week's top picks for Paris and the Île-de-France region, August 31–September 6, 2026

The Panier Abricot, one of the house’s best-sellers, leans on roasted apricots with apricot gel, apricot confit and fennel bloom, a bavaroise infused with lavender and chestnut honey, all on a vanilla biscuit base with almond crunch. We’d have liked it a touch more tart, but that’s a matter of taste.

The fig, meanwhile, is at the height of its season, and we’re rushing to enjoy it. The Figue entremet pairs a fig confit and a port gel (fig leaf) with a vanilla-tonka whipped ganache, perched on the same duo of vanilla biscuit and almond crunch. An autumnal creation that evokes the tail end of summer.

Is Pleincœur's chocolate flan worth a detour?

On the chocolate side, the Flan Chocolat brings together a Bolivian 75% chocolate cream (infused with cacao nibs and tonka bean), a cocoa-rich shortcrust, and a Bolivian chocolate glaze studded with caramelized nibs. The result is delicious and perfectly harmonious, though to us it reads more like a creamy chocolate tart than a classic flan. A must-try to form your own opinion.

€10.50 for the fruit desserts (peach, apricot, fig) and €9.50 for the chocolate flan. These new offerings are available to try in-store now at Place du Docteur-Félix-Lobligeois (Rue des Batignolles, Paris 17th), and as the range shifts with the seasons, you’ll want to doesn’t wait too long. All the information and the brand’s latest news can be found on the official Pleincœur site.

Our take: who is Pleincœur for?

This fall collection is for pastry lovers who crave high-caliber bakes without blowing their budget. If you’re after seasonal creations where carefully sourced fruit shines and textures feel confident, rather than the die-hards of overly sweet treats, you’re in the right place. It’s perfect for a weekend dessert to take home, a indulgent afternoon bite after a stroll through the Batignolles, or simply to discover the work of one of the most celebrated chefs of the moment.

Craving to prolong the sugary tour? We also recommend our guide to the best pastries and bakeries in Paris, as well as our selection of good Parisian pastries to try as you please.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.