On each of these journeys, we have spent a good portion of the day walking several miles.  As these walks are purely for pleasure, we often stop for some sort of culinary treat.  Sometimes we stop for a tapas dish or two and a cocktail; other times we have indulged in a meal of dessert.  Two of the best dessert destinations we have visited are Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street and Billy’s Bakery on 9th Avenue.

Billy’s Bakery

This bakery must be doing something right.  After a Friday night dinner, we walked by this bakery about midnight and noticed a line out the door.  I know that New York keeps a later schedule, but to have a line for baked goods at that time is impressive nonetheless.  We decided we would visit it on one of our midday strolls.

Although there was a line, it was shorter than the Friday night line we had seen previously.  Entering the shop feels like being a kid again.  Even as an adult, it is tempting to press your nose against the glass cases and ask for one of each.  Fortunately, neither my husband nor I am a fan of chocolate, so that eliminates a portion of the choices.  My husband spied banana cupcakes and knew that it would be the perfect treat for him.  For me, carrot cake is a favorite.  Available as a cupcake or slice of cake, I opted for the bigger splurge, a piece of cake, which was bigger and had more frosting.

My husband enjoyed his cupcake thoroughly.  The cake was tender and moist and had a proportionally appropriate amount of cream cheese frosting.  My carrot cake was delightful.  A moist carrot cake with a nice cinnamon flavor, it also had other delectable ingredients:  pineapple, coconut, and pecans.  Topped with cream cheese frosting that had the perfect balance of tangy cheese bite and sweetness, this was joy eaten with a fork.  The only issue was that the slice was so big that I had bring half of it back to our hotel.  However, I discovered that leftover, refrigerated carrot cake makes a fine breakfast the next day.

Magnolia Bakery

While the line of patrons didn’t go outside the door on the Saturday afternoon that we were here, the line inside the bakery went from the register to the wall and never seemed to subside.  It was as if the patrons received a subliminal message that there was space for one more every time a patron left.

Entering this bakery gives one the same feeling as we experienced at Billy’s.  There are so many delicious indulgences to view, it is almost overwhelming.  During this trip, we both were in the mood for a slice of cake.  My husband opted for a slice of carrot cake, and I chose a slice of hummingbird cake.  While boxing our slices, our server felt badly that one of the hummingbird slices was small, so she added a second at no cost, which was quite nice.  Upon holding the box, I realized that the staff at Magnolia Bakery has an interesting concept of small.  Between the two “small” slices of cake and one regular size slice, the box weighed several pounds!

Finding a bench in Central Park, we settled down to our snack.  The hummingbird cake had a nice combination of pineapple, banana, and pecans.  However, the cake itself was a little too moist for my liking.  The frosting was fabulous, though.  It had the highly sought combination of tangy and sweet.  The carrot cake slice had the texture that I prefer, tender and slightly moist.  Unfortunately, the frosting on this slice wasn’t as good.  As their website notes, this cake has cream cheese frosting, as opposed to the sweet cream cheese frosting on the hummingbird cake.  Without the sweet, the carrot cake frosting tasted more like cream cheese and less like frosting.  My solution was to steal some frosting from the hummingbird cake and stab a piece of carrot cake without frosting to create my own combination.

Even though we had walked many miles that day and even though I had the extraordinary eating assistance of my husband, we weren’t able to eat even half of what we had purchased.  The sad news was that we had a mile or two to walk back to our hotel.  With temperatures in the 90s, bringing the cake with us seemed like a poor choice.  Maybe if the leftovers had been a Billy’s carrot cake slice, I would have taken a cab to save the cake, but for the hummingbird cake, it didn’t seem worth the effort.

I’m sure there will be more trips to NYC and more bakeries to discover.  As difficult a job as it is sampling cake and cupcakes, we will endeavor to persevere.

What first drew my attention to this amazing bakery/café/caterer was their peep promotion, “Peeps Will Die!”  With every bakery order placed for Easter, customers can request a dozen homemade peeps for free.  While I am not a peep aficionado, actually I don’t even eat them, the title caught my eye, and I knew I needed to speak with the chef, Steve Butters, Jr.

Chef Butters has worked in the restaurant industry for many years, spending approximately the last ten as a chef.  His newest venture is Butter Café & Bakery, which has been open for a year and a half.  His decision to open this restaurant came from a desire “to take a break from the typical grind of dinner service.”  Working at the bakery has allowed him to explore creativity in a field of cooking he has always enjoyed: baking.

In addition to the bakery, there is a café, which has a menu filled with an amazing assortment of breakfast and lunch items.  From House Made Beignets to a Cuban Pressed Sandwich, there are items to please every palate.  Open from 7:00 am- 6:00 pm (Monday through Friday), 8:00 am-4:00 pm (Saturday), and 8:00 am-2:00 pm (Sunday), there are plenty of opportunities to stop for breakfast or lunch, grab some baked goods, or order a meal for a take-home dinner.

Of course, there also is the catering portion of Butters.  Although they are located in Walpole, they cover events throughout the region, traveling to Cape Cod and New Hampshire among other locations.  What makes their catering service unique is that in addition to providing delicious dinners, such as the aforementioned clambake, all of the baked goods are made from scratch at Butters.  How many other caterers actually make their dinner rolls?  None that I can think of.

As Chef Butters mentioned his desire to be more creative, I asked about menu items that could be considered as such.  The first item that he mentioned was the Elvis Cupcake.  Made with peanut butter and bacon, it is a one of a kind treat.  Another cupcake that earns the title of unique is the Root Beer Float cupcake.  Although he couldn’t tell me about the secret recipe, he did mention that it has pop and fizz.

I asked Chef Butters about the “Peeps Will Die!” promotion.  He explained, “I always hated peeps:  their little eyes and holy attitude.”  He then laughed and continued, “It’s a playful way for people to get to know about what we’re doing.”  His sentiment is quite accurate; the peeps promotion caught my attention.

Chef Butters was kind enough to share his peeps recipe with me.  I have made a batch, and all who ate them enjoyed them thoroughly.  Tomorrow I will share that recipe.

Until then, take a peek at Butter Café & Bakery; there’s quite a lot going on there.

Heading out for daily ventures, we drove by Marion’s Pie Shop. This little shop on the side of the road always had parking lots filled with customers, which piqued my curiosity. So, one morning my sister-in-law and I went right at opening time to purchase breakfast for our tribes.

Stepping inside the bake shop the smell of freshly baked pies, rolls, and muffins filled the air. All of their treats were generously sized, including cookies almost the size of cds. While awaiting our turn to order, I heard a clerk caution a shopper that the brownie she was about to be handed was very warm. What a great warning to receive!

Checking the display case, we decided to order cinnamon rolls and Chatham muffins for our breakfast. Tempted by the large assortment of pies available, we couldn’t resist and chose a Dutch apple for our dessert later in the day. With 2 bags full of treats, we headed home to surprise our families.

The Chatham muffins were the big winner for our breakfast. Described by our clerk as coffee cake batter baked as a muffin and then dipped in melted butter and cinnamon-sugar, this muffin was amazing. Heated for a few seconds in the microwave, it was delicious.

The cinnamon rolls were very large with a generous amount of frosting. The dough was tender, though a little undercooked. The cinnamon swirl was in good balance to the dough, enough to give flavor but not overwhelming. Although, enjoyed by our crew, there were mumbling of preferring a certain someone’s homemade version.

In the evening, we served the Dutch apple pie for dessert. This was the overall winner for baked goods, surpassing the muffins. The crust was perfect with a hint of sweetness and flaky consistency. The apple filling had a pleasing cinnamon flavor, which was complimented by the crumb topping. The one detractor from this treat was the presence of apple seeds in some pie slices. However, even with seeds, everyone in our crowd found this to be the best tasting baked good.

If you are on Cape Cod, a trip to Marion’s Pie Shop is well worth the drive.

As is typical of this bakery, there was a decent-sized crowd in line to purchase pastries. Seeing an open table, we decided to have a seat and enjoy our baked goods inside the bakery. Of course, before we could enjoy some decadent dessert, we would need to decide what each of us wanted, which is no easy feat!

Each of us took a turn squeezing through the crowd to view the huge assortment of baked goods. Among our choices were cheesecake, carrot cake, cookies, biscotti, cannoli, tiramisu, and gelato, to name just a few. With neither of us being big fans of chocolate, some of our choices were eliminated. Being in an Italian bakery, we decided to stick with traditional Italian treats and chose a cannoli and a piece of cheesecake.

However, ordering a cannoli has options also. There are different fillings, different ways of making the pastry, and plain or chocolate-covered cannoli. We asked our waitress about the Florentine cannoli, and when we heard her answer (honey and nuts added to the shell), knew exactly which cannoli we wanted.

Our pastries and beverages arrived in a very timely fashion for such a busy place. I had ordered a cappuccino, and my fiance had an espresso. Both were garnished with a sugar-coated stirrer and were hot and tasty. The pastries were exceptional. The Florentine cannoli was the best cannoli I have eaten, ever. The addition of honey and nuts to the shell made for a sweet, crunchy pastry. The filling was creamy and perfectly sweet. The cheesecake was topped with a strawberry glaze and had a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

As we sat at our table, savoring our hot beverages and incredible desserts, we noticed that the line for purchasing baked good had grown even longer. Obviously, Mike’s Pastry is known for its treats, and we can vouch for them now. If you are in the Boston area, it is well worth the drive to Mike’s (and the wait in line) for some of the best pastries you ever will have.

Driving on the Kennett Pike, neither my fiance or I were familiar with the area, so we searched roadside malls for a coffee shop. Luckily, we saw PureBread Deli. Entering the deli, I noticed a large menu posted above a counter that contained a variety of baked goods. All looked quite delicious.

Having eaten lunch only 3 hours earlier, there was no need to sample their Best-in-Show (signature sandwiches) or a bagel creation, such as the Doberman. With two of the four kids with us, I did need to bring a treat for them.

Viewing the bakery case, a fudgy chocolate brownie seemed to be the best bet. The brownies were enormous; each brownie was equal to two servings. The children said that they were delicious!

As for the adults, I ordered a large coffee for each of us. At the coffee counter, there were more than a dozen coffees from which to choose. I got butter pecan for me and vanilla nut for my dear. Both of us decided that the coffees were deliciously flavored.

Beyond enjoying the tastes of our snack and drinks, I also enjoyed the prices. For 1 huge brownie and 2 large coffees, I paid only 5 dollars. Yep, you read that correctly, $5.00!

Unfortunately, today was our last day on vacation. I am eager to return to this area – not only for a vacation but to try more of PureBread’s menu.

As I browsed the food vendors, Sweet Santangelo’s made an exceptional impression. Based on sight alone, I needed to sample some of these treats. After trying two pastries I could attest that not only did they have a beautiful display of baked goods, but that these treats made from family recipes were delicious.

The two goodies that I nibbled were very different. Auntie Rosie’s Anise Frosted were perfectly sweet and tender. They would make a wonderful dessert with a cup of coffee or tea. The other pastry I enjoyed was the Parmesan-Rosemary Biscotti. This crunchy baked good was savory and would complement a salad or cup of soup quite nicely.

Recently, I contacted Mary Ellen Santangelo, who with husband Ray runs this bakery. She shared the following information with me:

How old is your company?

We started the business in September 2006.

You currently have 15 different pastries. How many did you have when you first started? Do you plan on adding more items?

We had 13 different cookies when we started and added two more for the wine show, our Ray’s Chocolate Brownie cookie and our Parmesan-Rosemary Biscotti. We also offer a cherry-walnut holiday cake, banana bread cake and Irish soda bread. I have many more family recipes, which I plan to gradually introduce. We want to offer our customers the sweets they enjoy. We have many favorites, such as our Auntie Rosie’s Anise Frosted, our Sweetheart Linzers and our Macaroons.

I noticed that you sell items at a local farm and will ship to customers in Massachusetts. Will you be expanding your delivery area in the near future?

We deliver locally and ship regionally. We are in the beginning stages of shipping nation-wide and also finding a store-front cafe which we can offer our baked goods in an intimate Italian setting.

If you are looking for delectable, homemade baked goods, visit Sweet Santangelo’s. Their pastries are some of the best I have had.