Top 25 Best Pastry Bakeries, Cafés and (online) Shops

"Let them eat cake." - commonly attributed to French queen Marie Antoinette.

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much." - George Harrison.

"Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me." - Audrey Hepburn.

PASTRY is the name given to various kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet baked products are called "pastries."

Pastry may also refer to the dough from which such baked products are made. Pastry dough is rolled out thinly and used as a base for baked products. Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts, quiches and pasties.

Pastry is differentiated from bread by having a higher fat content, which contributes to a flaky or crumbly texture. A good pastry is light and airy and fatty, but firm enough to support the weight of the filling. When making a shortcrust pastry, care must be taken to blend the fat and flour thoroughly before adding any liquid. This ensures that the flour granules are adequately coated with fat and less likely to develop gluten. On the other hand, overmixing results in long gluten strands that toughen the pastry. In other types of pastry such as Danish pastry and croissants, the characteristic flaky texture is achieved by repeatedly rolling out a dough similar to that for yeast bread, spreading it with butter, and folding it to produce many thin layers.

Cakes & Pastries News, Reviews & Resources

• 5 Most Expensive Cakes in the World - "Some cakes are so much more than just desserts; they are a testament to opulence and creativity, showcasing the pinnacle of culinary craftsmanship. So, if you’re ready to embark on a tantalizing journey through the world of extravagant cakes, fasten your seatbelts because you’re in for a treat! Join us as we explore the most costly cake in the world, where every slice is worth its weight in gold. They are the epitome of culinary indulgence, designed to make your taste buds sing and your bank account cry tears of joy."
• 10 deliciously selfish cupcake recipes - "A lavish sugar hit that you don’t have to share? No wonder cupcakes are having a moment. These easy bakes will see you through from breakfast to dessert."
• 20 best easy cake recipes - "From Nigella’s birthday custard sponge to Meera Sodha’s miso take on a classic brownie, simplicity is the star of these recipes."
• 50 famous desserts around the world - "'This list blends the personal with something more broadly appealing. It’s the fruit of my nine years in the pastry kitchen, when I traveled to explore new flavors everywhere. In alphabetical order, here are some of the best desserts around the world.'"
• 50 of the world's best desserts - CNN travel.
• ’70s-Style Desserts Are Making a Comeback - "With nostalgia comes Bundts, Black Forests and elaborate gelatinous confections. Would you like a blowtorch with that?"
• A celebratory strawberry cake for Sweden's Midsummer festival - "The idea of seasonal eating reaches its apotheosis in Sweden on Midsummer Eve, a magical day of feasting where a cake layered with strawberries and cream is the crowning glory."
• A Chocolate Cake for the Queen of ASMR Eating - "A surprising online discovery leads to an unlikely friendship and a heartfelt cake recipe."
• A Chocolate Camp for Pastry Chefs - "In a Las Vegas strip mall, a master chocolatier is teaching cooks from all over the world how to create the perfect bonbon."
• A Cupcake Confident in Its Own Skin - The New York Times.
• A New School of Pastry Chefs Got Its Start in Architecture - The New York Times.
• Bakeries are central to the French way of life. Now they’re fighting for survival - "In November, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, designated the French baguette as part of 'intangible cultural heritage,' owing to the specific knowledge and techniques needed to produce it, as well as the central role it plays in French daily life. But, despite their cherished status, many bakeries are struggling - and some are on the brink of closure - as energy prices and the costs of their ingredients have spiked."
• Basque cake made with a 280-year-old water mill - "In France's Basque country, a quaint bakery still uses old methods to make the region's beloved shortbread cake. The sights and sounds of the mill and bakery keep people coming."
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• Baumkuchen - is a kind of spit cake from German cuisine. It's also a popular dessert in Japan. The characteristic rings that appear when sliced resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name, Baumkuchen, which literally translates to "tree cake" or "log cake".
• Before you slice your holiday pie, read this - "This is the dessert that explains America."
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• Berliner (doughnut) - Berliner Pfannkuchen - German doughnut with no central hole, made from sweet yeast dough fried in fat or oil, with a marmalade or jam filling like a jelly doughnut, and usually icing, powdered sugar or conventional sugar on top. They are sometimes made with chocolate, champagne, custard, mocha, or advocaat filling, or with no filling at all.
• Best Places to Order Cakes Online - "Cake makes everything better - all the more reason to get one delivered."
• Best Wedding Cakes - VOGUE.
• Biscotti So Good They Made Me Cry - "These chocolate biscotti, spiked with chiles and studded with cashews, possess the power to persuade even the staunchest doubters."
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• Brioche - pastry of French origin that is akin to a highly enriched bread, and whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb.
• Cake Recipe That Was a Secret for Two Decades - "With an origin story out of Old Hollywood, chiffon cake is at once airy and rich. It is almost nothing, this cake, and yet so rich: angel and devil at once."
• Cake Yazdi: Iranian yoghurt cake - "This slice of Yazd nostalgia uses yoghurt and rice flour to create a balance between moisture, fluff and crumble, bestrewn with hints of rosewater and cardamom."
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• CANALÉ - the canelé is about two inches high, and is made from sugar, milk, flour, rum and vanilla. Delicious at any time of the day, it is appreciated during wine tastings and can be consumed for breakfast, a snack or as a dessert. Although the production of the canelé began during the 17th century, the little cake became famous only in 1985, when canelé became a brand, deposited by the Brotherhood of the canelé of Bordeaux; and it is now the most eaten of all pastries in Bordeaux, France.
• Cannolo: The 'erotic' origins of Sicily's top pastry - "Making a trip to Sicily without indulging in a delicious cannolo pastry is akin to visiting Naples without tucking into an authentic pizza. Practically unheard of."
• Cheesecake Fit for a Maestro - "This simple recipe just might have changed the course of musical history."
• Chef Spotlight: Jessica PrÉalpato - "At only 33 years old, the pastry chef of Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée is a force to be reckoned with."
• chocolate cake made for Denmark's newly crowned king - "As Denmark celebrates the crowning of King Frederik X, one legendary patisserie, Conditori La Glace, has prepared a decadent chocolate cake honouring the new monarch."
• Confessions of a Pop-Tarts Taste Tester - "When my family was enlisted nearly 60 years ago, little did we suspect that the pastry would become a pop-culture phenomenon and inspire a Seinfeld movie."
• Coronavirus-Inspired Dessert Is Going ‘Viral’ In Prague - "This week, as new state of emergency gets under way in the Czech Republic to combat the spread of Covid-19, Prague residents are lining up to get a taste of a 'virus cake' that has become the talk of the town."
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• Cannoli - Italian pastries consisting of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta - a staple of Sicilian cuisine.
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• Cheesecake - a sweet dessert consisting of one or more layers. The main, and thickest, layer consists of a mixture of a soft, fresh cheese (typically cottage cheese, cream cheese or ricotta), eggs, and sugar. If there is a bottom layer, it most often consists of a crust or base made from crushed cookies (or digestive biscuits), graham crackers, pastry, or sometimes sponge cake. Cheesecake may be baked or unbaked (and is usually refrigerated). Cheesecake is usually sweetened with sugar and may be flavored in different ways. Vanilla, spices, lemon, chocolate, pumpkin, or other flavors may be added to the main cheese layer. Additional flavors and visual appeal may be added by topping the finished dessert with fruit, whipped cream, nuts, cookies, fruit sauce, chocolate syrup, or other ingredients.
• Choux pastry - delicate pastry dough used in many pastries. Basic ingredients usually only include butter, water, flour and eggs (auxiliary ingredients and flavorings are also added).
• croissants: Why France is finding vegan croissants hard to stomach - "There it sits, in all its flaky glory, with a crust the colour of autumn leaves, and two plump claws almost begging to be torn off and devoured. Light as air and as French as the guillotine. One impeccable croissant."
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• Cronut - croissant-doughnut pastry invented and trademarked by Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City. The pastry is made by frying a laminated dough in grape seed oil. The fried pastry is then sugared, filled, and glazed.
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• CUPCAKE - small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminium cup. As with larger cakes, icing and other cake decorations, such as sprinkles, may be applied.
• Daily croissant can take a toll on your heart in under a month - "Eating buttery foods such as pastries and cakes every day for three weeks can increase the risk of serious heart problems."
• Danish pastry - Wikipedia.
• Denmark's limited-edition cream bun - "Fastelavnsboller: A Danish pastry for Fastelavn. Most seasons in Denmark have a cake or bread associated with them, but no other season's sweets have as much hype as the cream bun for the Fastelavn holiday."
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• Doughnut - or donut is a type of leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty vendors. Doughnuts are usually deep fried from a flour dough, but other types of batters can also be used. Various toppings and flavorings are used for different types, such as sugar, chocolate, or maple glazing. Doughnuts may also include water, leavening, eggs, milk, sugar, oil, shortening, and natural or artificial flavors.
• Doughnuts: The fried treat that conquered the modern world - "Doughnuts travelled to the US with Dutch settlers and became a much-loved national snack - despite their invention as a hunger-busting austerity food."
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• Dundee cake - famous traditional Scottish fruit cake with a rich flavour. Much favored by Winston Churchill. The cake is often made with currants, sultanas and almonds; sometimes, fruit peel may be added to it. The top of the cake is typically decorated with concentric circles of almonds.
• Easter treat uniting two religions - "Maamoul: A sweet celebration for Christians and Muslims. Maamoul is made at the end of both Lent and Ramadan, leading up to Easter and Eid al Fitr. But this year, the biscuit is extra sweet as both religions celebrate it at the same time."
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• Éclairs - created in the 19th century by chef Marie-Antoine Carême, one of the first celebrity chefs of French culinary history. Éclairs is a pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing.
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• Elizabeth's Cake Emporium - "Luxury Wedding Cakes." We create wedding cakes, celebration cakes and cupcakes that are adorned with the most realistic edible jewellery, sugar flowers, lace, pearls and gems.
• Experts rank the 15 best Dunkin' Donuts flavors - Thrillist.
• Galette - term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat round or freeform crusty cakes, or, in the case of a Breton galette; a pancake made with buckwheat flour usually with a savoury filling.
• Goth Cakes - "Some bakers are embracing the dark side."
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• Gucci Osteria Cookies - "Gucci Osteria is delighted to announce the launch of a new series of cookies and jellies. Inspired by Mother Nature and by sweet childhood memories, Karime Lopez and her team have conceived a bespoke collection of beautifully flavoured natural jellies and delicious cookies."
• Have your cake & eat it: how to cut down on sugar - "As a doctor and baking columnist Tamal Ray was better placed than most to understand the pitfalls of his lifelong sugar crush. How can even the most sweet-toothed among us cut down?"
• His 'Death by Chocolate' Cake Will Live Forever - "The chef Marcel Desaulniers, who died last month, had an over-the-top approach to dessert, a sweet counterpoint to the guilt-ridden chocolate culture of the time."
• How American-style cheesecake was born in ancient Rome - "It was nutritious, easy to prepare and great as a snack, especially when sprinkled with poppy flower seeds and served in cubes. The ancient Romans feasted on a delicious honey-crusted cheesecake called Savillum, which is believed to be the real ancestor of modern US-style cheesecake."
• How Did Black Forest Cake Become the World’s Favorite Dessert? - "Dessert lovers from Chile to Pakistan to Fiji claim it as a national treat. How did it get there from the woods of Germany?"
• How Japan took some of the world's tastiest cakes & made them even better - "7 popular Western desserts Japanese chefs have made their own."
• How long until I find out my wife is a cake? The viral videos dividing the internet - "The sight of knives slicing into cakes that resemble everything from fruit to toilet roll has driven some people to existential crises."
• How the Humble Sheet Cake Became Top Tier - "In the world of special occasion baked goods, pastry chefs are embracing the birthday party staple for its vast canvas. The current sheet cake trend kicked off alongside the rise of internet-based microbakeries, some of which were run out of home kitchens. The shape makes portioning and transporting easier, says Noelle Blizzard, 33, who started her Philadelphia bakery, New June, from her home during the pandemic."
• How to make the perfect Sachertorte - recipe - "Soft but firm, delicately chocolatey, luscious with apricot jam - a ‘grown-up chocolate cake’ that gets better with age."
• How to turn spent coffee into a brilliant vegan dessert - "This plant-based tiramisu is a fantastic way to make your ground coffee go even further."
• I challenged Tom Cruise to send me two of his special cakes for Christmas. Did he deliver? Of course he did - "Every Christmas, the actor sends an extreme white chocolate coconut gateaux to close friends - by private jet, it turns out. This year, those friends include me. Twice."
• In Paris Bakeries, LibertÉ From Gluten - The New York Times.
• In search of lost toast: Paris show reveals origins of Proust’s madeleines - "Previous versions of French novel featured stale bread, toast and biscuit as trigger for author’s childhood memories."
• Is the World’s Best Croissant Made in Australia? - The New York Times.
• Isfeng: a crispy doughnut from al-Andalus for Hanukkah - "The treat shared by Jews & Muslims."
• Kate Middleton's favourite indulgent dessert revealed - try the royal recipe - "Sticky toffee pudding."
• Katharine Hepburn Brownies - "Katharine Hepburn Brownies are named after the famous actor. The story goes that gossip columnist Liz Smith got the recipe from the actress to publish in her column. That was about 25 years ago and since then these brownies have only grown in popularity. This brownie recipe appears in countless cookbooks and with good reason. They are delicious. While the top crust is dry and cracked, underneath they are sweet, moist, and chewy, with a pleasing chocolate flavor. You can eat them warm, at room temperature, or even cold."
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• KvÆfjord cake: Norway's best cake - "Made with vanilla sponge, meringue, almonds, custard and whipped cream, Norwegians love this cake so much they nicknamed it 'the world's best cake'."
• Last Crumb: The World’s Most Luxurious Cookie Launches New Platinum Collection - "If you’re a fan of cookies and super exclusive limited availability then Last Crumb is right up your alley. This LA-based cookie company is known for its cookie drops that sell out in minutes and the price tag on these babies is not cheap, yet they sell out time and time again - which is a true testament to how ooey, gooey, and delicious they are. Founded by longtime friends Derek Jaeger and Alana Arnold, Last Crumb launched in August of 2020 and almost instantly there was a waitlist to get ahold of these shareable cookies."
• Let them eat cake: New Zealand couple document luxury life in Covid-19 quarantine - "The pair’s blog about their enforced stay at an Auckland hotel, featuring high-class food and a mini-fridge full of treats, has caused envy worldwide."
• List of cakes - Wikipedia.
• List of pastries - Wikipedia.
• Love Dessert but Hate Cuteness? Goth Cakes May Be for You - "Some bakers are embracing the dark side."
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• Macaron - French sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food colouring. The macaron is commonly filled with ganache, buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two biscuits (cookies).
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• Madeleine (cake) - small rich sponge cake, baked in a fluted tin or mould and decorated with coconut and jam. Probably named after Madeleine Palmier, 19th-century French pastry cook, who was a cook in the 18th century for Stanisław Leszczyński, whose son-in-law, Louis XV of France, named them for her. Marcel Proust describes Madeleines as "a little shell of cake, so generously sensual beneath the piety of its stern pleating..." Read also: MADELEINE MOMENT.
• Mooncakes galore for Mid-Autumn festival - "Chinese & Vietnamese people around the globe are celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival."
• Oreo: The cookie that can't be perfected - "In her new cookbook, The Cookie that Changed My Life, Nancy Silverton takes the classic Oreo to a new level with her recipe for the ultimate chocolate cookie."
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• Original Sacher-Torte - since 1832. "The world-famous original in the attractive wooden box - a sweet greeting from Vienna."
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• Panettone - type of sweet bread loaf originally from Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Italy, southeastern France, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Malta, Montenegro, Albania, Eritrea, Georgia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and is one of the symbols of the city of Milan. Main ingredients: Flour, candied fruits, raisins.
• Paris’s Best Macarons: A Guide - The New York Times.
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• Pastel de nata - is a Portuguese egg tart pastry, common in Portugal.
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• PASTRY - the name given to various kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet baked products are called "pastries."
• PASTRY AT AMAZON.COM'S GROCERY & GOURMET FOOD - as of January 8, 2023: 524 results.
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• Pavlova - meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is a meringue dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside, usually topped with fruit and whipped cream.
• Persian love cake - The Telegraph.
• Petit four - small bite-sized confectionery or savory appetizer.
• Pies around the world - sweet & savory pastries to celebrate Pi Day - "March 14 is Pi Day in honor of the first three digits of the mathematical constant (3.1415...). But it's also a flimsy, yet delicious, excuse to celebrate an enduring culinary concept: the many edible varieties of pie around the world."
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• Profiterole - cream puff (US), or chou à la crème is a filled French choux pastry ball with a typically sweet and moist filling of whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be decorated or left plain or garnished with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Savory profiterole are also made, filled with pureed meats, cheese, and so on. These were formerly common garnishes for soups.
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• Puff pastry - in baking, a puff pastry is a light, flaky, unleavened pastry containing several layers of fat which is in solid state at 20 °C (68 °F). In raw form, puff pastry is a dough which is spread with solid fat and repeatedly folded and rolled out. It is sometimes called a "water dough" or détrempe. The gaps that form between the layers are a result of the puff pastry rising as the water evaporates into steam during the baking process. Piercing the dough will prevent excessive puffing, and crimping along the sides will prevent the layers from flaking all of the way to the edges.
• Roland Mesnier: Former White House pastry chef dies at 78 - "Roland Mesnier, the French-born White House pastry chef who produced delicacies for five US presidents, has died at the age of 78."
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• Sachertorte - since 1786. Demel, K. u. K. Hofzuckerbäcker. Vienna, Austria. Online store.
• Salad cakes are the latest weird food craze in Japan - The Telegraph.
• Slice of history: icing from Charles & Diana wedding cake sells for £1,850 - "Gerry Layton, a royal supporter from Leeds, bought the cake topping and marzipan base for his collection of memorabilia."
• Spit cake - European-styled cake made with layers of dough or batter deposited, one at a time, onto a tapered cylindrical rotating spit. The dough is baked by an open fire or a special oven, rotisserie-style. Generally, spit cakes are associated with celebrations such as weddings and Christmas. The spit can be dipped in a thin dough, or the dough can be poured or rolled on the spit.
• Sweet temptation: Istanbul's beloved 'brothel dessert' - "Halka tatlisi ('ring dessert' in English) is one of Istanbul's favourite and oldest street foods. Found on every corner and said to help restore one's vigour after hours spent walking the busy streets, the circular dough that's deep-fried to a golden-brown and soaked in syrup has long been associated with the city's seedier side. And it's that connotation that gave rise to its local nickname of the "brothel dessert". 'It's known as a 'natural viagra'.'"
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• Sylvia Weinstock Cakes - since 1983. Internationally celebrated cake designer Sylvia Weinstock makes cakes that astonish the palate, dazzle the eye, and reward the spirit. Sylvia Weinstock made decorative cakes for a variety of celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian and Martha Stewart. She avoided using fondant in her cake decorations, calling it "cheap and easy"; instead, she focused on buttercream, sugar flowers, and stenciled patterns. Sylvia Weinstock was dubbed “the Leonardo da Vinci of wedding cakes" by Bon App63233;tit.
• Sylvia Weinstock, the ‘da Vinci of Wedding Cakes,’ Dies at 91 - "She produced floral-draped architectural works in the shape of rose-studded topiaries, baskets of speckled lilies and bouquets of anemones." The New York Times.
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• TART - a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard. Tartlet refers to a miniature tart; an example would be egg tarts. Examples of tarts include jam tarts, which may be different colours depending on the flavour of the jam used to fill them, and the Bakewell tart.
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• Tarte tropÉzienne - dessert pastry consisting of a filled brioche. It was created in 1955 by Alexandre Micka, a pâtisserie owner in Saint-Tropez. The pastry was named by actress Brigitte Bardot while she was there filming And God Created Woman.
• The Bakers Reimagining Traditional Jewish Pastries - "By transforming once-kosher recipes with new flavors, shapes and techniques, chefs are innovating on, and safeguarding, time-honored breads and desserts."
• The beloved 'snack of wealth' made on Delhi's streets - "Some vendors say moonlight and dew are the magic ingredients, but modern developments are moving this beloved sweet treat off the streets and into fine-dining restaurants."
• The contentious origins of England's famous pudding - "Sticky toffee pudding marries flavour, regional culture and history, but tensions around its origins remain."
• The destination for cake lovers - "Budapest's best cakes and where to find them."
• The erotic origins of Italy's most famous sweet - "Italy has a number of age-old pastries that resemble genitalia, like cannoli. But while they may induce a few giggles nowadays, their origins are linked to serious traditions."
• The gooey 'biscake' eaten by millions - "Alfajores are synonymous with Argentina - the biggest producer and consumer - where they are as central to the national culinary identity as steak and Malbec."
• The New York Bakery Where Frank Sinatra Liked to Buy Pastries - "Founded in 1894 and run by members of the same family ever since, Veniero’s is an icon of Italian American New York."
• The surprising truth about pavlova - "Australians and New Zealanders have long argued over who invented the pavlova, but the authors of a new book have found the dessert’s origins go back much further."
• The true origin of French macarons - "The French macaron shrouded in secrecy. The recipe for Macarons des Sœurs is only passed on orally to the succeeding pâtissier, who is the only one who makes the macaron, 'alone and away from prying eyes'."
• The War Over Chocolate Croissants - "Founded by the Romans, with three UNESCO World Heritage sites within its limits, and on the route of the famous Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage, the city of Toulouse is well known for its cultural and culinary prowess - think French cassoulet, duck confit and the Toulouse sausage. But what is less well known is Toulouse’s love of something called the chocolatine, what the rest of France calls the pain au chocolat, and what Americans call chocolate croissants."
• The world's oldest dessert? - "Although chickpeas and beans don't usually belong in a pudding, they are core ingredients in one of the oldest - and, some say, one of the most delicious - desserts in the world."
• These Cupcakes Are Pure Childhood Magic - "Yotam Ottolenghi’s cream-soda-and-raspberry cupcakes can’t heal the troubles of the world. But they help for a moment."
• This Cake Gives You a Moment of Warmth in the Middle of the Day - "Chamomile cake is just right at teatime, an excuse to give yourself and friends an hour to sit down and linger."
• This Cake Maker Finds Beauty in Change, Time & Even Life & Death - "Jasmine Rae de Lung’s striking creations are as much about process as they are the final product."
• This Is the Ultimate Chocolate Cake - "Claire Saffitz has cracked the code to an irresistible moist-tender cake that’s not too sweet and not too dense."
• This woman's creepily realistic cakes will freak you out - The Telegraph.
• TrdelnÍk: The Czech food that's not Czech - "In recent years, this doughy, sugar-coated sweet has become ubiquitous in Prague. But despite being billed as 'traditionally' Czech, the dish was adopted from elsewhere. Meet the trdelník. Also called chimney cakes'', perhaps because they are long-ish and tubular, trdelník gets its name from the stick it slowly spins on as it cooks over coals."
• Tres-Leches - the Perfect Cake? - "An Appalachian twist on a classic Latin American dessert connects cultures and identities for a pastry chef. 'For me the soaked cake really comes alive, and gets personal, in tres-leches cake. If baba au rhum is the king, this, my friends, is the queen.'"
• Tucci family's must-have snack - "For the Tucci family, a feast is not complete without one Italian staple. Zeppole are deep-fried doughnuts that Stanley Tucci calls 'addictively delicious.'"
• Twinkie - American snack cake, described as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling".
• WATER CAKE: A DAIRY-FREE, EGG-FREE, MAGIC CAKE - "This magic cake that doesn’t use any milk, eggs or butter is perfect for self-isolation."
• What Cookies & Meth Have in Common - The New York Times.
• What is desseralitÉ & how it made Jessica PrÉalpato The World’s Best Pastry Chef 2019 - 50 Best Stories.
• What is turnip cake & why is it a popular Lunar New Year dish? - "Not all Lunar New Year foods are created equal. Some only make a brief appearance at the festival for auspicious purposes. Others are so delicious they grace dim sum tables around the world all year."
• Why Are So Many Cakes Named After Fabric? - "Silk, satin, lace, and fur, but make it cake. It was kind of a logical thing to use fabric because fabric is so visual and textural, as are a lot of cakes and cookies and pies and tarts.” Beranbaum points out that the crossover language between fashion and cake can account for texture, but also presence and persona."
• World cup of baking - since 1992. "Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie."
• world’s greatest dessert: 10 superb pavlovas - from peach melba to beautiful banoffee - "There are no end of delicious variations on the meringue, cream and fruit original, whether you’re a vegan, have a sweet tooth or like sophisticated pink peppercorns."
• Zuccotto - semi-frozen, chilled dessert made with alchermes, cake and ice cream.

Top 25 Best Pastry Bakeries & Cafés

• 25 Bakeries Around The World You Have To See Before You Die - BuzzFeed.
• ANDERSEN BAKERY - since 1962. "Delightfully European". Founded in the European bread-making tradition.
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• Angelina - "Salon de thé parisien mythique de 1903." A stone’s throw from the Louvre, the Belle Époque interior of this famous French tea salon has been graced by the Paris high society since 1903. Opt for a typical French breakfast or the house speciality: a rich, traditional hot chocolate, which goes exquisitely with a croissant. 226, rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France.
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• Baillardran - "Artisans of the canelé since 1988. Family of bakers since forever." This shop sells the most wonderful canelés, a regional treat found in Bordeaux. This pastry is basically a tiny cake (the largest is the size of a tall shot glass) completely encrusted with a carmelized sugar-cinnamon mixture. The cinnamon is so intense it's almost spicy, and the sugar gives it a satisfying crunch with each bite. The only drawback to trying this delicacy is that you will fall in love with them, and they are tough to find even in Paris, let alone the United States. Baillardran makes them in various sizes and they're available one at a time or in multiples in gift boxes and such. 55, Cours de l'Intendance, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
• Best Pastry Shops in Paris - "The pâtisseries of Paris are famous around the world for their elegant pastries and desserts. The city’s top pastry chefs are superb culinary artists, constantly reinventing classic French pastries or dreaming up new ones. Whether macarons, éclairs, millefeuilles, tartelettes, religieuses or fondant au chocolat, French pastries are gems to behold and a pleasure to devour."
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• CaffÈ Giacosa - Roberto Cavalli - "Sweets, pastries, wines and spirits, restaurant, tea room, chocolate factory. Licensced furnishers to the Royal family. Casa Giacosa, founded in 1815." After a painstaking restoration faithful to the original structures, Roberto Cavalli, a born Florentine bound to tradition, reopened Florence's historic "drawing room", giving back to the city one of its famous cafés. Via della Spada 10, Florence, Italy.
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• Conditorei Hanselmann - since 1894. Sweet paradise of world renown. Particularly popular are the famous Engadin Nusstorten (nut cake) and pralines, handmade with elaborate care. The nut cake is available to order online. Via Maistra 8, CH-7500 St.Moritz, Switzerland.
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• CONDITORI LA GLACE - since 1870. The oldest and probably best confectionary in Denmark. Founded in the middle of old Copenhagen on the 8th of October 1870, it has through six generations delivered joy and quality to Copenhagen and its visitors. Skoubogade 3, 1158 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
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• Confiserie Hauser - Hotel Hauser - since 1892. "Pastry specialties from the Engadine." The confectionery Hauser St. Moritz produces Engadine specialties such as the famous Engadine nut cake, baked goods such as bread, pancakes and croissants, cakes, patisserie, truffles and chocolate souvenirs. The Hauser Confiserie tradition dates back to 1892. The recipes have been adapted and perfected over the years. In this manufactory, where the craft of the confectioners of yesteryear is maintained, we use regional ingredients whenever possible. Via Traunter Plazzas 7, 7500 St. Moritz, Switzerland.
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• DEMEL - famous pastry shop and chocolatier in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1786.
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• Dominique Ansel Bakery - 189 Spring St, Soho, New York, NY 10012, U.S.A. One of "Top 10 Pastry Chefs in the United States" by Dessert Professional Magazine. Winner of Time Out New York's Best Bakery 2012. Specialty: the Cronut (Half Croissant, Half Doughnut).
• FAUCHON - 24-26, place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris. The top luxury gourmet store in France. Macarons and pastry.
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• Ferrara Bakery & Café - "America's First Espresso Bar - Since 1892." 195 Grand Street (between Mulberry Street and Mott Street), New York City. Located in the heart of Little Italy and offers a variety of Italian delicacies that include: cakes, cookies, pastries, desserts, and gourmet specialty items. Many of their items can also be purchased through their website and shipped throughout the United States.
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• Gilli - since 1733. "The elegance in Florence."
• Gosselin - since 1989. "Située à Paris dans le 1er arrondissement, au 123-125 rue Saint Honoré, Paris, la boulangerie-pâtisserie Gosselin vous présente une grande variété de baguettes, de pains spéciaux, de viennoiserie, un éventail de pâtisseries sous forme de petits et gros gâteaux. Vente à emporter de sandwichs, de salades et boissons."
• HUNTLEY & PALMERS - since 1822. "When Taste Masters." Britain's most famous biscuit company.
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• Imperial Torte - "Legend has it that a kitchen apprentice created the Imperial Torte in honor of Emperor Franz Joseph I on the occasion of the Hotel Imperial's opening. Though the recipe is a closely guarded secret, so much can be revealed: fine milk chocolate first melts on the tongue accented by the delicate bitterness of almonds, while marzipan and cacao cream complement perfectly the irrestible creation."
• JUNIOR'S MOST FABULOUS CHEESECAKE & DESERTS - since 1950. "Hail a taxicab anywhere in New York City and tell the driver, "Take me to the best cheesecake in New York." Odds are you will end up at the corner of Flatbush and DeKalb Avenues in Brooklyn, at Juniors."
• KJELDSENS BUTTER COOKIES - "The Original Danish Butter Cookies." A Kelsen cookie for every golden moment...
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• LadurÉe - 75, avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, France. Since 1862. French luxury bakery and sweets maker house. It is one of the top premier sellers of the double-decker macaron, fifteen thousand of which are sold every day. They are still one of the best known makers of macarons in the world.
• Le Bec SucrÉ: The bakery that sells out in 2 hours every weekend - "Newport, Rhode Island isn't typically thought of as a home for authentic French bakeries. French baker Belinda Quinn is trying to change that with her deliciously delicate pain au chocolats at her bakery, Le Bec Sucré."
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• LENÔTRE - since 1957. Flagship store: 44, rue d'Auteuil, 75016 Paris, France.
• Lisboa Patisserie - 57 Golborne Rd, London W10 5NR, England, U.K. Particularly known for its pastel de nata cakes.
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• MAGNOLIA BAKERY - since 1996. 401 Bleecker St. (at 11th St.), New York City, NY, U.S.A. Known for its famous dessert treats, including its cupcakes and old-fashioned Depression era icebox cakes. (The bakery has been featured in Lazy Sunday, a Saturday Night Live digital short broadcast in December 2005; also on Sex and the City, in the films Prime and The Devil Wears Prada, the sitcom Spin City, and was also briefly mentioned in the third season of Veronica Mars.)
• Patisseries in Paris - Blogspot.
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• Patrick LÉzÉ Palm Beach Patissier - 229 Sunrise Ave., Palm Beach, FL 33480, U.S.A. Patissier-Chocolatier. Renowned macaroons. Online boutique coming soon.
• PETROSSIAN - "Exquisite Food and Gifts Since 1920." Online store.
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• POILÂNE - 49, boulevard de Grenelle, 75015 Paris, France. "Boulangerie en ligne." The most famous bakery in the world. Widely known for a round, two-kilogram sourdough country bread referred to as a miche or pain Poilâne.
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• Ritz Paris Le Comptoir - "Just a stone's throw from Place Vendôme, the Opera and Place de la Madeleine, Ritz Paris Le Comptoir celebrates the excellence of Ritz Paris patisserie products. Whether enjoying them at Ritz Paris Le Comptoir, to take away or on click and collect, our French Pastry Chef François Perret will make your eyes widen and your tummy rumble." 38, rue Cambon, 75001 Paris, France.
• Rum Cake Lounge - "The only Online Gourmet Rum Cake company in America."
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• SACHER TORTE - Vienna, Austria. The most famous cake in the world since 1832.
• Sant Ambroeus - since 1936. Corso Giacomo Matteotti, 7, Milan, Italy.
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• SÉNÉQUIER - since 1887. 29 Quai Jean Jaurès, 83990 Saint-Tropez, France.
• SPRINKLES CUPCAKES - "The Original Cupcake Bakery." Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.
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• Stohrer - since 1730. The oldest Pâtisserie in Paris. 51, rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris, France.
• TARTINE BAKERY - 600 Guerrero Street San Francisco, CA 94110, U.S.A. Rated in the Zagat Survey as Best Bakery and Best Breakfast in San Francisco.
• TATE'S BAKE SHOP - U.S.A. Online store: cookies, cakes, brownies and squares.
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• Yann Brys - "Pâtissier Meilleur Ouvrier de France." (Master of culinary arts). “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” is France’s highest accolade awarded for expertise and excellence. Pâtisserie Tourbillon, 90 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004 Paris 4, France.