Looking for great bread? Holiday-themed cookies or cakes? A German stollen? Yule Log?
Check out these cafes and bakeries located throughout the state.
Bavarian Bakery & Deli
1819 S.DuPont Highway,Dover,302-744-8598,www.yourfavoritebakery.com
German natives Andreas Janke and his sisterMonika Urquhart opened Bavarian Bakery in July 2017. Janke, the head baker, had formerly headedthe old FrankfurtBakery also in Dover.
The siblings nowoffer sandwiches and a variety ofBavarian favorites like rye bread,Laugenbroetchen or"pretzel rolls," brotchen, a hard and crusty German roll,andBlack ForestCake.
For the holiday, they'llbe bakingWeihnachtsstollen orstollen. TheGerman fruit bread, traditionally served at Christmas, is studdedwithnuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, and iced with white frosting. Plain stollen without marzipanis $16.95, and one with marzipan is $17.95. Orders must be placed at least two days in advance.
Bing's Bakery
253 E. Main St., Newark,302-737-5310;www.bingsbakery.com
This old-school, scratch bakery has been a Delaware favorite sinceRussell and Selena Bing started running it in 1946 and changed the name to Bing’s Bakery.Since 2005, it's been run by the Guzzi family.
Bing's has a wide variety of holiday confections ranging from Danish shaped like wreaths and Christmas trees to delicate petit fours to cakes topped with snowmen.
Our favorite seasonal treat is theYule Log ($27.95). You can get a chocolate cake filled with mocha buttercream or a sponge cake rolled around vanilla buttercream.
Bread & Buttercream Bakery
1709 Marsh Road,Unit B, Brandywine Hundred,302-884-7601
The quaint, and tiny bakery, where ownerImad Jamalbakes and serves an excellenttomato pie, crusty loaves of bread, and sweet confections like lemon ricotta cookies,celebrated its first-year anniversary in October.
Offerings change daily. The case and counter usually featuresItalian and sourdough loaves, baguettes, bagels, dinner rolls and croissants.
They also have special occasion cakes,cookiesand cupcakes. Savory items includespanakopita and baguettes with olives and parmesan cheese.
Chefs'Haven
1304 Old Lancaster Pike, Hockessin,302-234-2040;www.chefshavende.com
Chef Mark Eastman has been operating Chefs' Haven, his gourmet foods shop/demonstration cooking school, now for10 years.
Eastman has long offered some of New Castle County'sbest fresh baked French baguettes and French country loaves of bread. Lately,he has expanded his baked goods.
On "Savory Saturdays" at the shop, you can find an assortment of goods such asmushroom and Swiss cheese scones, sausage bread andstratas.
Eastmanalso has sweet pastries such as cinnamon rolls, chocolate croissants and New York-style crumb cake.
Orders are being taken now for the holidays. Confectionsincludepecan pie, chocolate pie, cranberry Christmas pie, custom ice cream pies, chocolate red wine cake and a ginger stout cake. Placeorders before Dec.18.
De La Coeur
1836 Lovering Ave.,Wilmington, (302) 478-4344;www.delacoeurcafe.com
While Alex and Gretchen Sianni,owners of De La Coeur Café et Boulangerieclosed theirTalleyville Shopping Center location this past September, they're still offering baked goods at their flagship Wilmington cafe.
Theirseasonal treats include a Yule Log($30) and PeppermintPatty Cake ($35). If you're looking for items to share, try the Treat box, a $22 offering that includes macarons, truffles, English toffee, pate de fruit andpeppermint bark. De La Coeur's cookie tray, with 15 snacks, is $18.
They also have unbaked cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing(six for $15); an $8 cinnamon raisin loaf and baguettes for $3.75.
For more information, call (302) 478-4344 or send an email tobakery@delacoeurcafe.com.
Desserts by Dana
1212 Capitol Trail, Red Mill Square shopping center Newark,302-721-5798
It's been eight years since Newark pastry chef Dana Herbert won“Cake Boss: Next Great Baker,” a TLC pastry competition program hosted by star baker Buddy Valastro.
In that time, Herbert has opened a dessert shop which features a variety of items, includingSouthern Lemon cake ($50) that was featured on the culinary competition series.
Other delectable offerings includechocolate cannoli buttercream cake, a chocolate cherry cake, mudslide and creamsicle cakes and key lime tarts.
Herbert also makes and sells customized cookies, cupcakes, chocolate covered cannoliand individual desserts like peanut butter cheesecake.
Rosenfeld's JewishDelicatessen
18949 Coastal Highway (Del. 1), Rehoboth Beach, 302-645-1700,www.rosenfeldsjewishdeli.com
One of the hardest seats to score in Sussex County in 2017 was a table at Rosenfeld’s Jewish Delicatessen.
The crowds have calmed down, but the eatery,in a shopping center known as Sandpiper Plaza next to a Wawa convenience store, isstill a popular gathering spot.
Go for the deli food, but don't forget the desserts.
Items not to miss? Thefour-layer “Sky Scraper” chocolate fudge, vanilla buttercream or carrot cake, the Jewish apple cake,strawberry-topped New York-style cheesecake, babka, black-and-white cookiesor one of those ginormous,1-poundeclairs ($8).
Serpe's Bakery
1411 Kirkwood Highway,Elsmere,302-994-1868;www.serpesbakery.com
Serpe's, anElsmere landmark since 1952,is new and improved after a devastating Dec. 24, 2016 fire nearly destroyed the building.
If you're looking for special treats, consider their"Cookies from around the World." Varieties includeJewish Hamantaschen, German Springerle, Italian Almond Ice Box, Italian/German Lemon Moon Cookies, and German/Danish/Dutch Pfeffernusse.
Serpe's always has holiday-themed confections and we particularly like their doughnuts with Santa and snowflake themes.
Christmas orders are now being accepted.Orders to be picked upDec.22must be placed bynoonDec.20;for Dec.23the cut-off isnoon Dec.21; and orders forChristmas Eve must be placed by noonDec. 22.
Sweet Somethings Desserts
1006 N. Union St., Wilmington, 302-655-7211; www.sweetsomethingsdesserts.com
The specialty bakery and dessert shop in Wilmington's Little Italy neighborhood has been satisfying the sweet tooth of Delaware customerssince 2004. We've long been partial to their chocolate silk torte, but they also make cupcakes, cheesecakes, cookies, pies and tarts, and holiday cookies like rum balls and snickerdoodles.
A 10-inchcakefeeds 12-16 people. Orders need to be placed at least 3 days ahead of time, and the bakery needs a week's notice for custom cakes.
But you can just walk-in and check out the daily selections, which include single desserts such as apear frangipane tart or a mini key lime pie. Gluten-free patrons can get an individual molten chocolate cake.
The Station on Kings Cafe & Market
720 Kings Highway,Lewes,302-645-0300, www.thestationlewes.com
Some of the best tasting pastries in the state can now be found at The Station on Kings, a snazzySussex County cafe and market that opened last winter.
The Stationis a homewares storeand garden center and offers gourmet foods. A separate marble baked goodsarea offers everything fromdoughnuts to croissants, andbrioche to banana bread.
They're now taking orders for holiday cookie boxes.Each $38 box contains more than a dozen cookies including a gingerbread man, nougat, cherry amaretti and eggnog and peppermint macarons. Allow 72 hours for orders to be filled. Down a cookie with aneggnog latte made with eggnog fromLewes Dairy.
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Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico
