Covered with candles for birthdays, fancy decor for weddings, or just a simple frosting for the holidays, cakes are a constant at our most important occasions. Think about it, when your baby turns one, you look forward to putting together a smash cake for them to dig into with joy. At every anniversary party, there’s a cake to help mark the years of memories and love. When the time comes around to order another tiered marvel, head out to these bakeries for a cake that wows every person in the room.
Not as Much of a Cake Lover?
Editor-in-Chief Keith Recker and Online Editor Kylie Thomas bicker regularly. At the office, it’s affectionately referred to as “the weekly beef.” A recent kerfuffle involved their very different feelings about cake and pie. Kylie likes the former and Keith the latter. Read Keith’s piece to find out where the best pie in the city is and then make the decision for yourself: Cake or Pie?
Where to Order a Cake in Pittsburgh
Paris Baguette
5514 Walnut Street, Shadyside
If you think fresh fruit makes a pie delectable, Paris Baguette proves that it’s even better with the lightness of a cake. From a Strawberry Soft Cream Cake to a Blueberry Chiffon Cake or even a NY Style Cheesecake, fruit adorns nearly every choice at Paris Baguette. Sliced strawberries and perfectly round blueberries add an elegance and blast of juiciness to each slice. Unlike a pie, whose crust gets soggy quickly, the cake stays fluffy and moist. This bakery is new to the city so it’s sure to have something you’ve never tried before…like mochi donuts.
Grandview Bakery
225 Shiloh Street, Mount Washington
Close to the Mount Washington overlook, Grandview Bakery is your friendly neighborhood spot for sweet treats. Their cases overflow with a flavors like vanilla, chocolate, vanilla almond torte, chocolate almond torte, carrot, and my absolute favorite, red velvet. Some will say red velvet is simply cake that’s dyed red but at Grandview that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Their red velvet is subtly sweet and soft, letting their cream cheese frosting shine without overpowering the cake beneath. It’s the answer to wanting something different without having to go the pie route.
Third Space Bakery
5349 Penn Avenue, Bloomfield
Woman-owned and run, Third Space Bakery takes orders for custom cakes that think outside the box in both decoration and flavor. The bakery has a rotating menu of seasonal favorites that are as impressive as they are delicious. You can pick up a Black Forest Cake with chocolate chiffon, almond pastry cream, cherry compote, whipped cream frosting, and dark chocolate bark. Or, if you’re looking for something a bit more nostalgic, they have options for a Fancy Funfetti Cake featuring orange-blossom syrup and house-made raspberry jam, Toasted Almond Cake, or Chocolate Caramel Cake. Plus, there are gluten-free options like Flourless Cranberry Orange Almond Cake and Bête Noire.
La Gourmandine
Various Locations
While I personally dream of sitting at a small table outside a cafe in Paris, reading a book and snacking on a pastry, that’s a bit out of my budget. What is in my budget is a trip to La Gourmandine. This traditional French bakery transports you with just a single forkful. Their Opera Cake is a tiramisu lover’s dream. It’s a coffee mousseline with dark chocolate ganache, and sponge cake soaked in La Prima coffee. There’s also their La Ruche cake, which in French is a beehive. This luxurious cake features a honey bavarois along with layers of apricot coulis and hazelnut biscuits. It’s your little taste of France from a local French family. And guess what? You won’t find any pie here because the French know that cake prevails.
Butterwood Bake Consortium
5222 Butler Street, Lawrenceville
If there’s one qualm we have about bakeries, it’s that they close too early. When our nightly sweet tooth hits, we have nowhere to go. But Butterwood Bake Consortium is open until 11 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. NOTE: The only pie you can get that late is at Eat n’ Park… we’ll pass and go to Butterwood Bake Consortium instead. Among my favorites are their seasonal Olive Oil Love Cakes. Currently, the bakery carries a Cardamom Rose olive oil cake with a strawberry cream in between the layers. Their Black Sesame Blood Orange with Matcha Cream is equal parts comforting and exotic. Don’t sleep on their purple sweet potato cakes, either.
Story by Kylie Thomas
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce
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