Where are the best bakeries to buy celebration cakes? I want to give a cake to one of my college friends (we've been friends for 40 years) who is retiring from teaching kindergarten. I'm going to offer you a little lunch at a restaurant in Long Beach. It would be great if the bakery was in Pasadena or on the East Side. But I will travel for an amazing cake! He loves chocolate and espresso martinis. —Roberta Tragarz
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Roberta, I think it's really nice that you're throwing a retirement party for your old friend. In my opinion, no celebration is complete without a good cake and I too will drive anywhere looking for one that I think the recipient will love. Here are some bakeries that might have “the one.”
If Pasadena is convenient for you, you're in luck. Times restaurant critic Jenn Harris calls the city a “pastry and dessert destination.” She writes about six stellar new bakeries that have opened within a mile radius, including Salted Butter Company, which offers a gorgeous round cake topped with seasonal flowers, and Sweet Red Peach, which can create almost any custom cake you can imagine.
Since your friend loves chocolate, consider picking up a cake at Proof Bakery in Atwater Village. The worker-owned co-op store used to sell a chocolate espresso cake, which would have been perfect because your friend loves espresso martinis. However, they changed it to a blueberry chocolate tart with chocolate mascarpone mousse and blueberry compote. Fortunately, it looks just as delicious. And you can still make Proof's Espresso Chocolate Cake at home.
No bakery in Los Angeles has been recommended to me more than SusieCakes. With multiple locations spread across the county, including one in Pasadena, this classic bakery makes a variety of delicious desserts: old-fashioned chocolate cakes, flourless chocolate cakes, rainbow sprinkle cakes, and even a cake so you can try all of their signature slices. Amy Scattergood, former Times food editor, wrote about SusieCakes: “You can choose the flavor of the cake and the color of the buttercream frosting, write things on it, and even order a pretty impressive Barbie cake (they provide the doll; the cake is the dome of her enormous skirt).” A “Teacher Barbie” that looks like your friend would be adorable.
Now, this is not a traditional cake, but hear me out. My good friend Tori Johnson had cinnamon cake at her recent birthday party and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. It was gooey, soft, and spread with a classic tangy cream cheese frosting. Her boyfriend got it from BadAsh Bakes, the Pasadena-based viral bakery best known for its cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies, and layer cakes. You can reserve the cinnamon cake, which comes in a classic red velvet or matcha flavor.
For a bold, edgy cake you won't find in a traditional bakery or supermarket, consider ordering a custom dessert from Celeste Perkins, the Los Angeles-born baker who makes “cakes with big personalities, for big personalities,” as Times contributor Tasbeeh Herwees writes in Image. Perkins, who works in her home kitchen, began baking cakes for friends and has since made them for a variety of celebrity clients, including Tunde Adebimpe (frontman of the band TV on the Radio), Japanese-American singer Mitski and British singer Suki Waterhouse. The cakes are not only delicious, but they're photo-worthy, too.
Now, some quick picks in Los Angeles: My colleague Jason Lew recommends Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown, specifically the strawberry shortcake with sliced almonds. Times Features reporter Lisa Boone also suggests Valerie Confections in Glendale. “I have ordered cakes from Valerie several times for different occasions and they are always really special, beautiful and very good,” she says. Her favorite is the fallen fruit cake, but the bakery also sells flourless almond chocolate cake and German chocolate cake. There's also République, the French-inspired bakery and cafe known for its salted caramel chocolate cake. Lastly, you can never go wrong with Porto's, which sells a variety of cakes including chocolate raspberry, Parisian chocolate, mango mousse, strawberry cheesecake and more.
Retirement is a big deal, so I love knowing you're celebrating it as such. I hope these recommendations help you find the perfect cake for your friend. Don't forget to send us a photo of the one you choose. Have a great time!
