Last Saturday, the finale to the first Dessert Week LA was held in DTLA’s Pershing Square complete with 25 LA dessert vendors, a live band, a mani-pedi truck and more! It started off a huge hit (according to the long lines) and featured LA favorites including Sprinkles and Randy’s Donuts along with some new kids on the block.
In case you missed it, here’s everything we ate. You better start marking your calendar for next year’s dessert festival because you won’t want to miss this one!
1. Nothing Bundt Cakes
We started our dessert extravaganza with “Nothing Bundt Cakes.” The featured flavors included red velvet, dark chocolate, and white chocolate. The white chocolate cake was my favorite because it was moist and just the right amount of sweet.
2. Porto’s Bakery
Next, we tried Porto’s bakery which offered their own spin on a traditional chocolate cake. The rich chocolate cake was light with layers of whipped frosting and a final layer of chocolate ganache.
3. Hello Sweetie Pies
With American classics like cherry and blackberry, pies on popsicle sticks are the dessert future! The pumpkin pie was the cutest dessert of the day with a jack-o’-lantern crust design.
4. Lady M Cake Boutique
Layers upon layers of crêpes and pastry cream offer a lighter alternative to the heavy cakes you’re probably used to having. As a lover of everything French, I give the Mille Crêpe an A+! This one was one of my favorites so be sure to check it out for yourself.
5. Randy’s Donuts
A classic LA icon for a reason, Randy’s did not disappoint. The coconut donut made this stand a must-go. And in case you didn’t know, it was featured in Dope and Entourage so you know it’s the real deal.
6. Sweet Lady Jane
With just the right combination of sweet and salty, the Sea Salt Brownie was definitely a fan favorite and left us craving more.
7. Café Dulce
This one was hands down one of the best donuts I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot. The dough was soft, melt-in-your-mouth delicious and stuffed with Snickers. ‘Nuff said.
8. Beverly Hills Beignet
Being from New Orleans, I’m a snob when it comes to beignets as no one can top Café du Monde, but Beverly Hills Beignets puts their own spin on the French doughnuts that I can appreciate.
Offering the classic powdered sugar mixed with sea salt and cinnamon-spiced sugar and dark chocolate or caramel sauces, I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
9. Breadologie Bakery
Breadologie had the most sample options and the most beautiful presentation of the festival. The pastries included both adventurous flavors like blood orange and pumpkin spice and the classics including almond and pistachio.
10. Salt & Straw
We tried three different flavors including sea salt caramel ribbons, silencio black tea and coconut stracciatella, as well as salted, malted, chocolate chip cookie dough.
Although the other flavors were definitely nothing like I’ve ever tried, the cookie dough took the cake. Salt and Straw is known for their creative combinations so if you’re feeling adventurous, this is the spot for you.
11. Wanderlust
The fruitier alternative to Salt & Straw, Wanderlust had flavors called sticky rice and mango, ube malted crunch, blueberry elderflower, as well as Hawaiian toast and guava jam all inspired by different travel destinations. As a fan of the purple sweet potato, the ube had my vote.
12. Ridges Churro Bar
Churros and ice cream—hell yes. The Fruity Pebbles combo brought back childhood memories of mixing cereal into my ice cream. Nutella nut and salted caramel were also out of this world. I’m gonna have to track down this food truck because one sample was just not enough.
Lucky for you, Dessert Week LA 2017 is already scheduled for next October so mark your calendars. If you can’t wait, make sure to hit up one of these LA vendors—my top picks being Ridges Churro Bar and Café Dulce.