Looking for "something new" to sweeten our winter table, we took a tour of Loudoun bakeries to see just what we'd been missing. Put mildly, we were gobsmacked with the variety, artistry, whimsy, conviction and craft that went into every offering. Here are just six of our favorite shops that you absolutely MUST sample to chase away the winter / COVID blues.
1. Dana's Cake Shoppe, 1604 Village Market Blvd. SE, Leesburg. https://danascakeshoppe.com
Nothing short of perfection will do for Dana Alfaham's creations. From gourmet desserts to spectacular wedding cakes to custom creations, if you can dream it, she can do it, and it will be absolutely delectable! Biggest surprise? The melt in your mouth ecstasy of her chocolate mint macaroons!
2. Little Austria, 45915 Maries Rd S 102, Sterling. https://www.little-austria.com/
If you're looking for something light, scrumptious and completely out of the ordinary, order the holiday strudel assortment. You'll receive three each of: Traditional Apple, Apple Cranberry, Cheese Blueberry and Cheese Pecan & Honey. Every flakey pastry is served with the joy of sharing a taste of home for this delightful young Austrian couple, Helene and Berni Gallent. Order online for delivery or pickup.
3. Mom's Apple Pie Bakery, 220 Loudoun St SE, Leesburg, and at Hill High Orchard Store, Round Hill. https://www.facebook.com/momspiesLEESBURG/
Mom's is impossible to miss in Leesburg, perched at the V splitting E. Market from Loudoun St. What you might NOT know is that owner Avis Renshaw grows her own fruit, pumpkins, herbs, sweet potatoes, rhubarb and more to produce more than 30 flavors of pie, plus a wide assortment of other goodies. "Loudoun's farmland is very rare and special... As a true value-added farming/baking business, that is what people should know more about," Avis says. Splurge on the Chocolate Coconut Chess pie, flavored in Almond Amaretto.
4. El Angel Bakery, 703B E. Market St., Leesburg. https://www.facebook.com/elangelbakery/
Our Spanish is a bit rusty but no language is necessary to appreciate the sheer variety of Latin delicacies piled high at El Angel Bakery. We swooned over their thickened vanilla cream-style Napoleon and Tres Leches cake. For special occasions, there's even a colorful selections of pinatas!
5. Dolce & Ciabatta, 9H Catoctin Cir SW, Leesburg. https://dolceciabatta.com/
Dolce & Ciabatta bills itself as an artisan bread baker, but the selection of pastries, from specialty eclairs (with coffee-flavored filling and icing!), cinnamon buns, croissants, cookies and, for the holidays, specialties like chocolate hazelnut buch de noel and pannitone, make it absolutely impossible to choose a favorite. So, we'll just give a shout out to the incredibly hard-working and organized staff that speed service to those waiting in a line that can run more than a dozen deep on a Saturday morning.
6. Sweetz Bakery, 1057 Edwards Ferry Rd NE, Leesburg, https://www.sweetzbakery.com/.
If you're craving cupcakes, the place to go is Sweetz Bakery. Most popular are the Double Chocolate and the Boston Cream, but we urge you to live a little and tackle the Champagne Raspberry. (There's even a dairy free Champagne Strawberry!) To show-off their icing skills, Sweetz even crafted an entirely edible CandyLand board game for the holidays!