Growing up in Africa there was only one thing about Christmas Day my sisters and I didn’t like: dessert. Insane, I know. What kid doesn’t like sweets? But dessert when I was a kid was Christmas Pudding, which was essentially a steamed fruit and nut cake slathered in brandy butter. My mother would spend months preparing it and she was always horrified we hid ours under our napkins.
It’s years later now, I no longer live in Africa, and I’m sure I’d love that pudding if served today. That said, there’s no need to test the theory in Loudoun because there are so many other dessert options to choose from: apple, pecan and pumpkin pie; pastries, cookies, cupcakes; even beignets - that New Orleans classic. In short, Loudoun has some of the finest sweet treats around.
From winter to summer and all seasons in between, these are some of our favorite baked goods spots in Loudoun. We guarantee your kids won’t be hiding their portions under their napkins.
Bilstad’s Beignets
“Where have you beignet all my life?” is the witty slogan of Scott and Jenny Bilstad’s beignet shop in Ashburn. A US Navy-trained chef, Scott started baking beignets for his neighbors and they proved so popular he turned to doing it full time. A devotee of Southern cuisine, his beignet twist is to add a little ginger to the glaze – a touch of spice with the sweet. You can eat them hot and fresh at the shop (they also do sandwiches and coffee) or take home and follow the enclosed instructions on how to heat them to the perfect temp. For the ultimate experience, serve with some chicory coffee from Café du Monde, that world-famous beignet temple in the heart of New Orleans.
Cowbell Kitchen
Custom cakes, pastries and desserts made with farm-fresh, locally sourced produce are the name of the game at this shoebox-sized organic café in downtown Leesburg. The owners do it all: tangy vanilla bean pound cake, Old Fashion birthday cake with buttercream and sprinkles, walnut chocolate chip cookies, exquisitely decorated peanut butter cheesecake, walnut blondies and pecan and pumpkin tarts. The cookie bag filled with peanut butter, chocolate chip and homemade Oreos is a hit. It’s almost easy to forget they do farm-fresh salads, sandwiches, avocado toast and breakfast bowls, too. A true gem.
Mocatinas
This Parisian-style dessert house does a range of decadent house-baked confections: everything from cotton candy and cupcakes to cookies and scones. Macarons in a variety of flavors are a particular specialty as is the Afternoon Tea which includes a 3-tiered tower with a mix of cucumber sandwiches, pastries, petit fours, scones, jams and cream. They also sell huge portions of superb farm fresh ice cream.
Dolce & Ciabatta Bakery
Jamaican born master baker Godfrey McKenzie and his wife Tatiana oversee the quirkily named Dolce & Ciabatta Bakery at King’s Corner on Leesburg’s Catoctin Circle. Using old-world artisan techniques and a special stone-hearth German-engineered oven, they do a range of breads including rustic baguettes and crunchy Italian loaves, as well as fresh light-as-air croissants, decadent sponge cakes, crunchy cookies, creamy eclairs and a range of colorful macarons. Don’t miss their delicate fruit tarts and tartlets.
Dana’s Cake Shoppe
At this sweet-smelling emporium in the Village at Leesburg Syrian-born Dana Alfahham and her team make everything from cupcakes, cookies, pastries and gourmet pies to colorful macarons, cookies, cupcakes and fruit tarts. But it’s her extraordinary array of ornately decorated sponge cakes (she cut her teeth baking wedding cakes), that really steal the show. What to choose? You could try the decadent Triple Chocolate and Black Forest options or the fresh, pineapple-rich Pina Colada cake, but our favorite is the spongy Red Velvet masterpiece that should win national baking awards. If you’re looking for a custom decorated cake for the holidays, she will do that too.
Mom’s Apple Pie
The lines outside this timeless pie temple in downtown Leesburg are testament to its enduring popularity. They do it all. Traditional apple, cherry, peach and blueberry pies are bursting with treacly fruity goodness, while our own favorites - pecan pie and bourbon walnut – are too decadent for words. You can order by the slice, too, if the sweet tooth gets you at lunch. Mom’s offers a range of cookies and pastries too. If the holiday wait line is too long, visit the second Loudoun location at Hill High Market near Round Hill.
The Upper Crust
Open more than 40 years, this classic bakery on Pendleton Street is a local favorite, still going strong. While the store offers coffee, sandwiches and ice cream, you come for the wonderful baked goods: fresh breads, cookies and a range of pastries including chocolate and regular croissants, delectable cinnamon buns and decadent apple fritters. Order your sweet treat with coffee and eat at a table on the small patio out back.
