Loudoun knows its wine and beer but we also know cakes. And cookies. And chocolate. And ice cream. In other words, if it’s dessert you’re after, we have you covered. Here we list 10 dessert temples to satisfy your sugar cravings in Loudoun
Dana's Cake Shoppe
In 2012, Syrian native Dana Alfahham was studying cake decorating in Dubai and working as a baker at a British school. She was considering a move back to Damascus with her husband and children, but Syria was at war and not the best place to return to. An opportunity arose to move to the U.S. and Alfahham was soon baking and selling wedding cakes in Virginia, winning rave reviews in the Washington, D.C. area for her elaborately designed, perfectly balanced creations. In 2020, Alfahham opened her first brick-and-mortar store: Dana’s Cake Shoppe in the Village at Leesburg. The Middle East’s loss is Loudoun’s gain – and not only in the waistlines.
“I’ve lived in Loudoun many years now and I love it,” she told Visit Loudoun. “Everyone has been so supportive. It’s the best place to raise children and my two older daughters have helped me in the shop.” It’s not only cakes and gourmet pies on sale in the sweet-smelling space. Other delicacies baked on-site include macaroons, cheesecake, cookies, fruit tarts, éclairs, Napoleons and both savory and sweet croissants. “Everything I bake is from scratch,” said Alfahham. “I’ve developed my own recipes for the best texture, using high-end ingredients and European-style batter. As for decorations, you tell me what you want, and I will design it.”
Mocatinas
Modeled on European-style dessert houses, this chic ice cream, cake and cookie parlor in a historic downtown Leesburg building is an instant classic. The ice cream portions are so large they should come with a warning! They also do afternoon teas and group events.
The Conche
World-renowned pastry chef Santosh Tiptur’s menu is inspired by the chocolate he ate as a kid growing up in India. Many of the savory dishes on the menu, including the rack of lamb, have cocoa in them, but the desserts made with artisanal craft chocolate – Manjari cakes, truffles, s’mores and sculpted chocolate pieces – are the ultimate taste experience.
Cowbell Kitchen
Custom cakes, pastries and desserts made with farm-fresh, locally sourced ingredients are the name of the game at this pint-sized café in downtown Leesburg. The cookie bag, filled with peanut butter, chocolate chip and homemade Oreos, is a hit.
Mom’s Apple Pie
The lines outside this timeless pie temple are a testament to its enduring popularity. The pecan, apple, cherry, peach and blueberry pies are mind-blowing, and they make a range of cookies and pastries too. If the wait is too long, visit the second Loudoun location at Hill High Marketplace near Round Hill.
Little Apple Patry Shop
Baker Kay Pitts sells her sweet treats online and at Gilbert’s Corner Farmer’s Market on weekends. Order everything from apple, pecan, pumpkin, possum and key lime pies to a variety of angel, chiffon and pound bundt cakes.
The Upper Crust
This classic bakery on Pendleton Street in Middleburg is still going strong after 40 years. 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.
Dolce & Ciabatta Bakery
This cleverly named bakery on Catoctin Circle does sublime hand-baked breads, cakes, cookies, croissants, éclairs, macarons and pastries using old-world artisan techniques in a special stone-hearth German-engineered oven. Don’t miss the delicate fruit tarts and tartlets.
Fleen’s Dessert Studio
Blondies, brownies, cakesicles, French macarons, cake pops, raspberry oat bars, fruity parfaits and a dozen flavors of whimsical custom-baked single, two, three and four-tiered cakes… Welcome to Fleen’s Dessert Studio, the sweet treats emporium in Sterling founded by Loudoun native Kathleen Faliskie. A Baking and Pastry Arts graduate, Faliskie has competed in the Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship and authored a children’s cookbook, “Bake Someone’s Day.”
Four Season Pastry
This popular family-owned Persian bakery in Ashburn specializes in authentic Persian pastries, breads and handcrafted desserts. Enjoy traditional Middle Eastern favorites such as baklava, zoolbia and pirashki or order custom celebration cakes, fried doughnuts, German cookies and Napoleon pastries. A sweet-tooth trip around the world.
