What better way to welcome spring than with a bright assortment of sweet treats in a rainbow of colors? This tempting array of cheerful desserts not only looks inviting, but fully satisfies in the taste department as well. Like the vibrant blooms soon to pop up in spring flowers, these sugary goodies offer a welcome reprieve from the heavy fare we’ve indulged in all winter. We scoured local restaurants and bakeries to bring you the freshest, sweetest and most fun options around. Go ahead; try them all.
Lavender Macaroons
Delicately crunchy, deliciously moist, and currently all the rage, the flavorful macaroons from Patrick’s Bakery and Café equally surprise and delight. Crafted from light-as-air Italian meringue made from egg whites, sugar and almond flour, these dainty delights are tinted the prettiest shade of lavender and filled with creamy, lavender-flavored white ganache. Both combine to create the macaroons’ distinct texture and flavor, and each cookie is garnished with a fresh lavender flower.
Owner Patrick Bernet has been making the traditional French-style confections for decades and has offered them through his bakery since it opened. The sweet treats are perfect for a spring bridal shower, Easter dessert buffet, little princess birthday party or a wedding reception. Just imagine how lovely the macaroons would look nestled among some freshly potted lavender plants on your serving table.
Regular-sized macaroons are $2 each and mini macaroons sell for $14.50 per dozen. Please place orders 48 hours in advance.
Patrick’s Bakery and Café, 2928 West 66th St., Richfield; 612.861.7570
Lemon Bars
Citrus lovers, rejoice. The tart and tangy taste you love shines through sublimely in these made-from-scratch lemon bars from Queen of Cakes. Layered atop a rich, buttery shortbread crust, the fruity filling is fashioned from fresh lemon juice and zest, sugar, eggs and flour. A dusting of powdered sugar completes the bars. Nothing fancy, just simple, delicious perfection.
“It’s the classic recipe we all grew up with,” says Queen of Cakes owner Terri Leckas. “We just add lots of TLC and use only all-natural ingredients.”
For those who need one now, the lemon bars are always available in the Queen of Cakes shop and come packaged in a six-pack for $6.
Queen of Cakes, 7104 Amundson Ave.; 952.942.7628
Princess Torte
A perennial favorite among Wuollet customers since it was first introduced 30 years ago, the princess torte is a heavenly concoction that layers egg-rich genoise with a generous serving of Bavarian cream and ribbon thin layers of raspberry filling. The entire cake is wrapped in a single sheet of sweet marzipan crafted from a crushed almonds and sugar that have been cooked into a paste. Garnished with a marzipan rose and pussy willow sprig, the torte is Wuollet’s signature dessert, according to Jim Jurmu, one of the bakery’s three owners. “Customers often request ‘that dome-shaped cake,’” he says.
The torte is available in green, pink and off white marzipan shades and is sold whole ($37), in single slices ($4.75) or as a sheet cake ($44–215).
Wuollet Bakery, 3608 West 50th St.; 612.922.4341
Cherry Cheesecake
Who doesn’t love the look and taste of cheerful cherries?
One bite of The Cheesecake Factory’s cherry cheesecake and you’ll wish you’d tried it sooner. This dessert blends luscious cream cheese with sugar and vanilla before slowly baking the filling in a graham cracker crust to create the perfectly silky smooth and rich original cheesecake that The Cheesecake Factory is famous for. A vibrantly colored sauce made from Michigan cherries adds with just the right touch of tanginess. Each generously sized portion ($6.95) is served with the restaurant’s signature freshly whipped vanilla-sweetened cream and is big enough for two. Whole cheesecakes ($19.95 for a 6” cheesecake; $25.95 for a 7” cheesecake; $46.95 for a 10” cheesecake) also are available to order.
The Cheesecake Factory, 2715 Southdale Center; 952.653.3333
Sunshine Cake
Fresh, fruity and fabulously original, this delicious new dessert from Patisserie Margo begins with a thin base of orange macaroons and continues with multiple layers of delicately flavored, light and fluffy sponge cake sweetened with fresh orange zest and juice along with generous servings of cream blended with fresh blood orange curd. The dual orange-infused layers are finished with a thin coating of butter cream that has been sprayed with an orange-hued cocoa butter. As if that’s not enough, a trio of brightly colored macaroons dance around the top of the Sunshine Cake to add to its happy glow.
“This dessert is light, refreshing, smooth and creamy—all with a bit of unexpected crunch,” explains Margo Bredeson, one of Patisserie Margo’s two owners.
The Sunshine Cake will be available beginning in March through Easter and comes in 5” (in store) and 10” (special order) sizes.
Patisserie Margo, 5133 Gus Young Lane; 952.926.0548
Blueberry Tart
Blueberries are among the most antioxidant-filled foods in the world, so there’s no need to feel guilty about indulging in this pretty tart when it has so many of the healthful little berries. A quintessential French delicacy, the blueberry tart served at Colette Bar and Bistro in the Hotel Sofitel nestles a smooth vanilla custard filling in a crisp, sweet pastry case and then tops it with a juicy circle of beautiful blueberries. A glossy, slightly tangy apricot glaze brightens the tart.
Single restaurant dessert servings are $8 and mini tarts are available from the Colette Bar and Bistro’s small bites tray or in the hotel’s bakery.
Colette Bar and Bistro, 5601 West 78th St., Bloomington; 952.835.1900
