The holidays bring lots of special sights and sounds, but it’s the season’s distinct flavors—spicy gingerbread, creamy eggnog, crisp peppermint—that make this time of year so delicious. Bakeries throughout Woodbury feature an array of cakes and cookies that includes timeless favorites and new twists on tradition that are sure to brighten any holiday table.
Here are a few:
The bakery department at Whole Foods is known for turning out enticing cookies, cakes and other goodies daily, but custom creations and seasonal specialties are where the bakers’ talents really shine. This time of year, it’s all about classic, rich flavors and beautifully decorated cakes that are sure to impress at your holiday gathering. The chantilly berry cake is the perfect winter treat. A favorite among both customers and staff, this indulgent dessert features yellow cake drizzled with raspberry syrup, layered with fresh berries and coated with a rich mascarpone cream cheese icing. $19.99 5-inch round cakes, $29.99 8-inch round cakes.
Soft, melt-in-your-mouth cake and a signature cream cheese frosting set the delightful cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes apart; the sweet treats come in 8-inch ($30.50) and 10-inch cakes ($40.50), large cupcake-sized bundtlets ($4.25 each) and bite-sized bundtinis ($18 per dozen). All 11 flavors are available with fun Christmas or Hanukkah decorations, but the December-only peppermint chocolate chip is a seasonal favorite. “We can do a box of buntinis customized with flavors like white chocolate raspberry and red velvet, or wrap 1 to 3 bundlets in a cellophane tower with ribbon and a card; they’re fabulous for little thank you gifts for teachers, nurses and friends,” says owner Dawn Parker. “They’re fun and different, but with that good old home-baked warmth.” $6.25-$14.75 bundlet tower.
Award-winning Nadia Cakes features a slew of seasonal cupcake flavors, including a moist eggnog-infused cake topped with French brandy buttercream and a fondant holly leaf, and a classic gingerbread with cream cheese frosting ($3.50 each or $33 for a dozen). The popular peppermint mocha, a decadent chocolate espresso cake with peppermint buttercream frosting, is a holiday favorite. Ring in the New Year right with festive alcohol-infused options like the peach bellini (peach cake with a swirl of peach champagne buttercream) or rumchata cupcake (a sweet cinnamon treat featuring creamy rum horchata liqueur). $33/custom dozen.
The traditional yule log gets a fresh spin at Dorothy Ann Bakery, with white cake, white chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries, blueberries and strawberries rolled in a spiral, frosted and decorated with blue and purple snowflakes ($35.95). The kringle cane coffeecake, Danish dough shaped like a candy cane and filled with raspberry cream cheese, is a seasonal favorite ($11.99). At the bakery’s popular cookie exchange, attendees can sample 30 different delicious cookies, from powdered sugar-coated Russian tea cakes to Grandma G’s gingersnaps, and bring home 10 dozen to share with family and friends ($59.99). “They’re decorative and delicious,” says Colleen Cicalello, daughter of owners Joan and Steve Conway and a member of the third generation to operate Dorothy Ann.
