If you’re in Dick’s Bakery, you probably have burnt almond cake on your mind. The legendary cakes have their own display case. They stand like a row of teased blond wigs, casting come-hither looks to all who enter. The cake is candy-sweet and as fluffy as a down comforter, but the best part is the sliced caramelized almonds sprinkled atop the whipped cream-and-custard frosting. Although burnt almond cake is originally made with white cake, you can order yours with any of their other cake flavors, like chocolate or apple spice.
Loyal customers know that while burnt almond cake is a good reason, it isn’t the only reason to visit this sweet spot. Dick’s Bakery has been in the baking business for 47 years now, time enough to perfect several recipes, like glazed donuts and pumpkin pie. Everything here is made fresh daily without preservatives.
This is a good place to stock up on cookies to leave for Santa. There are sugar cookies, thin and lemony, and walnut delights, tasting similar to a Mexican wedding cookie with its shortbread-like texture and walnut bits. There are peanut butter cookies and cinnamon nut cookies, oatmeal cookies and swirly vanilla and chocolate cookies. And then there are chocolate chewies, shiny and crackled on the surface but chewy on the inside and astonishingly low in fat. Santa will thank you for minding his belly.
Most cookies have a modest 3-inch diameter, none of those super-sized monster cookies that rely more on heft than grade to sell. They’re the kind you’ll find in grandma’s cookie jar.
Glazed donuts, bars, bismarks, and twists are just a few of the dozen or so donuts made each morning here. Traditional glazed donuts are light but filling, with just enough glaze to keep your mouth happy and your fingers goop-free.
Want a more refined sugar high? Try one of several French classics: a chocolate custard Napoleon, cream puff, or éclair. It’s enough to give you cavities just thinking about them.
Dick’s Bakery also offers breads, like Dutch crunch and jalapeno cheese ($2.20 and $4.95). The onion cheese bread will not give you halitosis and the cheese is evenly sprinkled throughout the loaf. Bread is baked Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, but be assured, whichever day you go, the bread will be good. And so will the burnt almond cake.