Magnolia Bakery, New York City/USA

The temptation: Banana Pudding

© Magnolia Bakery

Once just a cupcake store on Bleecker Street, Magnolia Bakery has become an icon with multiple outlets throughout the Big Apple. Plus branches in LA, Saudi Arabia, India, Qatar, the Philippines ... Fame came almost overnight. Assistance provided none other than the series Sex and the City. Because in episode five of the third season, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) treat themselves to pink cupcakes as a side dish to the gossip about Aidan. To this day, the Carrie Cupcake is a staple. Really famous, however, is the Banana Pudding. Although, who says you have to choose? And some destinations for those with a sweet tooth can be visited again and again ...

Magnolia Bakery
401 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Web: magnoliabakery.com
Tel: +1 212-462-2572.

Cakes & Bubbles, London/UK

The temptation: The Cheesecake

© Tristan Seward, El Bulli/Cakes & Bubbles

There are many reasons why a stop at Cakes & Bubbles on London's Regent Street is a must. One of them is the location. Because the pastry shop - part of the noble Hotel Café Royal - has a few tables directly on the iconic shopping street. Here, you can do people watching at its best! Plus, the truly delightful Afternoon Tea with its sweet delicacies is masterfully prepared by Albert Adrìa. These do not only taste heavenly. They also amaze with their shape. The Cheesecake, for example, is shaped like a small wheel of cheese. In terms of bubbles, too, there's only the best at offer. For example, Ruinart and Dom Perignon.

Cakes & Bubbles
Hotel Café Royal, 70 Regent St., London W1B 4DY, United Kingdom
Web: cakesandbubbles.co.uk
Tel: +44 20 4571 6745

Maison Ladurée, Paris/France

The temptation: Macarons

© Shutterstock

Whoever says Ladurée actually means Macarons. And vice versa. For their production is an art that the master bakers of Ladurée have perfected. Meanwhile, the empire for which Louis Ernest Ladurée laid the foundation in Paris in 1862, forms a rather extensive list in terms of destinations for someone with a sweet tooth. Because at present one has the choice from over 110 stores worldwide. You can even find Maisons Ladurée in destinations like Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kuwait and China. The latest store is located in Egypt. It opened on July 24, 2023.

e.g. Maison Ladurée Paris Champs-Élysées
75 Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, France
Web: laduree.fr
Tel: +33 1 40 75 08 75

Café Sacher, Vienna/Austria

The temptation: Sacher cake

© Shutterstock

In fact, the great invention of the Sachertorte is owed to a relatively small country, at least in terms of area because it has its origins in the Alpine Republic. More precisely: in the federal capital Vienna. There, the Austrian chef and entrepreneur Franz Sacher invented that cake, which named after him soon started the triumphal procession around the world. According to legend, Sacher is said to have devised it as a 16-year-old apprentice in the court kitchen of the House of Metternich. Café Sacher is considered an institution in Vienna. Particularly popular are the limited edition wooden boxes designed annually by artists for charity purposes, complete with cake.

Café Sacher
Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Web: sacher.com
Tel: +1 514 560

Zumbo Test, Noosa/Australia

The temptation: Angel Cake V8

 

 

 

 

 

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At the latest since Zumbo's Just Desserts and Sugar Rush flickered across the screens on Netflix, everyone knows the charismatic Australian. But the patissier can do much more than be telegenic. He is famous for being Australia's answer to Willy Wonka or Lord Voldecake. And with good reason. His Vanilla V8 Cake is considered one of the most expensive cakes in Australia. It's called that because it contains eight different vanilla textures.

Zumbo Test
2/32 Rene St, Noosaville QLD 4566, Australia
Web: zumbotest.com