American

Valley Bakeries

[Photo of Natas Pastries]

Hi cake lovers! I did a lot of legwork recently and have come up with a bit of a guide to some of the best bakeries in the mid-East Valley, meaning from Encino to Studio City, keeping close to Ventura Boulevard.

This is by no means an exhaustive nor definitive report.

Which LA bakeries are your flat-out favourite places to go to satisfy your sweet tooth?
Which ones did I miss?!

BAKLAVA FACTORY ^

Middle eastern treats, such as their specialty baklava, are worth the trip. Their Mediterranean-style baklava are bundles of flaky layers of buttered fillo pastry, stuffed with either crushed or whole pistachio nuts, walnuts, cashews or plain, and drenched in light sugar syrup with a touch of lemon juice. Priced at $9.99 per pound, that’s about $1 or so per piece. Also available are an almost unlimited array of Middle-Eastern treats, including osmallieh (nut and honey cakes), maamool (rose water shortbreads), ghourabieh (butter cookies), barazek (crispy sesame and pistachio cookies) and so on.

17145 Ventura Boulevard, Encino
on the north side of Ventura, just E of Plaza D’oro.
(818) 414 4413
Stores in Encino, North Hollywood and Glendale.
Open 9am to 8pm, Monday – Sunday

BEA’S BAKERY ^

Black and white cookies, splendid chocolate eclairs in various sizes, cakes and fruit tarts of all kinds, this fantastic neighborhood bakery has been delighting generations of dessert lovers. A popular item is the strawberry shortcake, made daily with fresh cream and plump berries, ($3.35 per slice). Other specialties include buttery rugelach, shiny brown, perfectly baked challah bread, cinnamon-infused babka, chocolate pudding-filled cake and butter cookies. Specialty cakes can be pre-ordered. At 16″ by 24″, a full sheet cake of almost any combination of cake and filling will serve around 100 people and cost $172.00.

18450 Clark Street Tarzana
just nth of Ventura Blvd, off Reseda
(818) 344 0100
Open 7am–8.30pm, six days per week. Sundays they close at 7pm.

BELWOOD BAKERY

Tucked away in the Coldwater Curve Shops on Ventura in Studio City, this unassuming little bakery offers excellent breads, cakes, standard pastries and – best of all – individual homemade quiche. Their most popular item, at lunchtime, is their chicken sandwich.

12634 Ventura Blvd., Studio City
just E of Coldwater Canyon
(818) 755 8853
Open 6am to 6pm every day, on Sundays they close at 4pm.

BIG SUGAR BAKESHOP ^

Here you’ll find a vast variety of treats and cakes of all shapes and sizes, from little squares of fudge or small peanut butter buckeyes as well as brownies and slices as well as two person pies (such as chocolate mousse or apple crisp) and slices of cake (such as German Choc and Red Velvet) and even whole cakes. You can completely satisfy a small to medium to large craving, depending on how you feel that day. Love the coconut, the mocha and the hummingbird cupcakes.

They even have a daily blog with info on the specials of the day – how cool is that?

12182 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City
between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Laurel Grove Avenue
(818) 508 5855
Open Tues to Thurs, 10am to 6pm; Fri and Sat, 10am to 7pm; Sunday 11am to 6pm.
NOT open on Mondays.

EILAT CAFÉ

This kosher Israeli café (their own bakery is across the road but no longer open to the public) features a lot of breads, including seedless rye ($3.25), seven grain loaf ($4.50), whole wheat, olive bread and baguettes ($1.29), even a multi-seed baguette for $2.25. From their vast assortment of pastries and cakes, their fruit tarts are highly sought after. Individual 3″ pies are $3.75 each, a 9″ fruit pie will serve 10-12 and costs $27.00.

12519 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood
(818) 762 1900
Open Mon to Thurs 6am - 11pm, Fri closes at 4pm
Sat 9pm-1am
Sun 8am-11am

HANSENS CAKES

Creating impressive specialty cakes for weddings, baby showers and birthdays, Hansens cakes will surely be the crowning glory of your event. With almost two thousand different designs to choose from, including kid’s party cakes, floral cakes and even three-dimensional extravaganzas, Hansens strive to deliver a memorably delicious and artful cake centrepiece that will delight your guests.

18432 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana
just E of Reseda
(818) 708 1208
Open Tues to Fri, 10am to 6pm; Sat 10am to 5pm
Closed Mondays.

L’ARTISTE PATISSERIE AND FRENCH RESTAURANT

This little French lunch place bakes their cakes, bread and pastries on site and offers virtually everything from muffins and croissants to freshly made baguette sandwiches and salads. Mushroom soup and fancy omelettes are popular menu items. In the glass display cabinets, the colorfully glazed fruit tarts are eye-catching while the multi-flavored macaroons ($1.95 ea), such as lavender, orange-cinnamon, coffee, hazelnut and pistachio, are of restaurant quality. Red velvet cupcakes are also big sellers.

17312 Ventura Blvd, Ste A., Encino
at the SW corner of Louise Avenue
(818) 386 0061
Open 7.30am to 4pm, seven days a week

LAYERS CAKES DESIGN STUDIO

Dramatic specialty and wedding cakes that taste as good as they look, you can schedule a tasting at Layers Cakes and the designers will help you develop a cake from a concept into something spectacular. They’re willing to blend flavors, such as alternating layers of hazelnut and tiramisu or chocolate and lemon.

Designer Janelle thinks of everything, such as advising against buttercream frosting for a summer outdoor reception. Affordably priced, these fancy cakes come highly recommended.

13944 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks
(818) 784 3918
Open hours – by appointment only.

LEDA’S BAKE SHOP ^

Some people think the mini cupcakes Leda’s Bake Shop should be called ‘teaspoon-cakes’ as they can be devoured in two bites. These cute and elegant morsels ($1.50), in various, fancy flavors, boast three layers; the moist cake, followed by a dollop of caramel (in the dulce de leche) or ganache or curd, finally topped with a divinely rich buttercream frosting. You can also buy ginger scones (crumbly, but nice) and various cookies. Custom made cakes mimic the cupcakes with their three layers of cake, filling, butter cream frosting, in various combinations, including vanilla, raspberry, lemon and hand-shredded coconut. A tall, six inch decorated round cake will serve 8 to10 ($50) while a twelve inch cake will serve 40+ ($135).

13722 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(818) 386-9644
Cross Street: Woodman Avenue
Open Tues to Sat, 10:30 to 6pm
Open Sunday between 10 to 11am for custom order pick ups

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN

This organic bakery and communal-table café offers sandwiches, soups and artisan breads. Pop in on Sunday morning for flaky, buttery organic croissants and perfect individual brioche. Their cakes are exquisite – fruit tarts, cream-filled buns and fancy gateaux.

13045 Ventura Blvd., Studio City
just W of Coldwater
(818) 986 1929

Open every day at 7.30am. Kitchen closes at 6.30pm, while the bakery closes at 7pm.

MRS. BEASLEY / MISS GRACE LEMON CAKE

Right next door to Office Depot, in the same center as Tony Romas, is a fabulous little bakery that offers one of the best deals in town. On Fridays they give away one of their “bundt cake of the week� with every purchase of any of their bundt cake.

Famous for their lemon cakes, they offer other flavors such as Key Lime and California Orange. Their deliciously rich Chocolate Fudge and Walnut bundt cakes are made with two kinds of decadent chocolate. The rippled outer shell is hand-dipped to create a candy-like taste sensation. $29.95.

6″ and 8″ round cakes and larger sheet cakes are available as well, priced from $20.00 and up.
Most popular? Their chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting.

16571 Ventura Boulevard., Encino
Between Balboa and Havenhurst
(818) 995 1987
Open 8am to 6pm, Monday – Sunday

MY LITTLE CUPCAKE INCORPORATED

Some people swear by their ‘Death by Chocolate’ cupcake ($2.75), but the ‘Hi-hat’, with its chocolate cake and grainy, sugary marshmallow topping dipped in chocolate, just didn’t do it for me. If I am going to treat myself and eat cake, it had better be worth the calories. With so many bakeries in our area to choose from, I’m afraid My Little Cupcake has to be bottom of my list.

If you want to try them for yourself, be advised – parking can be tough, so head around to the alley just north, behind the store.

11925 Ventura Blvd., Studio City
just E of Laurel Canyon
(818) 985 2253
Open 7am to 7pm, Sunday – Thursday, 7am to 5pm Fridays.
Closed Mondays.

NATAS PASTRIES ^

This authentic bakery features home-style Portuguese pastries based on traditional recipes dating back to the 17th Century. Unique to Los Angeles, Natas offers a whole host of cakes and fancy pastries, both savory and sweet.
Their signature pastry, natas, is a crème brulée-type custard filling inside a crisp and flaky puff pastry shell that provides a delightfully crunchy foil to the luscious creamy filling. This is the true taste of Portugal.

13317 Ventura Blvd., #D, Sherman Oaks
just W of Fulton
(818) 788-8050
Open Tues to Sat, 7am to 9pm; Sunday 9am to 6pm
Closed Mondays.

NICOLOSI PASTRY SHOP ^

Remember the hit man’s advice in The Godfather? “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.� People drive from all over LA for this Italian bakery’s cannoli. The little pastry tubes are only stuffed with ricotta cream filling or vanilla or chocolate custard once you order them in the store, ensuring the fried pastry shell remains crisp. Small are $1.50, larger are $2.00. This cute bakery has a handful of little tables in their picture window, each one elegantly lace and glass-topped, as well as a wedding cake display in the shop corner. Other Italian specialties include cream puffs, biscotti in various flavors and amaretti, pignoli and fig cookies sold by the pound.

17540 Ventura Blvd, Encino
(818) 789 0922
Open 9am to 6pm, Tuesday – Saturday, Sundays 10-4pm, Closed Mondays

UNIQUE PASTRY

Chocolate strawberry shortcake and the Italian delicacy tiramisu are the most popular gateaux at this Jewish bakery, which has a small café next door.

18385 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana
just E of Reseda, on the north west side of the mall
818 757 3100
Open 7am to 7pm, Sunday – Thursday, 7am to 5pm Fridays.
closed Saturdays

VIKTOR BENE’S CONTINENTAL BAKERY

This bakery specializes in European-style treats for every occasion and is a great place for fancy cakes of all shapes and sizes, including Sacher Torte and St. Honore. Some people swear by their babka’s – available in coffee cake or cinnamon and raisin ($5.95).

Viktor Bene’s Continental Bakery is located at Gelsons supermarkets in Encino, Sherman Oaks and North Hollywood and elsewhere in LA.
6am - 10 pm daily, except for Sundays – 7am opening time.
Gelson’s Market – 4738 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
North Hollywood, California 91607
(818) 760-2897
Encino – 818 783 4844

By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past ten years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She is completing a family cookbook and also writes novels for 8-12 year olds.

© 2007 la.foodblogging.