Photo Courtesy of Planthropie.
Spring brings bright sunshine, warmer weather and fresh flavors of berries of all kinds. Whether you’re a fan of strawberries, raspberries or any other kind of springtime fruit, there is a wide variety of Metro Detroit restaurants and bakeries that offer berry-forward desserts as a perfect ending to your meal or take-out order.
Berries are a great ingredient in desserts because they add vibrant color, sweet yet tart flavors and work well in a number of presentations. So whether you love a berry cobbler, want a fresh, fruit pie or prefer a berry-infused ice cream, these desserts definitely fit the bill. Michigan farms grow these berries not only for restaurants but for general consumers to use in home baking, so you can pick your own or let a great local chef prepare their best.
When you’re thinking about a berry-forward dessert, look for one that balances the sweet with the savory elements. That might mean adding some acid like lemon juice to cut through all of the natural sugar. It could be a light, flaky crust that soaks up all of the bright juices that come from baking these fruits. Or you may want to go full sweetness with cream, ice cream or compotes to boost the berry flavor to 11.
Here are some Metro Detroit bakeries and restaurants that provide some spring-focused desserts to their menus for all berry lovers to enjoy.
For the Love of Sugar
This bakery says everything you need to know about it right in its name. Try its Triple Berry Vanilla Bean Cake, which is a white vanilla bean cake filled with a Bavarian cream and its amazing, tart triple berry jam. Another berry classic is its Strawberry Shortcake, which features layers of yellow vanilla cake and strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream and strawberries.
Planthropie
This Birmingham bakery is plant based and organic but also features important elements such as refined sugar free and ethically sourced ingredients for its baked goods. A must-try dessert is its Strawberry & Cream Cake, which has Madagascar vanilla-bean white-chocolate cream and is filled with a delicious strawberry compote. Then there are its other signature dishes, such as a raspberry chocolate truffle and its drinks as well, such as the strawberry vanilla kombucha.
Mexicantown Bakery
This Southwest Detroit favorite has so many berry desserts on its menu that you’ll be tempted to try each of them, and you definitely should. One great offering is its Fruit tart with strawberries and kiwi, assorted fruit-filled desserts including danish, Pastelitos Cubano, Cubilete De Manzana and Nino Envuelto, a kind of jelly roll with a fruit-forward filling.
Bakehouse46
This Birmingham bakery definitely knows how to treat a berry right. It offers a wide array of sweet treats including cupcakes, donuts and its cheesecake, which is covered with blueberries and white chocolate. Bakehouse46 knows that its white chocolate offsets the natural sweetness of the blueberry and creates a beautiful presentation as well.
Milano Bakery & Cafe
Milano Bakery & Café features berries in many of their dishes. You’ll want to take home a bit of everything under the sun, including its classic pies such as cherry, blueberry and apple as well as fun such as cranberry pound cake, lemon or key lime tarts and mixed berry parfaits.
