Dessert is so often an after-thought when it comes to going out for food. How many times have you been at a restaurant, but following a tasty main, been too full when the waiter hands you a dessert menu? We think this is a crying shame!
The City and surrounding boroughs are bursting with establishments that create the most indulgent and inventive sweet treats going. So, next time you’re heading out for food, why not swing by one of these delightful dessert spots and boycott the savoury courses altogether?
Doughnut Time
With venues all over London, Doughnut Time is a stalwart provider of delicious desserts in doughnut form. Any flavour you want, they’re likely to have it, with everything from fruity Bakewell tart to caramel and chocolate-filled. We love the creative and often humorous doughnut names – with ‘Gordan Jamsey’ and ‘Egg Sheeran’ two of our favourite.
Next time you’re on the hunt for a treat in the City, head to Doughnut Time’s Fleet Street store. Order yourself a mixed box to takeaway and indulge on the go while admiring the City’s incredible architecture. Make sure to try the ‘David Hasselhoff’ – it’s filled with creamy Lotus Biscoff spread, dipped in caramel glaze, drizzled with chocolate glaze, and topped with caramel buttercream and a Lotus biscuit… Dreamy!
49 Fleet Street, EC4Y 1BP
doughnuttime.co.uk/pages/menu-allergens
Ladurée Royal Exchange
You can’t beat the splendour of the Royal Exchange; it’s truly the architectural gem of the Square Mile. You’re likely to have walked past it many times, and perhaps you pop inside from time to time for a spot of shopping or after work drinks at the gorgeous bar. But have you ever ordered yourself a treat from the Laduree café located there? If not, then you must head there right away!
With a delightful assortment of beautifully made fancies on offer, Laduree Royal Exchange is the perfect place to head to on your lunch break when sweets are calling to you. Treats include milk chocolate and hazelnut plasir sucré, vanilla flan, rose, raspberry and lychee Ispahan, and a plethora of flavoured macarons, to name a few.
5 Royal Exchange, EC3V 3LL
http://laduree.co.uk
Vida Bakery
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, Vida Bakery must be put onto your radar. The rainbow-coloured café and shop has a vibrant décor that matches the divine cakes – rich in both look and taste profile!
Enjoy a coffee along with a cookie, brownie or slab of cake, choosing from flavours like Black Forest, Carrot, Earl Gray, Victoria Sponge, and Caramel and Coconut Latte. They also offer delicious soft-serve ice cream with unlimited toppings!
Even better? The entire establishment is vegan and gluten-free, meaning that absolutely anyone and everyone can indulge in the treats on offer.
With so many tasty goodies, beautiful Vida Bakery is a slice of joy just outside the City. And for those of you who can’t make it to the bakery in person, Vida also do nationwide postal treats – including DIY cupcake kits and whole frozen cakes!
139 Brick Lane, E1 6SB
vidabakery.co.uk
Crepeaffaire at the Hippodrome
Pancake Day might have been and gone, but at Crepeaffaire, you can eat crepes to your heart’s content at any time of year! While there are venues across London and the UK, we recommend stopping by Crepeaffaire at the Hipppodrome, based a stone’s throw away from the City near much-loved Leicester Square. Not only can you get your hands on an array of tasty crepes, but you’ll also get to experience the buzz of one of London’s most popular destinations.
You can’t go wrong with the classic crepe combination that is lemon and sugar, but if you want to push the boat out a bit, treat yourself to ‘The Whole Shebang’. It comes with everything you could want from a dessert – chocolate, strawberries, banana, whipped cream, and ice cream! Crepeaffaire has plenty of vegan options, too, for our dairy-free friends.
For those of you who aren’t crepe fans (*gasp!*), Crepeaffaire also make delightful waffles and mini pancakes. And, i you’re looking to take your indulgence to the next level, order yourself one of Crepeaffaire’s incredible milkshakes – with flavours ranging from delightful vanilla to extravagant salted caramel.
Cranbourn Street, WC2H 7JH
http://crepeaffaire.com
Cutter and Squidge Soho
Dessert aficionados, rejoice! Cutter and Squidge (best name, ever) is here to satisfy your brownie, cookie, shortbread, hot chocolate, and cake cravings.
With a large inside area for afternoon tea sittings (yes, please), cakes and cocktails, the Soho café is the perfect hideaway from the hustle and bustle, and only a five-minute walk from Piccadilly Circus.
If you opt for an afternoon tea booking, you can expect fancies like warm scones with jam and clotted cream, a signature ‘biskie’, slice of Dream Cake, macaron, and of course, sandwiches and tea or coffee to boot. There are delectable vegan and wheat-free options, too.
Even if you don’t book in for an afternoon tea, you can truly make an event of a trip to Cutter and Squidge. Grab yourself and your friends a table, order a barista crafted coffee or a funky cocktail, along with a slice of Passionfruit and Pistachio Cake, and enjoy a moment or two of pure bliss. Trust us when we say you won’t be disappointed.
20 Brewer Street, W1F 0SJ
cutterandsquidge.com
Floozie
Did someone say deep dish cookies? Heck, yes! Floozie, however, offers deep dish cookies that are beyond what your mind is likely imagining… They’re thick, chunky, chewy on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside, and stuffed to the brimmed with excitingly decadent fillings.
Located just outside the City in bustling Covent Garden, Floozie is the ideal base for a dessert café of such stature. Head there on your lunch break for a much-needed sweet pick-me-up, or after a bout of weekend shopping.
Along with an assortment of statement flavours – like Pecan Pie, Chocolate Chunk, and Peanut Butter and Jam – Floozie runs a ‘special’ cookie that changes month-to-month, and usually reflects the season in some way (think, pumpkin spiced cookies in October!).
At time of writing, the monthly special is Banana Cream Pie – banana cookie dough with a banana cream centre, topped with banana chips and crumble. Try it, before it’s gone.
15 The Market Building, Lower Ground, WC2E 8RE
http://flooziecookies.com
The café at CORD, by Le Cordon Bleu
If you’ve not heard of Le Cordon Blue, where have you been hiding? The world-leading culinary school is steeped in history and has a rich heritage spanning 120 years. You can find Le Cordon Bleu’s first ever London-based fine-dining restaurant and café in our very own City of London.
While the restaurant offers a plethora of desserts on its esteemed a la carte menus (the almond plum pancetta is out of this world), we want to draw your attention to CORD’s stunning onsite café – which is bursting with divine desserts.
The Parisian-style café is open daily, Monday to Friday, for dine-in or takeaway. Treats on offer include lemon praline baton, blackberry and lychee roulade, mango and cardamom slice, maple pecan tarte, chocolate and pecan brownies, fig and aniseed biscotti, and an assortment of delightfully flavoured macarons. Honestly, it’s one of the most uniquely delicious dessert menus we have seen. CORD does flavours very well. Using exciting ingredient combinations, the chefs work a sort of magic to produce distinctive desserts that will have you craving more. Head there now to find out for yourself.
85 Fleet Street, EC4Y 1AE
cordrestaurant.co.uk
For the latest headlines from the City of London and beyond, follow City Matters on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
