With so many options to indulge on something sweet in Downtown New York, it can be hard to know where to go. Not to mention what piece of cake is actually worth the calories – there’s nothing worse than ordering a cupcake that turns out to be nothing special. Baked in Tribeca is one of those places we keep coming back to, which means we know exactly what to order. We’ve done the eating for you, so your life doesn’t have to consist of any disappointing desserts.
Before we dive into the selection of cakes, cookies and pastries, let’s talk about the space first. Whereas many bakeries in the city are small and more suitable for grab-and-go, Baked has a large seating area that invites you to stay as long as you want. The free WiFi means people are often typing away on their laptop, while enjoying a slice of cake — guilty as charged.
The selection of cakes and cupcakes at Baked rotate daily in house, giving you a little variety and surprise upon arriving. The cakes are definitely worth choosing over the cupcakes, because of the most perfect layers you have ever seen, ensuring every bite has frosting and cake. No dry bites here!
Our favorite is the rich and chocolate-y Diner Double Dark cake, frosted and filled with a semi-sweet chocolate frosting and topped with crunchy chocolate malt balls. Other highlights are the light and fluffy lemon drop (lemon cake filled with lemon curd and a vanilla lemon buttercream) and the Funfetti cake topped with thousands of sprinkles – it will put a smile on your face before you even bite into it.
Baked is more than just cake though, with its rich brownies and blondies, an amazing gooey gluten-free chocolate cloud cookie and innovative Brooksters (a dark brownie base filled with chocolate chunk cookie batter). All of these are definitely worth your bite!
Photography by Siobhan Gunner
Ben has brought the traditional English cookie to New York City. If you go here with an American cookie in mind, chances are you’ll be disappointed. Their cookies aren’t big, rich or overwhelmingly filling, but small and light with a crumbly texture. What makes Ben’s cookies unique is that they are baked with chunks instead of chips, and we should all support chocolate chunk cookies in a world full of chocolate chip cookies. Some interesting flavors include the cranberry white chocolate, orange milk chocolate and ginger dark chocolate.
Insomnia is already one step ahead of the game, because all their cookies are served warm. The only thing better than a cookie is a warm cookie. The hardest decision you will have to make is choosing between their small traditional cookies or big deluxe cookies. The Traditional Cookies are thin and crunchy, whereas the Deluxe Cookies are soft and gooey. Our favorite is the Deluxe s’mores cookie, it’s softened to perfection in the oven with melted chocolate and warm fluffy marshmallows. The best part? Insomnia Cookies deliver their warm cookies right to your door until 3:00 AM. Hello midnight cookie cravings.
Where can you get the best oatmeal cookie? At Oatmeals of course, a store that revolves around whole grain steel-cut oats. They serve the traditional oatmeal cookie with a layer of old fashion icing on top. You can’t go wrong with a classic, and it’s perfect if you’re not interested in all of those crazy cookie flavors. Also, we believe anything with oatmeal is perfectly acceptable to have for breakfast.
