Babycakes NYC in LA

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Dessert Shop, Los Angeles March 5, 2012

Babycakes is an all vegan bakery that specializes in gluten-free and wheat-free goods. They opened their original storefront in New York City, but have since expanded to the west coast (aka “the best coast”). I finally got the chance to check out their downtown location. It’s so hard to find parking down there, but their treats are definitely worth it.

Babycakes has donuts… DONUTS!! Oh, these are good! I didn’t even get all the flavors available that day (although I wanted to). I did get maple, blueberry, pumpkin, salted caramel, and chocolate glazed. The maple was sprinkled with cinnamon and was wonderful, the blueberry was simply topped with some powdered sugar and tasted like a fried blueberry coffee cake, the pumpkin was a cute heart shaped and had extra amounts of frosting in the indented center, the salted caramel was not too salty and had a lovely caramel flavor, and the chocolate glazed was nice (but a bit too bitter for me). I could eat these everyday.

Donuts (clockwise) – Maple, Blueberry, Pumpkin, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Glazed

I also got two spelt flour cupcakes – a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting and a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. Let me admit that I have had these before. Long before Babycakes came to LA, I made a visit to their NYC location. Frankly, I wasn’t too impressed with what I got (cupcakes and a cookie or two). This is the main reason it took me so long to visit their LA location. These cupcakes reminded me of that NYC trip. The cupcake itself was a little dry and the frosting was a little gummy (my same reaction to the NYC cupcakes).

Vanilla with Vanilla Frosting and Chocolate with Chocolate Frosting

Fortunately, the cupcakes were the only disappointment. I also got some brownies and some chocolate chip cookies. The brownies were cake-like and moist. They are the size of mini-muffins and I could have kept popping these little guys into my mouth. The chocolate chip cookies were also good. They were chewy, perfectly sweet, and had no graininess at all (something gluten-free cookies often have).

Chocolate Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Babycakes has made it even easier to get their goodies. They opened a new location in the Larchmont Village area. So much easier to park there. I recommend a trip to either location:

130 East 6th Street
(between S. Main Street and S. Los Angeles Street)
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Sunday 10am to 6pm
Monday through Thursday 10am to 7pm
Friday and Saturday 10am to 9pm

236 North Larchmont Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Sunday 9am to 8pm
Monday through Thursday 9am to 9pm
Friday and Saturday 9am to 10pm

Valentine’s Special at Native Foods

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County, Veg Restaurant February 15, 2012

I heard about the Native Foods Valentine’s Special and had to get it. Luckily, a new location had just opened at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, which is a lot closer to me than the locations in Costa Mesa or Tustin.

The Valentine’s Special included vegetable lasagna layered with tofu ricotta, roasted portobellos, greens, and a fresh marinara and topped with Native cashew parmesan. It was served with a Caesar salad and garlic bread. I loved the garlic bread – it was the best part. The Caesar salad was also good. The lasagna, on the other hand, was slightly lacking on the flavor. I found that the large pieces of portobello mushrooms and kale took over and I had wished there were more cheese and spices.

Valentine’s Special – Lasagna, Garlic Bread, and Caesar Salad – $9.95

The tiramisu wasn’t how I remembered tiramisu. Prepared with espresso soaked vanilla cake with vegan mascarpone and shaved chocolate. The vanilla cake was what I remembered angel food cake to be – kind of spongey and light on flavor. The espresso made the edges of the cake soggy – not good. The mascarpone reminded me of marshmallow fluff – thick and sticky. It was smooth, but the texture threw me off. Not creamy how I remember the real stuff to be. The whole thing was just ok. It was a lightly sweet dessert for those who like that sort of thing.

Tiramisu – $2.95

All in all, I’m not sure if I’d order this again if it appeared on the regular menu. I am still very excited about the new Fashion Island location. There are a few new items that I am wanting to try and will definitely be back to order these.

Native Foods has been opening new locations all over the place. Check out their website to see if one is near you.

Vegan Cookies at Robeks

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Orange County, Packaged Food February 10, 2012

I had heard a few years ago that Robeks juice was offering vegan cookies. Since I never go there and there aren’t many locations near me, I never checked it out. I finally came across a Robeks and decided to try these vegan cookies. They are made by Lenny & Larry’s and claim to be a healthier cookie. You can see the nutrition information at their website. These cookies are quite big and very filling- a great steal at only two bucks.

I went with the Peanut Butter and the Chocolate Chip. Also available were Lemon Poppyseed and Oatmeal Raisin. I thought the peanut butter had an off flavor – maybe it was the peanut butter they used? The chocolate chip was much better. I didn’t taste any off flavor in this one. They both were very soft, so be careful if you are packing these guys away – they break apart easily.