Tucked into The Marketplace on Tamal Vista, this outpost of the national bundt cake bakery has been Corte Madera’s go-to for last-minute birthday cakes for more than a decade. Every cake is baked fresh with real butter, eggs and cream cheese, then finished with the brand’s signature thick ribbons of cream cheese frosting. Classics like Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Red Velvet, Lemon and White Chocolate Raspberry share the case with rotating seasonal flavors – think Pumpkin Spice and Apple Pie this fall.
The rich cake flavor of Classic Vanilla and Confetti and cute piping are reason enough to stop in for a Bundlet (or mini-Bundt cake), which also comes in “bundtinis,” or bite-size cakes. A cake tower arrives wrapped in cellophane with a pretty bow. Or try the house’s two gluten-free flavors – Chocolate Chip and Lemon Raspberry. No one will guess they’re anything other than delicious.
Don’t Miss: Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Red Velvet, Bundtini Box
A longtime fixture at Greenbrae’s Bon Air Center, Victoria Bakery traces its roots to San Francisco’s North Beach in 1914, when a group of Italian bakers named their shop after one founder’s daughter. More than a century later, the bakery still uses many of those original recipes, while its vintage décor and glass cases brimming with cookies, pastries, and cakes make every visit feel like a delicious trip back in time.
The triple-wide display case is a feast for the eyes, showcasing shelf after shelf of sweet temptations, from flaky croissants and decadent Napoleons to cupcakes and their signature Princess Cake. On a recent visit, we fell head over heels for their Fruit Tart, a buttery pastry shell filled with velvety custard and crowned with a colorful medley of glazed fresh fruit. It may technically be a tart, but this petite beauty is masquerading as a mini-cake — and we're more than happy to play along. Trick or treat? Definitely a treat!
Don’t Miss: Princess Cake, Cannoli, Tiramisu
The pink-boxed cookie phenomenon has a home in Novato’s Vintage Oaks shopping center, and it’s exactly as addictive as TikTok promised.
Every Monday the menu flips to a fresh lineup of oversized, made-from-scratch cookies and desserts drawn from a rotation of 300-plus flavors – this week brings Halloween Red Velvet, Pumpkin Cheesecake and a Peanut Butter Cup Blondie, alongside a Cookies & Cream Tres Leches Cake.
We fell hard for the Biscoff Crunch Brownie. More fudgy than cakey, the brownie is topped with a golden, caramelized layer of kataifi (finely shredded Filo dough) and crunchy Biscoff cookie pieces. The top layer? That’s creamy deliciousness taken to eleven with Biscoff drizzle. And you can wash it all down with one of Crumbl's 40-plus Dirty Sodas.
Don’t Miss: Chocolate Chip Cookie, Brownies, Dirty Soda
It's tough to resist the come-hither swirl of pink cream cheese frosting crowning the white velvet Pink Berry Cupcake at this bakery and café in The Cove Shopping Center. Take a bite, making sure to get a little cake with that luscious frosting. Do you detect a touch of white chocolate? A hint of strawberry? Yes and yes! Yum.
Inside, the bright, mural-splashed bakery showcases tempting displays of layer cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, and morning pastries, alongside Jane's flaky croissants and crusty artisan breads. Cake lovers can indulge in flavors like Black Tie (dark chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse), Black Magic, Lemon Custard and Carrot Cake, available as cupcakes or 6-inch and 9-inch cakes.
Grab a coffee and a cupcake, then settle in at one of the indoor or outdoor tables. With plenty of parking and online ordering for easy pickup, satisfying your sweet tooth couldn't be simpler.
Don't Miss: Black Tie Cake, Croissants, Big Jane Cookie
Owner Sarah Thongnopneua started Baked Blooms out of her San Anselmo home in 2016, won an episode of Food Network’s Cupcake Championship in 2019, and has since moved her edible-art operation into a storefront on 4th Street in San Rafael.
The team here refers to its cupcakes arranged with artful buttercream frosting to look like floral bouquets as “bouCAKES.” And why not? They are stunning and edible. Autumnal Blooms features roses, amaranthus, sunflowers and protea flowers, comes in flavors like Chai Spice and Maple Cinnamon, and can be made gluten-free. The frosting is as decadent as the cake. The hardest part? Pulling it apart so your crew can enjoy the bouquet.
Don’t Miss: Seasonal bouCAKE, Cupcakes, Hands-On Workshops
Some sweet stories come full circle. Long before Gary Rulli became one of Marin’s most celebrated pastry chefs, he was a 16-year-old working his first job at Frank’s Mini Mart in Ignacio, handcrafting soft, golden bomboloni (Italian cream-filled doughnuts). Little did he know those pillowy pastries would spark a lifelong love affair with Italian baking.
That teenage gig eventually took him from San Francisco’s North Beach to the pastry kitchens of Milan and Turin, where he honed his craft alongside master Italian pastry chefs.
Fast-forward nearly 50 years, and Gary is still making fresh bomboloni every morning at Emporio Rulli in downtown Larkspur. Light, fluffy, and filled with sweet goodness, these little Italian treats are more than just pastries. They’re a delicious bite of Gary’s history.
Don't Miss: Panettone, Macarons, Fruit Tarts
