After a year’s worth of satisfying our sweet tooth, here’s what stuck out as 2016’s best treats.
Photos by Jessica Elizarraras
Suspiro Cake from Cuppencake 22211 W. I-10, Suite 1111, (210) 892-3010, cuppencake.com The delicate meringue frosting topped with fresh berries saved me from some of the worst rush hour traffic I’ve ever been stuck in. The moist cake below helped keep this dessert from getting too sweet. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Chocolate Acai Bowl from Rise Up Beverages 2202 Broadway, (210) 268-8009 There’s a few asterisks on this list. Technically, this bowl shouldn’t be considered dessert. If anything it’s an early morning post-yoga breakfast, but considering how tasty, filling and chocolate-y so we’re putting this one in the dessert pile. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Goat Cheese Caramel from Alamo Gelato Company 1420 S. Alamo St., (210) 788-8000, southalamode.com The best gelato maker in San Antonio continued having fun with ingredients this year. They’ll be going on winter hiatus soon, but if you get a chance to try this variety that mellows out the harshness of goat cheese with hints of sweet caramel. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Hong Kong Waffle cone from Paciugo’s 999 E. Basse Road, Suite 197, (210) 832-8820, paciugo.com Paciugo stepped up its vessel game by adding bubbly Hong Kong waffles to their lineup this summer. It made for fun combinations and the cake batter held the right amount of vanilla to complement most of their flavors. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Hong Kong Waffle from Ming’s Thing The Pearl Farmers Market, 5249 McCullough Ave., (210) 570-6318 Before Paciugo rolled up their waffles and topped them with ice cream, Ming’s Thing was serving them up hot at the farmers market with a drizzle of maple syrup, flurry of powdered sugar and a dab of butter. More breakfast than dessert, but sweet enough to make this list. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Lavender doughnut milkshake from Honeysuckle Tea Time honeysuckleteatime.com One of our favorite pop-ups this year could only be labeled as one thing: extra. Sarah Hinojosa and her team at catering company Honeysuckle Tea Time dazzled us with tea-infused baked goods that topped creamy milk shakes. But that wasn’t enough: the shakes were also topped with chocolate bark and meringues because when it comes to dessert, more is always more. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Matcha Cake from Jenn Riesman at Hotel Emma 136 E. Grayson St., (210) 448-8300, thehotelemma.com The best addition to San Antonio via Hotel Emma is pastry chef Jenn Riesman. Her desserts, found at Larder and Supper, are dreamy. Period. From the toffee rice krispie treats to flaky handpies, Riesman just gets what we’re in the mood for. One of her biggest hits was a balanced matcha cake during one of Supper’s monthly pop-ups. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Pumpkin Pie from Young Lion Pie Co. 2347 Nacogdoches Road, Jason Tantaros made us fall in love with pie all over again and he did it out of a truck with the assist of awesome coffee from Theory Coffee Co. The pumpkin pie made all store-bought pies look like Play-Doh creations and That. Crust. Tho. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Sawdust Pie from The Bread Box 555 W. Bitters Road, Suite 115, (210) 277-8612 Yes, the bakers at The Bread Box are bringing Bambino Hueys back in vogue, but have you had the Sawdust Pie? Described as the lovechild of a pecan pie and cake, Sawdust Pie lets you never have to choose between your two great loves (pie v cake) ever again. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Snow White donut from Art of Donut 24188 Boerne Stage Road, facebook.com/theartofdonut No, 2016 didn’t completely suck. We got our first doughnut trailer. The Snow White variety with raspberry and strawberry icing was extra fruity and bright. Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
Hiding the ring inside a paleta Just make sure it’s their favorite flavor. Photo by Jessica Elizarraras Credit: Jessica Elizarraras