If you are looking for sweets that are baked from scratch daily using high quality ingredients, and timeless taste, look no further. Vanilla Bake Shop has it all. The tiny shop on 5th and Wilshire has been
selling their yummy baked goods for years. All cakes, cupcakes, and cookies are made with real Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla, from the Bourbon Island off the coast of Africa, Guittard Chocolate from San Francisco, Callebaut Chocolate from Belgium, Sweet
Cream Butter from Challenge Dairy, and fresh berries from local farmers are all part of the secret. Before you even taste you know you're going to be eating top of the line sweets here! Cupcakes are delicious, moist and the frosting can't be beat. Regular
size is $3.50 and Cupcake Babies are 3 for $6. You can count on Daily flavors such as Vanilla Bean with vanilla bean cake and vanilla bean buttercream icing with sanding sugar decor, Mom's Birthday Cake-yellow cake, milk chocolate buttercream, and a pastel
flower, Southern Red Velvet, Bittersweet Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Vanilla Bean, and Cinnamon Vanilla. Each day there are five special varities baked as well, so call ahead to see what they are. The cupcake tower ($24) is great if you're entertaining
a crowd. Pies are available too, anything from Old Fashioned Apple Crisp (9" for $34) to Cheesecakes ($24-$44). Cookies are offered in Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip Toffee, Everything Cookies, Brownie Crackle, and Butter
Pecan Melt-Aways. Bar cookies ($3-$4) include lemon, caramel and brownies. My favorite desserts are the ice box desserts. The Dirt Cake is vanilla bean whipped cream, dark chocolate mousse, and dark chocolate cookie crumbs all layered in a tall shot glass.
The second runner up is the Southern Banana Pudding. Nilla Wafers, vanilla bean custard, sliced bananas, and vanilla whipped cream puts this over the top! Cakes can be custom ordered in many different flavors and start at around $40 for a 6" round. I'll bet
you can guess where my New Year's Eve desserts are coming from this year! Eight lucky people are going to enjoy dessert nirvana and you can too! Vanilla Bake Shop 512 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica (310) 458-6644 Hours: Mon-Sat: 9am-7pm. Also at
Century City Shopping Center Level 1 and Tom Bradley International Terminal-LAX
Recommended: Ice Box Desserts, Birthday Cakes.