Cafe Vanille - Delicious Desserts!

I recently had to bring in some treats to celebrate my co-workers birthday.  Last time I had to do this, a mere two weeks earlier, I brought in a dozen cupcakes from Isabelle's Curly Cakes, while a tasty hit with my colleagues, they were an even bigger hit to my wallet.  This time I wanted to try something else, equally as delicious but a little less expensive.  Also, this being right after the cookie swap and being the end of the week, I just did not feel like making something from scratch (lazy I know).

Somehow I manage to overlook Cafe Vanille when I am looking for desserts.  I generally go there for a sandwich, breakfast croissants, or breads, but rarely do I take advantage of their cakes and other treats.  Recently though, the Beacon Hill section of Boston.com ran an article on Cafe Vanille and their Yule Log Cakes, so it was one my mind for desserts.  So I decided I would give it a go for this occasion.  Even better, they are open super early so I was able to go right before work.  (I did, however, have a back-up plan if this failed).

That morning the cases were filled with all kinds of mouth watering treats, from mousse cakes, to tarts, to cookies.  Each looked better than the other!  I was trying to think about how could actually just pick one.  For me, I would have gone immediately to the chocolate, no matter what is on a dessert menu, I generally order the chocolate one.  However, this was not for me, but for a co-worker.  So I had to think about others (God Forbid!).  That and it being just after the holidays where most people feel like they have over-indulged (I know I did), chocolate did not need like the answer.  I decided on the Annabella cake, which is a classic pound cake topped with cranberries and meringue. 

Picture from Cafe Vanille's Website

This cake was such a fantastic break from the sweet norm.  Not only was the pound cake nice and thin, less than an inch.  The meringue was light and fluffy, such a great change of pace from frosting of any sort.  It is hard to tell when looking at it, but the meringue was about 2 inches high and all of it was mixed with tons of cranberries, which added such a surprisingly nice tart flavor to the pound cake.  Even better, my co-workers thought it was delicious and appreciated the break from the more traditional cakes.  So in addition to being a great tasting cake that is a super change of pace from the holiday sweetness craze, the cake was actually only about $16.50.

Next time you are looking for a great dessert that not only tastes great but is not overly expensive, go to Cafe Vanille, you will not be disappointed!

Oh, breakfast and lunch are great there too!