Five on the Line: Sweet Treats on the Main Line

While I certainly never need a reason to eat dessert first, summer seems to provide a multitude of good excuses to pop in your local bakery for something sweet to eat. From family reunions to summer cookouts, there’s always a good reason to stop by your local sweets shop and pick up your favorite treat. And we are lucky to have a number of shops dedicated to just that, up and down Route 30. Here are five, although there are many more!

1.     Clay’s Creative Corner Bakery – Located on Lancaster Pike in Berwyn, Clay’s has prepared cakes in cases for those in need of a last-minute dessert, but for special occasions, you can order a cake to be decorated with whatever you can imagine. Clay’s also carries donuts, muffins, brownies, cupcakes, cookies and more. According to my daughters, a birthday cake from Clay’s is a necessity for any party. (Claim to Fame: Clay’s provided Joan Rivers with a cake for her 80th birthday while she was visiting QVC in West Chester.)

2.     Cupcakes Gourmet – With locations in Malvern, Wayne and Ardmore, Cupcakes Gourmet’s cupcakes are baked from scratch and hand frosted. And, with flavors like Triple Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cup (family favorites), they will satisfy even the sweetest sweet tooth. Flavors vary by day, so check out their website if you want to guarantee a specific flavor will be available (although I’ve never left without something delicious). Cupcakes are available in regular and mini sizes as well as Gluten-free.  And, if you stop in on your birthday and bring proper ID, you get a FREE Cupcake! (Claim to Fame:  Just voted Best Cupcake by the Main Line Times.)

3.     Dia Doce – You can’t miss their green truck as it rolls into your neighborhood. With flavors ranging from Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (brown sugar cake with mini chocolate morsels throughout, topped with cookie dough frosting and a mini cookie) to Cereal and Milk (butter cake with a cinnamon swirl topped with oat crumbles and cereal milk buttercream frosting) Dia Doce’s cupcakes are baked fresh every day. And, if you are hankering for a specially made cupcake, contact them and they will customize. Check out their Facebook page daily to find out when this yummy truck is in your neighborhood. (Claim to Fame: Dia Doce won Food Network’s Cupcake Wars in 2012.)

4.     The Bakery House – a sweet staple in Bryn Mawr since 1989, The Bakery House has a variety of treats, from pies to cakes to cookies. And it has a selection of lunch offerings including chicken pot pie, salads, soups and quiches. Walking in this bakery is like walking back in time. Whether picking up a hostess gift or dessert for the family, The Bakery House has everything you’ll need. (Claim to Fame: The Bakery House has been named Best Bakery by Main Line Today, and recently provided a cake for a charity event for the Hamel’s Foundation.)

5.     Hope’s Cookies – When we can’t decide between cookies or ice cream, we head to Hope’s Cookies, in Rosemont, where we can all get what we want. Milkshakes, cookies or ice cream, Hope’s serves it all. (And, when I am feeling particularly lazy, we head to Peace A Pizza next door for dinner first, and Hope’s for dessert!) Hope’s also ships and makes a great gift for kids away at college and/or camp. (Claim to Fame: Hope’s Cookies has been voted Best of Philly nine times since 1996.)