View more Ohio Bakeries and Pastry Shops.
Just about everyone loves some kind of baked good, and when you don't feel like firing up the oven, a bakery can be your best friend. Folks in Ohio are lucky enough to have an a-bundt-dance of shops specializing in everything from cupcakes to artisanal breads to scones. To help you find the best in bread...er, breed, we've put together a list—in no particular order—highlighting 8 of the our favorites.
A focus on cute (and delicious!) cupcakes and friendly customer service nabbed the Confectionary Cupboard the enviable position of number one bakery on the 2015 Cleveland Hotlist. The shop is famous for its cupcakes, but it also does larger cakes for weddings and birthdays, as well as macarons and other tasty treats. An ever-changing, seasonal menu overflowing with variety means that every day really is "the perfect day for a cupcake."
The founders of this combination bakery/cafe have a simple philosophy: "Create good, healthy things, nourish one another, and the world will become a better place." Different hand-crafted breads are baked on a weekly schedule, and sold alongside cookies, pastries, and fresh-made breakfast and lunch specialties. The company also offers seasonal breads and treats, available for a limited time throughout the year.
Visitors to the Toledo Museum of Art might know this bakery best for its luscious cupcakes, which are served in the Museum Cafe. Founded in 1987, Eston's Bakery is a gourmet, cake-centric bakery famous for its icing and the beauty of owner/baker Chef Esterson's creations. Nearly three decades after opening, it's a Toledo favorite for exceptional wedding and birthday cakes, as well as cheesecake-infused delights—all available for local delivery to home or office.
Started by two friends from Las Vegas, NV in 1997, this franchise bakery has since gone nationwide and brought its bundt-based business model to the Buckeye State. Built on a commitment to fresh ingredients and exceptional customer service, Nothing Bundt Cakes is the go-to indulgence for bundt-cake lovers.
This multi-award winning bakery has taken home honors from wedding sites such as The Knot and WeddingWire since 2011. Their wedding cakes may be the star of the show, but this Cincinnati favorite also turns out fine pastries, birthday and event cakes, and a wide selection of upscale cupcakes, cookies and pies.
Some bakeries become local legends for their cake, or their pies, or cookies. And some, like Ann's Pastry Shop in Wadsworth, draw fans from near and far with their doughnuts. Serving up the "long john" doughnuts known to locals as "creme sticks" since 1959, Ann's has a fiercely loyal, multi-generational clientele that happily evangelizes about the life-changing powers of the bakery's pastries. Of course, it's not all about the doughnuts; Ann's also offers a selection of cakes, pies, breads, and desserts—including several gluten-free options for those who want a treat without the wheat.
Beautiful, elegant wedding cakes are just the beginning at this Southwest Ohio bakery. In addition to custom, hand-crafted cakes for weddings, birthdays, and other events, this shop also offers their take on an Ohio's favorite: Buckeye candies. You'll also find your tastebuds tempted by brownies, cupcakes, cheesecake squares, fine pastries, and seasonal offerings.
You might feel like you're taking a trip back in time when you visit this out-of-the-way wonder near Jackson. Famous for "doughnuts the size of your head," Four-Mile also offers its visitors a taste of old-fashioned breads, candies, pies, and pastries (hand-made whoopie pies, anyone?)—along with hearty, stick-to-your-ribs cooking. If you're too full from all these treats, fine meats and cheeses, ice cream, and seasonal delights such as apple cider still make the trip to Four-Mile a worthwhile adventure at any time of year.