Inside Barberet Bakery’s glass cases in downtown Lancaster, flaky croissants and luscious eclairs, crème brûlée and madeleines beckon alluringly. Delicately crusted cookies in ethereal orange, shimmering gold, raspberry red and lime green nest in neat rows, hue by hue. These all are truly feasts for the eyes…but wait until you bite in. Expect to be spoiled in the most delightful way.
You may have even come to Barberet for dinner at the Bistro, but simply knowing all these goodies were guided into being by the hands of The Master — by a pastry chef who has cooked for the famed Le Bec-Fin and created a wedding cake for Donald and Melania — wouldn’t you consider turning to dessert as an entrée? Why not? At Chez Cedric, everyone simply must sample these taste-of-a-lifetime sweet treats.
Chocolate Lava Flow
Chef Cedric’s Moelleux au Chocolat mimics a thin upper crust of dark, fertile earth, which, when cut into, releases flowing hot lava. The fabulously molten liquid pouring out will linger long on your tongue, delivering the richest, chocolaty-ist flavor ever. Scoop in some of the fawn-brown coffee ice cream that accompanies the cake, meshing it with chocolate liquid for a prized flavor experience, a very cool flavor-mystery of gastronomical physics.
So many molten cakes are more cake than lava, but this one’s the opposite. And the homemade ice cream is insane in the best possible way. (Caution: It will be very hard to enjoy store-bought ice cream hereafter.) And one thing’s for sure: You will NOT need a cup of coffee with this dessert because it’s already right here, intensely espresso-ed and embellished with coffee bean crunchies. A stellar ending to any meal.
Equally lovely, artfully created and lovingly prepared, are Barberet’s gorgeous fruit tarts (try the Lemon Tart with Italian meringue), stunning truffles, Napoléons. There are creamy interiors tucked inside sculptural pastry puffs…and much more. This bakery is simply packed with elegant goodness.
So, carpe diem! Seize the day and let Barberet become the sweetest destination of your — and your valentine’s — year.
