Food lovers who always order dessert: Voting is now open for Food and Wine's The People's Best New Pastry Chef competition, and two Los Angeles up-and-coming sweets stars are in the running for the Best of the West region. more ›

A spontaneous Internet search schooled us in one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite foods - pecan pie. Historians say the southern gentleman loved the nutty, crusty dessert, which is believed to have originated in New Orleans. Below are six Los Angeles eateries offering some of the best in pecan pie. Go on, abandon that new year's resolution today and indulge in honor of Dr. King. more ›

A new L.A. delivery service brings freshly baked, all natural artisan goods directly to your door in a charming woven basket. Treatsa's treats, including cookies, brownies, cakelettes and seasonal eats, are delivered the following day after an order is placed and the same day the treats exit the oven. Chef Jamie Cantor, The French Laundry alumnus, uses one ingredient in delicious abundance - butter. She's bringing the fat back to L.A., and we approve. more ›

With over 70 craft beers on tap, a former movie theatre as a space, and plenty of veggie and vegan dishes on their largely locally-sourced menu, Mohawk Bend earned its rep as Echo Park's food/drink scene and be seen spot before they even opened. When it comes to light bites and beer (beer, beer!) Mohawk Bend really delivers. more ›

L.A.'s Best Bartender and Top Chef Just Desserts Judge Johnny Iuzzini talks about what makes a great cocktail experience, where he eats in Los Angeles, and season 2 of TV's 'Top' sweets competition. more ›

From hand-made pastries to artisanal ice cream shops, there are countless ways to satisfy cravings for a sugary treats in Los Angeles. The city is home to award winning pastry chefs like Richard Ruskell at the Montage Beverly Hills (winner of of Last Cake Standing), and bakers throughout Southern California who can whip up authentic treats from around the world. At Culina, pastry chef Federico Fernandez makes desserts that honor traditional Italian flavors with a modern flair. more ›

In honor of July's National Ice Cream Month, Be Food Smart has created a tasty little flowchart to help indulgers score the nutritious value of their frozen treats. Each healthy answers scores you two scoops, with each unhealthy choice subtracting two scoops. more ›

Los Angeles might be the land of the doughnut shop, but in some fine dining restaurants, doughnuts are an elegant and delightful way to end a meal. For the past couple of years, National Doughnut Day was celebrated on June 3rd at Neal Fraser's Grace. Now, in its stead, Fraser's other eatery, BLD, is picking up the torch frying oil, and is offering a special Doughnut Day Flight next Friday. more ›

Forget the slowly sagging carved wonder on your front steps--pumpkins are for eating, and we've got a few picks for some great pumpkin eats and drinks at Los Angeles restaurants and bakeries. Some are seasonal, some are year 'round, and some you might have to follow on Twitter to find. There's no trick here...just treats! more ›

The new reality food show Top Chef: Just Desserts debuts tonight on the Bravo network, and to celebrate, bakeries, sweets shops, and restaurants all over Los Angeles, and the nation have freebies to give away. more ›

For its inaugural event, Savor Los Angeles will offer guests a sweet escape for a very good cause. Presented by Parallel Lines, the dessert-centric food event will bring together like-minded businesses who focus on using fresh and organic ingredients, alternatives to sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, provide vegan options, and, well, that are just simply delicious. more ›

L.A.'s best cupcake shop--that's just, like, an opinion, man--recently introduced a line of cupcake mixes so you can rock out at home and impress your friends. The $13 mixes make 18 cupcakes and include the mix, liners, frosting and any toppings if necessary (like pink sugar crystals for the vanilla flavor). The flavors offered--Red Velvet, Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate, Black Tie (dark chocolate), pumpkin and others--are basically the same as what you can buy already-made at Famous Cupcake's Valley Village and Beverly Hills locations. more ›

Hey, it's National Grilled Cheese Month (you've been celebrating daily, right?), so what better time to visit dessert eatery than now? Syrup Desserts in downtown is a cafe that focuses on lattes, cappuccino, coffees and teas along with a melted chocolate, waffles, crepes, ice cream sandwiches and more. The last page of their menu, however, is where they start mixing it up. more ›

Warm temps, your sweet tooth, and a love of free stuff might propel you to a Ben & Jerry's location today to take advantage of their annual Free Cone Day. From Noon to 8 p.m. customers at one of the half-dozen Los Angeles-area scoop shops (including Burbank, Arcadia, Tustin, and the Howard Hughes Center) can scoop up the freebie. You might want to check out one of their three new flavors, too: Maple Blondie, Peanut Brittle, and Milk & Cookies. Why give out free cones? Why not, right? Go get 'em, guys. more ›

We weren't kidding yesterday when we said there was a day for pretty much any foodstuff you can conjure, and, in that spirit, break out the bunny ears, because today happens to be National Carrot Cake Day. more ›

Although it soft opened last month, Sweet Surrender Cupcake and Candy Shop in Las Vegas' Palazzo officially announced its opening today, on National Cupcake Day, of course. Besides the more pedestrian cupcake flavors like red velvet, lemon strawberry and chocolate ganache, the superstar sweet treat is the "Decadence D’Or." Retail price: $750.00. more ›

Personally, Famous Cupcakes from Valley Village (now in Beverly Hills, too) takes the cake when it comes to best cupcakes in Los Angeles. It's not about buzz or the crazy themed flavors, it's the cake part. Everyone can do frosting, but the true test is the cake part. Is it moist? Full of flavor? Could you eat it without the frosting? That's just me, though. more ›

LAist is hunting for the best local hot chocolate. Earlier this week we visited the popular Intelligentsia. Today we head to NOLA Ice in Sherman Oaks. more ›

It's just about Halloween, so why not have a four-day fall open house with different free samples each day? That's what Valerie Confections on West 1st Street (Beverly/Virgil) is doing, starting with their famous version of Coffee Crunch Cake from Blum's Bakery today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They'll also be sampling Blum’s Lemon Crunch Cake. The full schedule of treats can be found here. more ›

Last fall we talked with Samantha Page and Camilla Yates, whose delectable Sweet Square dessert bars were available by order for fans of hand-held treats that don't involve the word "cupcake." If you didn't have the chance or occasion to order up a batch of their squares, you might find yourself somewhere in the city where you can bite into one of their bars. more ›

Yesterday not only marked the last day of September, but also the last event at a vegan festival (of sorts) called 30 Days of Celebrating Being Vegan. Bakers and those with a sweet tooth gathered at 2 Headed Horse Production/Art Studio on Glendale Boulevard for the event last night, which benefited Compassion Over Killing. more ›

Dutch Apple. Cherry. Banana Cream. Chocolate Peanut Butter. Almond Mocha. Lemon Meringue. Strawberry-Rhubarb. Blueberry. Black-Bottom. Mixed Berry. Banana Caramel Cheesecake. Pie, glorious pie! That list might make you drool, but for the culinarily-inclined, it might make you feel inspired to break out your baking dishes and best recipe to enter KCRW's Good Food Pie Bake-off. more ›

For Emily Zaiden, her popsicle business started with how all delicious things should begin: with an undaunting passion for the food she loves, in this case, desserts. "I've always been a frozen dessert fanatic," the Echo Park resident, Laurel Canyon native, explained over the phone from her company kitchen. "In elementary school for the inventions convention, I invented an ice cream flavor," she said with a laugh. more ›

Chicagoist finds that a bakery is selling cookies with the face of Michael Jackson on it and ponders... "While we found something tragic about eating Michael Jackson's face, these cookies got us thinking, are there any celebrities we would actually like to see be displayed on food items upon their death? Would you want to stretch out and chew on pink Spencer Pratt face taffy or slice and devour a Kim Jong Il face cake? Or would you feel better eating a beloved Katherine Heigl face scone? Ok. We're creeped out. No more face dessert." more ›

The popular rotisserie chicken and french fries joint Reddi Chick at the Brentwood Country Mart will be serving free ice cream today from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The eatery is not exactly an ice cream shop--they serve the basic soft serve chocolate and vanilla in a cup or cone--but if you're in the area, free helps in this economy, right? more ›

One of the most consistent tips police give retail business owners along Ventura Blvd. is to leave cash registers empty and open over night to show potential burglars there's nothing to steal. However, that doesn't mean they'll try anyway. more ›

They just won't go away. Not even eclipse-able by Frozen Yogurt, the ubiquitous cupcake has held Los Angeles in its sugary, frosted, portable grip for the past few years, and doesn't seem to be letting go. In today's LA Times, food writer Mary MacVean looks into the cupcake phenomenon and tries to unravel its sweet mystery. Why do we still adore cupcakes? more ›

Fans of cupcakes, rejoice! Next Sunday, you can bask in the glory of your favorite baked goodies as many of Los Angeles' top cupcake-makers gather at the Nesquik Cupcake Challenge. more ›

Like most places, sales have been sluggish at Cold Stone storefronts across the nation in the current economy. Loyal customers who visit the store 2.3 times a month on average are coming in less. And although they have closed 100 stores, they are opening new ones and are now adding new items to hopefully boost sales. more ›

The area where Venutra Blvd. meets Woodman Ave in Sherman Oaks is known as one of Los Angeles' great restaurant rows. more ›