Susina Bakery

I have a few favorite cake bakeries in San Francisco (Tartine, Delessio, Schubert's), but in Los Angeles my favorites are spread all over the county. This trip, I paid a visit to Susina, my favorite place for a fruit filled chiffon cake with whipped cream. They call their version the Berry Blossom Cake. It's expensive as far as cake goes ($6 a slice; $35 for a whole cake) but the huge, fresh, sweet berries are used generously and the whipped cream tastes light and fresh. I also like the meringue chips they use to cover the cake for their light crunch.

I'd never sat and enjoyed a slice of cake at the bakery, but it was a great place to sit with a book while I killed an hour. I had an interesting Japanese Cherry tea made by Art of Tea: green tea, rose petals, and cherry blossoms (?). Light and fragrant, though the quality of the green tea was slightly lacking--typical for flavored teas.

A closer shot of the cake. It's really one of my favorites anywhere. It's deceptively light and fluffy, and the contrast of tart berries to sweet cake and cream means I could probably eat half a cake before slowing down. Dangerous, huh?