The story below is a preview from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Roanoke bakers and confectioners offer giftable cakes, swoon-inducing pavlova, freeze-dried candy and more.
Courtesy of Petals & Sugar
It’s no secret that Roanoke is spoiled for choice when it comes to baked goods and sweets. But this holiday season, the treats forecast promises to be the sweetest on record. From international delights like French macarons to novelty holiday sweets like Grinchmas cookies and cranberry pound cake, these are the season’s most sought after confections to gift or treat yourself.
Southern Sisters Desserts
Owned by Tamera Mack
Est. 2023
Courtesy of Southern Sisters Desserts
Fun Fact: Mack grew up with five sisters and is the first person in her family to own a small business.
Courtesy of Southern Sisters Desserts
Culinary Inspo: As a kid, Mack sometimes helped her mom and grandma who were head cooks at Little Chef and Happy’s Flea Market. “I loved seeing how they had regular customers who came to see them all the time. As well as the conversations, smiles and laughter that lit up the restaurants.”
Signature Sweets: Banana pudding cookies, each one swirled with white chocolate chips and vanilla wafers, then capped with a vanilla wafer cookie and drizzled with white chocolate ganache. Fruity pebble crunch cake, featuring a golden vanilla cake studded with the fruity cereal, iced with buttercream frosting and strewn with Fruity Pebble crunch topping.
Holiday Offerings: Southern pecan pie and Grinchmas cookies, festive green, butter-flavored crinkle sugar cookies topped with edible red hearts and a green chocolate ganache drizzle.
Where to Find: Follow Southern Sisters Desserts on Facebook for pop-up announcements or place orders through social media and southernsistersdesserts.com.
Petals & Sugar
Owned by Leslie Doerfler
Est. 2016
Courtesy of Petals & Sugar
Fun Fact: Leslie comes from a family of home bakers and as a kid she perused her library’s baking section to pore over baking and candy making books.
Confectionary Philosophy: “I make art, it’s just art that tastes good.”
Signature Sweet: Macarons. “I’ve been told they’re better than those found in France by multiple people including European trained chefs!”
Courtesy of Petals & Sugar
Don’t Sleep On: Pavlovas, an airy meringue that’s crisp on the outside and pillowy inside. The pavlovas are typically made with a baked vanilla bean shell, filled—NY cheesecake and lemon curd are the fan-favorites—then topped with chocolate shavings or fresh fruit such as strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, and capped off with edible gold leaf.
Holiday offerings: At Thanksgiving look for Turkey-shaped macarons and cake pops, as well as mini and large pumpkin pies. For Christmas, expect a variety of themed macarons, meringues and novelty cake pops like snowmen, Santa hats and lumps of coal. Pre-order pies, pavlovas and gingerbread, and book holiday dessert tables for end-of-year get-togethers and holiday parties.
Where to Find: Salem Farmers Market every Saturday, pop-ups at events like Grandin Chillage and the Honey Festival or places such as the Virginia Museum of Transportation and Golden Cactus Brewery. Custom orders can be placed via social media, at petalsandsugar.com or email at petalsandsugar@gmail.com.
By the Dozen
Want to learn about more local businesses at the ready to satisfy your sweet tooth, including By the Dozen, Grat-i-fi-cake-tion and Big Daddy's Munchies? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below!
The story above is a preview from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!