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Your Guide to Desserts in the DC Area

From homey cakes and pies to Korean shaved ice and fancy soft-serve.

Written by Ann Limpert
, Jessica Sidman
, Ike Allen
and Nevin Martell
| Published on September 5, 2024
Tweet Share
Honey Semifreddo at Lutece. Photograph by Alex Lau.

Your Guide to Desserts in the DC Area

From homey cakes and pies to Korean shaved ice and fancy soft-serve.

Written by Ann Limpert
, Jessica Sidman
, Ike Allen
and Nevin Martell
| Published on September 5, 2024
Tweet Share
Contents
  1. Craving a Sweet Treat? Here Are the Best Desserts in the DC-Area.
  2. Welcome to Apple Fritter Season, DC
  3. Recipe: How to Bake Lemon Cookies Like Paola Velez
  4. 4 Bakers Who Craft Gorgeous Special Occasion Cakes Around DC

 

Craving a Sweet Treat? Here Are the Best Desserts in the DC-Area.

Our favorite desserts and pastries around Washington include decadent sundaes, cakes, and pies.

 


Back to Top

Welcome to Apple Fritter Season, DC

Here is where you can get your hands on the sticky, deep-fried dessert.

 


Back to Top

Recipe: How to Bake Lemon Cookies Like Paola Velez

In her new cookbook, the DC pastry chef calls these a cross between sugar cookies and lemonade.

 


Back to Top

4 Bakers Who Craft Gorgeous Special Occasion Cakes Around DC

Whether you want wow factor for a wedding or a showy centerpiece for a birthday bash, these bakers create cakes that pop on Instagram–and your palate.

More: FeaturesDessert
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Ann Limpert
Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.

Jessica Sidman
Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.

Ike Allen
Ike Allen
Assistant Editor
Nevin Martell
Contributing Writer

Nevin Martell is a food, travel, and foraging writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, USA Today, Men’s Journal, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, The Daily Beast, BBC, and many other publications. He is author of eight books, including Red Truck Bakery Cookbook: Gold-Standard Recipes from America’s Favorite Rural Bakery, Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip, and The Founding Farmers Cookbook: 100 Recipes From the Restaurant Owned by American Family Farmers. When he isn’t working, he loves spending time with his son, foraging for wild foods, and traveling.

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Related

Dolcezza Is Opening an H Street Gelateria—With Soft-Serve

Craving a Sweet Treat? Here Are the Best Desserts in the DC Area.

Welcome to Apple Fritter Season, DC

4 Bakers Who Craft Gorgeous Special Occasion Cakes Around DC

© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
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