Indulge in the edible creations of Delice French Bakery and Cafe, Fillings and Emulsions, Mrs. Backer’s Pastry Shop, RubySnap Cookies, and City Cakes. They aren’t just purveyors of delicious treats — they’re creators of edible art.

Delice French Bakery and Cafe

At Delice French Bakery, patrons are transported to a French cafe in the heart of Paris with each bite of their pastries. 

Pastry Chef Jean-Jacques Grossi has been delighting Salt Lake with his classic French recipes for more than 45 years — opening Normandie Bakery with his father and lending his expertise to many of Utah’s best bakeries. 

Together with Akbar Matinkhah, he opened Delice in 2018 to continue sharing his talents. From delicate macarons in vibrant hues to intricately layered mille-feuille, every creation at Delice is a testament to the artistry and precision of French pastry making. Each hand-crafted sweet bite is a visual treat that delights the eyes with elegant fruit tarts or twirls of chocolate shavings atop a frosted cake canvas.  

Fillings and Emulsions 

Fillings and Emulsions calls itself a Latin and eclectic bakery, taking a modern approach to pastry by infusing traditional techniques with innovative flavors and designs. 

Executive Chef and Founder of Fillings and Emulsions, Adalberto Diaz, has been honing his baking skills for 30 years by combining French techniques with his Cuban heritage. Bright and flavorful culinary creations are the result — from neon bright key lime and passion fruit cheesecakes to tres leches sponge cakes and guava pasteles. In 2012, he was named the Pastry Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation, and he has since been invited to appear on numerous televised baking competitions. 

Chef Al’s whimsical designs never fail to delight and showcase his creativity. Whatever you’re celebrating, every creation from Fillings and Emulsions is a veritable work of art in its own right. 

Mrs. Backer’s Pastry Shop 

Mrs. Backer’s Pastry Shop has been a beloved institution in Salt Lake City since 1941, delighting generations of customers with their flowered cakes. A bouquet of happiness blooms with the appearance of an immediately recognizable Backer’s cake (or cupcake). Delicate frosting petals show off intricate colors as the butter cream frosting flowers change with the seasons — think daffodils for spring — but always reflect the creativity that comes out of their custom-designed frosting tips. 

Mrs. Backer’s baked goods come with the nostalgia that arrived with the old wooden cookie presses brought from Germany to America. Their cakes may harken back to a bygone era, but Mrs. Backer’s timeless appeal and impeccable frosting flower craftsmanship ensure that they remain a staple of celebrations across Utah.

RubySnap Cookies

You know you want her cookies! Tami Steggell, founder of RubySnap Bakery changed Salt Lake’s cookie scene forever when she launched her WWII era-inspired bakery to celebrate the full flavor experience of real ingredients she’s come across by living and traveling abroad. For over a decade, Tami’s mantra has remained the same: If it isn’t wonderful, it doesn’t belong in your mouth!

Her seasonal, whimsical cookie creations are as delightful to look at as they are to eat — meticulously crafted with unique flavor combinations like Lola, featuring lemon zest panela curd, that reflect the playful spirit of the bakery. Each cookie is named after groundbreaking women: Frida with cocoa chile de arbol, and Betty filled with oatmeal, apricot and cherry. Every warm bite is a journey of flavor and texture. 

City Cakes 

It takes a true culinary artist to make vegan, gluten-free or soy-free cakes look and taste as decadently delicious as their traditional counterparts, but leave it to City Cakes owner Nanette Wessels to prove it can be done! 

Founded in 2010 and now baking from two locations, City Cakes uses vegan and plant-based ingredients carefully chosen to ensure optimal flavor and texture to craft stunning tiered wedding cakes that defy gravity with creative custom designs — and they all meet various dietary needs without compromising on taste or aesthetics. 

Whether for a birthday or other special occasion, their gluten-free cakes are made with alternative flours and ingredients for those with gluten sensitivities. They sacrifice nothing when it comes to flavor and moistness — impressing even the most discerning tastes. 

City Cakes dedication to quality and creativity results in visually captivating cakes that are nothing short of awe-inspiring. 

Edible Art to Devour

Salt Lake City is lucky to have a handful of bakeries that not only satisfy the city’s sweet tooths but are also bastions of delicious creativity and innovation, where pastry chefs are veritable artists and their creations are masterpieces. 

Treat yourself to a taste of edible art from one of these esteemed establishments, where you can not only appreciate a beautifully crafted cake and pastry, but find something truly artistic in store for you.

Feature Image: Fresh fruit tart from Delice French Bakery and Cafe. Photo by John Taylor.