National Dessert Day is celebrated Oct. 14, and there are plenty of bakeries in Syracuse for those passionate about satisfying their sweet tooth. Whether you love chocolate or need a vegan fix, here are five desserts for every appetite from area shops:

For the Pumpkin Lover

What you should get: Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcake

Where you’ll get it: Strong Hearts Cafe
719 E Genesee St, Syracuse, NY 13210
315-478-0000

What you’ll spend: $3.50 ($3.75 after tax)
Distance from campus: .5 miles

From the first bite this cupcake exploded with sweetness and flavor. The cupcake’s consistency was squishy and moist, with the mini chocolate chips adding an extra texture between pumpkin and cinnamon flavors.

Joel Capolongo (Co-owner): 

“Pumpkin flavored everything is everywhere, so I would say this is probably one of our best sellers right now. The actual cupcake itself has pumpkin puree in it, so it’s not just the frosting. The frosting itself has cinnamon, so it has a kind of cinnamon-nutmeg flavor to it. The actual cake is flavored with pumpkin puree, so every bite you’ll get that pumpkin flavor, then every other bite you’ll get a chocolate chip.”

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For the Doughnut Devourer

What you should get: Sweet potato doughnut
Where you’ll get it: Picasso’s Pastries and Cafe

466 Dell St, Syracuse, NY 13210
315-474-1700

What you’ll spend: $1 (no tax)
Distance from campus: .9 miles

Baked fresh every morning, this seasonal good had a light and airy consistency that was amplified by the crunchiness of the cinnamon-sugar glaze.

David Zaczynski (Co-owner/baker): 

“We have the sweet potato doughnut all day, all year-round. It’s fairly spiced, has nutmeg, a little bit of clove and a little bit of ginger in there. It’s baked then it’s put in a light cinnamon-sugar glaze that goes over it.”

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For the Chocolate Chipper

What you should get: Chocolate chip cookie

Where you’ll get it: Brighton Bakery
335 E Brighton Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210
315-475-2948

What you’ll spend: $1 or six for $5
Distance from campus: 1.6 miles

Great for the size and price, the overload of chocolate chips was necessary to what would otherwise be a normal cookie. Overall, a solid option to share with a friend and dip into a glass of milk.

Mark Stefanski (Owner): 

“It’s a homemade recipe and we put extra chocolate chips in them. We make them fresh every day, every other day. I used to deliver them to a lot of grocery stores and convenient stores. We would wrap them and they used to buy them that way. And they’re a dollar a piece, so that’s a good deal right there. Because they’re baked in the brick ovens and that makes good bread and makes good cookies, so maybe that’s what makes them so good.”

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For the Brownie Bad*ss

What you should get: Chocolate brownie

Where you’ll get it:  Harrison Bakery
1306 W Genesee St, Syracuse, NY 13204
315-422-1468

What you’ll spend: $1 (no tax)

Distance from campus: 3 miles

Try this chocolate confection. With the slight tang of salt and super sweet frosting, the walnuts in this brownie were the best part, adding the needed crunch with their roasted flavor.

Michael Rothfeld (Owner): 

“It’s scratch brownie that’s topped with our own scratch recipe icing. It’s difficult for people to duplicate, because it’s not a box mix, it’s not something you can get out of a bag; it’s our own scratch mix. It’s nothing of mass production; we’ve stayed using this mix for over 60 years and it hasn’t changed over the years.”

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For the Cannoli Connoisseur

What to get: Chocolate chip cannoli

Where you’ll get it: Geddes Bakery
421-423 S Main St, North Syracuse, NY 13212
315-437-8084

What you’ll spend: $1.95 (no tax)
Distance from campus: 7.7 miles

Although this cannoli’s shell lacked a satisfying crunch, the homemade ricotta cheese was thick and creamy enough to pack the usual flavor of a cannoli. The chocolate chips were the real game changer, though, that sets it aside from the rest.

John Pappas (Co-owner/Baker):

“We have over 200 pastries here, but in the chocolate chip (cannoli) there’s a ricotta cheese, we dip it in the chocolate chips and dip it into confectionary sugar. We have our own recipe to make the cheese. The cannoli’s been around for a long time, a lot of people have them. We’ve had them ever since I can remember. It’s just something people enjoy.”

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For the campus main-stays

To satisfy your sweet tooth around campus for National Dessert Day, check out these hidden gems:

Milkshakes at the Junction
The walk up Mount Olympus will be worth it for an extra-thick milkshake at the snack shop located underground between Day and Flint Halls.

Pastries at People’s Place
Not nearly enough people know about People’s Place, the little coffee shop downstairs in Hendricks Chapel. Stop by for a quick doughnut, croissant or bagel at a super affordable price.

FroYo at Freshens
Located in Goldstein Student Center on South Campus, stop by Freshens to grab a generous serving of frozen yogurt, plus whatever toppings your heart desires. When you’re done, you can pay using SUpercard money.

Published on October 13, 2015 at 10:42 pm

Contact: kasotelo@syr.edu