Buns: Cherry sticky buns from the bakery at Potenza. The tart cherries paired with the sweet, buttery dough keep me coming back.

Cake: Caramelita at Les Halles DC (RIP). If anyone knows where the Les Halles pastry chef is now, I’d like to hunt her/him down just for this cake.

Runner-up: White chocolate mousse cake, Watergate Pastry, Foggy Bottom

Croissant: Pain au chocolat, Patisserie Poupon, Georgetown. Authentic and baked fresh. No weird aftertaste from the butter/oil from the pastry, as with lesser versions.

Chocolate mousse: Patisserie Poupon, Georgetown. Comes in a crunchy chocolate shell.

Cookie: Lemon drop cookie, Praline Bakery, Bethesda, MD. Buttery cookie with tangy icing.

Cupcake:  Gianduja, Hello Cupcake, Dupont Circle. At room temperature, the ganache icing eats like a rich pudding. Refrigerated, like a chocolate truffle.

Egg tart: Portuguese natas at Nando’s Chicken, Gallery Place/Dupont/etc. With a bruleed top, it’s not your typical egg tart. 

Frozen yogurt: Green tea, Tangysweet, Dupont Circle/Gallery Place.

Ice cream: Coconut gelato, Boccato Gelato, Arlington, VA. With toasted coconut bits.

Macaroon: Praline Bakery, Bethesda, MD. Generously sized French macaroons, great selection of flavors. Now only if they were cheaper!

Mango sticky rice: Kanlaya, Gallery Place. Your fork cuts through the mango like buttah.

Milkshake: Toasted marshmallow, Good Stuff Eatery. The toasted marshmallow flavor permeates the whole shake. Order one more than you think you want. People will become reluctant to share.

Peach cobbler: Teaism (seasonal), Penn Quarter. A flaky, buttery shortbread sits on top of perfectly spiced peaches for just $3.

Pie: Key lime, Ray’s the Steaks, Arlington, VA. Best key lime pie I’ve come across so far.

Runner-up: Chocolate silk, Wildfire (seasonal), McLean, VA. A chocolatey filling in a chocolate cookie crust.

**Send nominations for your best of DC to pievcake@gmail.com**