Vegan with a Sweet Tooth

Dessert has always been my favorite part of any meal. So I was a little concerned about what desserts would still be available to me when I took the plunge and went vegan. It seems like there was a long period of slim pickings in the dessert department, but I have finally weathered that storm. If you're a vegan with a sweet tooth, here is a list of six local establishments that can help you feed that craving.

The most exciting dessert news I got after going vegan was that the fabulous Freeport Bakery offers a vegan chocolate cake. It has to be specially ordered at least 24 hours in advance, but the moist chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and filling is definitely worth it. I've taken a Freeport Bakery vegan chocolate cake to many potlucks in the past several years, and both vegans and non-vegans insist that it's the best chocolate cake they've ever eaten. If you want writing on the cake, they'll lay a small rectangle of marzipan on top of the cake and write your message in chocolate icing. One caveat: once you cut into it, it's best to just go ahead and finish the whole cake, as it tends to dry out quickly otherwise. More information about Freeport Bakery, which is located at 2966 Freeport Boulevard, is available at their website: http://freeportbakery.com/.

As far as I'm concerned, the best vegan ice cream on the planet can be found across the street from C. K. McClatchy High School at Here's the Scoop! They usually have a few flavors of soy-based ice cream available, including Mint Chocolate Chip, Vanilla, Blueberry, and my personal favorite, Very Cherry Chip. They also make bon bons, molding their soy ice cream into little balls and coating them with dark chocolate. Here's the Scoop! is located at 3051 Freeport Boulevard. They don't appear to have a website, but if you'd like more information, their telephone number is 916-446-4478.

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op offers a nice variety of vegan desserts. Their bakery display case in the Deli section of the store includes vegan baked goods such as cookies, brownies, and muffins from Sunflower Baking Company, Bennett's Bakery, and Old Soul. The refrigerated case next to the produce section includes pies, cakes, and cupcakes from Sugar Plum Vegan. The vegan dessert that I have to buy every time I go to the Co-op, though, is the incredibly wonderful Cherry Dream Cheesecake made by Earth Cafe, packaged in individual wedges. Not only is it vegan, it's also organic and raw. Seriously, it just doesn't get any better than this. The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is located at 1900 Alhambra Boulevard and their website address is http://www.sacfoodcoop.com/.

Speaking of Sugar Plum Vegan, their cafe offers a wide variety of vegan baked goods. Sugar Plum Vegan was a bakery before it was a cafe, and I still think that the best items offered in their cafe are their desserts. They have vegan cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, pies, cheesecakes, streusels, doughnuts -- need I go on? Sugar Plum Vegan Cafe is located at 2315 K Street, and their website address is http://www.sugarplumvegan.com.

I guess reasonable minds can differ as to whether doughnuts are dessert or breakfast. But you can't argue with the fact that the vegan doughnuts served at Doughbot are so good that they ought to be eaten for breakfast and dessert. The flavors vary, but one morning last week, the vegan doughnuts offered at Doughbot included PB&J, Lemon Lavender, Maple, Vanilla Bean, and Blood Orange. Doughbot is located at 2226 10th Street. They have a website, but the information on their Facebook page is more current. It can be found at https://www.facebook.com/doughbotdonuts#!/doughbotdonuts?sk=info.

Vanilla Bean Gourmet in midtown offers an impressive assortment of cupcakes. While they don't routinely sell vegan cupcakes in the shop, they will make them by special order with 24-hour advance notice. I actually haven't tried them yet but wanted to include information about the shop in case anyone is in the market for vegan cupcakes. If you try them, please let me know what you think. Vanilla Bean Gourmet is located at 1809 S Street (next to Safeway), and their website address is http://www.vanillabeangourmet.com/#!.

If you have any recommendations for other bakeries or restaurants that offer vegan desserts, I'd love to hear about them. You can never have too much dessert!