East End Sweets: Beyond Cookies at Tate’s Bake Shop
August 28, 2012 | East End Eats
Tate's chocolate chip cookies are distinctive: perfectly flat, deep caramel brown, speckled with chocolate, and crunchy all the way though. And flavors reach far beyond the classic chocolate chip. There’s oatmeal raisin, double chocolate chip, white chocolate with macadamia nuts, whole wheat chocolate chip, and even a chipless chocolate chip. Aside from cookies, which are sold in just about every Hamptons and NYC market, Tate’s also serves delicious cakes and sweets, which are exclusive to its Southampton bakery. Here are a few of our favorites.
Apple Walnut Cake: A hearty snack served in large rectangular wedges. It’s the sort of apple cake a grandmother bakes, and serves with tea, of course. The surface is a tad crunchy, with a light sprinkling of sugar, and the plush interior is sweetened with brown sugar, tender chunks of baked apple, and toasted walnuts. It’s perfect for breakfast, dessert, or afternoon tea.
Cream Cheese Brownie: These are a godsend for those who love fudgy brownies. Each dense and decadent square has nearly equal parts semisweet chocolate brownie and cream cheese topping. The cream cheese is generously swirled into the batter and the best bites are where chocolate and whipped cream cheese meet.
Marie Antoinette Cake: This colorful and extravagant confection lives up to its name. From bottom-to-top, layers go like this: buttery yellow cake, raspberry jam, raspberry buttercream, über-moist chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and a final layer of yellow cake. The whole thing is covered in vanilla butter cream and topped with a marzipan and apricot glaze. Cake crumbs and almonds are pressed into the sides to fully dress the cake.
—KATHY YL CHAN
