🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <vJmdnSlK6O3aYKfcRVn-sw@comcast.com>, "Paul Green" <pgreen @ 
comcast.net> says...
> Who makes a decent chocolate cake (with good chocolate icing) here in
> Northern Montgomery County? There used to be a fine, old-style bakery in
> Aspen Hill (not all that Northern, but doable), but it is long gone. I am
> tired of mediocre grocery store cakes, with their Crisco icing. I am shocked
> and horrified by some of the fancier bakeries, with their pretty cakes that
> taste as if they were made from sawdust. Someone once told me that the Giant
> Gourmet makes a decent cake, but that was back when there actually was a
> local grocery chain called "Giant" that actually baked its own stuff. Will I
> have to bake my own? What is a chocolate cake lover to do?
> 
> [While I know that most of this board's traffic has migrated to Chowhound,
> hope springs eternal.]
> 
> And if I may wax nostalgic for a second, I well recall walking into one of
> those old-style bakeries as a kid and almost going crazy over the wonderful
> aromas.  The Aspen Hill bakery (I can't even remember the name, except that
> I think it may have started with an "E"--it was next to the hardware store
> that no longer exists) was one of those.  I suppose the other question is
> will I do better just buying a cake mix, and whipping up some good icing
> (even Alton Brown concedes that it is hard to do better than a good mix
> cake)?
> 
> Paul
> 
Oh yeah - that was Eradford's - I remember it well.  (Sorry, couldn't 
resist.)

Many people rave about Costco's cakes.  I've heard praise for all the 
varieties they sell, including the monster chocolate cakes I've seen in 
their stores, but never tried.  They look pretty deadly.  I have peeked 
at the ingredient labels for the various Costco cakes, and they seem to 
use decent quality ingredients, and not skimp on the more expensive 
items like butter and chocolate.

I've seen a "German Bakery" that recently opened in a shopping center on 
Muddy Branch Road in Gburg.  I don't know the name of the center, but 
it's the one with a Giant, Radio Shack, Chop Stix, etc.  

A couple of years ago I would already have notches in my fork handle for 
all the Costco cake varieties, the bakery on Muddy Branch and all the 
rest, but I'm steering clear of the more flagrant sweets these days, so 
I can offer my own opinions on the quality of any of the above.

Bob