Dessert topping recipe: Fruit with allspice
Spice up your fruit dessert toppings with allspice this season.
Problem Solved
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., should be on your travel list. Three of its dessert shops have been ranked among the best in the country by USA Today readers as part of the publication’s 2025 10BEST awards.
These Saratoga sweet spots were the only ones from New York — and among just a few from the Northeast — to be recognized in the national rankings.
Here’s a closer look at the Capital Region’s award-winning dessert destinations:
Darling Doughnuts: 4th best doughnut shop in the U.S.
Ranking: No. 4 in USA Today 10BEST: Best Donut Shop 2025
Previous Rank: No. 7 in 2024
Since opening in 2020, Darling Doughnuts has wowed visitors with its ever-changing menu and creative treats — most notably its exclusive “Doughrogies,, a sweet twist on pierogies, filled with dessert fillings and topped with glazes.
Top 10 doughnut shops
Donald’s Donuts – Zanesville, OhioCity Donut – Orange Beach, Ala.The Bakery Unlimited – Winterset, IowaDarling Doughnuts – Saratoga SpringsBack Door Donuts – Oak Bluffs, Mass.SK Donuts & Croissant – Los AngelesBenny’s Donuts – Corvallis, Ore.Donnie’s Donuts – AtlantaBlue Star Donuts – Portland, Ore.Long’s Bakery – Indianapolis
Saratoga Chocolate Co.: 5th best chocolate shop in the U.S.
Ranking: No. 5 in USA Today 10BEST: Best Chocolate Shop 2025
Previous Rank: No. 3 in 2024
Founded in 2016 by Alli and Hank Rose, Saratoga Chocolate Co. is a family-run shop known for its hand-crafted bars, barks, truffles, baked goods, and hot chocolate. The shop aims to create immersive “chocolate experiences” for customers, combining quality ingredients with sensory indulgence.
Saratoga Chocolate Co. was the only Northeast chocolate shop to make the list two years in a row.
Top 10 chocolate shops
- LaRue Fine Chocolate – Greenville, S.C.
- Vesta Chocolate – Montclair, N.J.
- Garcia Nevett Chocolatier de Miami – Miami
- Piety and Desire Chocolate – New Orleans
- Saratoga Chocolate Co. – Saratoga Springs
- Bedré Fine Chocolate – Davis, Okla.
- The Xocolate Bar – Berkeley, Calif.
- Videri Chocolate Factory – Raleigh, N.C.
- Cacao and Cardamom Chocolatier – Houston
- Pizzelle’s Confections – Huntsville, Ala.
Sweet Mimi’s Café & Bakery: 7th best cake shop in the U.S.
Ranking: No. 7 in USA Today 10BEST: Best Cake Shop 2025
First Time on the List
Founded in 2013 by Jeannette Liebers, Sweet Mimi’s Café and Bakery is a beloved brunch spot and bakery that prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients from nearby farms. This is its first time appearing on a 10BEST list, but the shop is no stranger to accolades. It was named “Best Restaurant – Eastern Region” by the New York State Restaurant Association in March and has been featured on Beat Bobby Flay.
Fan-favorite cakes include the Oreo mascarpone cake, raspberry mascarpone ganache cake, and the torched marshmallow s’mores cake.
Top 10 cake shops
- Nomada Bakery – Huntington, W.Va.
- Manolo’s Bakery – Charlotte, N.C.
- Legacy Cakes – Grapevine, Texas
- Hayes Barton Cafe and Dessertery – Raleigh, N.C.
- Cardamon Bakeshop – Seneca, S.C.
- Too Sweet Cakes – Arizona and Oregon
- Sweet Mimi’s Café and Bakery – Saratoga Springs
- Ady Cakes – Reading, Pa.
- The Cake Bake Shop – Florida and Indiana
- Kaminsky’s Dessert Cafe – Charleston and Columbia, S.C.
How USA Today’s 10BEST rankings work
Each 10BEST list is compiled through a two-step process:
- Nomination: USA Today editors select nominees in each category.
- Voting: Readers vote online over a four-week period, selecting one nominee per category per day.
Winners are announced the Wednesday after voting closes. New categories are introduced every Monday on the 10BEST website.
“Since its inception in 1999, 10BEST has empowered readers to live well and travel smart by providing original, unbiased, and experiential content,” the site notes.