Russell's Cafe & Bakery

Russell Ping knows desserts. Since 2006 he has filled the bakery case at his Fenton-based flagship, Russell's Cafe and Bakery, with simple yet indulgent treats and cakes of all kinds: moist layer cakes draped and filled with smooth chocolate ganache; buttermilk pound cakes generously iced with luscious buttercream or contrastingly tart lemon curd; and entire sheet pans of gooey butter cake (perhaps his most sought-after specialty) cut into squares big enough for sharing. Crackly tops on these last bad boys lend a crisp element to the creamy, gooey goodness underneath, and a crumbly shortbread base unique to Ping's recipe holds it all together. Find all this and more at the second location of his bakery café, Russell's on Macklind, which opened in March to the neighborhood's delight. Consider pairing a slice of something nice with a glass of wine or local beer. On some days a jug of refreshing house sangria sits on standby, filled to the brim with chunks of fresh local fruit.