As WBUR celebrates its 75th anniversary with The WBUR Festival, the station commemorated its actual birthday back on March 1 by spotlighting the sweet treats that bring joy to its listeners.
To mark the occasion, WBUR reached out to its team and audience to gather recommendations for the ultimate birthday desserts.
The results showcase a delightful variety of beloved bakeries and their signature offerings throughout Greater Boston.
One standout is Gondres Bakery, located at 333 Centre St. in Boston’s Jamaica Plain.
Reader Nayomi Dowman enthused about “the Classic” from Gondres, a traditional Dominican cake known for its guava filling, yellow sponge, and meringue frosting.
She reminisced about the memorable flavors, saying, “It’s the fluffy sweetness of the meringue, the moisture of the yellow sponge, the smoothness of the guava filling! You all must try!”
The Royal Pastry Shop at 317 Marrett Rd. in Lexington also garnered praise from Jennifer Welz.
Welz fondly recalled growing up with cakes from this shop, recommending the whipped cream cake with strawberries and the traditional rum cake as her top choices.
“Incredible and delicious” is how she describes these seasonal treats.
Flour Bakery, with ten locations scattered across Boston and Cambridge, is another go-to for many birthday celebrators.
Reader Shel Frolich-Tscherne highlighted the lemon raspberry and Boston cream pie cakes as particular favorites, noting, “Anything from Flour is amazing.”
Another contributor, Nat Green, also raved about Flour’s coconut cream pie which features whipped cream atop a butter crust—a definite crowd-pleaser.
In Concord, Verrill Farm’s traditional cheesecake has a dedicated fan in Rachel Frenkil.
Frenkil described it as “creamy and dense, but not in a bad way,” with the perfect amount of tang, making it her go-to for every birthday as well as for Shavuot, which highlights cheesecake.
Coffee Time Bake Shop, located at 96 Bridge St. in Salem, received a glowing recommendation from Stephanie Buck.
“The golden cake with chocolate frosting is our favorite,” she wrote, emphasizing that it’s a classic loved by her entire family, alongside the shop’s celebrated donuts and paczki.
For those who prefer grocery store options, Wegmans, which has five locations across Massachusetts, provides an exquisite chocolate fudge two-layer cake.
Ilene Greenberg suggested that the mini version is perfectly sized for four people, boasting moisture and a rich, fudgy frosting.
Mary Mangan swears by Lyndell’s Bakery in Somerville for “the best birthday cake.”
“I have my birthday cake on order at Lyndell’s for this year—yellow cake, old fashioned frosting, flowers,” Mangan revealed nostalgically, adding that it tastes like birthday cakes from her childhood.
Adrienne Naylor highlighted the deliciousness of FoMu’s mud pie ice cream cake, simply branding it “exquisite vegan decadence.”
Additionally, honorable mentions included eclairs from Praliné, a French bakery in Belmont, and tahini carrot cake from Sofra in Cambridge.
As part of the ongoing festivities, WBUR invites fans to visit its tent at the free WBUR Festival street fair on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at BU Beach.
Attendees will have a chance to meet reporters and editors from the local newsroom while participating in local trivia for a chance to win free WBUR swag.
With such an array of delectable options, birthday dessert lovers in Greater Boston are sure to find something special to celebrate.
image source from：https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/05/30/birthday-cakes-pies-massachusetts-reader-favorites
