Best Fruitcake Near Detroit
730 S. Main St.
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
(888) 414-6208
www.zehndersstore.com
Zehnder's, as well as Frankenmuth in general, is known for its fried chicken, but it also has a bakery inside the restaurant, which is known for its "Stollen Fruit Bread" - a bread similar to fruitcake. The bakery was started in 1977, and it sells the same baked goods that the restaurant does. Modern Bakery Magazine chose the bakery as America's number one retail bakery in 1985. Along with its Stollen Fruit Bread, it also sells gluten-free breads on the weekends (Fridays through Sundays), as well as Backofen White Bread, Danish/European pastries, donuts, cookies, pies and more. Frankenmuth is about an hour to an hour and a half drive from the city, and makes for a great day trip.
317 S. Main St.
Royal Oak, MI 48067
(248) 541-3218
hermannsbakeryroyaloak.com
Hermann's Bakery has been a staple of the Royal Oak bakery scene for many years and is owned by Richard Hermann, who was taught how to bake by his father. The shop is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The store has everything from cakes (20 varieties of coffee cake alone!) to breads to tarts, and it carries a "Breakfast Fruit and Nuts" bread that is similar to fruitcake. Hermann's sells other fruit bread variations as well, like its Cracked Wheat and Apricots and Iced Cinnamon-Raisin bread.
31666 John R Road
Madison Heights, MI 48071
(248) 583-3088
If you're up for a loose interpretation of "fruitcake," or you want to try something different, check out the cakes that Tai Pan makes; they are Chinese cakes with fruit filling inside. Tai Pan sells Chinese baked goods, such as its pork buns and taro buns, and it has a wide variety of these, as well as its desserts. Chinese desserts are not as sugary as their American counterparts, but they are still delicious, and Tai Pan sells cakes that you can see as you walk in, in the counter next to some of the baked goods. Tai Pan has a parking lot available, but it shares it with a few other businesses, and it's located on John R between 13 and 14 Mile.
Related: The Best Fruitcake Recipe Ever
21150 Mack Ave.
Grosse Pointe, MI 48236
(313) 881-5710
www.josefspastryshop.com
If you don't feel like making the trek to Frankenmuth for Stollen cake, check out the more local Josef's, which also sells it. Its Stollen bread is a loaf-shaped cake that includes sugar, powdered sugar, Marzipan, icing and dried fruit. This cake is very moist. Josef's opened in 1971, and its owners Anthony and Jimmy Cavallo are both master pastry chefs from Montreal who enjoy creating authentic European pastries. The store was named "Best of the Best" by the Detroit News in 2007, and received the 2002 Best Bakery in Michigan award from AAA Michigan Living Magazine; it also made The Knot's 2008 Best of Weddings list.
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