By Luz Lazo
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Ordering a quince (KEEN-say) cake is an important part of one of the most important celebrations in a Hispanic girl's life. The difficult part: deciding the flavor. Will it be a fruit cake; a tres leches, or three milks; or a combination of both? There's also pineapple, chocolate, strawberry, mocha and mango.
The most popular quince cakes in the Washington area are the Salvadoran-style fruit cake, a white layer cake filled with fresh fruit; and the tres leches, a light sponge cake soaked with a mixture of three kinds of milk. Many customers like their cakes very moist, which explains why the tres leches are big sellers, say some bakers. Prices vary depending on size, style and flavor, with many shops charging by the serving, the way wedding cakes are priced. On average, a cake for 200 to 250 people sells for about $650. Decorations cost extra.
Here are some area bakeries that sell the specialty cakes:
CASA BLANCA BAKERY & CAFE 5037 Columbia Pike, Arlington, 703-820-1907
Latino bakers work with Korean owners and specialize in tres leches cakes; order one week in advance. Cakes start at $40.
CASTRO'S BAKERY 6276 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, 703-531-1340, and 5515-A Wilson Blvd., Arlington, 703-465-9401.
Owner Guadalupe Castro, from El Salvador, says the chocolate, fruit and tres leches are the most popular.
A cake for 80 people costs $175. Order three days in advance.
CHAPINA BAKERY 1401 University Blvd. E., #G21, Hyattsville, 301-408-3700.
Alba España, from Guatemala, makes mango mousse that she uses on the tres leches and fruit cakes.
Fruit cake is $2 a slice; other flavors are more expensive.
Order 1 to 3 days in advance depending on size and decoration.
Although the shop is closed Saturdays, cakes may be delivered or picked up on that day.
DE NISE BAKERY 2009 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, 301-279-0184.
Owner Osmin Guardado, from El Salvador, worked at a French pastry shop and uses a combination of French-style creams and Latino flavors. Most requested: crema de leche, fruit and tres leches.
$3.75 a slice; can vary according to size. Order large cakes at least a week in advance.
LA MEXICANA BAKERY 10394 Portsmouth Rd., Manassas, 703-330-4464.
María and José Castañeda, from Mexico, specialize in tres leches cakes with fruit inside, a combination of the Mexican-style tres leches cake and the Salvadoran fruit cake.
A nine-tier cake is $600 to $700. Order at least three days in advance.
LOURDES BAKERY 3239 Rhode Island Ave., Mount Rainier, 301-864-1700.
Owners David Hernández, from Guatemala, and María Celsa Salgado, from El Salvador, specialize in tres leches cake.
A 12-inch tres leches cake is $70 and up, depending on decoration. Order at least a week in advance.
ROSITA BAKERY 10534 Connecticut Ave., Kensington; 301-949-8200.
Nicaraguan owner Erlinda Montes says most of her clients prefer the fruit cake and the tres leches with fruit inside.
$2.79 per slice. A cake for 100 people, $279. Order one week in advance.
TIFFANY'S BAKERY 6385 Seven Corner Center, Falls Church, 703-241-0271, and 7022 Columbia Pike, Annandale, 703-658-9797.
Owner Jesus Jimenez, from El Salvador, offers fruit, strawberry, mocha and other flavors.
Prices vary. A fruit cake for 50 people costs $68.95. Order three to five days in advance.
VERONICA'S BAKERY & CAFÉ 8501 Piney Branch Rd., Silver Spring, 301-565-8199, and 4116 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, 703-838-1612.
Owner Cecilia Salidas and baker Lorena Barrios are from El Salvador and get tons of requests for tres leches cakes.
$2.50 a slice for a fruit cake, $2.75 for tres leches. A fruit cake for 50 people is $125, a tres leches is $138. Order one week in advance. Luz Lazo is a staff writer for El Tiempo Latino.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.