A delicious, gluten-free (not flourless) chocolate layer cake is made with buckwheat flour. In between the layers is a milk chocolate ganache, and covering the whole thing is a bittersweet chocolate glaze. Served with slightly sweetened crème fraîche. $55 for a 9-inch cake. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
The varieties of phyllo- and kataifi-based pastries at Armenian bakery Ara’s will wow: baklava, osmalieh (shredded phyllo filled with creamy cheese) and birds nests (rounds of shredded phyllo) topped with nuts. $9 per pound. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Bien cuit describes the burnished baguettes at downtown bakery Bread Lounge; it’s the French term that literally translates to “well cooked.” $3.50. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Seasonal fruit -- at the end of summer it was apricots, and for the next several weeks, pears -- and pastry cream are layered on top of yeasted laminated kouign amann dough. $5.50 per slice. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
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Like most of Rose Lawrence’s breads and pastries, her loaves of rye are leavened with her sourdough mother, which makes them tangy and robust. $7. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
The simple taro buttercream bun at Oh My Pan, a bustling San Gabriel bakery, is a don’t-miss. $1.40. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
The hand-shaped concha (“seashell”) at La Mascota has a sugary crust with crumbles-in-your-mouth crispiness. The interior is fluffy, soft and sweet. Mini concha, 25 cents; regular, 40 cents. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
The Ding A Lings at Semi Sweet Bakery come in flavors such as hazelnut crunch or raspberry. $2.50 to $2.95. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
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Euro Pane has a perfectly balanced lemon bar -- not too tart, not too sweet, not too eggy, with the just-right ratio of filling to crust. $2.35. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
The Breton pastry kouign amann at Karen Yoo’s bakery-inside-a-butcher-shop is extra caramelized, over-the-top buttery and super flaky. $4. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Salted caramel pecan babka roll is a swirled dome of sweet yeast dough rolled up with toasted pecans and crème fraîche and brown sugar that becomes a sticky caramel. $3.50. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
At Chaumont, Frederic Laski’s Paris-inspired Beverly Hills patisserie, the eclairs are bountiful, filled with lush chocolate, pistachio, vanilla, coffee or raspberry custards. $3.80. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
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The croissants go fast at this Atwater Village favorite. They smell and taste of creamy butter. Plain croissant, $2.75. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
