Coffee & Treats in Silver Spring

Working together with his son Areen, Classic Bakery owner Rubic Movsessian handcrafts cakes, cupcakes, and pastries with recipes passed down through the family for more than 50 years. He bakes three-layer cakes from scratch and offers 40 yellow-cake flavors, such as bourbon vanilla, five sponge-cake flavors, such as marble, and 35 fillings in the likes of oreo cream and fresh mixed fruit. With this vast array of ingredients and the help of arrow-toting cherubs, he also constructs elaborate customized wedding cakes. In addition, he slaps deli cuts of salami, ham, or roast beef between bread and pours steaming cups of armenian coffee and espressos, serving more than 15 sandwiches and an equal number of drinks.

While the bakers at The Cakery at King Farm are known for the beautiful designs of their wedding cakes, that’s not their main focus. Armed with only fresh fruits, natural butter, and fresh whipping cream, they put most of their effort into crafting treats that taste even better than they look. They can fashion custom cakes that embody multitiered decadence or craft dozens of cupcakes ready for immediate sharing. The shop’s bakers are skilled at creating a range of classic and seasonal flavors, including options like chocolate mint, rum cake, and mandarin orange that can be accented with fresh fruit and buttercream fillings.

As a natural complement to the cakes, the store offers ice cream by the scoop and the carton, selling brand name options in a range of changing flavors. As a courtesy to allergen-sensitive clients, the bakers also keep all of the shop’s baked goods free from nut products and packing peanuts, allowing every customer to eagerly bite into their dessert.

An edible rainbow stretches behind the counter of each Robeks Fruit Smoothies & Healthy Eats, tempting taste buds with a vibrant array of blueberries, kale, wheatgrass, strawberries, carrots, bananas, and other fresh fruits and vegetables. They recently unveiled 20 new additions to their menu, including Age Buster and Replenisher smoothies, the kid-friendly PB&J Delight, and the Fast Break bowl, which blends fruit, pineapple sherbet, and greek yogurt with strawberry and banana slices. Blended into bases such as natural nonfat frozen yogurt and sherbets, these nutritious morsels transform into smoothies and juices bursting with flavor. The menu also extends to coffee smoothies, kid-friendly options, and smoothie bowls.

Enthusiastic baker Nefertiti Angelini hand-picks 97 percent organic ingredients such as tahitian and bourbon vanilla beans to shape cupcakes inspired by such iconic treats as s'mores, peanut butter and jelly, and key-lime pie. The confections pop out of the oven several dozen at a time before donning crunchy or juicy toppings, letting an expansive and ever-changing array of flavor combinations press their noses to the hand-labeled display case. Beyond their eye-catching exteriors, most cakelets harbor gooey centers overstuffed with cream cheese, ganache, peanut butter, or caramel matryoshka dolls. Aromas drift past the storefront's crystal chandelier and bright bouquets into its Reston neighborhood. The CupCake Ladi often expands her energies into charitable works as well: as the Orange County Register has reported, Nefertiti donates hundreds of cupcakes a week to fund ventures including German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County and the March of Dimes.

Sweetchills serves up swirls of frozen yogurt in an array of lip-smacking flavors, such as mango sorbet, orange Valencia sorbet, and birthday cake. The store is open until 9:30 p.m. nightly.

Sweet Frog’s frozen-yogurt flavors go beyond the norm. In addition to cookies ‘n’ cream and greek yogurt with honey, the lineup of more than 50 varieties includes maple-bacon donut, cake batter, and dulce de leche. Patrons can sprinkle on toppings such as fresh fruit and candies, then savor their confetti’d confections in the lime-green-and-pink restaurant. Smiling frogs and funky white hanging lamps give the stores an air of fun, but franchise owner Derek Cha is interested in giving more than that to the community; through Sweet Frog, he sponsors children in need and dispatches frog mascots to those who need encouragement.