BW Sweets Bakery, Charlotte

Many bakeries claim that their treats are handmade, but the treats crafted at BW Sweets Bakery might be just a bit more handmade than others. That's because the bakery uses as few premade ingredients as possible; when making sweet-potato pie, the bakers pick out sweet potatoes at the farmers' market, bake them, and skin them rather than buying a readymade can, the owner told Creative Loafing. That devotion to high-quality ingredients carries through all of their offerings, from dainty pastries to multilayered wedding cakes draped in fondant, as well as gourmet cheesecakes and booze-infused cupcakes.