Le Cave's - Tucson, AZ

Posted By Michael Stern on December 17, 2001 4:31 AM

Le Cave’s is a bakery that has been around forever (actually, since 1935); and it is known for two things: decorated cakes and donuts. The cakes look fantastic, although we regretfully confess that we have never tried one. We come to Le Cave’s for donuts.

According to signs posted outside and inside the huge old bakery, these are “vegetable” donuts, which we assume means they are cooked in vegetable oil as opposed to lard. Whatever, they are superb: cake-textured, crisp-edged, with a good clean flavor that makes you want to keep eating more. Several varieties are available, the house specialty being a glazed donut that puts Krispy Kreme to shame. We also recommend the chocolate-frosted, maple-frosted, powdered-sugar, and cinnamon-sugar varieties. We buy a box full of six or a dozen in the morning shortly after 7:30 when Le Cave’s opens, and our sweet tooth is happy for the rest of the day, no matter where we roam.

Overall Rating

Donut

Mexican Wedding Cookie

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Posted By Stewart Dean on June 16, 2012 11:21 PM

Wow, straight out of the '50s: big fans instead of A/C, small windows (you might think the place is closed or defunct, but notice the OPEN sign), and lovely baked goods.

Plus one for all the goodies previously reviewed, the Mexican wedding cookies, the apple fritters, and the killer donuts. What makes the goods special is that they taste home-cooked from prize recipes that win a farm wife a blue ribbon at the fair. Take the time to really experience it.

The fritters and donuts are, yes, better than Krispy Kreme (and that's going some), but they are lighter, more flavorful, with just enough shortening, no more. A day old KK donut is gross, heavy with congealed fat, but LeC's are just as good a day later. And the filled donuts (here called bismarks, a name from the past, and popovers) are like nothing I've ever had. I usually loathe them because of artificial fillings. But Le Cave's makes their own fillings, so the lemon filling (lemon bismark) is like that of a good lemon meringue pie and the strawberry filling (strawberry popover) has pieces of strawberry in it.

Step back 60 years at Le Cave's and taste the goodness.

Overall Rating

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Posted By James Cobb on December 1, 2011 5:46 AM

I cannot conceive of how any place could make a better glazed donut. They are fresh and, quite simply, a piece of heaven. And there's no hole in it!

Overall Rating

Donut

Apple Fritter

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