Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe

We spent Thursday & Friday in Fredericksburg, Texas with friends. We flew into the Hangar Hotel located just outside town. If you ever get a chance to visit Fredericksburg, I’d highly recommend the Hangar Hotel, even to those without ties to the aviation industry. Its not your typical hotel and its certainly not the norm for Fredericksburg with its abundance of small local B&Bs, but its a unique hotel with a lot of charm. Fredericksburg, is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country and its a wonderful place to go for a couple days of relaxation. There is shopping, particularly lots of antique and boutique shops, and of course good dining. Its a top Texas vacation destination.

The thing I was most looking forward to was stopping into the Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe, owned by Rebecca Rather, author of the Pastry Queen. It was tucked away a bit from Main Street and we couldn’t find it at first but had to ask some locals. Simply asking for directions to the bakery resulted in three locals chiming in about the delicious treats they offer. We couldn’t wait to get across the street. It took us 10 minutes to decide what to get because everything looked so decadent. We decided on a mini Key Lime Pie and it was amazing. I’m not normally a Key Lime fan, but this tart has converted me. It wasn’t too sweet – it was creamy and tart without being too tart… the perfect balance. It was absolutely delicious! (Sorry for the crummy pictures, it was really dark in the cafe!)

The only thing disappointing, was getting home to find that this recipe was not in my cookbook. She does however have a new cookbook set to hit bookstores next month, The Pastry Queen Christmas: Big-hearted Holiday Entertaining, Texas Style. I can’t wait to get my hands on it in the hopes that her recipe for key lime pie is in it! I’m not holding my breath though as I expect the cookbook to be filled with gingerbread wonders and other fabulous holiday treats that we spend all year anxiously waiting for; the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon and spice… the smell of the holidays! It will be without a doubt, just as good as her first cookbook. Look for it in bookstores in September!