Confectioneries in Cologne

On a rainy day, what could be better than a cup of good, warming coffee and a delicious slice of cake? Cologne has a huge selection of inviting spots that sell gateaux, cakes, chocolates and lots of other sweet treats to make your mouth water. But with so many to choose from it can often be difficult to find the right place to indulge. To shorten your search for Cologne’s best sweet treats, I’ve put together a list of some of my favourites. All purveyors of superior sweetness, you’ll find them in the town centre, the Belgian Quarter and the Neuehrenfeld district.

This is a real institution on Cologne’s cake-shop scene and has been around for more than a hundred years – since 1893 to be exact. Here on Breite Straße, in the heart of the city centre, the range of confectionery creations seems to go on forever. Their display had almost every traditional German cake I could think of: apple cake, Black Forest gateau and Sachertorte to name but a few. There’s also a large selection of chocolates and cakes made to order for special occasions such as weddings or birthdays. If you’re wondering where I had the best cheesecake ever… Yep, it was here at Fromme. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the taste of that masterpiece of baked delight.

Breite Straße 122, 50667 Cologne
Web: feinetorten.com

Printen Schmitz, also on Breite Straße, goes back even longer – as far back as 1842! The “Printen” of the name refers to a type of gingerbread biscuit, which is what they started out selling. But today they have everything a cake lover could ever desire though the “Printen”, baked to a family recipe, remain the speciality. A trip to Printen Schmitz is a bit like travelling back in time with a hint of Vienna “Kaffeehaus” flair. This place is not exactly cheap but the delicious sweets and the good coffee make a visit extremely worthwhile.

Breite Straße 87, 50667 Cologne
Web: www.printenschmitz.com

Café Franck takes you on a completely different time-travelling experience. This lovingly furnished place is located in Cologne’s Neuehrenfeld district and regularly transforms into a bar and a cool club in the evening. In the daytime though, Café Franck will make any cake connoisseur very, very happy. Guests take a seat amidst the 70s-style furniture where it almost feels like you’ve been transported back to Grandma’s living room. The selection at Café Franck ranges from traditional favourites, such as apple cake, to more daring creations such as a super moist courgette (zucchini) cake. With a variety of lactose-free, gluten-free and vegan products, it’s also the perfect place for those with a food intolerance or a preference for animal-free foods. The (organic only) coffee here is also fantastic – and it’s delivered by electric vehicle or by bike so you get to do something for the environment while you sip.

Eichendorffstraße 30 / Ehrenfeldgürtel, 50825 Cologne
Web: www.cafe-franck.de

I had actually already decided that Madame Miammiam had to be on my list for this piece when I heard a conversation on the street that went something like this: “Have you ever been to Madame Miammiam? There’s nowhere in the world that can beat their chocolate cakes.” And it’s true – Madame Miammiam’s patisserie goods (which include gateaux, tartes, petits fours, cupcakes and eclairs) are simply delicious. They’re also almost all elaborately decorated in keeping with the style of this smart yet kitsch shop in Cologne’s “in” district, the Belgian Quarter. With its glass cabinets and golden counter, it exudes glamour. Incidentally, the speciality here is wedding cakes that are real works of art – elegant, opulent and simply gorgeous to look at.

Antwerpener Straße 39, 50672 Cologne
Web: www.madamemiammiam.de/Cakes-Candies-90842.html

Do you have a favourite confectionery in Cologne?