Welcome to the bakery with the best cakes in Lima.

It’s wonderful here.

I first visited Ana Avellana almost two years ago and I’ve been returning on a regular basis ever since. It’s actually pretty far from where I live, but luckily my boyfriend loves it here too so we drive over every chance we get! The photos throughout this post have been taken over many, many visits, plus we also take away too, so I couldn’t possibly guess how many times we’ve eaten here!!

It’s very much a European/ Western style bakery selling things like pecan pie, sticky buns, English muffins, and sky high cakes filled with Nutella. However, there’s definitely a Peruvian touch to the cafe, from the grapes, bananas and blueberries filling the crumbles and cakes, to the coffee and chocolate made right here in Peru.

My absolute favourite items that I would recommend to everyone that visits is the Zambito and the Keke de Arándano (blueberry loaf cake). The Zambito is a beautiful creation. It starts with a dark chocolate cake on the bottom, which is first slathered with a healthy portion of Nutella, topped with a heaping pile of soft meringue and then blowtorched (I assume!) to get that ever so slightly cooked outside. Think of it like when you toast your marshmallows over the fire. It’s the greatest thing that ever existed.

The blueberry loaf cake is for when you’re feeling something a little fruitier, and it’s also the perfect accompaniment to one of their hot chocolates (their chocolate even made my ‘best of’ list). The moist cake is packed full of sweet, juicy blueberries and then covered with lemon icing and dotted with more blueberries. The citrus tang in the icing perfectly offsets the sweetness of the cake, and the fruit inside and sprinkled on the top give a little burst of freshness in every bite. I love this cake.

My boyfriend on the other hand loves the cheesecake here. The portion is huge and it comes with a berry coulis poured over the top, or served on the side if you prefer.

If you’re looking for something small to go with a cup of coffee or to satisfy your sugar craving after lunch then definitely go for the Choco Toffee (chocolate and caramel inside a shortbread tart shell – think a fancier Millionaire’s Shortbread) or the Choco Chubby cookie (A really fat looking chocolate chip cookie -yum). Both are absolutely scrumptious.

They don’t just offer sweet treats though, they also have breakfasts, lunch items and juices too, although I’ve not actually ordered any of them so I can’t give any personal recommendations. Their English muffins are yummy, if a little different to the traditional ones from home, so maybe that could be a good starting point!

It’s one of those neighbourhood cafes where you feel like you could sit there and while away a few hours sipping tea and eating an abundance of cake. It has such a nice, comfy ambience (especially on the sofas) so I can see why people decide to make this their spot to set up and work. It’s always full of a wide range of people, from families with young kids to couples enjoying coffees, and from ladies who lunch to solo workers on their laptops.

So, if you’re looking for a friendly cafe packed full of delicious cake, then this is definitely the place to be. It’s definitely my favourite place to get dessert in Lima!

Ana Avellana – Calle Gral Mendiburu 1096, Miraflores, Lima