The 5 best desserts our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week

Sweet Potato Layer Cake from Dahlia

With dessert on our minds, it was a great time to chase down Dahlia, the pastry and sandwich pop-up from three Travail alums, when it recently landed at Venn Brewing Co. It was nice that we could pre-order, which we did the previous day, since there was a line already forming when we arrived.

Seems we ordered just right. Pastry chef Alex Althoff's apple pie snickerdoodle ($6) with apple pie filling and cinnamon black pepper streusel was a chewy and gooey delight. The latte coffee doughnut ($8.50) celebrating fall — in the form of a pumpkin spice glaze, pumpkin cream and candied pumpkin seeds — was also unique in its own right. But the standout was the one that sounded the least exciting: sweet potato layer cake ($8.50). Sweet potatoes and molasses join forces in this spongy layer cake with coffee-cream cheese buttercream frosting. It's then topped with a dollop of marshmallow fluff, toasted like a dreamy meringue, and candied pecans. It reminded us of all the things we love about carrot cake, although a cheffed-up, sweet potato adaptation at that. (Nancy Ngo)

Dahlia has pop-ups planned for the next few weekends in Minneapolis and Roseville. For the latest updates, visit eatatdahlia.com

Chocolate Budino at Forepaugh's

One of the great joys of parenthood is the front-row seat to witnessing these incredible humans grow into themselves. My daughter's at the edge of adolescence and she's developed a deep appreciation for the spooky things in life. This week, we took advantage of the dawning of October and a warm evening on Forepaugh's gothic beauty of a patio.

While the menu from the St. Paul restaurant falls firmly in fine-dining territory, there are plenty of dishes to please a picky preteen, especially when it comes to dessert. Chocolate budino ($12, gluten-free) is really just dressed-up chocolate pudding, and the one at Forepaugh's is an elegant version. Layers of chocolate pudding are just sweet enough, then topped off with crème fraîche and crunchy pistachios. Like an elegant Coco Chanel piece in which every ingredient exists in confidence, it's an artful ender that knows when to rein in the desire to do too much. Bar lead Precious Carpenter has been dabbling with the dessert menu, and we're excited to see what's next.

Scraping the edges of the dessert glass clean, we relaxed at our table, trading dark tales as the sun dipped behind the stately Irvine Park mansions. I marveled at how lucky I am that we get to linger in these waning days of childhood wonder as she teaches me how to properly savor a moment. (Joy Summers)

276 Exchange St., St. Paul; forepaughs.com

Cookies from Rod's Country Corner

Minutes from Wild River State Park, I almost drove right by Rod's Country Corner. But then, I thought, what camping trip couldn't use a few more snacks, and turned around. I love seeing what hyperlocal products I can find in small-town convenience stores, and Rod's has some good ones. Beef sticks stuffed with spicy pepperjack cheese. Doughnut holes. And lots of cookies.

I grabbed two plastic shells filled with stacks of cookies, at $2.99 each. The caramel pecan were my favorite. Super-soft, so buttery and filled with caramel candies that, when melted, oozed and infused the rest of the cookie with pliable sweet bits. I also got the new seasonal specialty, caramel apple oat. These, made with shortening, were spread thin and studded with cinnamon and chopped apples, like an autumnal breakfast bar that was just right the next morning at the campground. (Sharyn Jackson)

37455 Park Trail, Almelund, Minn., rodscountrycorner.com

Tiramisu from South Lyndale Liquors and Market

Depending on who you ask, tiramisu in Italian means "pick me up" or "cheer me up." We don't know which is more accurate, but we do know that both hold true in our most recent foray.

Dan Campo, who owns South Lyndale Liquors with his wife, Kate, has roots in Sicily. So when the duo opened a wine-tasting room, deli and market attached to their Minneapolis liquor store a year ago, they brought in chef/sandwich connoisseur Matthew Bickford and knew they had to have tiramisu on the menu. "It was a special treat for [Dan] as a kid and he's lucky enough to have Matt re-create it," Kate said.

In this case, that means a spirit-forward dessert in which espresso- and rum-soaked ladyfingers are layered with sweet, creamy mascarpone and topped with cocoa powder. And at approximately $4.50 per slice (priced by weight) the price was something to cheer about. It's worth noting that fans of Bickford's signature tuna confit sandwich from his Be'wiched Deli days can now find it here as part of new menu items introduced this month. We even have the perfect dessert recommendation to go with it. (N.N.)

5516 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., southlyndale.com

Bars at Hen House Eatery

When there's time for a sit-down lunch, this bustling downtown Minneapolis daytime cafe has always been a favorite. But the hefty portion sizes usually meant leaving without giving in to the sprawling bakery case, filled with everything from cakes and cereal treats to bars. Lots and lots of bars.

That shouldn't come as a surprise, considering Hen House was started a decade ago by a trio of friends and alums of another bakery stalwart, Keys Cafe. Here, there truly is an oversized bar for every taste and occasion: fruit (strawberry rhubarb, Key lime), chocolate (peanut butter brownies), classic (seven layer), seasonal (pumpkin cheesecake) and plenty more. There was also a vegan option and a couple of gluten-free offerings; most of the bars were $5.99, and all were built to share.

Favorites were the pumpkin cheesecake, its tanginess foiled by cozy fall-warming spices and complemented by cream cheese frosting; a chocolate-peanut butter brownie, its fudgy base topped with peanut butter frosting, dipped in rich chocolate ganache and punctuated with a dollop of peanut butter frosting and a peanut butter cup; and the monster cookie, the classic Midwestern cookie in bar form — and dipped in chocolate, because over the top is just the norm.

One tip: Don't just save room for dessert — order it first. On busy days, the bakery case can clear out pretty fast. (Nicole Hvidsten)

114 S. 8th St., Mpls., henhouseeatery.com