Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

By Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Originally published on November 19th

Cakes, donuts, pastries, bread, cookies: Whatever would we do without them, especially this time of year? Bread and roll sales alone will amount to about $13.3 billion in the U.S. this year. Pastries and donuts, another $5 billion.

The upcoming holidays mean we'll be loading up on cakes and pies, for home or for gatherings with friends and families. We're here to help with that awesome responsibility with this list of the best bakery in each of N.J.'s 21 counties.

The list is drawn from our recent N.J.'s best bakery showdown, where we visited 50 semifinalists, narrowing that down to 10 finalists, then a winner - Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Clinton Township - plus my considerable and waistline-expanding experience. Donuts, after all, are one of my three essential desert island foods. Pies and pastries are not far behind.

Many worthy bakeries do not appear on this list; let us who we missed in the comments section. The runners-up are in alphabetical order.

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Atlantic: Aversa's Bakery, Brigantine

Ralph Aversa worked at legendary Philly bakery Cacia's before opening his first store in Turnersville in 1982. There are now four Aversa's locations - Turnersville, Washington Township, Brigantine and Margate.

The Brigantine Aversa's is small, and there are no endless glistening display cases, but there's plenty to love here: great sticky buns and torpedo rolls, and a chocolate cake that may have been the most decadent item I sampled in the entire N.J.'s best bakery mission.

Runners-up: Chester's Pastry Pantry Bakery, Somers Point; Hammerbacher, Egg Harbor City

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Bergen: Sook Pastry, Ridgewood

Keum-Sook Park's favorite cooking utensil is a "simple rubber spatula.'' If only that's all you needed to be a great baker. She opened Sook Pastry in downtown Ridgewood in 2011.

"It's a very good town, a lively town,'' she said. "The people are very friendly.''

The cakes are named after Ridgewood streets; the Ridgewood is a marvelous melange of chocolate mousse, vanilla creme brûlée and chocolate sponge cake. The Napoleon, with a heavenly cream filling, is just about perfect.

Runners-up: Erie Coffeshop Bakery, Rutherford; Rispoli's Pastry Shop, Ridgefield

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Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Burlington: L&M Bakery, Delran

L&M Bakery is Carli Lloyd's favorite bakery; what more do you need to know? The Olympic soccer star grew up on L&M's donuts and pastries. She even made a bet that she'd eat a donut for every goal she scored in the Women's World Cup in 2015. (She scored six goals and was named outstanding player.)

L&M opened in 1964 in a space once occupied by a gas station and Ford dealership. John and Carol Kahl are the owners. "We are primarily known for our buttercream,'' John says proudly.

Runners-up: Maria's Mom's Italian Cookie Cupboard, Marlton; The Pie Lady, Moorestown

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Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Camden: Deluxe Italian Bakery, Runnemede

How do you make 125,000 rolls a day? You have the space and machinery Deluxe Italian Bakery does. Three buildings, 55,000 square feet of space and a giant Erector set-like cylindrical cooling machine that I was thoroughly transfixed by. There's a fleet of trucks out back ready to deliver donuts, pastries and rolls around the state. The cream donut just may be the state's best. For an instant Instagram hit, order the tower of cream puffs (photo).

Runners-up: McMillan's Bakery, Westmont; Sweet Eats Bakery, Voorhees

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Cape May: The Bread Lady, Lower Township

What's with all those people standing in line along Sunset Boulevard? Must be the Bread Lady, the name baker Elizabeth Degener is known by. She has been baking at her family farm, Enfin Farms, for nine years. Favorite kinds of bread include beet and dill, rosemary and thyme, olive oil and black pepper, oatmeal molasses, pumpernickel and classic French bread. The location is often given as Cape May, but it's in Lower Township.

Runners-up: Brown's, Ocean City; Wards Pastry, Ocean City

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Cumberland: Century Bakery, Bridgeton

"We're the old fashioned traditional neighborhood bakery your grandmother took you to as a kid,'' Wayne Ernst says of Century Bakery. He met his wife, Marge, when they both worked at the bakery as teens. "We're known for our butter cream,'' Wayne says. The glazed donut holes are irresistible; bet you can't eat just one.

Runners-up: Crust N Krumbs Bakery, Vineland; La Hacienda Bakery, Vineland

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Essex: Gencarelli's Bakery, Bloomfield

Gencarelli's Bakery is one of Essex County's most revered bakery names; it opened down the street in 1973, moving to its current location in 1997. There's another location in Wayne. It's a family affair: there's owner Vinnie Gencarelli, his sister Deanna, his brother Rocco, his sister-in-law, and his mother, who, at 86 years old, "still comes in at 4 in the morning,'' Vinnie says.

Runners-up: Montclair Bread Co., Montclair; Suissa Bakery, Newark

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Gloucester: Two Sweet Boutique, Deptford

Two Sweet is one of the new kids on the bakery block; it opened last year. It's a mother-daughter business, with Jeanne Centrone (left in photo) and her daughter, Alex (at right). Alex's sisters, Frankie (second from right) and Gabrielle, and their dad, Rocky, also help out. Before opening the shop, Alex made cakes from home, mom made chocolates, and they combined the two in Two Sweet. Recommended: the banana cream cupcake.

Runners-up: Beiler's Bakery, Amish Market at Mullica Hill, Mullica Hill; Sweetsboro Pastry Shoppe, Swedesboro

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Hudson: Dulce de Leche Bakery, West New York

Those familiar with Dulce de Leche's first West New York store - "small" doesn't do it justice - may be shocked when they walk into the spacious new location, just down the street. The 10-year lease in the original store ran out, and the family was fortunate to find two adjoining vacant stores - a laundromat and bagel store. A Jersey City location also opened, in September 2016. My favorite things include the double mousse (in photo), tres leches cake, churros and the powdered sugar-topped canoncitos.

Runners-up: Argentina Bakery, Union City; Prato, Jersey City

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Hunterdon: Sweet Melissa Patisserie, Clinton Township

Melissa Murphy (at left in photo) and husband Chris Rafano operated three patisseries in Brooklyn for 16 years before moving to New Jersey and opening Sweet Melissa Patisserie just off Route 31 in Clinton Township. Temptation is everywhere - croissants, eclairs, danish, donuts, pie. There's even something called a Trouble Bun.

"I'm most passionate about the croissants; I roll them every day,'' says Murphy-Rafano, author of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book.

Many of the baked goods here have French names, but you don't need to dust off your high school French; just point! Caneles (rum/vanilla pastries), merveilleux (a small cake of two meringues held together with whipped cream) and macarons share shelf space with eclairs, crullers and danishes.

Runners-up: Grateful Bites, Flemington; Maddalena's Cheesecake, Ringoes

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Mercer: Cafe Vienna, Princeton

Cafe Vienna is a small, cozy cafe on Princeton's main drag. Cakes are made with old family recipes; the owner, Anita Waldenberger, grew up in Austria. Recommended: the flourless chocolate cake, cheesecake and the strudel, with oodles of apples. Oh, and great coffee, too.

Runners-up: Gingered Peach, Lawrenceville; Italian Peoples Bakery, Trenton

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Middlesex: D'Orsi's Bakery, Port Reading

D'Orsi's has been a neighborhood fixture for 55 years; Steve Cianci has been the owner for 19 years. He's planning big things for the little bakery — an expansion will at least double the size. One of the rugelach is made in a bowtie shape. "Why, I don't know,'' he says, laughing. The lemon chiffon cake is a thing of beauty.

Runners-up: Haisch's Bakery, South Plainfield; Mendoker's Bakery, Jamesburg

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Monmouth: The Flaky Tart, Atlantic Highlands

The Flaky Tart, opened by Marie Jackson in 2007, is a cute little shop where quality always reigns supreme over quantity. Laura Martelli and Matthew Rosenzweig, who met while working at The Flaky Tart, are now the owners, and they continue the patisserie's tradition of fine French-inspired pastries, tarts and cakes. Expertly-made danishes, tarts, cakes, croissants and more. The blueberry muffins are what muffins should look and taste like. And the raspberry-filled Sand Bar may sound sketchy, but it's super.

Runners-up: Chocolate Carousel, Wall; Del Ponte's Bakery, Bradley Beach

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Morris: Sorrento Bakery, East Hanover

Pasquale and Anna Sorrento opened Sorrento Bakery in 1975; the current location opened in 1993. Their sons, Anthony and Dominick, now run the spacious bakery, open every day of the year. "Cakes" are the first thing that comes to mind with Sorrento, but there's a great variety of baked goods, even a deli where you can pair the excellent bread with lunch meats. The passion fruit mousse (in photo) is pretty as a picture, and delicious. Sorrento also does Italian standards well - tiramisu, mostaccioli and graffe, the Italian sugar donut.

Runners-up: Mo'Pweeze, Denville; Swiss Chalet Bakery, Morristown

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Ocean: Emery's Berry Farm, New Egypt

Emery's makes fresh fruit pies that have no equal. The Trifecta pie -- a combination of blueberries, cherries and peaches -- is probably my favorite here. One bite, and you've hit the pie jackpot.

Runners-up: Ferrara's Italian Bakery, Ship Bottom; Shore Good Donuts, Ship Bottom

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Passaic: Baking Grace, Hawthorne

Don't go looking for some pastry-packed storefront when you go looking for Baking Grace; the bakery is inside a purple-shuttered house set off the street. Grace Morello started making desserts in her basement, then opened a tiny shop in Totowa, eventually ending up in Hawthorne, where her business was initially known as Just Desserts. Her philosophy here? ''Real butter, the finest chocolate, freshly whipped cream and no pre-mixed anything.''

Runners-up: Palazzone1960, Wayne; Taskin Bakery, Paterson

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Salem: Italian Kitchen, Pennsville

Italian Kitchen may look like a country market, but there's serious baking going on inside. They make bread, cakes, cookies, even pizza. Italian Kitchen, open seven days a week, has been in business about 30 years; there's a sister store, Roman Pantry, in Carneys Point.

Runners-up: Deeb's Bread, Carneys Point; Four Seasons Donuts, Pennsville

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Somerset: Dessert Plate, Somerville

You'd never guess The Dessert Plate was once a former movie theater - the venerable Cort in downtown Somerville. CIA grad Erin Cross is the owner of the small, charming shop, founded by Megyn Crane and Kevin Gora.

"Ninety-five percent of the (original) recipes are the same,'' Erin says.

No shortenings, preservatives or mixes are used. The formidable dessert in the photo is the Maple Mocha Walnut Cake.

Runners-up: CocoLuxe, Peapack; Mediterraneo Bakery, Bound Brook

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Sussex: Cafe Pierrot, Sparta

Cafe Pierrot has been open 30 years, but it still seems a relative secret outside Sussex County. The Sparta cafe/bakery is cozily set inside a house (photo), while there's a bakery in Andover. The chocolate peppermint cupcake may have been the best cupcake sampled in the entire N.J.'s best bakery showdown.

Runners-up: Holland American Bakery, Wantage; Two Teaspoons, Hamburg

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Union: Bovella's Pastry Shoppe, Westfield

Westfield High grad Ralph Bencivenga is the owner of Bovella's, a charming little bakery/cafe in downtown Westfield. Bovella's roots are in Plainfield; Michael and Rita Rove opened a bakery there in 1949. The business moved to Westfield in 1978. Bencivenga introduced a European-style cafe to the traditional bakery business. There is another location, in Mountainside. The Irish Baileys Cup is a cute 'n' naughty little treat.

Runners-up: Natale's Summit Bakery, Summit; Pinho's Bakery, Roselle

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Warren: Buttercups Bake Shoppe, Stewartsville

Gourmet cakes, cupcakes, cookies and pies are the draw at Buttercups Bake Shoppe, which uses locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. The banana bread pudding is a customer favorite, and there's a weekly gluten free/vegan cupcake.

Runners-up: Allie's Cupcakery, Washington; Muheisen Bakery, Washington

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What's the best bakery in your county?

Many worthy bakeries were left off this list. What's the best bakery in your county? Which ones should have made the list?

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