Flavourcape

Bread & Butter. Stephen and Eileen Cross’s passion for baking (all self-taught) put a suburban tea room on the map. Their tea lover’s menu includes a loose tea selection, while a display table is filled with Amarula carrot cake to daintily decorated lemon meringue cupcakes with curd centres on cupcake bases. Five types of cheesecake include Oreo, red velvet and caramel chocolate. They’re also known for Banting sweet treats. Sandown Road, Sunningdale. 021-554-5817.
Main Road, Paarl. 021-863-0672, Bread & Butter

Four & Twenty Café. Silwood-trained Tracy-Leigh Genricks’s display of hand-crafted pastries, biscuits, tarts and cakes are innovative, delicious and a treat to look at. Staples include scones, cheesecake, and fruit-filled tartlets – always with a new flavour, topping or twist. Try decadent chocolate ganache cupcakes to meringue, lime and strawberry pies.
Wolfe Street, Wynberg. 021-762-0975, Four & Twenty (Reopens on 20 July 2015)

La Belle Bakery. A cosy interior and terrace is a popular option in this leafy neighbourhood where Ronnefeldt teas are served. Tag on a meander down the adjacent Alphen Trail afterwards. A pastry chef’s display entices with lemon bars to baked cheesecake, rocky road squares or coconut and pineapple mini carrot cakes. The Alphen hotel, Constantia. 021-795-6336.

M Patisserie. Self-trained and extremely talented, Martjie Malan sets the standard in Cape French-style patisserie. This Koekedoor TV show finalist epitomises baking precision and perfection. She’s the queen of macarons, sweet or savoury eclairs, and madeleines made the classic way. Visit her venue to enjoy exquisite cakes with Nigiro’s loose-leaf teas. Andringa Street, Stellenbosch. 021-886-5020.

The Birdcage. Institute of Culinary Arts-trained baker Beate Strydom says red velvet cupcakes put this tearoom on the map, but she prefers making more interesting, newer creations including brown sugar cupcakes with butterscotch centres. The people’s favourite, this tea room offers Dilmar teas, custard and chocolate bars, cheesecakes (always baked), and even nougat studded with Jelly Tots.
Plein Street, Stellenbosch. 021-882-9790. The Birdcage

A version of this appeared in The Times on 7 July 2015