Best Berkley Bakery? The Butterfly Bake Shoppe!

With paczki in high demand this week for Fat Tuesday, Berkley-Huntington Woods Patch asked about . After a week of voting, readers have made it clear that  in Berkley is the most popular.

Readers had a good variety of local shops to choose from in  — from , which was a close second, and the well-known  to quick stop  and mainstays  and .

Fans of the bakery had plenty of nice things to say.

"Everything Dawn makes, from Cookies to Cakes is awesomely good and made by scratch. You just can't beat anything she makes!," Kristin Sanders commented.

Kathy Thayer advises, "Try some of their bars like the lemon bars, krunchy fudge, blueberry crumble... mmm, mmm, good..."

Butterfly Bake Shoppe, located at 2752 Coolidge Hwy., south of 12 Mile Road, has been open just one year. It is owned and operated by Dawn Schwanke, a Berkley resident and mother of five who grew up in a family in which baking was synonymous with waking up every morning. 

“It was nothing for my grandpa to make hundreds of loaves of bread a day,” said Schwanke, whose grandfather worked at the former Miller’s Bakery in Detroit. 

Schwanke fondly recalls her grandpa making hundreds of Danish pastries he called butterflies, which inspired the bakery's name. 

More 'What's the best'

Read more from our "What's the best" series here.

Because Patch has an extensive directory of local businesses, we want all of our readers to benefit from your experience the way your neighbors do. Even if you missed the chance to vote, you can write a review for your favorite places anytime in our Patch Places directory listings.

Do you own or manage a business in Berkley? Be sure to  - it's free!

Coming Monday: Best auto repair shops