One of the striking things about Parisian pastry shops is the absolute consistency of the offerings. There’s a repertoire of 30-odd confections upon which the establishment is judged, which constitute an unyielding part of the French patrimoine. Surprises are quite rare in the French food world. Despite, or because of, the presence of some 50,000 Americans living here, one would never, ever find American-style cake, with its vulgar and unwieldy wedge-like slices, or a slice of pie, with its disorganized fruit, and imperfect strips of crust, in a French pastry shop. The Parisians are warming up to le muffin, and the odd brownie, and cupcakes are sprouting up in some of the ice-cream stores in the 6e arrondissement (think Upper East Side), and le Marais (think Chelsea). Parisians like single-serve items. The new Sugarplum Cake Shop is a total and extremely welcome aberration for Paris. Its unabashedly American-style offerings, and extremely high quality put most Manhattan bakeries to shame.
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