I’ve been contemplating the travel blogger’s equivalent of a Greatest Hits post from 2022 — something where I list all my personal favorites in a variety of categories from my year of travel. We shall see.

In the meantime, if I’m giving out awards for Best Bundt Cake of the Year (and truly, I never thought I’d create that category), the top prize would, hands down, be given to The Woolworth in downtown Dallas for its OG Cake.

I was looking for a nice, quiet place for dinner while in Dallas earlier this month, and The Woolworth appeared to be a lovely spot. Somewhat hidden, this restaurant is located up a long staircase in the old F.W. Woolworth department store building, built in 1913.

I was quickly seated near the middle of the venue and decided on a happy hour beverage of Dolin Blanc vermouth, St. Germain, rose water and pomegranate called Easy Does It. Adeptly named, I only ordered the one but could’ve enjoyed several without much trouble.

I asked the server about her favorite entrées, and she suggested the caramelized salmon. When I saw it came alongside Yukon mash and lobster meat, I was sold. It turned out to be the perfect meal for my evening.

And while I’d been eyeing both the pound cake and/or crème brûlée for dessert, my server shook her head and insisted otherwise. She said the OG Cake recipe came from the chef’s mom, and it was her favorite item on the entire menu. I told her I’d never ordered bundt cake from an official restaurant dessert menu, but her raised eyebrows and unmistakable body language insisted, with a slight pinch of “Trust me, honey – or you’ll be sorry.”

And hello, Dallas: She was right.

Sour cream, vanilla and miniature chocolate chips, alongside a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a side of crushed cashews, made a delectable combination I didn’t know was possible. How that cake was able to remain so dense and so utterly moist at the same time still remains a mystery to me. Plus, the flavor personified what I would call Southern homey. In my mind, I picture the OG Cake as a family favorite, making numerous appearances at holiday gatherings, church potlucks, and perhaps was even the inspiration for a young chef to one day own a restaurant.

Top it all off with The Woolworth’s Library Room and other event spaces beautifully decorated for Christmas, and I was a happy girl with a full belly in Downtown Dallas.

Best Bundt Cake honors, absolutely.

— Carrie Cox, account executive