Welcome to new MIAbites contributor, Amber Love Bond. I met Amber during Art Basel at the Dominique Ansel Ice Cream Popup shop at The Setai. While we drooled over the ice cream and Dominique, we decided it would be fun to collaborate. Amber, who has her own business making custom cakes will join MIAbites as our first "Dessert Expert". Here is her first feature on Best Desserts in Miami.

As a baker, I’m constantly surrounded by sweets. When I’m not in my kitchen, I’m enjoying desserts all over Miami. I’m the girl you can count on to stop eating halfway through the meal if it crosses my mind that I may end up too full to order dessert. My mantra – ALWAYS save room for dessert!

Here are my top five dessert obsessions in Miami:

5. The Childhood Favorite

Dirt Cup, Eating House

We all have a treat growing up that always got us excited – for me, it was dirt cups. The Dirt Cup at Eating House is no exception. Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli gives this classic a twist that makes it even more irresistible. By adding Nutella mousse and pretzel crumbles he gives it the kick that it needed to go from childhood favorite to adult must have. Eating House 804 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134

4. The Grab and Go Dessert

GOAT Cookie Milkshake, Sweetness Bakeshop

After a long day, you sometimes crave a sweet reward. And on those days you can typically find me at Sweetness Bakeshop having a milkshake for dinner. I’m a big fan of everything at this family-owned bakery, but their GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Cookie Milkshake is my favorite. Smooth vanilla ice cream blended with chunks of chocolate chip cookie with a brownie-like truffle center is absolute perfection – don’t forget to add the whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top. Sweetness Bakeshop 9549 SW 72nd St, Miami, FL 33173

3. The Prettiest Plated

El Chocolate En Textures, La Mar at the Mandarin Oriental

Everyone in Miami’s foodie community has heard of Diego Oka and his amazing creations at La Mar in the Mandarin Oriental. However, I have yet to hear anyone talk about the deliciously rich Chocolate En Textures dessert. The chocolate brownie chunks, chocolate foam, ice cream with 60% Peruvian chocolate and crystallized manjar drops are plated in such a way that you almost think it’s too pretty to eat. But that never stops me. La Mar at the Mandarin Oriental 500 Brickell Key Dr, Miami, FL 33132

2. The Light and Fresh Classic

Cannoli, Fratelli Milano

“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” is the best possible advice when it comes to this dessert. Fratelli Milano is one of those hidden gems in Downtown Miami that doesn’t get enough credit. Their dessert menu has all the Italian classics, but the cannoli is hands down the best in Miami. The pastry cream overflowing from the perfectly crisp cannoli shell is light and fluffy with the loveliest lemon aftertaste that will keep you craving more. Fratelli Milano 213 SE 1st St, Miami, FL 33132

1. The Unexpected Favorite

Carrot Cake, Truluck’s Seafood Steak and Crab House

I’m a major chocoholic, and it’s very rare that I’ll gravitate toward something without chocolate. But I can’t get enough of the Carrot Cake at Truluck’s. A few years ago, some friends and I decided to order different dessert options and with a table full of deliciousness I discovered that nothing could make me happier than their monstrous Carrot Cake. This larger than life slice of cake is topped with spiced walnuts and the most amazing gooey butterscotch. I have yet to be able to finish it in one sitting, but that doesn’t stop me from trying! I love this cake so much it’s become an unwritten rule – if anyone goes to Truluck’s without me they have to bring me back dessert. Truluck’s Seafood Steak and Crab House 777 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33132.

For more info about Amber follow her on Instagram @Instagram: @amber__love, and to view or order some of her creations, visit her website at http://www.cakesbyamberlove.com/

Best Desserts in Miami: A Baker’s Confessions

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