Sinful Confections: gluten-free, dairy-free cake on Barbur

It's easy to think of Southwest Barbur as a road you drive through, but at 9053 Southwest Barbur, Sinful Confections makes a strong case for stopping with its 8-inch 2-layer cake, which is 100% gluten-free, 100% dairy-free and 100% vegan. It needs five days' notice, so it won't save a last-minute birthday. Julie is the owner and founder, and the shop is family-owned. She started it as a stay-at-home mom and went from farmers markets to this first storefront, while her husband works behind the scenes as the official #1 taste tester, and the shop says it's been going for "nearly 10 years."

Julie describes it this way herself: Sinful Confections is a 100% gluten-free and 100% dairy-free bakery in Southwest Portland, and most of what the shop makes is also vegan. Some things aren't, and products are labeled so you can choose. It's in Multnomah, which is its own neighborhood, separate from South Portland.

The 8-inch 2-layer cake serves 12 to 16 and needs five days. The 6-inch and 10-inch 2-layer cakes have the same ingredient statement, no gluten, no dairy, 100% vegan and egg-free. Other allergens depend on the flavors and add-ons, and the kitchen isn't a certified nut-free facility. If you need a cake for Tuesday, call the week before.

The "From Our Case, Ready Now" section covers cookies, cupcakes, bars, brownies, hand pies, coffee cake, dough bites and sandwiches, and the shop describes all of it as gluten-free, dairy-free and mostly vegan. You'll see tempting things like a blueberry crumble pie bar, a birthday cake loaded cookie, a chocolate peanut butter brownie, a bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich and a chicken comfort hand pie, and you shouldn't assume those are vegan, since the savory items might use house dairy-free recipes or might include egg. If you need vegan, order the 2-layer cake or read the label.

The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and closed Sunday, Monday and major holidays. You can order online to reserve, and same-day pickup works while treats last. It's on DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub, though it doesn't ship yet, and if you'll be picking up late, call 971-336-1195 and the staff will try to hold your order that day.

A gluten-free, dairy-free cake that's also fully vegan is hard to find, and that's what keeps regulars coming back. Order it five days ahead, and read the labels on anything from the case, since some of it isn't vegan.

The essentials are on the Sinful Confections page.