Bloomfield's Paddy Cake Bakery Gears Up for Fat Tuesday Pączki Rush

The Pittsburgh bakery expects to sell hundreds of the classic Polish pastries on the final day before Lent.

Published on Feb. 18, 2026

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As Fat Tuesday marks the final day before the beginning of the Lenten season, Paddy Cake Bakery in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood is preparing for one of its busiest days of the year, rolling out pączki and other Mardi Gras-themed treats by the dozen. Owner Theresa Richter says Fat Tuesday is typically the shop's biggest donut day, even surpassing National Donut Day.

Why it matters

Pączki, a classic Polish baked good similar to a donut, have grown in tradition as people prepare to give up sweets for Lent. Paddy Cake Bakery is known for its high-quality pączki, made with more butter, sugar, glaze, and egg than a traditional donut, and customers flock to the bakery on Fat Tuesday to indulge before the start of the Lenten season.

The details

Paddy Cake Bakery will have 19 different flavors of pączki available for purchase, and Richter says it takes about four hours to make a batch. The bakery has around 20 staff members working on Tuesday morning to prepare for the expected rush of customers throughout the day. Richter warns that some shops sell imposter pączki made with donut batter and fillings, so customers need to be careful where they buy their treats.

  • Fat Tuesday marks the final day before the beginning of the Lenten season.
  • Early Tuesday morning, the bakery had around 20 staff members working to prepare for the day.

The players

Theresa Richter

The owner of Paddy Cake Bakery in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood.

Paddy Cake Bakery

A Pittsburgh bakery known for its high-quality pączki, a classic Polish baked good similar to a donut.

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What they’re saying

“We're so excited to be here, we're excited to make the pączki, we're excited for Mardi Gras.”

— Theresa Richter, Owner (CBS News Pittsburgh)

“It takes about four hours to make a batch of our pączki. There's a lot of butter, sugar, glaze, and vanilla that goes into these. There's more egg in these than in a traditional donut, so they're heftier. They're ready to hold all that extra filling.”

— Theresa Richter, Owner (CBS News Pittsburgh)

“Normally, donuts or pączki, that's like a morning thing, but Fat Tuesday, it's all day long. They're looking for the pączki.”

— Theresa Richter, Owner (CBS News Pittsburgh)

What’s next

If the bakery runs out of pączki, they plan to make more, but customers may have to wait a little bit to get their sweet treats.

The takeaway

Paddy Cake Bakery's commitment to high-quality, traditional pączki has made it a go-to destination for Pittsburghers looking to indulge in the classic Polish pastry before the start of Lent, showcasing the enduring appeal of local, community-driven businesses.