Three area bakeries offer specially flavored breads and sweet treats for the holiday season.

Whether customers desire hearty breads, delectable cupcakes or custom-made gingerbread houses, bakers can provide at Beehive Bread Co., Pink Moon Cupcake Baker and Shawnee Hills Bakery.

Seasonal favorites at the Beehive Bread Co. include pumpkin chocolate chip bread and eggnog cranberry bread, said owner Kip Frost of Lewis Center.

Frost, who opened the bakery two years ago, said the he develops bread recipes by experimenting with mixing flavors he likes, as well as always looking for recipes. The store offers several specialty breads, including spinach feta, cheddar onion and whole wheat made from wheat berries ground fresh at the store. The bakery offers carrot cake loaves, oatmeal cookies and brownies.

"(Baking bread) was a hobby that turned into something I wanted to do all the time," Frost said about his reason for becoming a baker. "You make a product, sell it, and at the end of the day you've accomplished something."

Frost said his bakery makes many loaves every day, and ordering a day in advance is helpful if a customer has a special order.

Beehive Bread Co., 50 S. Liberty St., Suite 166, Powell, is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The store will close at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. For more information, call (614) 505-6506 or visit www.beehivebread.com.

At Pink Moon Cupcake Baker, a favorite holiday treat is chocolate-peppermint cupcakes, said owner Cinnamon Nuhfer, a Powell resident. "We'll also have pumpkin, chocolate spice and gingerbread, as well as the popular buckeye cupcake and favorites like vanilla and chocolate."

Nuhfer also has all kinds of holiday toppers that go on the cupcakes -- bows that make them look like presents, Santa Claus and reindeer figures, candy canes, snowmen and Christmas trees.

The bakery opened two and a half years ago, Nuhfer said, noting she makes the cupcakes and icing from scratch, using her own recipes.

"It's always best to special order. However, we do a very large walk-in business," Nuhfer said. "If you special order, you're guaranteed to get the flavors you want."

Pink Moon Cupcake Bakery is at 84 W. Olentangy St., Powell. It's open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and closed Sunday and Monday. On Christmas Eve, the store will be open from 10 a.m. to noon, for pre-order pickups only. For more information, call (614) 802-0230 or visit www.pinkmooncupcakes.com.

Shawnee Hills Bakery is making custom gingerbread houses, cakes shaped like snowmen and Christmas trees, as well as other holiday treats.

"Gingerbread houses are my number one fun thing to do," said chief cake decorator Sharon Mueller, noting that decorating gingerbread houses is a family tradition. "Ginger bread houses and decorated cakes make great centerpieces."

Owner Carol Kender said they'll work from a photo to develop a replica of people's homes. However, ordering a week in advance is necessary.

Kender a resident of Shawnee Hills who also owns Dublin Cake Cottage, opened the bakery about a year ago.

"I've always cooked and baked and now I can sell it to people who enjoy it," Kender said. "I like doing retail, and I like dealing with people, so this is fun."

Kender and Mueller, a mother-daughter team, also make custom decorated cakes, pies, cookies, doughnuts and muffins. Mueller has been a cake decorator for 15 years.

Shortbread cookies will be specially shaped and decorated for the holidays, Kender said, noting that cake flavors that work well for the holidays include spice cake, red velvet cake, cherry cake and chocolate cake.

The bakery also has a line of gluten-free treats.

Ordering custom-decorated cakes and batches of cookies in advance is necessary, Kender said.

Shawnee Hills Bakery is at 9216 Dublin Road, Shawnee Hills. Its hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. Monday hours are by appointment. For more information, call (614) 789-0804 or visit www.shawneehillsbakery.com.