SOLVED. Children's chapter Fiction/Fantasy about a sibling/family or friends duo or trio that finds a magical portal or doorway to another reality or realm. They eat rich butter-type cakes as a treat. [s]

[Christine]

so when I was a kid, a children's librarian recommended this book to me. I read it sometime likely between 1990-1996 but it may have been published well before that.

It was children's fiction/fantasy. I remember reading it in hardcover, maybe 200 or so pages.

My recollection is rather spotty but I remember that it was a family (brother/sister, maybe cousins) or perhaps a duo or trio of friends. They find a magic portal or doorway to another realm/universe/reality. I remember that they thought they saved whomever/whatever they were trying to save but then had to return again to finish things up.

The biggest detail I remember is a food they ate when they were there. It was a cake of some kind (I remember thinking that the shape reminded me of a twinkie) and it was either called butter cake or was described as being very rich and buttery; the taste would "explode" in their mouths when they bit into the cake. They may have eaten it in a cafe or restaurant but I'm not sure about that at all.

I don't remember it being over the top with magic (a la Wrinkle in Time or or Chronicles of Narnia) and I also don't think it was The Phantom Tollbooth.

As far as I know, it was a standalone book.

[Nachelle]

This is a very long shot, but based on the butter type treat detail, I would try "A Tale of Time City" by Diana Wynne Jones. There is a main trio of characters; they make multiple trips after thinking they've fixed the initial problem. There is a lot of talk about "butter-pies" that are very rich and explode with flavor.

[Rosa]

A Tale of Time City for the link. Sounds likely to me.

[CJ]

What about the Enchanted Wood / Magic Faraway Tree series - they always ate wonderful sounding foods and one of the characters would give the children toffees that would explode in their mouths.

[Kaion]

Here's a long description of the butter pies from A Tale of Time City (from a delightful attempt of some DWJ fans at trying to recreate the dessert):

Wonderful tastes filled her mouth, everything buttery and creamy she had ever tasted, with just a hint of toffee, and twenty other even better tastes she had never met before, all of it icy cold … at that moment, she bit through into the middle of the butter-pie. And it was hot. Runny, syrupy hot. “It’s goluptuous when you get to the warm part, isn’t it?” Sam said, watching her with keen attention. “You want to let it trickle into the cold." Vivian did so and found Sam’s advice was excellent. The two parts mixed were even better than the cold part alone.

[Christine]

It is, in fact, Tale of Time City. Thanks everyone so much!