An exqusite loaf of artisan bread, the most elaborate wedding cakes and more — Lakewood’s bakeries offer it all. In particular, sweet lovers have plenty of choices, including cupcakes, eclairs, crepes and more. And with numerous vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, everyone gets dessert.
LaLa Custom Cake
Leah Gourlie, owner of LaLa Custom Cake, takes “cake culture in America” very seriously. Gourlie calls cakes “artistic centerpieces” that people gather around. She knows that photographs of special cakes, including wedding cakes, will forever be part of someone’s albums and memories.
But Gourlie’s work also includes the whimsical. Her staff has created a red apple-shaped cake complete with a friendly green worm and a cheeseburger cake with lettuce and tomato that look almost real. She also recently made a Statue of Liberty cake.
Gourlie, a Johnson and Wales University culinary graduate, opened her bakery in 2016, after a diverse work history. She was chef for a bed and breakfast in California, at several fine dining restaurants and for a convent, making scones and muffins for nuns. Today her savory culinary skills plus her focus on sweet treats have given her an advantage.
“We do tons of custom flavors,” says Gourlie, whose shop creates all its ingredients, including batter, buttercream, fruit compote and caramel. “My own personal favorite flavor is caramel raspberry, because it’s sweet and tart. I always make sure our potential wedding cake customers taste it.”
LaLa Custom Cake offers a custom flavor builder on its website, where clients can choose from a variety of cake flavors, buttercream, fillings and add-ons. Sometimes enthusiastic customers will order a cake with chocolate, peanut butter and caramel flavors — a combination of which Gourlie wholeheartedly approves. “But then maybe they will pick a peppermint frosting. We’ll ask if they are sure that’s what they want and also maybe offer them a little direction,” says Gourlie.
In addition to cakes, the bakery offers cupcakes for walk-in purchase and other special order small desserts.
15301 Madison Ave., lalacustomcake.com
Brewella's Coffee, Crepes and Collectibles
Can something to eat or drink be too sweet? Chris Murphy and Joe Keppler, co-owners of Brewella’s Coffee, Crepes and Collectibles, answered that question five years ago. Their first-year Halloween crepe creation of Cookies and Scream Cream (a concoction of marshmallows, Oreos and other ingredients Murphy would prefer to keep secret) was tooth-achingly sweet.
“It will never make a comeback, but its memory is our reference for anything new we try. As long as it’s not as sweet as that, it’s good,” says Murphy.
That standard must be working, because today Brewella’s is outgrowing its space, and the business owners are looking for larger quarters in Lakewood. Currently, there are 20 inside seats, which Murphy describes as “a little tight, but cozy.” No matter when and where they move, no doubt Murphy will first consult with Brewella, a fictional character envisioned as a much-loved, vibrant, maybe somewhat eccentric, older woman whose name graces the shop.
Brewella would probably love all the shop’s crepes — especially its bestseller, Nutella and strawberries (also available with bananas). Other sweet crepes include: lemon sugar; chocolate, peanut butter and banana; s’mores; and grahammy’s PB&J. Murphy’s favorite is the French toast crepe, “scrambled egg on top, butter, cinnamon and sugar and a side of maple syrup.” Savory crepe choices are available, too.
The shop is also becoming known for its authentic, homemade alfajores. The shortbread sandwich cookies, filled with dulce de leche (caramelized milk) and decorated with coconut and sugar on the rim, are made by Keppler’s mother, who is from Argentina.
“These cookies are something else, and some people buy as many as they can,” says Murphy.
16806 Madison Ave., brewellas.com
KB Confections
Eating a big breakfast before you go to work may be key to working at KB Confections. Otherwise, it’s pretty hard to resist the bakery’s tempting raspberry truffle cake, cinnamon buns and much-loved brownie cheesecake, according to Owner Karen Bosworth, who opened the bakery 11 years ago. The family-owned business began in Bosworth’s home where no one could eat at the dining room table because it was the holding station for multiple cakes ready for pickup.
Celebration cakes and wedding cakes still take center stage today at the shop, but cupcakes and custom cookies are also popular. Specialty cake flavors include Boston crème, chocolate truffle, coconut and cookies and cream, among others. Premium flavors include key lime, cassata, carrot, mocha and more. Vegan and gluten-free options are available with some items.
“I grew up in a Polish/Slovak home, so my mother, grandmother and aunts were all bakers. It came naturally to me, and I have a huge sweet tooth,” says Bosworth. “My daughter, Marianne, also joined me to help with marketing, and she’s responsible for the popularity of our macarons.” (Creme brulee, almond raspberry and vanilla bean are some flavorful favorites.)
Bosworth has never shied away from a challenge. For her son’s fifth grade graduation, she made a 5-foot-wide cake that included figures of every child, made from gum paste (a sweet, edible sugar dough that hardens). Bosworth also made a specialty cake for the younger son of NBA superstar LeBron James, which she delivered to their home.
“We have a great staff here,” Bosworthnotes, adding that her employees are artists more than anything else. “I am good at coming up with recipes, but they execute things that are really unique.”
13519 Detroit Ave., kb-confections.com
Frosty’s Cake and Ice Cream
By August, pumpkin spice is back on the soft serve menu at Frosty’s Cake and Ice Cream. Owner Amanda Orlando’s customers ask for the flavor starting in summer, eagerly awaiting its return. Its intense popularity is based on its deliciousness and also the fact that, like every other treat in the shop, it is 100% vegan. Frosty’s rotates its flavors of both soft serve (go for passion fruit) and ice cream scoops (try the coffee chip).
“We have people coming from all over for the vegan soft serve. I had no idea what a cult following it had,” says Orlando, who opened her shop in June 2022 after a career as a cake decorator. Taking her inspiration from kids’ birthday parties, where cake and ice cream “just go together,” Frosty’s was born.
Cake-by-the-slice is the shop’s specialty, including those with over-the-top flavors. Classic flavors (think vanilla bean, almond, lemon, funfetti and chocolate) “stand the test of time, and are absolutely delicious,” according to Orlando. But she says her staff likes it when people give the bakery unique flavor requests. Her deluxe cake/cupcake flavors include raspberry coconut zinger, s’mores, deluxe cookie dough, lemon blueberry, maple pecan and chocolate pretzel praline.
“My personal favorite is funfetti. I am a kid at heart,” says Orlando. “I love everything with sprinkles.”
Custom cakes and case cakes are available. Cake sizes range from 4-inch round (serving two to four people) to as-many-people-as-you-want size. That request is usually filled with a large cake and coordinating cupcakes used as individual servings.
The bakery’s name came from Orlando’s love of “all things Christmas.” She figured “Frosty” was a nostalgic name that would appeal to both children and adults.
“We’re a small business,” Orlando says. “It’s a neighborhood, towny shop where everything is made from scratch (including hot fudge and caramel sauces, plus fresh waffle cones) out of the finest ingredients. And we found the perfect spot here in Lakewood.”
13343 Madison Ave., facebook.com/frostyslakewood
Blackbird Baking Co.
Baker Tom Clark’s first love is bread. And why not? It’s a major staple around the world and can be a common comfort food or an exquisite luxury. Clark and his wife, Adria Clark, are co-owners of Blackbird Baking Co., which opened in 2009. They continue to feature amazing breads that include country blonde, rye, wheat, kalamata olive, challah, ciabatta, focaccia and more. The breads do not include dough conditioners, chemicals or additives.
“I wasn’t much of a pastry guy at all,” confesses Tom, who came back to his hometown of Lakewood to open his shop after gaining experience in several Portland, Oregon, bakeries. “But since we opened the business, we now offer a little bit of everything.”
That includes the hugely popular chocolate chip cookies, plus other made-from-scratch pastries and top-shelf coffee. The success of those items was something Tom “didn’t see coming,” being a lifelong bread man, but the best ingredients help contribute to the bakery’s success, including European butter and free-range eggs from Ohio Amish farms.
Sweet-filled croissants have earned bragging rights and include almond, apricot jam (Adria’s favorite), chocolate batons and raspberry. Savory croissants include ham and cheese plus spinach and feta options, as well a classic butter croissant.
“I am a purist. I like a plain croissants and plain baguettes. Those are the most challenging to make because there is nothing to hide behind,” says Tom. “If you have a really good croissant or bread, it speaks to how well it was made.”
1391 Sloane Ave., blackbirdbaking.com
