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Baked Ideas
450 Broadway, near Grand St.
212-925-9097
By appointment only
The staff here think of themselves as artists first and bakers
second. “Candy cakes” in the image of cartoon
icons, decorated with retro candy and licorice curls, are
favorites. (Plain and chocolate are the only flavors, though—no
ice cream). Also in high demand are personalized cookies,
mostly sugar or spice, with elaborate icing-art. Cookies run
from $2 to $15; $6 to $15 per person for cakes. Delivery upon
request.
Cakes ’N Shapes
403 W. 39th St., near Ninth Ave.
212-629-5512
cakesnshapes.com
This baking studio specializes in photo cakes but will also
whip up sculpted designs in the shape of cartoon characters.
Flavors are limited to chocolate and vanilla; frosting is
buttercream. Photo cakes start at $65 for ten people; sculpted
cakes at $195.
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Birthday-Cake Alternative |
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Dylan’s
Candy Bar
1011 Third Ave., at 60th St.
646-735-0078
dylanscandybar.com
So your precocious 4-year-old is bored with traditional
birthday cakes already? Indulge her jaded eye with
a one-of-a-kind creation from Dylan Lauren, like
a cake made of mini candy bars ($59), solid-chocolate
“moon pie cakes” ($8), or “birthday
cake” ice cream.
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CBK Cookies of New York
226 E. 83rd St., near Second Ave.
212-794-3383
cbkcookies.com
By appointment only
These expert confectioners offer cupcakes ($2 each) and custom
cakes ($75–$100) of cartoon characters, sports motifs,
and the like. They also do hand-drawn cakes (from $150 for 40
to 50 people); you supply the photo or drawing, and they’ll
re-create it on top of a two-layer cake (vanilla or chocolate,
with buttercream frosting). Custom cookies start at $3 apiece.
Confetti Cakes
102 W. 87th St., near Columbus Ave.
212-877-9580
confetticakes.com
By appointment only
Elisa Strauss can model a cake after just about anything;
she’s done teddy bears, sneakers, and bathtubs. Flavors
range from Valrhona chocolate to carrot with a range of fillings;
cakes are topped with buttercream, fondant, chocolate ganache,
or marzipan. Priced on request.
Cupcake
Cafe
522 Ninth Ave., at 39th St.
212-465-1530
cupcakecafe.com
Cupcake Cafe crafts dense cakes and cupcakes with the thickest
buttercream frosting we’ve tasted. Choose from their
signature floral designs and sports motifs for either. Cakes
start at $4 a slice; cupcakes are $2 and $3 apiece.
Flour
Girl
102 W. 87th St., near Columbus Ave.
212-595-9505
flourgirlbakery.com
French Culinary Institute grad Jeri Gottlieb decorates her
cakes with cookies of all sorts—giraffes, high heels,
roller skates, and skiers. And she doesn’t skimp on
the fillings, which range from the delightful Brown Sugar
Baby (chocolate cake with brown-sugar buttercream) to Top
Carrot (carrot chiffon layered with sweet cream-cheese filling).
Starts at $6 per serving.
JollyBe Bakery
718-965-1651
jollybebakery.com
At this small-scale Brooklyn bakery, you supply the theme,
and visual artist Ruth Seidler hand-paints it with flavored
fondant icing. Pick from sophisticated flavors like pear pound
with framboise syrup and hazelnut with espresso buttercream,
or go trad with chocolate on chocolate. From $7 per serving.
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