Cake Boss Changes the Game for Local Bakery

Eliza's Bakery has seen a lot of changes over the years.

This month it's the sidewalk out front that's being torn up and rebuilt. What's happening inside the store is also evolving.  While crews are digging up the sidewalk and pouring new concrete, owner Laura Jenkins is using the opportunity to remodel her shop.

In the front window is a sure sign of the start of summer: a flip-flop cake, complete with red Twizzler straps.

It's not just the time of year for cakes. Jenkins says pies are a hot item in the summer, especially cherry pies that are coming into season and apple, which is a top seller all year long.  As July rolls around, Jenkins says peach pies are another big favorite.

But back to the cakes.

June is traditionally graduation and wedding season and with it comes some unusual orders. Jenkins says customers have now gotten used to seeing themed cakes on the popular cable TV show Cake Boss. That means many are coming in with requests that go way beyond the traditional. She's up to the challenge. Take the flip-flop cake for example. "I thought it would be colorful and fun and something nice to take to a beach party or something like that."

What's the strangest cake a customer's ever asked for?

Jenkins has to think about that one for a moment. "I've had a lot of strange cakes," she tells Patch. "I did a Star Wars wedding and an Angry Birds cake. I guess the strangest one will be a Zombie wedding. I'm doing that in October.  I already did a vampire wedding so now I'm doing a Zombie wedding."

How much advance time do you need for a cake?

If it's a standard cake, Jenkins says she can do that quickly. A specialty creation like a Star Wars theme or Zombie wedding is a little longer lead time. Jenkins says the brides usually work way ahead "for something like that they usually talk to us two or three months in advance."

Don't try this at home

Jenkins says Cake Boss has given some people the idea that they can make it at home. "Since they've seen Cake Boss they think they can do it on their own and it doesn't work so then they come to someone like me instead of going all the way up to Northern New Jersey. (The Cake Boss' shop is in Hoboken, NJ).

"It comes down to speed and technique," Jenkins explains. "I can do a lot of cakes per hour." She also has the training and experience that most home bakers simply do not. Eliza's has been in business for 11 years on Bridge Street in Phoenixville.

June is Changing in the Wedding Cake Business

There was a time when June was the busiest month for weddings. Jenkins says that's been changing a little over the past few years, with fall weddings becoming almost as common. "A lot of people have been shifting to September and October. Now January's becoming popular too because they can get the venues a lot cheaper and they don't have to compete with other people to get the venue.. It keeps us busy year round."