A Visit To Baked in Brooklyn NY

by Lora Wiley-Lennartz
On my recent trip to NYC I had a list of bakeries to check out . Baked was at the top. Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafit are the founders of Baked bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY and authors of two cookbooks, Baked Explorations and Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. Love them both. The books I mean, not the authors, but they seem lovable too. Aside from the wonderful recipes, I dig the styling and graphics of the books. Style is over half the reason I choose to buy a cookbook. Don’t judge.

So one morning I hopped on a train and then another train and then a bus. Red Hook is a schlep from the Upper East Side where I was staying. Anyway, an hour later I found myself on Baked’s doorstep and it was an hour’s journey well invested.

Once I walked through the doors the vibe and decor of the place instantly made me feel at home.

Then I started perusing the edible goods. Sophie’s choice was about to begin. What to buy and sample? Hmmm. There were bars…

And Brookies…

Banana Cake…

And cupcakes…

Oh and the Whoopie Pies..

After pacing back and forth a bit like a mad woman, I settled on a Brookie which was out-stand-ing. Seriously gooey and chewy and perfect.

The cakes looks so amazing I had to try a few. So I also bought a slice of Aunt Sassy’s Pistachio Surprise.

This was good but I didn’t love it. I am a white cake person and prefer it over chocolate but this didn’t rock my world.

Then I tried the Burnt Sugar Bunt.

Fabulous. Excellent caramel frosting and the cake itself was the perfect consistency.

And to top it off I added a Malted Milk cupcake to the party. The cake part had the malt flavor.

Everything I bought, after tasting I rewrapped to share with friends. However, his cupcake was so excellent, I almost ate the whole thing right there.

And then I did.
When I returned back to Manhattan with my bag of goodies, they were pounced upon and didn’t survive the night. I went to sleep that evening dreaming of those Brookies and that Chocolate Frosted Malted Cupcake.
Baked is worth the visit…and the schlep from Manhattan.
Baked Brooklyn
359 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn, New York 11231
718.222.0345

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2 comments

Vicki Winters January 23, 2013 - 8:33 pm

I just got the new cookbook, "Baked Elements" http://wp.me/p2FE5X-HE

Reply
adozeneggs March 27, 2011 - 2:09 pm

I have this on my list too… but I stay in the Upper WEST Side, so my trip will probably be much longer than an hour..
I might have to drive there. I'm sure it will be worth it. Everything looks delish. I want to go right now!

Reply

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