Business

Robicelli’s sweet treats return home

December 4, 2013 Heather Chin

BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Heather J. Chin

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Robicelli’s Bakery is back with its own brick and mortar storefront, much to the delight of Brooklynites for whom cupcakes—and other signature desserts—have come to be synonymous with Allison and Matt Robicelli.

The new storefront at 9009 Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge features a bold blue, black and white awning and bright red walls that Allison chose for good luck and prosperity.

Walk inside and the smell of baking cupcakes, brownies, pies, chocolate chip cookies, butternut squash, macaroons and more greets you. Soon, art will also adorn the walls—the work of local residents/artists—to help mark the space as a community gathering place.

Allison Robicelli prepping blueberry almond coffee cake. (Photo by Heather J. Chin)

“We fit into the neighborhood well,” said Allison, who was bustling around the new bakery’s kitchen, checking on cookies already in the oven while putting whole blueberries into a pan for blueberry almond coffee cake. “We’re big believers in having a place feel like home. Our philosophy is to make good food for everyday working life.”

Those people who swarmed the bakery and bought just about every bite created during their limited soft opening hours over Thanksgiving week agreed: the food is good.

The fully seasonal menu changes daily based on available ingredients and the chef’s creativity, but every day will feature some variation on Robicelli’s signature cupcakes, pies, cakes, cookies, brownies and bars. Paired with a cup of freshly brewed Stumptown Coffee, every possible flavor combination will leave your stomach happy.

For example, the aforementioned Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake ($2.50 a slice) is thick, moist and full of fresh blueberries that pop in your mouth. Another day, soft-crunchy Banana Fingers with brown sugar chocolate cranberry topping and caramel drizzle ($2) and comforting Gooey Cinnamon Bun Coffee Cake with cream cheese topping ($2.50 a slice) are barely cooled before customers snap them up.

Robicelli's gluten free pumpkin cheesecake with ginger caramel. (Photo courtesy of Robicelli's Bakery.)

There are also pies and cheesecakes galore—including mouth-watering gluten-free options—as well as regular appearances by macaroons, mini-Bundt Cakes, mini Whoopie Pies, and, of course, the ever-popular stars: Robicelli’s cupcakes ($3.25 each).

‘Tis the season, so you can’t go wrong with Pumpkin Pie’s light pumpkin spice flavor paired with wonderfully sweet vanilla buttercream, Sweet Potato Casserole’s airy cake paired with crunchy sugar sprinkles on the buttercream, and Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake’s chocolate fudge.

Or try the Pecan Pie cupcake, which was pleasantly nutty with a rich buttercream frosting topped with a large sweet pecan. Also bearing delicious toppings are the likes of the Maltz—chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream that tastes like mousse, topped with real bite-sized smoky bacon strips—and the Chocolate Cannoli, which features cannoli shells on the cannoli buttercream and ganache-covered chocolate cake.

If you’re a jelly doughnut fan, then you’ll love the Blatt—vanilla cake filled with raspberry jam and with cheesecake buttercream and fried cookie dough pieces.

Also among our favorites are the Bourbon Apple Caramel cupcake, which perfectly combines the sweet caramel and faintly sweet dried apple piece flavors, and the triple-eggnog concoction of eggnog cake with eggnog pudding and eggnog buttercream, plus a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg.

Robicelli’s Bakery has the trifecta of food, location and personality to make it the perfect respite for locals while also giving visitors a rare taste of small town charm in the hyper-aware foodie world of Brooklyn and New York City.