The Cakebox: Let Them Eat Cake!

Eat, Pray, Love - you’ve heard of it, right? Well in the words of Willy Wonka, “Strike that, reverse it” - The CAKEBOX in Ridgefield has it all in the correct order - Pray (if you must), Eat (as many cupcakes as you can), and Love (absolutely!) This ESSENTIAL new dessert-stop in the Copps Hill Commons shopping center in Ridgefield is a cake and cupcake lover’s Shangri-La. Ridgefield native Jordan Gregory and her partner, Robert Byrnes, opened The Cake Box in April and have been whipping up extraordinary cakes for all occasions (including, eventually, custom wedding cakes), cupcakes by the dozen, and individual cupcakes, cookies, and macaroons at the store for your perusal and MASS consumption! Ms. Gregory received her pastry training at the Institute for Culinary Education in NYC and Mr. Byrnes, who has a degree in hotel and restaurant management, designs the custom cakes. Trust me, they know their stuff!

From the moment you step foot in this quaint little bakery, your taste buds tingle and your sweet tooth smiles. Indeed, the design of the tiny shop suits its name to perfection. One is transported from a banal parking lot to the lacey trimmings of a fancy pastry container. It’s not your nana’s cake box but a more hip, funky version with blue/green wall paper and 3 tiny tables on which to gently lay your treasure. And oh what treasures await…

My personal favorite, the SWEET & SALTY is, well…exquisite. Moist vanilla cake with the lightest vanilla buttercream, drizzles of caramel and just the right dusting of fleur de sel. The Cake Box will make a cake of the Sweet & Salty - I will eat this cake. I will order another. It is perfection. The RIDGEFIELD RED VELVET (RRV) was also sublime. Red velvet cakes can be heavy with their cream-cheese based icing. But the RRV is as airy as can be. The frostings at the CAKE BOX are whipped and fluffy which allow the fresh ingredients to layer on your tongue. Waves of cocoa and cream cheese with just the faint suggestion of buttermilk caress your taste buds and the surprising crunch of tiny red sprinkles, which are scattered on top, add an extra dimension. I also sampled LIFE BY CHOCOLATE - chocolate cake filled with milk chocolate ganache and covered with a semisweet ganache. Um…now THAT‘s worth living for!!!!!!!! And I certainly prefer “LIFE by” to “DEATH by” - (although after all these desserts, I may be forced to go by “I NEED TO WORK OUT-  by”). My final sample was the gluten free MOCHACCINO. Another delectable chocolate cupcake with the world’s lightest coffee buttercream. Drizzled with chocolate ganache, this cupcake was sophisticated and - to quote Ms. Gregory - “ just yummy.”  My foodie-tummy can handle quite a bit but that was my limit for this visit. But I have already planned my menu for my next trip. I’ll have one LEMON DROP (lemon infused cake -and the lemon curd is made on site with freshly zested lemon- with lemon butter cream icing), at least one SNICKERS (chocolate cake filled with caramel and crushed peanuts, topped with peanut butter cream), and, mostly for the creative name, I’ll be forced to try THE ELVIS (banana cake with milk chocolate ganache and peanut butter buttercream). I’m in love, I’m all shook up! 

And there are plenty more flavors from which to choose. Gregory and Byrne use the freshest ingredients they can find and keep their diminutive kitchen in tip-top shape. All the cakes are made to order and THE CAKE BOX doesn’t even host a freezer. There are certain cupcakes served daily - BLACK & WHITE, BEST BIRTHDAY, LIFE BY CHOCOLATE to name a few.  But in order to keep up with demand, they have a devised a system of rotating their special flavors and keep a weekly schedule. Check THE CAKEBOX web site  to find out which days you can pick up a WHAT’S UP DOC, an OLD SCHOOL, or a MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP. 

Don’t forget that THE CAKE BOX also bakes outrageously scrumptious cookies. The chocolate chip cookies are crunchy on the outside and gooey in the center and the ginger snaps are bursting with flavor. The home-made macaroons are spectacular. They are gluten free and consist of two almond based cookies with ganache or raspberry preserve sandwiched in between. The hand decorated butter cookies are great for party favors, weddings, gifts, the options are endless. These light and tasty delights can be individually wrapped or packaged together in a bakery box.

The CAKE BOX really has it all in 700 sq. feet of space. The location in the Copps Hills Commons shopping center is ideal for one stop shopping; in the same plaza there is an organic market, a bread shop, and a cheese shop which will soon be selling wine. (Luckily, there is also a gym in the complex so that you can burn off some of the buttercream when you’ve had your fill! ) Most shops in this center, including THE CAKE BOX participate in the “Passport  to Aldrich Partners program which entitles Aldrich Museum members to substantial discounts. Remember that both standard and specialty cakes are made to order so you must call in advance.  You can call the shop at 203-403-2558 to place your orders. Or go into the shop at 109 Danbury Road in Ridgefield, rest your weary bones and the never-weary bones of your children, and have a cup or coffee, a juice, and indulge in the one of Fairfield County’s finest cupcakes. And don’t forget to check the web page for a glance at some of the phenomenal creations. 

The Cakebox 109 Danbury Road, Ridgefield 203-403-2558