New Bakery Gets Creative with Cake

Attention dessert lovers: you have died and gone to heaven.

Or at least you might think so after visiting , located on West Washington Avenue in the borough. The shop, which opened in September, is an artisan bakery offering everything from cupcakes to brownies, wedding cakes, cheesecakes, cookies and much more.

Felix's Caketeria isn't your average bakery. The cupcake menu alone features more than 30 original varieties. Custom cake options include more than 10 flavors, ranging from classics like pound cake and chocolate to shop specialties like carrot cake and red velvet. There's also maple walnut, hazelnut pound cake, pumpkin and more.

But the cake flavor is only the beginning. Think of it as merely a canvass for the rest of the masterpiece.  To complement the cake, the bakery has oodles of fillings, icings, toppings, syrups, creams, truffles, mousses, curds, and preserves.  Cakes can be accompanied by everything from white chocolate truffle to lemon buttercream frosting, coffee mousse, key lime curd and more. The result is an innovative assortment of cake combinations sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. 

For years, baker Felix Papadakis has specialized in custom wedding cakes and cheesecakes, supplying desserts to some of Bucks County's most esteemed venues, including the Lambertville Station Inn, Holly Hedge Estate, and Marsha Browns. He became best known for his cheesecakes, carrot cakes, and ability to combine an array of flavors and textures to create memorable desserts for special occasions.

"I have an innate ability. I know what tastes good together," said Papadakis. "No one is going to teach you that in school – you either have it or you don't and you develop it."

So when the opportunity arose to expand his business into a retail shop, Papadakis jumped on it.  Papadakis, a lawyer (he still practices), said he always knew confections were his calling.  He launched the bakery with Randall Therssen, who handles the business end of things, while Papadakis is more comfortable with an apron on and a spoon in his hand.

"In the back of my head, I always knew I would end up in a bakery," Papadakis said, attributing his love of good food to family tradition. His Greek family was "food-centric. If there were 25 people coming over, there was food for 100," he said.

Therssen, who has a background in business turnarounds and new ventures, said the opportunity to open Felix's Caketeria seemed like a good fit. "So far, so good," Therssen said, adding the duo already has plans to open another store in 2011 in Buckingham Township.

Both Therssen and Papadakis agree they've received a warm welcome in Newtown so far. The bakery's 11 employees (seven are part time) have been busy filling orders for custom cakes, including Elmo likenesses for children's parties, groom's cakes for rehearsal dinners, and even a cake shaped like a car for an Audi dealership. Felix's Caketeria uses top-quality ingredients, including fine Belgium chocolate and real liquors, Papadakis said.

Pedestrians have been stopping in and snatching up cupcakes, as well. "The cupcake is probably what people would know us for," Papadakis said.

And rightfully so. Felix's Caketeria has turned cupcake making into an art form, creating everything from pistaccio to pina colada, pumpkin and everything in between.  One of the most popular items on the menu is the "Elvis" – a banana cake filled with chocolate ganache, topped with peanut butter buttercream frosting and finished with edible glitter. Other selections include the chocolate salty caramel cupcake, the Oreo cupcake, and the bananas foster.

Felix's Caketeria asks that custom orders for smaller cakes (those serving 15 people or less) be placed at least three days in advance. The bakery requests at least a week to 10 days notice for larger cakes, Papadakis said.

For more information, visit www.felixscaketeria.com.