bake - January 2017 - 8

new product success stories

Rainbow Birthday Cake
Growing up in Virginia, where her father

The beauty of Milk Bar's business model is

worked as an agricultural economist for the

develop a strong brand and loyal follow-

U.S. Department of Agriculture, acclaimed

ing for key signature items (Birthday Cake,

pastry chef Christini Tosi admits to starting

Crack Pie, Compost Cookies) and then open

out life as a picky eater; she wanted dessert

the ﬂoodgates to allow customers to order

for every meal of the day. Later while at

them anywhere.

college, Tosi studied math, but could not
give up on her love for cookies and cake.

Online ordering has catapulted Milk Bar into

So, after graduation, she moved to New

national notoriety, as customers from across

York City to attend culinary school to begin

the country now order cakes, cookies and

what would turn into a highly successful

pies from the New York bakery and have them

career in pastry.

delivered into their homes in Texas, California
and even Alaska or Hawaii (for an extra $35

Now, the creative skills that elevated her

charge for overnight shipping). For most or-

game to where it is today have transformed

ders, shipping costs between $25 and $45.

into something even greater. She has

MILK BAR

emerged a true genius at business. "Life

Milk Bar also encourages customers to get

was once simple," she admits today. "Just

creative with custom ﬁllings and crumbs.

me and some butter, sugar, a mixer and an

There are ﬁve frosting options (birthday,

oven. I have to be a helicopter nowadays,

pie dough, chocolate fudge, chocolate malt

able to zoom in on the details, but also able

or strawberry), another 10 ﬁlling options

to zoom out, and hover above, seeing all the

(fudge sauce, lemon cheesecake, brown

working, moving parts of Milk Bar."

butter cheesecake, passionfruit curd or
strawberry jam, in addition to the ﬁve frost-

A Birthday
Cake from
Milk Bar can
be turned into
thousands of
possible flavor
combinations.
08 < JAN 2017 | bakemag.com

Milk Bar is the iconic, trend-setting bakery

ings), and four choices of crumbs (birthday,

that she owns in New York City, and her

chocolate, malted milk or milk).

empire has grown to multiple locations in
New York, one in Toronto and one in Wash-

That means one Birthday Cake from Milk Bar

ington, DC. The bakery's top-selling item is

can be turned into thousands of possible ﬂa-

the sprinkle-laden Birthday Cake, which "is

vor combinations.

everyone's favorite childhood cake, reimagined Milk Bar style: vanilla rainbow cake

As Milk Bar explains on its website: "Take

layered with rainbow cake crumbs, topped

over our wild world of crumbs, frostings,

with vanilla frosting!" It took Tosi and the

curds, cheesecake, ﬁllings and other killer

Milk Bar team more than three years of

cake components and design your very own

recipe testing to get the perfect birthday

custom cake layer-by-layer! Whether it's

cake vanilla ﬂavor.

your next birthday party, special celebration,
or surprising someone you love on a random

One 6-inch Birthday Cake costs $60 (for

ol' friday afternoon, we'll bake it up and

starters) and serves 8 to 12 people.

send it on its way!"
http://www.bakemag.com
bake - January 2017

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