KANSAS CITY, MO — When New Yorkers walk down 6th Avenue, they can’t miss the extravagantly decorated, multi-tiered cakes on display in the window of Empire Cake. This bakery has captured the attention — and dollars — of customers far and wide.
With 150 custom-decorated cakes sold each week, in addition to the 250 pre-decorated ones sold alongside them, business is flourishing for this mom-and-pop bakery. Vintage Lambeth-style and photorealistic fare — life-sized shoes, wine bottles and even human faces — are two examples of the unconventional cake designs Empire offers.
There’s no request that the bakery’s specialized cake consultants and artists won’t try. For each creation assembled on the bench, taste is paramount, and bursting flavor is non-negotiable.
“Cake is cake, but if you use the right ingredients and take the care and time to make it correctly, it becomes so much more,” said Jim Genovese, co-owner of Empire Cake. “We’ve created a model where we cater to the customer, no matter how intricate the design.”
The elaborate cakes in the window get the customers in the door, but the retro ambience and glowing bakery case make them kick their feet up and stay a while.
The case is filled with gourmet versions of nostalgic American treats. These classic snacks — Twinkies, Snoballs, Swiss Rolls, Twix Bars — are reimagined with a sophisticated yet homemade feel.
One in particular has generated major appeal: an elevated spin on a New York classic, the black and white cookie. The recipe features a thick, cakey cookie hand-dipped in half white, half bittersweet Belgian couverture chocolate.
“People buy our black and white cookies by the hundreds,” said Jessica Bone, head pastry chef at Empire Cake. “We need to have at least 2,000 on hand for the week.”
The trend train
In the era of ultimate influence, the average trend lifecycle is significantly shorter than it was before social media existed.
Bakers have to hop on the incoming trend train at a moment’s notice. From fashion and color palettes to popular music and TV shows, the team at Empire keeps a close eye on pop culture to identify trends they anticipate shifting from micro to macro and discern which will impact cake culture.
But then again, sometimes looking back can be as impactful as predicting the future. Drew Fauser, event and wedding consultant at Empire Cake, said requests for vibrant blends of sophistication and nostalgia are gaining momentum with customers.
“Customers are gravitating toward deeper, richer color palettes instead of bright, primary colors,” Drew said. “We’re also seeing a lot of requests for playful shapes, such as hearts and extra-long sheet cakes.”
The bakery excels at breathing life into whatever a customer can imagine. Long gone are the days when a simple sheet cake sufficed. Today, customers want an experience as much as flavor, and they seek desserts that can traverse the past and present.
“The ’90s and 2000s are having a major moment,” Drew said. “There’s a strong demand for cake designs that look back on those decades. And in terms of nostalgic flavors, we’ve never had so many requests for childhood favorites like confetti cake.”
Customer demand is the pinnacle of modern influence, and Empire Cake listens closely to what customers want.
“Right now, there’s a big emphasis on sugar cookies with intricate piping and decorations,” Jessica said. “We keep everything aesthetically pleasing and make sure everything looks and tastes great. It’s all about finding the perfect balance between design and flavor.”
Backed by a team of enthusiastic bakers and innovation-driven business owners, Empire Cake has found the ultimate sweet spot that blurs the line between retail baking and modern art. Bakers, take notes: This is one trendsetter to watch.
This bakery was featured in the March 2026 Craft to Crumb special edition mini-mag. Read the full Roadshow in the digital issue here.
