Straight From the Oven

When BoardWalk Bakery closed earlier this year to expand its storefront and its menu, no one was quite sure what to expect when it began receiving customers again. That is to say, would everyone’s favorite snacks and treats still be waiting in the display cases when the doors were flung open once more? Many of the time tested treats did find their way back on to the new menu, but they’ve been gussied up a bit. Take, for instance, the Cheesecake Brownie.

Originally the Cheesecake Brownie was a square hunk, the traditional form of a brownie, with some whipped cream and a decorative chocolate triangle on top. Now it is served in its own cardboard sleeve and is rectangular in shape. Gone is the whipped cream, but tiny crunchy bits have been sprinkled across the top that is also adorned with a chocolate leaf. It also has a thin coating of sparkly gelatin along the top, most likely to give it a little more pizzazz and to hold the decorations in place.

Does this new found flair for the dramatic change the flavor or texture of the Cheesecake Brownie? Not in the slightest. It still has a smooth and creamy top layer of cheesecake, and the bottom brownie layer or crust is dense and gooey with just a bit of a crunchy bottom where the brownie met the pan. It combines two of the richest desserts I know into a richness superhero, making even the smallest Cheesecake Brownie enough to do you in if you had any ideas of snacking away your afternoon.

I cannot think of a better metaphor for the BoardWalk Bakery’s transformation than the Cheesecake Brownie. After its refurbishment the brownie, like its bakery, has retained all of its crucial components and has only been made to shine a little brighter.