In case you didnโt realize it, I have something of a major sweet tooth. Iโm more of a chocolate and peanut butter guy than I am into any type of fruit-flavored treats, but no matter what type of baked goods you prefer, Iโm sure youโll find something youโll love at 7 Layers Bakery, located in the Grand Oaks Plaza on Wesley Chapel Blvd. (S.R. 54) in Lutz, in the same plaza as Amici Pizza.
It was easy for me to become friends with 7 Layers owners Evelyn Barreno and her husband William Morello. After all, not only are they fellow transplanted โNew Yawkas,โ they serve Evelynโs amazing baked goods, most of which remind me a lot of the great bakery items I loved when I was growing up on Long Island.
Evelyn, whose background is in marketing, says she has been baking since she was a kid. โMy mom, my grandmother…all of us…love to bake,โ she says. โPeople have always told me I should open my own bakery, so here we are.โ
I remember meeting this fun young couple at last yearโs Wesley Chapel Fall Festival and being instantly hooked not only on Evelynโs cake and cookie samples, but also on Willโs high-spirited, friendly approach to getting people to try everything.
Since their store opened a little less than a year ago, William and Evelyn have become involved with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, and held a Chamber ribbon-cutting ceremony almost a year ago.
โWeโve made a lot of friends through the Chamber,โ Evelyn says. โThe response since we opened the store has been amazing.โ The bakery is also a favorite of Joey Richmanโs, the young Wesley Chapel resident we wrote about inย a couple of recent issues, who has had some continuing health issues following a recent kidney transplant.
Thereโs no doubt that the baked goods are top-notch. Although the store is named for the famous Italian seven-layer rainbow cookies that Evelyn and Will grew up with in New York City, I initially fell in love with 7 Layers Bakeryโs awesome specialty cupcakes, especially the Reeseโs peanut butter cup cupcakes, which have not only decadent peanut butter-flavored icing, but also…surprise!…a mini Reeseโs cup hidden in the center.
Other great cupcake flavors include double chocolate, double vanilla, creme brulรฉe, toasted marshmallow, red velvet, cookies and cream and so many more.
But, even this man can not live by cupcakes alone. Iโm also partial to Evelynโs hand-piped cannolis with homemade cannoli cream, her amazingly flaky Napoleons, the real NY-style black-and-white cookies (Evelyn says some of her customers call them โhalf moonsโ) and the storeโs assortment of loose Italian-style cookies available by the pound, especially the soft-baked chocolate chip cookies and the traditional NY-style lace cookies (which, according to Evelyn, some people call โFlorentines,โ even though I never heard that term before).ย
Other items also available at 7 Layers Bakery include homemade tiramisu, flan and tres leches, as well as Italian sfogliatelle pastries (like crispy croissants with custard-style cream inside), as well as an ever-changing assortment of Leannโs cheesecakes, which are uniquely served in jars and great coffee.
Holiday Traditions!
Evelyn also says that she is already gearing up for the holiday season. โWeโve already started doing our pumpkin spice and weโll have apple pie cupcakes soon,โ she says. โBy the time the holiday season really gets started after Halloween, weโre going to have to bring in an additional oven to handle the holiday orders,โ Evelyn says. โWe have a lot of very loyal customers.โ
She says that in addition to Christmas tree-shaped, iced cookies, she will be creating some surprises for the holiday season. โBut, get those orders in early, because we run out of our cookies a lot now already, so we expect to really be busy this holiday season.โ
Custom Cakes, Too!
Thereโs no doubt that Evelyn also creates some amazing custom-designed cakes in your choice of flavors and designs.
โIf you can dream it up, I can make it for you,โ she says.
7 Layers Bakery (26306 Wesley Chapel Blvd.) is open seven days a week. For more info, visit 7LayerCookieCakes.com or the companyโs Facebook page or call 388-2271.