Cafe Offers Creative Cakes

Cake Artist Café is now open in Cranford Crossing, in the space formerly occupied by Java's Brewin'. Though this bakery serves up all manner of sweet treats, its specialty is cake decoration.

"I love to decorate cakes," said owner Ligia DeJesus. "It's my creative release."

"The unique thing that Ligia brings to Cranford and the surrounding areas," said Joanne Westcott of the , "is that she'll create a cake from any idea you have. You're not just going in to buy a cake, you're buying a custom, one-of-a-kind creation."

DeJesus says she has created cakes in the shapes of cell phones, computers and guitars. She feels that now is the perfect time to open up a bakery that specializes in exotic cake shapes because of the rise of television shows about bakeries.

"It seems new, with all these challenge shows on TV, but I'm pretty sure it's always been around," said DeJesus.

Born in Angola, DeJesus and her family moved to South Africa when she was 4, where she lived until she was 23. She started baking early, learning the craft at her mother's side. DeJesus emigrated to New Jersey nearly two decades ago, and has worked in many bakeries, though always as a bookkeeper or in an administrative capacity. Though she has no formal training, she says she's always sought work in a bakery just to be close to the industry she loves.

Not long ago, DeJesus worked next door to her current location, at the , a bakery supply shop. She taught a cake decorating class there, and said she was bombarded with requests to bake custom cakes.

"I had a lot of exposure (at Sweet and Fancy), and it became too much," she said.

DeJesus says she always liked her current location, even when it was occupied by Java's Brewin'. The proximity to Sweet and Fancy is convenient, she says; if there's an emergency and she runs out of supplies, she just pops into her former job, right next door. Based on response so far, DeJesus knows her decision to open up a business is Cranford was the right one.

"I'm very happy that (the people of Cranford) welcomed me with open arms," said DeJesus. "It's a nice feeling; I was really nervous opening my own business, but it helps ease the stress load."

Though Cake Artist Café has not been open long, DeJesus can already see that her Portuguese custard cups are the best sellers, "hands down."

"They're some of the best I've ever had, and I've had a few," said Westcott.

In the future, DeJesus plans to have some South African delicacies as well. But she acknowledges she has a lot of work to do; she didn't expect to be operating her own bakery, but when Java's Brewin left, she knew the time was right.

"I always hoped, but it seemed like a dream far away," said DeJesus.