Ever since the Milwaukee Public Market opened in 2005, C. Adam’s Bakery has been making life sweeter for the throngs of shoppers that pass through the market every day. It’s not uncommon to see people lined up three- and four-deep at C. Adam’s Bakery’s eye-catching display case, trying to decide among the large assortment of scratch-made cookies, rich, chewy brownies, artfully decorated cupcakes, flaky cinnamon twists, donuts and more.
C. Adam’s Bakery founder Lisa Crum owned Sweet Perks bakery, in Wauwatosa, prior to opening C. Adam’s Bakery. Most of the products are Crum’s original recipes, said General Manager Julia Block, who, shortly after finishing high school, started working for Crum at Sweet Perks. After college, Block, who has a master’s degree in English literature but loves to bake, eventually returned to work with Crum at C. Adam’s Bakery.
“We have a really nice combination of from-scratch American baking, as well as items more popular and trendy, like cake bites or French macaroons,” said Block.
Block added that their cookies are by far their most popular item, especially the chocolate chunk, loaded with hunks of dark chocolate. Other flavors in the cookie selection include ginger snapper, Wisconsin (with dried cranberries, walnuts and maple syrup), oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, Heath (crunchy toffee), s’mores and a vegan chocolate chip.
Brownie lovers can have a traditional fudgy brownie or choose from an assortment that includes red velvet, Cream City (described as “brownie meets cheesecake”) or Seventh Heaven—a mother lode of chocolate gooiness enhanced with coconuts, walnuts and caramel. Tangy fruit bars, balanced with buttery shortbread crusts, come in flavors such as lemon, key lime, and apricot or raspberry streusel.
In addition to muffins, scones, Danish, sweet breads, tiramisu cups, French macaroons and cakes, there are some gluten-free items such as coconut macaroons and flourless chocolate cake.
Full cakes come in chocolate, carrot, red velvet or seasonal varieties. “Our main baker, Chelsea Zwieg, is really talented, and she has come up with a lot of cake combinations, like salted caramel gingerbread cake for the Christmas season,” Block said. “We do a lot of seasonal items; for Christmas we have eggnog, peppermint or gingerbread, and as spring approaches, we’ll move into fresh fruits.”
Block said that C. Adam’s Bakery stays away from orders like large-tiered wedding cakes due to their small work space; and while they do not do elaborate fondant decorating work, they will customize dessert tables for special events, as well as special order cakes in custom flavors. “If a customer has an idea, we will work with them to create what they’re looking for,” she said. “Because our products are scratch-made, it’s easy for us to deviate from a recipe and add something new, or change things up and incorporate new flavors or ideas.”
As one of the original vendors at the bustling Milwaukee Public Market, Block said the location has been a great fit for C. Adam’s Bakery: “We are lucky to be in the market where there’s lots of foot traffic and tourists. It’s a great location for us.”
For more information and to view the full bakery menu, visit cadamsbakery.com.
