Made. By Lia

Located in Old Florissant, Made. by Lia is Pinterest as a bakery. The white subway tiles, modern outdoor seating, and heavenly smell lingering from the building outside into the street attract a massive crowd just from first impressions. But, once we tried their baked goods, we understood that the bakery’s aesthetic was far from the only thing drawing in customers. 

Made. By Lia was founded by Lia Weber, winner of the TLC Next Great Baker Show, in spring of 2020 and is a vegan and gluten-free friendly bakery. They bake everything from scratch and have many gorgeously decorated cakes, donuts, and cupcakes displayed throughout the bakery as well as their social media. This bakery does not only produce cakes, donuts, and cupcakes that will take your breath away, but they also bake Bundt cakes, gooey butter cookies, and a variety of apple crumble treats. 

The first item we tried was the almond layered cake ($). Presented in clear wrapping, one can see four distinct levels of the miniature treat. Swapping between the bright white layers of frosting and the tan layers of cake, the dish is finished off with a fresh raspberry garnish. When we dove our spoons into the dish we could immediately feel how dense both the cake and frosting were. Pulling our spoons out, we had beautifully layered bites with equal amounts of frosting and cake. As soon as we took a taste,  we were surprised by how rich the frosting was. The more bites we took, the more the frosting reminded us of the texture of cheesecake. We then proceeded to focus on the cake and noticed the small, but important hint of almond. We definitely recommend this, however, if you are not a big fan of really rich and sweet flavors, you might want to skip it. 

We next tried the gooey butter cake which they call the St. Louie Cake ($3). This take on a St. Louis classic stayed consistent with the original, having a light yellow color with a golden-brown crust and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. If you try the last dish and think it is rich, well then wait until this one. The cake stays true to its name, tasting exactly like a cake that has a sweet butter flavor. It is complemented by the crumble crust on the bottom, which makes this dessert a must-have. 

We also ordered the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Sammie ($4). Cinnamon and oats incorporated with bits of raisins throughout the treat, this cookie was unlike any other oatmeal cookie we had ever tried before. Sandwiched between the two cookies was a thick and creamy layer of frosting in which the flavor could easily be mistaken for cheesecake. This unique take on a whoopie pie was delightful and definitely an order again. 

In addition to sweets, we ordered a couple of drinks from the very extensive drink menu.  First, an Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte with substituted oat milk ($), was a delightfully creamy drink incorporating matcha powder in a way where it was present but not grainy. We were incredibly impressed by this as well as the portion in relation to the price. We also ordered an English Breakfast Black Tea ($). After adding in a bit of provided milk and sugar, for our own personal taste, we were welcomed by a strong flavor with traceable notes of floral earl grey and lavender. 

Made. by Lia is a hidden gem in the St. Louis community. Between the great prices, generous-sized products, and overall very positive experience, this cafe and bakery is a must-visit for every baked-goods lover, and cafe go-er. Out of everything we tried, we most enjoyed the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Sammie and the St. Louie Cake. The Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Sammie because of its originality and because it had a great balance between the frosting and the cookie, giving the treat a perfect amount of sweetness. We also appreciated that the cookie was a decent size for its price of $4. We also really enjoyed the St. Louie Cake (the gooey butter cake) because it was the perfect amount of gooeyness; staying true to its name. I had the perfect, sweet, classic flavor of a gooey butter cake, we loved how this cake was truly soft and gooey- unlike so many other gooey butter cake options in St. Louis. Also, for the price of $3, this gooey butter cake is a must-buy due to its relatively cheap price for the deliciousness of this good. The St. Louie Cake made the trip to Old Town Florissant worth the time.

Made. By Lia’s specialty is making baked goods that have style and taste great, and from our experience, their statement is more than true.