Manayunk Eatery Offering 'Boozy' Cakes, Slices

MANAYUNK, PHILADELPHIA – You can get you sweet fix with a kick at SOMO Manayunk now through the rest of 2018, as the eatery is serving up "Boozy Cakes."

SOMO Owner James Morrissey teamed up with local baker Claudia Stemler to introduce the cakes, which are spirit-infused and will be available throughout the remainder of the year at SOMO in Manayunk.

And come October, the cakes will be available at the new SOMO location – SOMO SoPhi – at 13th and Packer Streets in South Philadelphia when it opens.

The spirit-infused cake options will include:

• "The White Russian," which combines Kahlúa and vodka in the batter along with a Kahlúa buttercream;
• "The Margarita Cake” which contains three oranges along with orange zest, tequila, buttermilk, fresh-squeezed lime buttercream and tequila buttercream, all topped with sprinkles of salt and sugar;
• a rich stout beer cake that contains Chestnut Hill Brewing Company’s "Shake It Out Stout," and is topped with a chocolate glaze;
• and Stemler’s "Irish Cake" featuring Bailey's Irish Cream and Guinness, and is topped with a whiskey buttercream.

Stemler also plans to introduce cakes featuring champagne and rosé later this fall, while also introducing Caribbean-inspired booze cakes as the weather turns colder.

Morrissey and Stemler worked together in the past, as he designed Stemler's former Chestnut Hill bakery in 2013, which jumpstarted the idea of introducing boozy cakes at SOMO.

"Baking is in my genes, as my mom, Nana and Mom-mom were all avid bakers," Stemler said. "My mom and dad also used to have an out-of-home bakery business when I was a child, and our apartment always smelled like breads, cakes, pies and soft pretzels. I grew up with an intense appreciation for cooking, baking and a great appreciation for feeding others. Baking for others provides me with immense joy. I love to keep what I bake natural, with limited whole ingredients, and I've also spent a lot of time working with gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. I love to incorporate different types of alcohol to compliment flavors and have some fun."

"Claudia is an extremely talented baker, and it's such a pleasure to work with her several years after we first began our business relationship together," Morrissey said. "She is a master of her craft, and her cakes are so delicious. I couldn't believe how good these boozy cakes were when I first tried them, and our customers seem to really love them. We sold out of the first order much faster than we anticipated, and we’re excited to keep that momentum going."

Slices are available daily for $10 apiece, and whole cakes can be ordered for pickup at the restaurant by calling (267) 297-6668.

SOMO is located at 4311 Main St. in Manayunk.

Contributed photo