Shana Cake

A new bakery opened in Topeka last month but it's not your typical bakery. Shana Cake features allergy-free baked goods. That means that all of the products contain absolutely no gluten, wheat, soy, dairy, corn, nuts, tree nuts, GMOs, artificial flavorings or colors or preservatives. Some of the items can be made without egg, too.

I stopped in to try some of their cupcakes because I've only heard good things and of course I wanted to see for myself. I've tried the vanilla vanilla cupcake at a bridal fair a few weeks ago and was impressed that it was free of all those allergens that usually make baked goods moist, fluffy and sweet, and it was still moist, fluffy and sweet. Because Shana Cake sells mini cupcakes, I didn't feel guilty getting six different flavors, a mini loaf cake and a loaf of white sandwich bread, (OK maybe just a little).

The mini loaf cake tasted like orange and cranberry or something fruity. The cupcakes are moist and sweet, and I would never have been able to tell they were allergen free if nobody told me. The frosting is sweet, too, with a nice texture that doesn't sit on your tongue forever like some shortening-based frostings. The apple cinnamon one was my favorite. And again, no dairy. That's the most impressive thing to me.

The cupcake that surprised me the most was the Lemonade Stand cupcake. I don't like lemon, usually

White sandwich bread

but this cupcake had just enough lemon flavor that it wasn't overpowering and I could stand it. Sometimes, lemon flavored foods can be too tart for me, but this was sweet with a slight lemon tang. I actually didn't hate it. But, it's still lemon so I probably won't order it again. For you lemon fans, though, you should definitely give it a try, whether you have an allergy or not.

I tried the white sandwich bread, too. I sliced me a piece off and slathered it with butter -- I don't have an allergy, so I figured, why not? -- and bit into my gluten and wheat free bread. I was impressed. I didn't notice anything about my bread except for that it was tasty and reminded me of when my mom made bread machine bread. I think it could use some salt, or maybe some salted butter, but for a ham sandwich it would be perfect. I plan to slice it up and try it with a sandwich tomorrow or the next day.

Hoagie buns and dinner rolls are also for sale at Shana Cake but I didn't try those. I started small but I guarantee I will be back for more. I'd recommend trying these products even if you don't have an allergy because they're good. If you work with someone who has an allergy, or your children's classmates have an allergy, these are perfect to take to work or school so everyone can enjoy them. And, they're pretty tasty, too.