Her Siesta Key Neighbors Were Bars. So She Put Vodka in the Cake.

It's raining, it's Saturday, and somewhere around here a cake has spiced rum in it on purpose. I'd like to tell you about it.

The cake belongs to Hofmann's Liquor Cakes. The baker is Tanja Hofmann, who, per her own About page, spent more than 10 years as a pastry chef in Frankfurt before her family moved to Sarasota. In 2011 they opened a cafe and bakery on Siesta Key called A Taste of Germany. Breakfast, lunch, fresh baked goods. A normal plan.

The bars were the focus group

Then she looked around. In her words: "The atmosphere around me were mostly bars, so I tried something to draw attention to everyone who loves to drink and eat."

I want to be clear about how good that business decision is. Most people open next to a row of bars and complain about the parking. Tanja studied the foot traffic, identified the customer, and put liquor in the cake. That's not baking. That's a consulting firm.

She now has more than 65 flavors, and the business goes by Hofmann's Liquor Cakes, made by A Taste of Germany.

What's on the board right now

The homepage calls these "Seasonal Delights" and says they change with the seasons, so this is the October snapshot:

• Pumpkin Vodka or Spiced Rum, $12.50. You pick: pumpkin vodka, or pumpkin spiced rum with nuts. The site says "Perfect for the Fall." Outside my window it is raining on a palm tree, but I respect the commitment.
• Brandy Plum Cinnamon, $12.50. Plum soaked in brandy, hints of cinnamon.
• Spice Rum Plum Graham Crackers, $12.50. Plum soaked in spice rum, plus graham crackers, which feels like the bars got a vote on that one too.
• Peppermint Vodka, $12.50. Crushed peppermint and chocolate shavings. Listed as the Christmas favorite. It's October 17. Somebody's already planning.

The shop page says 10 slices make one whole cake, everything is handmade to order, and the facility processes nuts, tree nuts and gluten. There are also mini liquor cakes, in store only, by email.

The FAQ answers the questions you were about to ask

The About page has a FAQ, and it reads like it was written after a lot of people asked the same things at a market table. Shipping is free nationwide over $99, in individual containers only, no whole cakes by mail, and made-to-order cakes take one to two weeks to ship out. They keep up to a month in a sealed container and up to six months in the freezer. Refrigerating is not recommended, though you can, and then you warm them back up. Custom wedding liquor cakes are a yes, and holiday orders can go in a month ahead with a note at checkout.

A cake that keeps for a month in a sealed container is a cake designed by someone who has met a party guest.

Where to find her this weekend

Her events page lists two weekend markets:

• Saturdays: Downtown Bradenton Public Market, 400 Old Main St., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Same street as the Spare Kitchen biscuit tent, if you're making a lap.
• Sundays: the Farmers' Market at Lakewood Ranch, Waterside Place, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market's own page has Jesse Daniels playing country, rock and soul on Oct. 18. Hofmann's is on the market's vendor list.

The Wednesday Ranch Nite slot is marked "currently unavailable," so don't go looking on a weeknight. If today's weather has you rethinking Old Main, tomorrow is Lakewood Ranch, it's lakeside, and the cake does not care about the forecast.

She's on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for flavor changes. I haven't had a slice yet. I'm going off a menu and a business origin story that would make any bar owner on Siesta Key a little nervous. In a respectful way.

— Marina