Sunday Brunch: "Boardwalk Bakery: End of an Era" or "How I Learned to Stop Wondering and Ate the Peanut Butter Cake"

6 January 2013

by Guest Writer Albert Gutierrez

Author's Note: Yours truly has been busy concocting new magical dishes in Magic Kingdom, and so has once again handed the reins over to everyone's favorite Saturday Matineer Albert Gutierrez. Give him a hand as he takes over another weekend at From Screen to Theme.

The next time you see an open Boardwalk Bakery, it will be much bigger, while the Arcade will be a footnote in Disney's Boardwalk history.

Howdy, Sunday Brunchers! It's another Albert Weekend Special (new phrase, tell me if it works), as I've temporarily commandeered my brother's column once again. Actually, as much as I've enjoyed writing this article, I also feel out of place here. After all, this is the first Sunday Brunch of 2013, and it's focusing on the final day of Boardwalk Bakery before the extensive renovation begins.

We were at Disney's Boardwalk last night to take pictures, and I can say with complete authority that this sign was already up at 11:01 pm, exactly one minute after it closed.

For those not yet in the know, Boardwalk Bakery closed yesterday; it is due to open again in roughly four months. Between now and then, the arcade next door will also close, with Disney renovating that entire area into a much larger bakery. A part of me is excited for this expansion, as the Boardwalk Bakery offers some of the best desserts and baked goods in the entire Walt Disney World Resort. But I'm a bit saddened also. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I rather liked the small intimate style of Boardwalk. It reminded me of local, family-run bakeries in my own hometown, where the aroma of fresh-baked bread always hit you as soon as you entered. In addition, I loved being able to peer through the Boardwalk Bakery's windows and seeing the bakers in action.

However, the Boardwalk Bakery is very popular with guests, meaning that the small, intimate nature also made for a very crowded area, especially during breakfast. The larger space will help to alleviate that bottleneck problem. I believe it will also offer indoor seating as well, something that the current bakery does not have. In the meantime, between now and the grand re-opening, all bakery products will now be sold in outdoor tents such as the one seen here. Guests can also still enjoy the outdoor kiosk of Boardwalk Joe's.

This tent needs some mouse ears, don't you think?

To commemorate the final night at the Boardwalk Bakery, I ordered a Peanut Butter Cake, an item that is always off-and-on the menu, and one that I've always wanted to try. I'm glad I managed to finally indulge in one.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter: Yum and a Half.

The two-layered chocolate cake sandwiches a really creamy peanut butter icing, which is not something you'll be able to buy in your local grocery store. This peanut butter is very creamy, and very sweet. Also, like all the desserts at Boardwalk, it was in a chilled display case, which made the entire dessert cool to eat. I'm not used to cold peanut butter, nor in icing form. However, the peanut butter was my favorite part of the cake.

The chocolate, on the other hand, was much to sweet for me. My sweet tooth isn't what it used to be, so coupling a really good peanut butter icing with some really sweet chocolate didn't do well on my palette. Separately, they would be fine. In fact, the chocolate ganache that topped the cake was better than the cake itself. It had the semi-sweetness I needed to balance with the peanut butter. If I could, I'd recommend that the bakery experiment with a Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter cake.

The cake slice was also proportioned well. Sometimes Disney seems to overdo their portion sizes with baked goods (I need only mention the delicious cinnamon rolls at Main Street Bakery), so I liked that this slice o' cake was not gargantuan. Had I not already had a filling dinner at Disney's Art of Animation resort, I might have eaten the entire thing that night. For now, the other half of the cake is waiting to complement my breakfast (or, more appropriately, my Sunday Brunch) later today.

I won't be back in Walt Disney World until this summer, and by then, the new Boardwalk Bakery will already be up and running. I look forward to seeing what changes Disney has made, which baked goods shall return, and whether or not I can stand inside without feeling claustrophobic. In the meantime, check out a small sampling of pictures from the bakery's last night: