The icing is wonky, the donuts are teeny tiny and the cakes are drowning in powdered sugar — but Brooklynites couldn’t be happier.
“I love the Entenmann’s store!” raved Old Mill Basin resident Donna Jastow. “I got a sweet tooth for my cookies.”
Founded in Brooklyn in 1898, Entenmann’s is has opened a Bakery Outlet on Flatbush Avenue between Avenue R and Fillmore Avenue in Marine Park. The pristine shop sells classic Entenmann’s desserts that, for whatever reason, aren’t up to snuff for sale in supermarkets.
“Seventy to 80 percent [of the stock] was mis-baked,” said manager Shawn Jackson. “There’s not enough sugar, it’s overweight or underweight, there’s too much icing or not enough icing. And we can’t sell it in the stores because of defects.”
Of course, they’re perfectly fine to eat — as long as your diet is varied and you exercise every day.
Offering examples, Jackson displayed a package of Frosted Mini Donuts with treats of varying size, a box of misshapen Cinnamon Buns and a Chocolate Truffle Iced Cake hidden under a thick layer of white sugar.
A black pen mark down the side of the boxes indicates that the grub is imperfect. But Jackson is quick to note that it is fresh. This reporter checked several snacks and didn’t find anything past its expiration date, although a few were just days away.
Fans like Jastow says it doesn’t matter if a pound cake is a bit heftier than intended.
“Supermarkets don’t have much selection,” she said. “Here you have your cheesecake and donuts and Madeleines and Pop’ems. I go there twice a week.”
Most importantly, Jastow noted, the desserts are discounted.
“I got news for you — the cakes are three for $6,” Jastow said. “They had an eight for $8 sale — a dollar a cake. You can’t beat that!”
The new shop will replace the Entenmann’s outlet on Troy Avenue between Glenwood Road and Farragut Road in Flatbush, which will close at the end of the year, Jackson said.
Entenmann’s has a long history in the area.
German immigrant William Entenmann opened a bakery in Brooklyn in 1898, delivering his goods door-to-door in a horse-drawn waggon. Two years later, he moved the bakery to Bay Shore, Long Isand. Today the factory there is the largest baking facility of its kind, sitting on five acres. It is now part of the Bimbo Bakeries family of baked goods.
