The Flour Press

Guides, Stories & Bakery Secrets

Long-form answers to the questions people actually search — written from a working bakery kitchen in Bloomingdale for readers across North Jersey.

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Custom Cakes

How to Order a Custom Cake

What bakers need to quote a custom cake — date, servings, design direction, and photos — plus why lead time matters and how Magpie's inquiry process works.

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Weddings

Wedding Dessert Table Guide

Cake plus dessert table, or dessert table instead of cake? A North Jersey bakery walks through portions, mix, timing, and the questions to settle before you inquire.

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Holidays

Holiday Pie Ordering Guide

Thanksgiving and holiday pies sell out — here's how ordering ahead from a small North Jersey bakery works, when to plan, and how Magpie's future-pickup store fits in.

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Celebrations

Birthday Cake Ideas

Birthday cake ideas that work in real buttercream — themes, tiers vs. sheet cakes, cupcake towers, and how to turn an idea into a Magpie custom-cake inquiry.

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Café

Coffee & Pastry Pairings

Which pastry goes with a cortado, an iced lavender tea, or a matcha? A Bloomingdale bakery café's guide to pairing the drink menu with the bakery case.

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Parties

Dessert Trays for Parties

How many desserts per guest? Trays vs. platters vs. gift boxes? A North Jersey bakery's practical guide to ordering dessert catering for parties and offices.

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How the articles stay honest

The same rules that govern the rest of this site govern the articles: no invented reviews, no quoted prices, no promised availability. The bakery case rotates daily, so anything time-sensitive points to the live ordering menus rather than a list that would go stale. What the articles do carry is the part that does not change week to week — how portions work, what a baker needs to quote a cake, when to start a holiday order, and how the categories on the bakery & café menu fit together. New pieces are added as the seasons, and the questions at the counter, change.

Good to know

Questions, answered

Who writes The Magpie Bakery's articles?

The bakery does. Every article comes out of the working bakery and café at 2-14 Riverside Square in Bloomingdale, NJ, and the topics are drawn from the questions customers actually ask at the counter and through order inquiries.

Are the articles just advertising for Magpie?

The general answer always comes first, and it should hold up whichever North Jersey bakery you end up using. Where Magpie's own process matters, the article says so plainly, and each piece ends with a clearly separated section for readers who want to plan the order with Magpie.

Do the articles show current items or prices?

No. The bakery case rotates, so current selection lives on Magpie's live ordering menus, and pricing for custom work is discussed during an inquiry. The articles stick to the planning knowledge that stays true year-round — portions, lead times, and how the ordering rhythm works.

Read something you want to plan?

The ordering paths and the bakery phone line are the fastest next step.