Treat to Try: Matt’s Bakery

January 23, 2019 10:00 am

About the Author

Miriam Bowers Abbott
Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer
contributor to Columbus Underground
who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric
featurettes and occasionally pens other
community journalism pieces.

Matt’s Bakery is a kosher joint located inside the Broad Street Kroger on the East Side. It is there that you can find something called Cinnamon Roll Cake, which is the best thing to hit the food scene in a long time.

Of course, you’ll find a lot more than Cinnamon Roll Cake. You’ll find cookies and rugelach, and challah, and fancy cakes. It has all the nice things you need from a bakery. If you need a fancy, over-the-top, frosted cookie with a smiley face, you can get one. But you will love the cake more.

The baked good is probably more “cake” than “roll.” Cinnamon rolls are built on a yeast-bread base, and Matt’s rendition is definitely cake. In fact, it’s a poke-and-pour, so a square pan boasts a series of holes that might give some hesitation to those who suffer from trypophobia*. It’s worth getting over the fear. Each poked hole holds a lucious, saucy, sugary cinnamon stew that has soaked into the cake walls.
There’s also a barely-there glaze on top, to offer any icing accents needed to complete the joy.

While the cake was a personal favorite, colleagues argued earnestly for the eminence of the S’mores Bars. A circular pan of the bars (you cut it yourself) is heavy and packed with goodness, with a pastry that has lovely cookie-texture and graham flavor, plus an inner layer of marshmallow studded with chocolate chips.
The marshmallow element has a fantastic springiness to it, and it makes the combo even more reminiscent of campfire s’mores.

You can compare the duo yourself at Kroger Town & Country, 3675 E. Broad St. Like any good kosher joint, the bakery counter at Matt’s is closed on Saturdays, so plan accordingly. And it’s all milk, dairy and nut-free.

*That’s fear of holes. You may have noticed holes as an online clickbait visual in general. Something about holes scares a lot of people, and evidently, horror promotes clicking. The holes in the baked good are mildly disturbing, but it’s cake.