Have you ever eaten something thinking that it’s the best damn thing you have ever put in your mouth? Of course you have. You’ve probably eaten many things in your life that made you feel that way. I feel that way every time I eat the ‘Chocolate Meltaway’ cake from Zadies Bake Shop in Fair Lawn, NJ. If I were to have one last piece of chocolate in my life, I’m pretty sure this would be it.
I didn’t randomly come across this place. It’s actually quite easy to overlook from the road. I have known Zadies for 11 years. Back in 2009, I came to the U.S. as an Au Pair and lived with a Jewish family in Fair Lawn. On Fridays, we would get challah from Zadies for shabbos dinner. For special occasions, my host family would buy other treats from there, like cakes and cookies. One day, we got this cake with crumble topping and chocolate drizzle. Like anything with chocolate (and crumble topping), I was drawn to it like bees to honey. I will never forget taking the first bite and thinking: “OMG, I’ve died and gone to chocolate heaven.” It was love at first sight. I secretly hoped there would be some leftover for the next day.
My best friend at the time, German Au Pair Verena, also lived with a Jewish family just a few blocks away. She and I would meet up for playdates with the kids. She loved sweets just as much as I. One day in fact, there was a Chocolate Meltaway leftover at their house! Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any better, Verena cut a slice of the cake for each of us and put them in the microwave for a few seconds. What a brilliant idea! The chocolate center melted ever so slightly, almost turning into a lava cake. Then she scooped all the sweet crumbs from her plate into her cup of coffee. That girl really knew not to waste the good stuff!
A few days ago, I went to Fair Lawn to visit Verena’s former host family, Rachel and Judah. Of course I could not visit the town and not bring a chocolate meltaway home. This time, I got to meet the owner, Adam Steinberg. Wearing masks and distancing over the counter, we got to talk for a few minutes about his family business. The fourth-generation kosher shop has been open since 2005. The bakers make traditional baked goods their own way. Zadies had to close last year after a car plowed through their front door. Now, Zadies is serving goodies to its loyal customers in the area again, even during the pandemic.
I have to admit I didn’t even make it home with the cake. As soon as I said goodbye to Adam and left the bakery, I couldn’t just have it sit on the passenger seat. I strategically left their parking lot so no one can see me devour it right out of the box. (Disclaimer: I do keep a hand sanitizer in my car. I also have spoons there for emergencies.) I scooped a bite right out of the cake pan and didn’t even feel bad about it. Several layers of thin raised dough filled with a LOT of creamy chocolate and topped with a pile of sweet crumb! It is just the perfect consistency that melts in your mouth but doesn’t drip out of the cake. I’m sure if I ate a quarter of the cake I’d fall into a chocolate coma. But chocolate overdose might be the sweetest cause of death.
Just before I started writing these lines, I was working on the photos I took of this decadent cake. I had to consciously keep myself from drooling on my keyboard. It’s a good thing that I still have some meltaway left over because writing a piece about it and not having a piece of it would just be a torture.