By Chanda Temple
When Takeeka Goshay started Adored Sweets a decade ago, her cheesecake menu had one flavor: classic vanilla with two topping options. Fast forward to today, and that simple menu has exploded into 12 flavors, including banana pudding and the holiday-inspired sweet potato.
And now, she’s adding three more flavors to the lineup: caramel, pure decadence with a hint of nostalgia; Samoa, the chocolate, caramel and coconut magic of a Girl Scout classic; and red velvet, a Southern charmer with a kiss of cocoa.
“It’s about keeping things fresh and giving people more to love,” Takeeka said. “You do better when you offer what you love, and I love these flavors.”
Takeeka, a professionally-trained pastry chef, was already known for her moist buttercream wedding cakes and their melt-in-your-mouth rich taste. But then grooms started requesting a cheesecake as their own cake, and things changed. Takeeka started making everything from a pecan pie cheesecake to a Reese’s peanut butter cheesecake, and people couldn’t get enough. Customers not only wanted them at weddings, but also at their family dinners and special events.
Things were good until the pandemic hit.
Weddings vanished overnight, large orders slowed, and Takeeka had to pivot fast. She launched a food truck and introduced pre-packaged desserts like mini brownies, dessert shooters and cheesecake bites to keep the business going.
One day while working in her bakery, she got the idea to make a strawberry-flavored cheesecake that carried the taste of a creamy strawberry. She continued to work on the recipe until she created her strawberry crunch cheesecake in 2024.
The thick cheesecake with bright red strawberry sauce dripping over the edges had customers lining up at her food truck. It was decadent, it was bold, and it became an instant hit.
But even with all the additions, Takeeka had to make some hard decisions. Due to the rising cost of insurance for her food truck this year, she had to put her food truck in park and focus on weddings, special occasions and pop-up events. Hard decisions are part of what comes with running a business, and she’s even more inspired by what’s to come next.
Currently, she has 13 cake flavors and eight buttercream icing flavors. And this month, she’s adding three more cake flavors.
They include:
Butter Cake – Buttery cake layers meet peanut butter cheesecake, cookie butter filling, peanut butter buttercream and Reese’s Pieces.
Tiramisu Cake – A rich mix of chocolate and vanilla cake layers infused with coffee, mocha mascarpone buttercream and a dusting of espresso powder.
Oreo Overload – Layers of chocolate and vanilla Oreo cake, stuffed with Oreo buttercream and drizzled in chocolate ganache.
Sounds good, huh? They should because they are proof that when you keep going, no matter the challenges, good things will rise.
“You just need to take that little leap of faith and the rest is supplied to you,’’ said Takeeka, who runs her bakery in Remlap, AL with her daughter, Trinity. “Give God your yes, and He makes up the rest.’’
Adored Sweets is also an award-winning bakery that has received national media attention.
- In 2024, the business won the Food Trucks category of the Community Votes Birmingham. In 2023, the business was the Gold Winner in the Bakeries category and the Top Pick in the Food Trucks category for Community Votes Birmingham. In 2022, the business was a Platinum Winner in the Bakeries division and a Silver Winner in the Food Trucks category.
- Currently, the company is in the running as Top Pastry Master in Birmingham as part of the Success in the City Awards presented by http://www.youngentrepioneers.com. The public voting is active now. The awards show will be April 13, 2025 in Birmingham.
- In 2019 and 2018, the company received the Wedding Wire Couples Choice Award.
- In 2025, the company was featured in Black Bride magazine. Go here to see the story.
- And in 2019, the business was featured in Budget Savvy Bride. Go here to see the story.
Savor This!
To celebrate Women’s History Month, Adored Sweets is honoring strong women and sweet moments with a special Instagram giveaway March 12 through March 31, 2025. And it’s no joke, the winner will be announced on April 1, 2025.
One winner will receive a dessert bundle, comprised of a cake slice, a cheesecake slice, a chocolate brownie with a Turtle topping, and a brown butter bourbon chocolate chip cookie. (The cake and cheesecake slice flavors will depend options available at the time.) The other winner will win a 4-inch round mini cake that has 4 to 6 servings.
How to Enter:
Follow @adoredsweets1 and @chandatemple on Instagram
Winners have until Saturday, April 26, 2025 to claim their prize.
Adored Sweets is located at 17162 Highway 75 in Remlap, AL. Starting March 12, 2025, their spring hours for walk-in retail sales are Thursday – Friday, 12 to 6 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Their number is 205-201-1063. Their website is http://www.adoredsweets.com.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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