Viral Desserts Drive Success for Hamilton Twp. Bakery

Liliya Ethridge’s Lilla Vanilla Cake Shoppe has become a destination in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, largely due to its viral crunchies. The shop, located at 4607 Nottingham Way, serves a wide range of baked goods, but the unique mousse desserts have driven the most traffic.

Ethridge, a Moscow native who moved to the United States in 2013, opened the bakery six years ago. She established the business in memory of her older brother, Nik, who died in an accident in Romania in 2016. Ethridge was still in the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship at the time of his death and could not attend the funeral. She channeled her grief into home baking, and orders from friends eventually led to the opening of the commercial shop.

The shop’s signature item is a mousse dessert filled with cake and jams or compote. The interior is covered in a crunchy chocolate shell. Ethridge rotates the flavors regularly to keep the menu fresh. The bakery also sells mini frozen crunches, which are bite-sized, fruit-flavored Italian Semifreddo.

Beyond the viral items, the menu includes cupcakes, French macarons, jumbo cookies, croissants baked fresh daily, and cakesicles. Glazed cakes filled with French mousse are also available. Ethridge follows her brother’s advice to do something fun in life as she runs the business.

Her daughter, Emma, serves as the shop’s primary taste tester. Ethridge states that she believes her late brother would be proud of the bakery’s success. The shop can be reached at (609) 528-0631.