Sex & Relationships

She takes the cake!

It’s long been said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Audrey Shulman seems to think so, anyway. In an attempt to snag a boyfriend, the LA-based blogger has been bringing cakes into bars — the assumption being that men will flock over at the promise of baked goods. She calls the process “cakebarring” — and it seems to be working pretty well.

But then, Shulman is based on the Left Coast, where confections are more of a novelty. After all, LA is a health-conscious town where waiters are surprised if you want yolks in your omelet. New York, on the other hand, is a city of sweets, with as many Crumbs as taxicabs.

And what about potentially misleading your suitors by cutting them a slice of homemade cake the first time you meet them — surely you’re not going to channel your inner Betty Crocker on every date, right?

So I checked with Shulman about her tips for successful cakebarring.

“Offer cake to anyone you’re interested in talking to, girls included,” she says. “Their best guy friend in the bathroom could end up being someone you hit it off with.”

I was ready to go whip up some cupcakes until she added, “Even though it might seem easier,

I would not take cupcakes — they’re too easily transportable, and people will take them and leave. There’s something about having to cut a piece of cake that forces conversation and makes this work.

“And pick a cake that is universally appealing. I’d maybe leave out polarizing ingredients like raisins or pineapple.” Honesty, the thought I was going to do anything that wasn’t Duncan Hines vastly overestimated my skill level. (Funfetti is universally appealing, right?)

Alas, when I tried out cakebarring in NYC, some men were less than enthusiastic. Guys at Midway, a dive bar in Williamsburg, did not approach our table — let alone comment on the cake. I decided if they would not come for baked goods, I would bring baked goods to them — and in a terrible turn of events, the cake was generally rejected. People eyed the cake skeptically, said they had too much fried food and quickly returned to nursing their beers.

Cakebarring fared slightly better at the Algonquin in Midtown. No patrons flocked over (I guess cake doesn’t pair well with martinis) — but at least the waiters were enthusiastic and wanted slices.

At least I had confirmation that the Funfetti cake was delicious.

Larry Lawrence in Williamsburg, a midrange bar (cool enough that people go there for special occasions, laid-back enough to allow for conversation with strangers), proved the most receptive. It was helpful that the tables were close enough to other couples to allow for people to lean over and ask about the cake without appearing too awkward.

Daniel Kozlowski, a 27-year-old in TV programming who took a slice, assured me that cakebarring is a great idea and that “free food of any kind is a wonderful entre to conversation!”

It was, indeed, an entree to conversation and a way to meet some very nice people. Still, at the end of the night, none of them asked if they could be my boyfriend, or even if I could bake more for them in the future.

Which isn’t such a terrible thing: My friends, some waiters at the Algonquin and a bunch of strangers all got to enjoy delicious cake.

And anyway, for a relationship to work you have to be united by more than your love of baked goods.

That said, if a man shows up any place with a good pecan pie?

Sure, I’d probably marry him.