A Coventry bakery's cakes are hot – literally and figuratively. See why.

COVENTRY – Once a birthday cake arrives at the table with candles lit, there's not much of a surprise left, right?

Wrong.

It's all surprise with Borrelli's Pastry Shop's newly minted Burn Away Cakes.

Borrelli's owner, Brayn Boza, is always on the hunt for what's new in cakes and pastry. Since he bought the Coventry bakery almost five years ago, he's added seasonal cheesecakes in fun flavors, put masks on Easter Bunny pastries during COVID-19 and popped an image of Taylor Swift on Super Bowl cakes.

Now, his Burn Away Cakes are on fire, literally and figuratively.

"When I travel, I like to see what other bakeries are doing," he said. "I'm always on the lookout for something fun."

Boza also keeps his eye on Instagram, the social media site, where videos rule. That's where he saw his first cake set on fire.

It's not actually the cake that is set on fire, just a first-layer image. Once it burns, it reveals the true message, set below on the top of the cake.

He decided to do one for his birthday on Feb. 25 but he knew he'd have to do a test run. "I honestly didn’t know how to do it," he said.

Boza hit the kitchen with his edible print and edible image ingredients. He found that wafer paper is the perfect thing to burn quickly and safely.

Wafer paper is edible (think Communion wafers) and is used to make Italian torrone nougat candy that has layers of nuts with honey and egg whites.

"I decorate the cake as I would normally do," he said. Then he does a higher, faux layer that doesn't contact the top of the cake.

Light that top layer and it quickly burns off to reveal the greeting below. It's fun and dramatic.

Burn Away Cakes require 24-hour notice for ordering. The smallest is an 8-inch cake that will serve 8-10. The price starts at $50, depending on flavors and fillings such as strawberries. He has a heart-shaped one at 8 inches.

Boza describes his Burn Away Cakes as having gone viral already. Orders are coming in fast and furiously for birthdays, and he thinks gender-reveal cakes will be the next big thing.

Keeping a traditional bakery alive today requires creativity, he said. He was in the bakery business for 20 years before he bought Borrelli's. He said keeping a business afloat to support his family means growing new customers, not just keeping the regulars.

Get a taste: An East Providence market is dishing out gluten-free goodness – with a smile

That's why adding new things like the Burn Away Cakes are important for business.

"It catches people's eyes if it's cool and different," he said.

Details: Borelli's Pastry Shop, 765 Tiogue Ave, Coventry, (401) 821-0130.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Borrelli's Pastry Shop in Coventry offers Burn Away Cakes