Plenty of Baton Rouge birthdays have ended with a slice of strawberry cake from Siegen Lane. The story of how that cake got here starts with a job loss.

Felix Sherman worked his way up from delivery route truck driver to branch manager over 27 years, learning how to lead a sales team along the way. Then a company merger took that job. Rather than start over somewhere else, he teamed up with his wife, Cheryl, who had been decorating cakes since the early 1980s and had worked in bakeries and gift shops. The two New Orleans natives opened The Ambrosia Bakery on Dec. 1, 1993.

From 1,200 square feet to a Siegen Lane landmark

The first shop was a small 1,200-square-foot building. The Shermans outgrew it, custom built a larger space about a mile away, expanded again, and eventually moved into today's home at 8546 Siegen Lane, between I-10 and Perkins Road. It has more than 8,200 square feet of production and retail space and 60 to 70 employees, depending on the season. Their three sons, Felix, David and Michael, have been part of the business too.

The cake that built the reputation

The Fresh Strawberry Cake is the signature. It starts with yellow butter cake layers, and each layer gets split and filled, so a double-layer cake ends up with four layers, fresh strawberry icing and real strawberries throughout. The bakery also has an in-house deli with wraps, salads and soups, a chocolate case, Italian ice cream and a bridal department. The Daily Meal once named it one of the 50 best wedding cake bakeries in America.

Holiday season at Ambrosia

Right now the cases lean autumn, with caramel apples and Halloween treats, and Thanksgiving cakes in seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon are on the menu. Christmas brings Yule logs, and out-of-town family can get cakes shipped nationwide through Goldbelly.

The bakery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extra days during holiday weeks, and it's closed Thanksgiving Day. Call 225-763-6489 to order.

Photo courtesy of The Ambrosia Bakery.