Clasen's European Bakery

I had driven from Rockford, IIl to the bakery for my annual plum cake pick up. Their version is as German as it gets. Pushes all the nostalgia buttons from when I grew up in Germany with that side of the family. I usually pick up three cakes. (They can be frozen! Eat them year round. Ask the baker for precise instructions.) Anyway, for several reasons, the pick up went awry. I left without plum cakes. B U T ..... here's where you see why this is Clasen's.Received a call from a manager (maybe?). I expressed my thoughts. A while later, the owner called and inquired. Then she offered to just replace all three plum cakes the next Friday -- for free. ("But wait, there's more ..... ") She offered to drive them to Rockford. That seemed quite unreasonable. So, this last Friday, I drove back to Middleton, WI. And they were as good as their word and replaced three plum tarts.How often does this kind of customer service happen any more? I haven't seen it in ages. And the plum tarts remain the same, consistent, ultra high quality they've had for decades. They taste like the ones we used to bake from the plums in the backyard of the hospital in Germany. We baked them when we were all on call for long weekends. This was so long ago it was before pagers or (obviously) cell phones. If you were on call, you had to remain near a known telephone number. So, all of us collected the plums and baked when nothing was going on.Thus, the importance of these plum cakes. There is nothing else that comes close to Clasen's authenticity here.Bonus -- the owner reported they may be working on bringing back the almond horns (half dipped in dark chocolate). These are truly German baked goods. You won't find them anywhere else. If the almond horns come back, I'll make more drives.Also -- try their candies (esp chocolates) made in house. Or whole cakes. Or quiche. Bienenstich is also excellent.Just go. Try something. You won't be disappointed. They stand behind their baked goods and their service.

I tried many items from this bakery. Everything was excellent. Especially when I look at the ingredients, things are made with really good ingredients. Prices were slightly on the higher side. Door county cherry tart had real cherries which gave a good sour taste. Marzipan ring and marzipan log were really good. I think I liked ring better. Bienenstich is another great product which tasted excellent. Rumball was ok.

I stopped in for a nice dessert for Valentines. The selection is always wonderful and the pastries always look scrumptious. I bought the Black Forest Cake and it was divine! Not only was it delicious but it had the flavor of Germany, my home. Thank you for always baking so well, from the breads to the cakes to the pastries!

Came to visit my brother in Madison and I came back to Clasen's.They had free samples of their cherry frangipane. If you're like me, and not familiar with a wide range of desserts, you may have never even heard of a frangipane, but it's basically a tart/pie. OMFG, guys... This was PHENOMENAL!! The best tart/pie I had ever had in my entire life. My brother loved it too! We each tried a piece of their sample and knew that we had to get it. We got one each for $7 per tart. These ones were the smaller ones (maybe 3 inches in diameter?), which makes it a little pricy for the size, but SO worth it!! I would come back to Clasen's for their cherry frangipane alone, but of course, I also picked up a few EuroBark chocolates to take back with me as souvenirs! Those are great too!

The morning buns are delicious! We also bought the sourdough with kalamata olives and it was delicious. There was a huge variety of fresh baked breads, cookies, and seasonal treats. They also have cakes which I have yet to try but I am looking forward to trying them.

A carb lover's dream! There aren't many bakeries like this one. The store is clean, well organized and spread out. I've never gone right at opening but I'm certain it smells like heaven! I appreciate that the store always has plenty in stock no matter what time you go. On this trip, I grabbed a loaf of cracked wheat sandwich bread, 2 baguettes (they were buy one get one!), a white chocolate macadamia cookie, and a spinach and feta croissant. It was hard to resist getting one of everything! Prices are fair, the variety and quality are unmatched. Do yourself a favor and take a trip to this fabulous place!

4.1A very nice old school euro style bakery. As Real as it gets, and it's a no brainer go to bakery, that should be open on Sunday.

I should write this when my mother is in town. My mother is European like the founders of this shop. When she visits here from another state, a Clasen's shopping trip is always done on the morning of her last day. Why is that, you ask? So she can purchase a few loaves of the freshest possible bread to take home with her.Mom grew up with a bakery across the street so Clasen's can be trusted as authentic based on how consistently committed she is to this place! I have tried the variety of breads my mom has bought over the years. I can't name all the kinds. I call them earthy. They are so unlike manufactured packaged commercial breads. You owe it to yourself to try a loaf! My solo visits have been for artisanal cinnamon rolls, which I declare The Best in the Madison metropolitan area! Big enough, chewy texture, enough glaze though I'm a fiend for glaze and would always take more, good amount of cinnamon distributed throughout the layers, aesthetically pleasing. Looks like it has cinnamon instead of some of these plain rolls you see around that taste like air and failed dreams.The bakery itself is quite large and doesn't have the vibes of the bakeries in Europe I've been to. I don't get a warmth or community feel. But the products are superb so still five stars. Purchase and go more than a hang out. And if you cannot make it here during their hours, quality local retailers carry a selection of the breads.Lots of seasonal items too! Monthly specials. And if you want to be a good family member, some items can be shipped nationwide! Maybe send a surprise to the European in America in your life! Not every city has an authentic European bakery so don't take it for granted! Support this local family owned bakery today.

We come Here every year for Christmas and once or twice during the year if we are eating bread. Their bread is excellent and they have a large selection of desserts, candies, and other German favorites. We got our wedding cake here almost 25 years ago. For Christmas we get fruit cakes. They are expensive but worth the treat. The 2# sellsFor $36.99, up in price about $4 from last year like everything else is. This year we tried a 2# Dresdner Stollen, also $36.99. We really enjoyed this powdered sugar topped quick bread with small bits of raisin, orange peel, almonds and almond paste, rum etc. inside. We will probably add this to our Christmas shopping going forward. They always have a special of some sort and one was purchase a quiche get a loaf of bread for free. We have had their quiche before and they are excellent. $21 for a 9 inch.There was another special to purchase 2 loafs of a specialty Bread and get 1 loaf free. On the sign there were 3 to choose from but only one type to pick on the floor. If I wanted it bad enough I would have asked if they had anymore of the other two types in back but I already spent over $165 as it was.It was my birthday and we were headed to lunch to celebrate with a friend who's birthday was the day before. I picked out a large rum ball (more like a mini round cake) for me and a slice of a dessert for my friend at the same price. I was attending a meeting with 7 others that evening so I found a cute cake like dessert (lemon) to share at the meeting and everyone raved at the taste.My husband also picked up a couple of coffee cakes to give to a couple businesses who help our Lion Club sell Chocolate bars for a fundraiser. They were $12.99 each and what a great thank you gift as we live an hour away.If your looking for "special" whether it is a treat for your household or family or friends, Clausens will not let you down.

Clasen's has been a long-time family favorite! Their breads and quiche cannot be beat and they always have amazing gift options for the holidays. Wish they would have Sunday weekend hours but it's worth the effort to plan your schedule around it!