What's in a Cake?

Bartleby’s cakes are made with two layers of our homemade ice cream; two layers of crumbled fresh-baked cookies, brownies, or blondies; scratch-made whipped cream or vegan buttercream frosting; an edible message; and premium decorations.

The Scoop on Bartleby's

Bartleby’s was founded in January 2019 to bring high-quality, handmade ice cream cakes to the deserving people of Chicago. What sets our cakes apart from the rest?

We use only the finest gourmet ingredients in every part of our cakes, starting with local dairy from family-owned Kilgus Farmstead. Why eat a thousand calories if they don’t all taste delicious?

Almost every part of our cakes is made fresh and from scratch in the Bartleby’s kitchen—including the ice cream, cookies, whipped cream frosting, fudge, caramel, cookie dough, buttercream ...

You can custom-order any combination your heart desires. Looking for something that’s not on the menu? Talk to us! We love you and want you to be happy.

From customer service to cake construction to delivery, we work hard to ensure that every aspect of your Bartleby’s experience is extraordinary.

We are also proudly committed to sustainable production practices, including sourcing local, organic, and sustainably produced ingredients and using compostable or recyclable packaging wherever possible.

Rachel Kamins

Founder and Owner

I was born with a stainless steel spoon in my mouth and a pint of ice cream in my hand, and I’ve been obsessed with ice cream my whole life. I’ve worked at Ben & Jerry’s as a factory tour guide, scooper, and Professor of Scoopology (AKA Retail Training Specialist). It was there that I learned how to turn ice cream into ice cream cakes.

​Through many years of home ice cream making, a stint working in the Zingerman’s Bakehouse, several classes on cake decoration, and many birthday cakes for friends and family, I came to realize that making delicious desserts, and especially ice cream cakes, is what I want to do as much as possible.

I named my business after a short story about a person who loses his ability to do mindless office work and take orders from a boss. That was me, but my story ends with more sprinkles.