Nikolaiviertel in person: Stefan Kels and his “Tigertörtchen”

Between cupcakes, cakes and macarons: Stefan Kels and his team run one of the “sweetest” places in the Nikolai Quarter.

First of all, of course, we need to know how the name Tigertörtchen, or „tiger tartlet“, actually came about.

A lot of people actually want to know, but the answer is quite simple: back in the eighties I used to have a children’s baking book with a recipe called “Tigertörtchen”, which I often baked as a kid. And many years later, I wanted to use something personal as a name for my own store and there we had it…

Where did your passion for baking and cupcakes in particular come from?

As I said, I loved baking as a child, but then I became an architect. I worked in London for a while and discovered all these cupcake stores there. When I came back to Berlin, I really wanted to do something new and implement the ideas I had collected in London here. I simply tried things out, developed recipes, had friends try them first, then people from the Michelin-starred restaurant trade. It all turned out so well that I then sat down with the confectioners’ guild to see how I could produce and sell it all as a career jumper. Gradually, of course, we also hired confectioners and master confectioners.

How long have you been in the Nikolai Quarter and how did you decide on the location?

I’m originally from Düsseldorf, but I’ve been living in Berlin for 24 years now. I live in Kreuzberg and first looked around for a store there. And then I happened to see an ad for a space here in the Nikolaiviertel. I didn’t have Mitte on my radar at first because it was usually a bit too loud and wild for me, but I immediately loved the Nikolaiviertel because it’s so central but still has these small structures. And it’s just a great contrast with the hustle and bustle of the city outside and the tranquillity here in the district. Anyway, this space was available at the time, with the great location directly behind the Church. It was just a perfect fit and we opened here in December 2011.

Is there a typical Tigertörtchen target group?

The café has a very mixed crowd. There are many guests who work in the neighboring offices and stores and, of course, local residents who fancy something sweet after lunch and many of them have been regulars for years. Here in the Nikolai quarter, we naturally have a lot of tourists and city guides who stop by with their guests.

Tigertörtchen is not just a café. What else do you do?

That’s right, we have several mainstays. Firstly, there are the two cafés, this one here and, since 2017, a second location on Chausseestraße. Then there’s the out-of-home business, i.e. catering for weddings, companies and hotels. And then we have our baking classes. There is a separate baking school on Chausseestraße, which is separated from the rest of the café. There are various courses for which you can book a place online and then bake in mixed groups. In January, for example, there is a course on choux pastry, i.e. for eclairs and cream puffs…

That also sounds like a great gift idea – or baking as a group experience?

Absolutely, which is why you can also purchase gift certificates. And we offer baking workshops as team events for companies. People always have a lot of fun and they can take home and enjoy what they have baked under supervision.

What about trends? There’s a lot of hype about Dubai chocolate at the moment.

We don’t jump on every short-term trend, but we are constantly testing new ideas and unusual flavor combinations. For example, our white tonka with vanilla, white chocolate and tonka bean – it’s magical. We also like to turn some ideas into a “cupcake of the month”, which we then only offer strictly for that month. That way, there’s always something new to discover, even for regular guests.

Are there vegan products and when did you start offering them?

Yes, our cupcakes are of course also available in vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free versions and we have actually been offering vegan products from the very beginning.

tigertörtchen – Berlin Cupcakes • Spandauer Str. 25 • 10178 Berlin • Phone: (030) 67969058
Website: tigertoertchen.de • E-Mail: info@tigertoertchen.de