She says she's best known for her 13-flavors of cannolis, but it is through her cakes that Wareham baker Lil Ferreira reveals her true creativity.

"I just have to go with it, you know?" Ferreira says. "Don't tell me I can't do something."

Her admonishment applies to her cakes - which have taken the form of a clogged toilet for a plumber's birthday and the handknit rattles given as a present at a baby shower - and her life.

The eight-year-old Cakes by Lil, located across the street from Lindsey's Restaurant on the Cranberry Highway, started as a hobby. "I always baked a moist cake," she said, and her friends requested that she supply desserts for parties and events. When a close friend and neighbor died, she decided to try to replicate his prized garden on the top of a cake. It was a success. "They loved it, and even sent it to my friend's son who was also ailing at the time and couldn't leave Florida," Lil recalled proudly. "I still don't think anybody's ever eaten that cake."

Lil began accumulating requests, and she was willing to try any type of design. Unfortunately, her success was not lauded by everyone. Although she says she can't prove it, Lil is pretty certain a rival baker turned her in to the Town of Middleborough for violating health codes by preparing food for sale in her home kitchen.

A few months later, Ferreira's daughter showed her the vacant Wareham space that would become the bakery. Lil was not too impressed. The floor was covered with moldy tiles, and the walls had water damage. But her family and friends helped with the renovations. The next year, Lil expanded next door.

Visiting the shop, it's difficult to believe that anybody could bake, let alone move, a cake there. Lil insists it's necessary to wash dishes immediately after use because it's most efficient, but there's also no room to place anything dirty. It's difficult to determine the wall color because it is hidden behind so many shelves covered (like almost every other horizontal surface) with cake decorations. in addition to the traditional brides-and grooms, many of these are as likely to be found as prizes at a carnival as on top of a cake.

"I love my ants," said Lil, posing three black plastic ants on the counter and among upside-down pineapple cakes in the display case. "People can't believe I put them in with the food. But it always makes them look!"

She doesn't need the ants for her cakes, however. She has recently been focused on ocean scenes, spiking frosting into waves and using an air brush and food coloring to create water and sand that reflects the sunset. She'll gladly hand you the photo albums documenting her most ambitious cakes as well as murals she has painted in her home. "I get bored easily," she explains. She proudly points out memorabilia from fans including a photo of a cake she made for the cast and crew of the soap opera "Passions" and a thank-you letter from the staff at Tobey Hospital's emergency room who received Lil's canollis and whoopie pies during the late shift on New Year's Eve.

But of course the real star is Lil herself. Her personality is way larger than her 4-foot-7-inch frame and, after only a few minutes of conversation, the shop's atmosphere changes from somewhat claustrophobic to snug. She'll show you the googley-eyes for cupcakes, and the miniature fried-egg candies that she hopes to someday figure out how to incorporate into a cake design. Ask for samples before you decide on the filling for your cannolli. And give her a hug on the way out the door.