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Cake Cafe
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
9 reviews for Cake Cafe
I have always passed this place and wondered.
What if...?
What if you can really get a tasty cupcake in Ahwatukee reminiscent of those trendy NY joints?
What if my sweet tooth could meet its match in a place closer than Wicked Bakery (RIP)?
What if?...
Well today I had an emergency appointment with the chiropractor next door (see my upcoming review for Dr. Peter Nemanic, D.C.- he's good). On my way out and halfway to my car I turned around and entered the Cake Cafe.
I do have to agree with previous reviewers concerning the decor. It's as if a bottle of pepto exploded. I stepped gingerly to the counter to inspect the (limited number of) cupcakes available, while trying my darnedest to avoid the pepto that may or may not be dripping from the ceiling. Don't worry- it seems that there was never any real danger.
I looked longingly at the German chocolate confections, at the vanilla with chocolate, at the chocolate with vanilla. Different colors, different decorations, each proclaiming the sweetness held inside, waiting just for me.
After looking over the kichy kichy gift items (I totally would have bought a coffee mug here if I hadn't purchased one last week), I paid my $2.17 and walked out with a smile and a red velvet... that treasure trove of delight just waiting for the post-dinner confectionery carnage.
Maybe some things have changed around Cake Cafe in the past year. If you'll notice, most of the poor reviews are around the same time. All I can say is that I am not a pastry chef and I can not make cupcakes from scratch in my own home, but I do know what I like. The cake was moist and flavorful. The icing was light and sweet . Unfortunately I chose to share this delicacy with the hubski. Oh he liked it- it's just that the cupcake was gone twice as fast as if we had each had our own...
I have been craving a cupcake for a week or so, and I had fond memories of the most dreamy and creamy cupcake I had tasted last year during a wedding reception. Later, I asked the bride where she had purchased her wedding cupcakes and she said Cake Cafe.
I finally went today and they were also having a sale, $1.00 for a cupcake, really great deal when they normally are $3.95. I had the red velvet cupcake and the frosting was melt in your mouth and a soft-almost spongy cake. My husband had the lemon cupcake and the frosting was yummy.
Sinful treat, but every once in a while you need that perfect treat, and I have not had a cupcake in such a long time. I was still happy from the first time I tasted these cupcakes. Although, I am not a baker so I don't know if they are made from a cake mix or not. I look forward to trying Sprinkles cupcakes one day.
I am gonna have to say this one is the best. I have had Sprinkles, CupCakes, LuLu's, Tammie Co, and this one is the best! Today(monday) they had a $1 cupcake sale...cant beat it! their cakes were soooo much moister than the competition and just fluffy goodness. I am going to have to make this my cupcake stop...and find out which days they have the sale goin on. We got 5 cupcakes for 5.60! You can't beat that!!
HOWEVER, I will say...the red velvet does not compete, pass on it. I recommend the chocolate with vanilla and sprinkles and chocolate coconut.
I really wanted to like this place. I consider myself somewhat of a cupcake connoisseur. Every time I visit a new place that has a cupcake bakery, I try my best to visit it and try a few. I'm also a home baker, and I make a mean cupcake. To put it plainly, I know what cupcakes should taste like.
Unfortunately, they should not taste like the stuff that Cake Cafe puts out. We stopped by one day after seeing a sign on a sidewalk with balloons attached. After debating for about two seconds over getting cupcakes, we pulled into the parking lot. Walking in was not a pleasant experience. The decor reminds me of a twelve year old pre-pubescent girl. Not a good thing. There are way too many non-cupcake related cheap gifts cluttering the right side of the decent sized bakery.
I ordered a peanut butter chocolate cupcake, my usual, and the husband ordered a chocolate mint cupcake. My chocolate cake was dry and tasted off. Other reviewers suggest that this is because they used cake mix, and I have to agree. That's probably it. The frosting however, I liked because it was super sweet and peanut buttery. The grainy texture was a little irritating, but the flavor was still good. Opponents of super sweet will not enjoy these. The husband also had a chocolate cake and the accompanying "off" taste. He also wasn't sure if the mint was in the cake as well as in the frosting. He enjoyed the frosting but remembered the far superior cupcakes we had enjoyed at Yummy Cupcakes in California previously.
I may go back here. It's hard to resist a cupcake when you don't have to make it yourself. Maybe they were having a bad day when I went. I am willing to give them a second try. Cake Cafe, please don't let me down.
I tried Sprinkles
I tried Tammie Coe
I preferred Cake Cafe
and... at $9.99 for 6 cupcakes... they're price is right! Huzzah!
Actually, I took Cake Cafe cupcakes one week to a party, then a few weeks later I took Sprinkles cupcakes to a party with the same group of people and everyone was disappointed in Sprinkles and wanted Cake Cafe cupcakes back!
I personally like the bluberry and raspberry chocolate cupcakes the best.
Deeeelish.
(PS, I don't give a crap if they use mixes or whatever. The end product is all that matters to me)
This place is cute, but that's about it! Everything is made from cake mixes, nothing is from scratch, not even the frosting! Ew. You're better off going to safeways bakery than here to be honest.
It's overpriced & poor quality, boring tastes and really they only have cakes..
I'm a pastry chef, so I like to think I know what I'm talking about! ;]
*UPDATE*
I went in to grab a red velvet cupcake, same as before, DRY, think about biting into a brand new dry sponge, that's exactly the way the cake felt in my mouth and not only that but I looked in the mirror and my mouth and teeth were all red....eeeewwww......No I did not eat the flower on top, this was from the dye added to the cake...somebody doesn't know how to make TRUE Red Velvet.
I'll never go back here!
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I Just noticed this tiny place peeking out of the strip mall today.
It's a really cute little Cake Cafe, my first clue was the name.
Upon entering it smelled sweet, inviting comfy chairs, a few bistro tables a wall of gift items and A smiling host.
I asked about the cupcakes in the display case, there were so many to choose from. Every fruit flavor and chocolate combo you can think of, only butter-cream frosting here though, No Whip Cream which is my Favorite.
I decided on a Red Velvet and a Carrot Cake both with the cream cheese frosting. (see pics)
They were good. Nothing spectacular or out of this world, more ordinary and bit dry. I definitely blow her carrot cake outta the water, outta the desert for that matter.
But for $2 each it was a nice end to my earlier lunch.
I don't know that I'll be rushing back, but if I'm desperate for dessert and am low on cash I can stop here and get my needs met.
I've been to this shop several times and while they are not spectacular they really don't deserve the snipey-ness of some of the other reviews. Maybe not fit for a pastry chef - but hey, even if it is cake mix cake, I like cake mix cake so long as it's prepared properly. So I think that this is a nice little place to stop for a quick and relatively cheap treat. Bottom-line, It's worth stopping by if you're in the neighborhood but I'll agree it's not necessarily worth going very far out of your way.
it's not bad since there aren't a ton of unique bakeries to choose from, but it's no tammie coe. i've been here only once and bought a couple boxes to share with some friends and they were pretty good. now that i know that they are made from cake mixes, i'm no longer impressed. i can make red velvet cupcakes at home! the customer service is mediocre as well. you'd think that since they were a new business they'd be really inviting and excited to chat about their new business, but that wasn't the case when i visited. oh well. as far as local businesses go...only the best....the unique...will last. we'll see how long they last.
