Where to Get a Wedding Cake

Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Archived Q&A and Reviews

2008 Recommendations

May 2008

Re: wedding vendors
We were thrilled with our wedding vendors-- they're not dirt cheap, but we saved a lot of money on them compared to some high-end folks and the quality was great. Jen's cakes-- based in Los Gatos, but travels up to East Bay. Beautiful, delicious cakes, much, much cheaper than others I found. mamamolly

we purchased two of the most delicious cakes at Ladyfingers in Oakland. We ordered a layered carrot wedding cake, plus a regular to-die-for black-bottomed chocolate cake for extras. We had them just top with smooth cream-colored frosting, and Monica decorated with the flowers. Everyone absolutely raved about the cakes! And, they were the least expensive that I found after all my searching -- something like $4/slice. It's a little hole-in-the-wall bakery and the ordering experience wasn't terribly impressive, but they delivered the cakes on time and in perfect condition, and the cakes were fabulously delicious. http://www.ladyfingersbakery.com/ Have a wonderful wedding! - loved my wedding experience

If you want an amazing wedding cake try Judy Chadwick of True Confections. She will make you anything you heart desires as well as special cakes for food allergies- she can do wheat-free, dairy-free and only uses real ingredients. Judy Chadwick (510)665-9836 website: www.trueconfectionscakes.com rachel

2007 Recommendations

May 2007

Re: Outdoor wedding on a budget
I'm sure you'll get a ton of suggestions for caterers, but I would like to recommend Ladyfingers in Oakland for your cake. They made our wedding cake, and people still rave about it. At that time, they were not organic, but they use very simple recipes (butter, flour, cream). We still go there to get a mini- version of our cake for special occasions. Good luck! fondly remembering our wedding cake....

Non-dairy wedding cake

Jan 2007

I looking for a bakery that will bake a wedding cake not using traditional butter and milk, but will be willing to substitute.ingredients?(like the butter and milk....we also need the icing changed from buttercream to other...if anyone can help with recommendations....thanks....Wedding is in a couple of weeks. Marion

Check with Jennifer at Sweet Adeline Bakery, on Adeline and 63rd in Berkeley. I requested a non-egg birthday cake and she was happy to find a recipe that would work. It was delicious and beautiful. I know that they do a lot of wedding cakes too. marjorie

Try Whole Foods Bakery in berkeley, The bakery in Market Hall, and the Montclair Bakery on Mountain Blvd (just off the Park Blvd. exit). Good Luck

 

Two-decker cake for 50 people

April 2004

I checked out he archives re: wedding cakes and only found a couple of suggestions on where to purchase a wedding cake. I'm looking for more recommendations and prices. What can I expect to pay for a two decker cake that will serve 50 people? Any recs for the Virginia Bakery on Shattuck? Thanks, Diana

We got our wedding cake at Masse's (on Shattuck also, but between Black Oak Books and Saul's near Vine). It was spectacular and the most yummy wedding cake I've ever eaten (we got the chocolate orange). Many, many guests commented on it. They are also lovely people to work with, and drove the cake around in their air conditioned van for several hours as it was unseasonably warm and our wedding site had no refrigeration. I don't remember the exact price, but it was reasonable (I think $4 a slice, but this was over 2 years ago). Good Luck Wedding Vetran

Don't feel that you have to go with a bakery for your wedding cake. I would really like to recommend my wedding cake maker, Laura Farell (I just got married this past September). Laura works out of her home and will make any cake design you want. Her rates are reasonable, her cakes are beautiful AND *delicious* (that was very important to me). Most importantly, she was WONDERFUL to work with. She made the cake process a pleasure. During the stress of planning a wedding, it really made a difference for me. Also, she is very conscientious and reliable. I just can't say enough about her or recommend her hightly enough. We are planning to have her make an anniversary cake for us for our first year anniversary, too. You can reach Laura at: 510-390-2800. LOVED my wedding cake!

My friend Suzanne does fabulous wedding cakes! Usually you can expect to pay anywhere from $5-15 a serving for the cake. She definitely is on the lower end of that scale. You can check out some of her work at her website www.heirloomcatering.com (look at suzanne's cakes, her portfolio is amazing!). She does all kinds of cakes/flavors/designs and really works with you to determine what you really want. Alex

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Have you tried Montclair Baking Company for a cake? I don't remember what they charge, but we were on a strict budget, so I think they are reasonably priced. Their cakes are wonderful and they will even give you an anniversary cake for free next year so that you don't have to eat yucky frozen stale wedding cake. Cake lover

Look at the cakes at Masse's Bakery (two doors down from Black Oak Books on Shattuck Ave.) before deciding. Their cakes are so beautiful and they taste as heavenly as they look. Ann

I ordered my wedding cake from Just Desserts on Piedmont Avenue. I don't remember the price (it was 6 years ago), but was able to have 3 different types--it was a 3 layer cake. I chose poppyseed, white cake w/raspberry filling, and weekend cake (a chocolate cake). All three were incredibly delicious. They have numerous other selections and you can make an appointment there and have a full size piece sample each kind-- yum!

$300. and I DON'T recommend the Virigina bakery - their cakes are all sugar. Try down the street at Masses. anon

Personally, I would not do Virginia Bakery for a wedding cake. I think they are overpriced for a really plain cake. Why not try Crixa on Adeline? Wedding cake is usually between $4 and $8 a slice from a bakery. If you want to go cheaper, find someone who is getting into the business or someone who does it as a side business. As someone who works lots of weddings, I see tons of buttercream frosting left on plates--and it is the most expensive frosting. You might want to try whipped cream frosting or something else. Holtz Weddings

Masse's Pastries is great and will make you a memorably delicious and beautiful cake. They're on Shattuck, right next to Saul's and Black Oak Books. heidi

Wedding cakes are generally priced per serving. When I was married, a typical price was between $2 and $5 per serving, as best as I can recall, but that was many years ago. There will be an additional charge for delivery, and sometimes there are additional fees based on how you want it decorated, but the bulk of the price is just $X times Y people. Don't forget that you'll need more ''servings'' if you want to save a top tier in your freezer.

I would not recommend Virginia Bakery. Their cakes are relatively inexpensive, but they taste like it. And I have heard, from someone who used to work there, that their ingredients are often not fresh and their kitchen cleanliness standards not the best.

We used Katrina Rozelle and were thrilled. More expensive than most, but for us it was worth it; the cake both looked and, more importantly, tasted fantastic. Friends have had good experiences with Delices (in Walnut Creek), Just Desserts, and various small custom bakers. What you need to do is call around and arrange tasting appointments. You go in and they will have a platter of several different flavors for you to try, as well as photo albums full of decorating ideas to look at. These appointments are ordinarily free. It makes it pretty easy to choose the one you like best, and it's often the part of wedding planning that the groom is most enthusiastic about. ;-) Holly

Check out Montclair Baking in Oakland just off Mountain Blvd. in Montclair.... I see couples sampling wedding cake selections all the time (you get to come and taste the wedding cake selections ahead of time!). The wedding cakes that she makes are truly incredible to look at and it is my favorite bakery for our family celebrations. mmmmm.....good

I can't say enough about Ladyfingers Bakery in Oakland. Their cakes are delicious and inexpensive compared to other places we looked. We had the black bottom cake for our wedding, and if memory served, it was about 2.50 a slice (this was also 4 years ago, though), meaning a cake for 50 would run in the mid-100 range. That being said, it's not the place to go for some fancy extravaganza of a cake. But, if you want a delicious and attractive cake, I think it's the best game in town. Also a good place for birthday cakes! We go to Ladyfingers on pretty much any occasion where a cake is required. I don't know anything about the Virginia Bakery. Jennifer

I don't know about cakes from the Virginia Bakery, but I highly recommend Masse's Pastries. Their cakes are phenomenal. I highly suggest you don't get just one big wedding cake, but go for multiple different ones, since they make so many amazing cakes. They are located on Shattuck btwn Vine and Rose (near the Longs Drugs). I first found them when I was looking for a place to get my wedding cake 5 1/2 yrs ago and have gotten cakes from them for many occasions since. At that time, their prices were in the upper middle range of the bakeries I looked at. Plus, they are really friendly and easy to work with. Good luck. Jennifer

Try Barbara Llewellyn Catering in Oakland and Orinda. We got our wedding cake from there and the prices were reasonable compared to other places and the cake was absolutely fabulous. People are still commenting on it two years later--saying it was the best wedding cake they'd ever had. She did a tasting for us in her kitchen--we must have tried 1/2 dozen kinds before we picked the one we wanted. She also make a fruit-juice sweetened bride's cake for me since i can't eat white sugar. it was delicious and lots of people ate it instead of the regular one and didn't know the difference. Telephone: 510.832.1967 Good luck anon

We had a Virginia Bakery cake for our wedding. It was great! i didn't have any major fancy decor on it, though. It wasn't my first choice, but it came as a package deal when we were married on Hornblower Yachts. If I can recall, they had lots of options and it was very hard deciding which cake we wanted because they were all so yummy (especially the caramel filling). Many of our guests commented on how good it was. My first choice (I really didn't have one with Hornblower, just Katrina Rozelle-$$$$ or Virginia-$$) was The Bear Claw Bakery in Old Pinole (510-724-3105). They make delicious cakes from scratch and have lovely designs. I get almost all my cakes from there. They may seem pricey but the work (and love) that goes into making a wedding cake shows. I know because I used to work there. They put a lot of energy into their cakes. Call Terri and she can give you a rough quote on how much your size cake can cost. Tell her Kerri sent you. Kerri

I talked to my sister, who is a pastry chef for one of Bradley Ogden's restuarants, and she said that market rates are about $3- $7/slice. Where you are in the price range depends on the extent of the decorations you have - as this is all hand done. If you're interested, she does wedding cakes, and can be reached at 408-219-2718. Her business is called Something Sweet. Anonymous

I tease my husband that the only reason I married him was to have Perfect Endings as our wedding cake. Located in Napa, founder Sam Godfrey has quite a following nationwide with fans like Oprah Winfrey (he did her 50th) and Katie Couric from the Today show. I was worried that the cake might be just hype, but it truly is so yummy. Tastings are availabe in Napa or on weekends at a location in San Francisco. They do cakes for events all around the Bay area and can accomodate nearly any budget. From my experience in getting cake quotes last year, you can expect to spend $500 to $750 for a cake your size. It can't hurt to do a tasting to see for yourself. Their Web site is www.perfectendings.com. I also hear that Katrina Roselle Bakery on College in Oakland is very good, but I haven't personally tried it. Congratulations, and good luck with your cake! -a cake lover

I think Masse's in Berkeley is already listed in the archives but it's really worth recommending again. They did our wedding cake last year and not only was it beautiful and tasted great, it was the least expensive I found. The search for a cake in the Bay Area was a real eye opener - prices ranged from $2-$10 per slice (Montclair Baking gave us the bold $10 price). Marsha and Paul Masse are really kind and talented people which also influenced my decision to buy at Masse's (I really felt I got personalized service and they really care about what they make). Katrina Rozelle is very good too but I don't know about price.If you haven't already, you can check out www.herecomestheguide.com for others. Good luck! patricet

I got my wedding cake at a little bakery in Martinez and for the life of my I cannot think of the name right now but it was sooooooo delicious and creamy and wonderful! I had about 160 people at my wedding and the cake cost was aboooout $500 but if your serving only a small amount of people than you can get a much smaller cake and trust me, its worth it! You can go in as well and get samples of their varieties and THEN pick what you want to order. It was absolutely wonderful and the decor was perfectly, ''icing on the cake''. Maybe someone else will come up with that name- its right off of a Main street in martinez... with a French name... its a bakery... shaana

You can find a cake for only 50 people for quite a reasonable price. I think you'll find cakes in the range of $150 - $500. I got my wedding cake from Virginia Bakery. It was 4 tiers, and was enough to feed 300+ people. Including delivery and setup, it was just under $600. This was an amazing deal. Lots of people liked the cake. It looked very pretty. I had them ice it in white, and stack the layers, the ultimate in simplicity. then, my florist added fresh flowers. Of course, they are capable of much more complicated designs. However, it is not a ''gourmet'' cake, you won't remember it for months to come. For a fabulous cake (which probably is more money than you want to spend)you should check out Masse's Bakery on Shattuck and Katrina Rozelle on College. I would be surprised if Virginia Bakery were to charge you more than $200 or so for the cake you want. Have fun tasting and otherwise investigating! Tamar

Years ago we used Katrina Roselle bakery on College Avanue in Oakland (near Dryers). Wow is their stuff good! We had a big wedding reception but didn't want a huge cake so we got a three tier round cake and two small sheet cakes (which were cheaper and no one minded). The cake was yummy. We finished it (on purpose). One year later we bought a small cake for our first anniversary (much better than a 1 yr old cake). Cake tasting is one really fun part of wedding planning so I'd say, make an appointment at Katrina Roselle, go taste their cakes, find out about prices and see what you think. Bakeries don't expect you to commit if you taste their products. anonymous

While I don't have a good recommendation for you, I would like to tell you that I do NOT recommend Perfect Endings, based on my experience. I spent a fair amount of time with the person who took my order and described how I wanted the frosting to look. Based on my description, he said, ''you mean 'home-made' looking'', to which I responded yes. The day of my wedding, I walked into the reception hall to find a cake that looked nothing like I wanted, as the frosting was completely smooth and glassy looking, not at all home-made looking. Of course I was upset, given how much I paid and how I wanted everything in the wedding to reflect my husband's and my taste and style. The fact that they made an error is forgivable, however, the reason I would not recommend Perfect Endings is because of the way the owner responded to my request for a partial refund, to make up for my not getting what I ordered. He refused any kind of refund, saying that I got what I ordered, and went on to say that had I wanted rougher frosting, I should have said that I wanted something home-made looking. Funny, given that is exactly what I said when ordering. Perfect Endings would accept absolutely no responsibility for this mishap. I was stuck with the full cost ($700 to feed 100), and was obviously disappointed with the service. Tracy

I got my wedding cake from Amy Hatwig in Emeryville. It was so delicious & beautiful. I would highly recommend her. I don't remember what it cost, but it was definitely reasonable. We had a 3-tier with 3 different flavors. www.amycakes.com Jeanne

I missed the original post, but I have to recommend our wedding cake provider--La Farine in Rockridge (across from the safeway). The cake was wonderful--gorgeous and delicious. They also gave us a 4'' cake on our 1st anniversary, so we didn't have to save the top. My two experiences of Katrina Rozella were at two different weddings. In both scenarios, the cake was partially frozen. It was explained to the bride that the rounds are pre-made and frozen, which was sort of disappointing given the expectation and the cost. The cakes tasted freezer-burned. The weddings were 4 and 7 years ago, respectively; something might have changed since then. I recomend Masse's in No. Berkeley for a yummy, freshly made, aesthetically-pleasing cake. Sweet Tooth Gal.

For wedding cakes you should try Hopkins street Bakery. We had two excellent cakes for our wedding (one groom's cake). Their was much better than other cakes we tasted including Katrina Rozelle and their prices were so suprising low that we ordered enough so that each guest could have two pieces of cake! ds

I missed the original posting - but I can't rave enough about our wedding cake. Nora del Chamberlin at Custom Cakes. She is in North Berkeley. She never freezes her cakes as she makes them the night before (I use to work for caterers and saw many brides unhappy with their cakes because they didn't taste like the did at the tasting), and is the cheapest thing going. People asked me for two years who made my wedding cakes. She has a minimum number of servings and books up fast. Julia

I know your post was a while ago but I saw that someone mentioned Amy Hatwig and I wanted to second that recommendation! Amy is fabulous and so are her cakes- www.amycakes.com. She came to the city to the yacht our wedding was on- in the pouring rain at 5:30 in the morning! Our ceremony was at sunrise and the sun came out at just the right moment. Everything was amazingly perfect, especially the cake. We had a typical three-tiered cake but it was carrot because I love carrot cake. It even tasted good a year later when we ate the frozen top tier. snowshoebunny

Raiders Wedding Cake for the Groom

June 2003

I would like to give my fiance a ''groom wedding cake'' in the shape of a Raiders helmet. Can anyone recommend a bakery that could make such a cake and deliver it as well? Thanks. Martina

Go to Neldhams (sp?) on Telegraph Avenue, between 45th and 51st. The quality and good prices will amaze you... David

Julie Durkee at Torino Baking could make such a cake. Her number is 510-548-2900. It won't be inexpensive, but her cakes are delicious (great wedding cakes, too) and she can make a cake to look like anything! I have seen her do an iceburg, sandy beach and bucket of champagne bottles, so I know she could do a Raiders cake. Just on the cake note, another great place to get delicious cakes (but not crazy shaped ones like Raider's helmets) is Crixa Cakes which is one block north from the Berkeley Bowl on Adeline (510 548 0421). Its small, indepentantly owned and Elizabeth, the owner, has a real gift for delicious cakes of all kinds. Great for birthdays, etc. Good Luck! Rebecca

Torino Bakery (Julie Durkee, www.torinobaking.com) in Berkeley does any kind of cake you can imagine, and they taste super! Not cheap, but it's your wedding. Kitty