It’s been about a year since the popular — and somewhat controversial — Cake Bake Shop opened at Walt Disney World’s Boardwalk, and we’re still asked often: “Is it worth the hefty price tag?”
A new cake slice!
After a construction process that felt like it lasted a decade, the restaurant by Gwendolyn Rogers opened to positive reviews for its food… and some side-eye about its prices. So a year later, what do we think of the shop’s $20+ cake slices and other treats? Let’s find out…
As Disney World food experts, you know we try every new restaurant, snack stand, and everything in between. So we were eagerly awaiting the opening of the Cake Bake Shop last year. As the restaurant’s rollout began, we visited during previews, on opening day, and several times since!
A stunning view
During one of our first visits, we were greeted by several Cast Members and even by The Cake Bake Shop’s owner, Gwendolyn Rogers!
Hi, Gwen!
But you’re not here for that, right? What you want to know is IS THE CAKE WORTH IT? Well, we’ve tried several different slices over the last year, and this is what we’ve thought:
So during our earliest visit, we tried the Millionaire Cake. This $22.00 cake is made of multiple layers of moist chocolate cake with inserts of chocolate ganache, buttercream icing, creamy caramel, and shortbread crumbs. To put it bluntly, this thing is heavenly!
Aptly-named Millionaire’s Cake
If you’re a fan of a good Millionaire’s Shortbread (which, hello, that’s us), you’re going to fall in love all over again with this version of a classic treat. The entire cake was so soft and melted in your mouth, and it’s encased on the sides and top in a layer of milk chocolate topped with more caramel drizzle and shortbread crumbs.
Delicious!
On a later visit, we tried the Raspberry Champagne Cake, which costs $22.99. The cake is three layers of fluffy vanilla cake brushed with a French champagne simple syrup, filled with our Raspberry Pixie Jam, and fresh raspberries. It is then frosted with a champagne vanilla buttercream and topped with fresh raspberries.
Raspberry Champagne Cake at The Cake Bake Shop
First of all, this cake literally glistens with glitter! Beyond that, it was super light and the buttercream melted easily and didn’t leave the fatty, lardy coating in the top of our mouth. The layers were so moist, and the raspberries were beautiful. We were told that the raspberries were hand-picked and hand-placed, so only the best berries are included in the cake. You can tell that there was a lot of time put into this cake, and we loved the balance of tartness and sweetness in this cake.
Raspberry Champagne Cake
On a further visit, we sampled a SEASONAL offering: the Coconut Cake, which is a seasonal offering. This $22.99 slice featured vanilla cake interwoven with layers of icing and coconut shavings. It was DECADENT in all the right ways, and a perfect treat for coconut fans.
It’s moist and crumbly
Then there was the limited-time Southern Style Caramel Cake offering. This $22 slice may be our favorite cake we’ve ever had from here, which, as you can se,e is saying a lot! We loved the crumb cake texture. While that does mean it’s not as moist as others, we think it makes it different in a really great way.
Yuuum
The cake had notes of vanilla, maple, and caramel, and the caramel frosting made the whole cake rich without being too heavy, which was just heavenly! Unless you know you’re not a fan of caramel or cake in general, we think this is great for everyone to try if and when it returns to the menu.
Consider us impressed!
Of course, we haven’t ONLY tried cake at the Cake Bake Shop. We’ve also sampled the beautiful Unicorn Hot Chocolate. We picked up a small (however, they do also offer a large of the same drink) and it cost us $11.00.
Unicorn Hot Chocolate
The base of the hot chocolate is made with strawberry milk and wasn’t served excessively hot. The top of the drink is brought together with some pastel pink icing swirl, colorful sprinkles, and tiny marshmallows to accompany your toasty beverage. This “unicorn” drink is obviously going to appeal to children — but I suspect many adults will want to order this “super fancy” drink, as well.
Those toppings though
This DEFINITELY feels like a splurge — $11.00 for a cup of hot cocoa. But it is fun, and we have paid nearly that much for a fancy coffee before. We found the strawberry flavor in the hot chocolate to be just the right amount without being overbearing, and the toppings helped it feel lighter and fun to sip.
For our array of treats, we kicked things off by digging into the Chocolate Truffle first (because what’s a better breakfast than milk chocolate first thing in the morning, right?). This little guy cost us $6 and was made of milk chocolate, peanut butter, and raspberry. It’s a tiny little thing, but just wait till you see what’s inside!
Chocolate Truffle
Yep — this guy’s filled with chocolate raspberry-flavored ganache! The filling has more of a resistance to it, even after setting for a while, kind of the same consistency as a nougat-filled chocolate candy. Our only complaint with this one is that we didn’t really taste much of the peanut butter in it, but what surprised us about it was how well-balanced the raspberry and chocolate flavors worked together.
Inside look!
Overall, we felt this was tiny but one of the more affordable options of treats to try out here, so if you find yourself on the fence about splurging too much, this is a solid treat to start with!
Next, we turned our attention to the Magic Bar! Ah, just looking at this one makes our mouths water almost immediately. This bar will cost you $11.00, but this is a fairly hefty snack.
Magic Bar
When we cut it open, we could see layers of cookie batter topped with huge chunks of chocolate chips, pecans that snap when you bite down on them, an icing glaze, bits of carrots, and all brought together with coconut and edible glitter.
Half of the bar
We likened this one to a grown-up version of a cookie cake! If you ever wanted more out of a bland cookie cake, this is the answer. There are so many flavors and textures blending together to create a bar that wants to almost be a coconut-carrot cake-cookie square. There’s a lot going on here, but it does work well together. This is a large bar that could be shared.
The Marie Antoinette had waited long enough to be chosen next! This beautiful dessert is two pieces of almond-flour pastry similar to a macaron with alternating buttercream icing, raspberries, and a raspberry filling sandwiched inside for $14.00.
Marie Antoinette
While it had a heftier price tag than the previous items, this was delicious. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to taste the flavor of a rose, you’ll find it in each of the soft, pastel pink cookie pieces that crumble as you bite into it. The buttercream was soft and fluffy but didn’t coat the roof of your mouth, and the raspberries provided a sharp burst of flavor. Now, whether to shell out $15 to this little guy when Les Halles is so close by with similar treats a fraction of the price — that’s up to you.
Inside of the treat
The real surprise here was the raspberry filling found at the very center of the treat. This star was more consistent with a raspberry jam with seeds and all. And for you gluten-free eaters, this one is a gluten-free treat.
We even tried the Million Dollar Sundae! This concoction features a homemade brownie (and yes, you can choose gluten-free or walnut), your choice of housemade ice cream (vanilla or chocolate), plus chocolate sauce, caramel drizzle, whipped cream, and shortbread cookie pieces crumbled over the top. And just when you think it can’t get any more extra, they finish it off with a healthy pour of Ghirardelli chocolate.
Million Dollar Sundae
The $16.00 sundae was a knockout! We tried the vanilla ice cream with the walnut brownie, and every bite was a swirl of warm brownie, melty caramel, buttery shortbread, and cold, rich vanilla. This thing is sweet, yes, but it’s also super well-balanced. The brownie adds a dense, chewy texture that works so well with the creamy ice cream and crisp shortbread.
SO good!
One major heads-up, though: You can’t get this sundae at the bakery counter. It’s a restaurant-only item, so if you’re thinking of just popping in for a quick dessert to go, you’re out of luck. You’ll need to book a reservation, sit down, and really take in the whole experience — and honestly? That’s kind of the point.
Million Dollar Sundae
In the year since the Cake Bake Shop opened, we’ve tried several meals, snacks, treats, and — OF COURSE — slices of the cake from the restaurant. And honestly, we can say this spot is worth it, especially if you’re dropping by for the desserts! Stay tuned to DFB for more!
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We’ve been to the Cake Bake Shop in Indy and it’s an incredible experience. The food is great, but the cake slices are devine!! They change by season and are definitely a splurge but so wonderful.
I’ll never “fall in love” with any of those items because I’m not foolish enough to spend that kind of money!
I’m sorry, I just cannot wrap my head around paying 22.00 for a piece of cake!! These prices will keep my sugar in check.
Raspberry Champagne cake was my favorite at the Indy store. Moved to Chicago 4 years ago and miss everything about the Cake bake store. Everything is worth the price!!! Can’t wait to try the Disney store in 3 weeks.
I’m coming down November 30. While I’m not excited at all about the prices, I’ve waited far too long to not try it. I’m sure everyone in the family will get something and we will make sure we each get something different so that we can all try a taste of each other’s treats. That way we get to try more without spending more. Yeah, we all complain about the prices every year but it’s Disney and we’ve come to expect it and we enjoy what we can.
I still don’t understand why she can’t put the same prices that she’s charging in Indy for Disney why should we have to pay six dollars extra for a slice of cake and $8.99 for a glass of tea when you’re charging for that same glass of tea back home in Indy $4.00. I would actually like to see drink prices go down. That’s Really ridiculous, I get it if you’re using quality ingredients for your cakes but tea is tea. Soda is soda and 12 bucks for a hot chocolate. That’s just a little bit ridiculous as well.
I think I’ll save time and money and just pick up a few cake slices with cookies at Gideons. If it were in Disney Springs I would definitely compare. Not going an hour out of my way to spend that kinda money. Bus ride from the Springs and back plus purchase would eat an hour into the day. Never say never. Lol
What is wrong with people??? Knowing how it is to earn a living, and to let the craze of ignorance justify outrageous pricing. Looks like these people that look forward to raising the bar to the stupid.
Nothing this person ordered was worth the price.
When my family lived in Indianapolis, my husband got me a whole cake (Earl’s Court) from there (Carmel location)for my birthday one year. It was a very good cake, but I don’t think it was quite worth the $115 he paid for it.
The following birthday (which I should add is on 12/26, so places are a bit busier on THAT day when compared to a “normal” day), we made reservations well in advance to have lunch there (for my husband, our daughter and myself). The food was OK, but I was in no way blown away. My husband was not impressed either. In other words, it’s not anything great, it’s just prepared “fancier” (my daughter’s food seriously had edible gold sparkle all over it). Then came the cake, which I was excited about because they had a few flavors I wanted to try (they change the menu seasonally, so you can’t get the same flavors all the time). They were seriously out of all the flavors I wanted to try. I was very disappointed. How do you not have enough of the ONLY flavors you offer that day, and how do you run out by mid-day? So we tried a couple other flavors I had not intended to try, and they were a disappointment, too.
We did go back one more time in May (for a slice) because they had a Spring flavor I wanted to try (it’s been a few years, but I am pretty sure it was strawberry), and I still wasn’t impressed.
Long story short, you’re paying for the experience, and that’s it. You’re definitely not paying these high prices for a 5-star restaurant.
I’ve eaten at the Cake Bake Shop in Carmel, IN, and it’s a top tier experience! I can’t wait to go to this one.
Just because something is “ affordable” doesn’t mean it’s worth that amount of money.
The ROI must be incredible!
The Millionaire Cake sounds and looks divine! I would definitely do this for a special occasion, sharing with my crew… bc that looks like way too much cake for one person!
I used to live in Indiana near the other two locations. I will say that the Tiramisu cake was the best I’ve ever had! You have to make reservations at the ones in Indy months in advance but can get food to go. The regular food is good too. Since I live near the Florida location now I may stop in for some treats in the future but it won’t be a must do. One thing I’m puzzled by is people being upset over a large slice of cake being $23 when a tiny cake at Amorette’s is over $22.
Hubby and I will be staying at the Yacht Club for our 1st anniversary trip next year (couldn’t afford to go right after the wedding for our honeymoon) and I am SO excited to try some cake! I know he’ll balk at the price tag, but some things are just worth the splurge. We’ll probably never return, and, as they say, “You can’t take it with you when you’re gone!” 😉
I LOVE the Millionaire Cake! My daughters and I love to go to Cake Bake in Indy. The food and the atmosphere are divine! It is my “Disney” in IN. Cannot wait to visit Cake Bake at Disney!
Are they open for meals and afternoon tea yet? Reservations needed?
My husband has been so excited about this place since the moment he heard about it. He’s a huge cake lover! As much as I’d like to skip this place due to their insanely high prices, I know there is no way we can visit WDW without my husband trying this cake 🤣
Of course with us plus the 2 kids, we’re looking at $92 plus tax, so essentially $100, for 4 pieces of cake 😳
And yeah, I know we could share a slice or 2, but I can already forsee that none of us will agree on a flavor to share and we’ll end up all getting one 🤣 All thanks to my husband and his cake obsession!
Thanks for the info, but a hard no on those prices. Those that want to try it should hurry; won’t be there for long.
I thought for the money you spent there that you would be seated indoors and have table service rather than going to a counter and taking away. All the things you tried look lovely but actually I know that I’d only like the hot chocolate and the millionaire’s cake, however, they cost $35. When we stayed at Disney last month, we averaged £20 a day per person on all 3 meals of the day. Breakfast was from Walmart, we didn’t have that many snacks and some meals were shareable. We also had a couple of Uber Eats deliveries. We weren’t being mean, we just ate when we wanted to and we’re quite stunned by how little we paid out over the 18 nights.
Just wondering, how many positive comments are from Disney employees told to give “to give positive comments.” I’ve seen that before!
Just got home from 6 days at Boardwalk celebrating my 62nd Birthday and was so lucky to have had The Cake Bake Shop opening while we were there, I had been waiting…. I too was concerned about the comments/pricing but had to give it a try. The experience was exceptional, from the custom made pink champagne exclusively made for Cake Bake to the crab cakes, the millionaire cake and the on point employee’s who really didn’t miss a beat, all was exceptional. I cannot wait to go back and will always reserve the Cake Bake Shop as an exceptional experience, special occasion location to just have fun and revel in the SPARKLE. Its Disney, Its Cake Bake and Wish you much success.
That Magic Bar you got for $11.99 is the same as Seven Layer Cookies I make at home for the same price. It’s a graham cracker crumb crust (not cookie butter), butterscotch chips (not carrots) and sweetened condensed milk over the coconut to hold it together (not icing). I’ve also been trying to figure out how raspberry and peanut butter go together so I looked up their menu and they do not offer any truffles with that flavor combination. It’s either raspberry OR peanut butter. I also found the description of the Magic Bar and it’s exactly how I described it (no carrots!).
Cake Bake Shop makes ALL of the goodies from scratch so sometimes they will run out due to demand. Other bakeries in Disney serve goodies that are prepared by an offsite co-packer. Disney just has to bake and serve. Plus they are loaded with preservatives and other chemicals. Kind of like Dunkin Doughnuts that now make their donuts in a factory and reheat in store
When you visit a REAL bakery, prices will be higher than grocery store bakeries due to quality being better quality
At first I thought NO WAY would I pay that price for a slice of cake, no matter how tasty. But then I thought about how many cocktails I’ve had at Disney for $16-$18. The cake definitely looked like more bang for my buck!
I was so disappointed they opened 2 days after we left! I am a home baker and really, really wanted to try a piece of cake and see the beautiful shop after peeking in the windows.
You forgot to mention that these items are not baked on site. They are brought in.
I could only see earing this cake if I were staying at an eiexpesnsive hotel off property. I would consider this my treat for the vacation
After seeing the prices at Cake Bake Shop, I realize The Cheesecake Factory is a bargain. I like cake but not that much to spend over $20 for a slice of cake. On a positive note, these high prices make eating cake unappealing for me, which is good for keeping my weight down.