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One of Paper Route Bakery’s cakes
One of Paper Route Bakery’s cakes
Paper Route Bakery/Facebook

14 Decadent Cake Shops in Austin

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One of Paper Route Bakery’s cakes
| Paper Route Bakery/Facebook

There is no better baked creation than the cake, and Austin does the sweet really well.

The city’s best cakes can be found at local restaurants and bakeries, taking on so many different sugary forms. There are layer cakes, drenched tres leches cakes, decadent works of edible art, simple confections, etc. etc. There are options from international bakery chains like 85C Bakery Cafe, classics from the Driskill’s cafe, fun flavors at Paper Route Bakery, vegan ones at Capital City Bakery, and much more.

For more cakes and sweets, scope out Austin’s best wedding cakes, bakeries, pies, cookies, and kolaches.

If a favorite cake spot is missing, let Eater know through the tipline or leave a comment in its honor.

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85C Bakery Cafe

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The only thing that can tear guests away from the array of sweet and savory breads and pastries at international bakery chain 85C — nicknamed “the Starbucks of Taiwan” — is the impressive dessert display case. Filled with European-inspired layer cake slices (like the salted caramel creme brulee flavor) and individual cakes (like chocolate pearl), it’s nearly impossible to choose just one, which is why repeat visits are highly recommended.

A slice of layer cake from 85C Bakery Cafe
A slice of layer cake from 85C Bakery Cafe
85C Bakery Cafe/Facebook

Chez Zee

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Dessert is the main attraction at the West Austin bistro, which also serves up a full menu of American favorites. Skip ahead to the eye-popping sweets, including Chez Zee’s spin on classics such as Italian cream and carrot, or go for an original creation, like the cocos leches — a creamy, indulgent combination of coconut cake and tres leches.

Slice of cake from Chez Zee
Slice of cake from Chez Zee
Chez Zee/Facebook

Tous Les Jours

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This French-Korean bakery chain is home to all-things bread, from breakfast pastries to milk bread and red bean buns. It also serves a delightful assortment of beautifully crafted cakes, many of which can be found in the display case. In addition to the more traditional cake rolls, Tous Les Jours offers buttercream cakes, mousse cakes, and the fluffy cloud cream cake — featuring fun flavors like green tea chiffon and triple delight coffee cake. Unsure which to try? There are cakes-by-the-slice, too.

The red velvet cake from Tous Les Jours
The red velvet cake from Tous Les Jours
Tous Les Jours/Facebook

Hank's Austin

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The Windsor Park restaurant offers a variety of baked goods, from doughnuts to cookies and everything in between. While any of these options are great, the light and delectable chantilly cake is an absolute must for those who leave room to satisfy a major sweet tooth.

The cake from Hank’s
The cake from Hank’s
Courtney Pierce/EATX

Lady Quackenbush's Cakery

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The latest outpost from the Quack’s team is all about baked goods like pies and cute sugar cookies, and — as made obvious by its name — cakes. In addition to grabbing a hefty slice of classic funfetti or decadent chocolate, customers can place orders for custom cake creations ranging from towering multi-layer specialties to kid-friendly birthday cakes.

A custom cake from Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery
A custom cake from Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery
Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery/Facebook

Irene’s

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The downtown restaurant and bar offers a novel menu of American comfort classics and stiff drinks, making it the perfect spot for a lazy weekend brunch. But one peek at the dessert display might have you lingering just a little longer for a giant slice of Irene’s unbelievably delicious strawberry cake — it’s basically biscuits and strawberry jam, in cake form.

Irene’s strawberry cake
Irene’s strawberry cake
Irene’s/Facebook

1886 Cafe & Bakery

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Located downtown in the historic Driskill Hotel is this elegant little cafe. While partaking in some food and bubbly, be sure to save some room for the decadent chocolate cake with rich chocolate ganache.

Paper Route Bakery

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The local catering company transformed into a full-fledged brick-and-mortar featuring breakfast cakes (like the scrumptious snickerdoodle coffee cake) and a rotating “cake of the day” – including favorites like the rich dark chocolate raspberry and the floral lemon-lavender. Paper Route’s gorgeous custom cakes are the stuff that Instagram dreams are made of.

The lemon-lavender cake at Paper Route Bakery
The lemon-lavender cake at Paper Route Bakery
Paper Route Bakery/Facebook

Capital City Bakery

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The East Austin bakery offers a vast array of vegan baked goods and treats, including cupcakes, cookies, and — most importantly — cakes. Capital City Bakery offers special occasion cakes with over two dozen unique flavors to choose from, including biscoff (for all the cookie butter-lovers), lavender lemonade, and banana pudding.

One of Capital City Bakery’s vegan cakes
One of Capital City Bakery’s vegan cakes
Capital City Bakery/Facebook

Joann's

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The California-inspired Tex-Mex diner inside the Austin Motel serves an all-day menu featuring lighter fare like Gulf shrimp and ceviche — perfect for making sure guests have room to spare for the restaurant’s take on vintage favorites like pineapple upside-down and double chocolate sprinkle.

La Pâtisserie

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While the French-inspired bakery is best known for its colorful macarons and sugary morning buns, the fantastic cakes aren’t to be ignored. The bakery, which has outposts on Burnet Road and in South Austin, offers a traditional opera cake with light, creamy coffee filling, along with a rotating selection of seasonal flavors — like lemon blackberry. If one slice isn’t enough, the shop also accepts custom orders for larger cakes.

The chocolate hazelnut cake from La Patisserie
The chocolate hazelnut cake from La Patisserie
La Patisserie/Facebook

Sugar Mama's Bakeshop

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It should come as no surprise that one of Austin’s most cherished cupcake spots also offers exceptional cakes. Like its smaller counterparts, the full-sized cakes are super moist and flavorful — like the fan-favorite carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Sugar Mama’s accepts custom orders for cakes in a variety of sizes, and can even whip up a tasty gluten-free creation by request.

Cakes from Sugar Mama’s
Cakes from Sugar Mama’s
Sugar Mama’s/Facebook

La Mexicana Bakery

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Open since 1989, this traditional panaderia and local favorite serves up classic Mexican sweets and pastries 24 hours a day. Where else can you find a tres leches cake — and an exceptional one at that – at 3 in the morning?

Jack Allen's Kitchen

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Austinites can’t get enough of legendary chef Jack Gilmore’s comfort food restaurant, but the desserts from pastry chef Dee-Dee Sanchez is the real star of the menu. Each of the four locations offer simple but exquisite takes on classic desserts like pies and cobblers, and yes, cakes. Frequent diners have long been obsessed with the flourless chocolate cake.

Jack Allen’s chocolate bomb dessert
Jack Allen’s chocolate bomb dessert
Jack Allen’s Kitchen/Facebook

85C Bakery Cafe

The only thing that can tear guests away from the array of sweet and savory breads and pastries at international bakery chain 85C — nicknamed “the Starbucks of Taiwan” — is the impressive dessert display case. Filled with European-inspired layer cake slices (like the salted caramel creme brulee flavor) and individual cakes (like chocolate pearl), it’s nearly impossible to choose just one, which is why repeat visits are highly recommended.

A slice of layer cake from 85C Bakery Cafe
A slice of layer cake from 85C Bakery Cafe
85C Bakery Cafe/Facebook

Chez Zee

Dessert is the main attraction at the West Austin bistro, which also serves up a full menu of American favorites. Skip ahead to the eye-popping sweets, including Chez Zee’s spin on classics such as Italian cream and carrot, or go for an original creation, like the cocos leches — a creamy, indulgent combination of coconut cake and tres leches.

Slice of cake from Chez Zee
Slice of cake from Chez Zee
Chez Zee/Facebook

Tous Les Jours

This French-Korean bakery chain is home to all-things bread, from breakfast pastries to milk bread and red bean buns. It also serves a delightful assortment of beautifully crafted cakes, many of which can be found in the display case. In addition to the more traditional cake rolls, Tous Les Jours offers buttercream cakes, mousse cakes, and the fluffy cloud cream cake — featuring fun flavors like green tea chiffon and triple delight coffee cake. Unsure which to try? There are cakes-by-the-slice, too.

The red velvet cake from Tous Les Jours
The red velvet cake from Tous Les Jours
Tous Les Jours/Facebook

Hank's Austin

The Windsor Park restaurant offers a variety of baked goods, from doughnuts to cookies and everything in between. While any of these options are great, the light and delectable chantilly cake is an absolute must for those who leave room to satisfy a major sweet tooth.

The cake from Hank’s
The cake from Hank’s
Courtney Pierce/EATX

Lady Quackenbush's Cakery

The latest outpost from the Quack’s team is all about baked goods like pies and cute sugar cookies, and — as made obvious by its name — cakes. In addition to grabbing a hefty slice of classic funfetti or decadent chocolate, customers can place orders for custom cake creations ranging from towering multi-layer specialties to kid-friendly birthday cakes.

A custom cake from Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery
A custom cake from Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery
Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery/Facebook

Irene’s

The downtown restaurant and bar offers a novel menu of American comfort classics and stiff drinks, making it the perfect spot for a lazy weekend brunch. But one peek at the dessert display might have you lingering just a little longer for a giant slice of Irene’s unbelievably delicious strawberry cake — it’s basically biscuits and strawberry jam, in cake form.

Irene’s strawberry cake
Irene’s strawberry cake
Irene’s/Facebook

1886 Cafe & Bakery

Located downtown in the historic Driskill Hotel is this elegant little cafe. While partaking in some food and bubbly, be sure to save some room for the decadent chocolate cake with rich chocolate ganache.

Paper Route Bakery

The local catering company transformed into a full-fledged brick-and-mortar featuring breakfast cakes (like the scrumptious snickerdoodle coffee cake) and a rotating “cake of the day” – including favorites like the rich dark chocolate raspberry and the floral lemon-lavender. Paper Route’s gorgeous custom cakes are the stuff that Instagram dreams are made of.

The lemon-lavender cake at Paper Route Bakery
The lemon-lavender cake at Paper Route Bakery
Paper Route Bakery/Facebook

Capital City Bakery

The East Austin bakery offers a vast array of vegan baked goods and treats, including cupcakes, cookies, and — most importantly — cakes. Capital City Bakery offers special occasion cakes with over two dozen unique flavors to choose from, including biscoff (for all the cookie butter-lovers), lavender lemonade, and banana pudding.

One of Capital City Bakery’s vegan cakes
One of Capital City Bakery’s vegan cakes
Capital City Bakery/Facebook

Joann's

The California-inspired Tex-Mex diner inside the Austin Motel serves an all-day menu featuring lighter fare like Gulf shrimp and ceviche — perfect for making sure guests have room to spare for the restaurant’s take on vintage favorites like pineapple upside-down and double chocolate sprinkle.

La Pâtisserie

While the French-inspired bakery is best known for its colorful macarons and sugary morning buns, the fantastic cakes aren’t to be ignored. The bakery, which has outposts on Burnet Road and in South Austin, offers a traditional opera cake with light, creamy coffee filling, along with a rotating selection of seasonal flavors — like lemon blackberry. If one slice isn’t enough, the shop also accepts custom orders for larger cakes.

The chocolate hazelnut cake from La Patisserie
The chocolate hazelnut cake from La Patisserie
La Patisserie/Facebook

Sugar Mama's Bakeshop

It should come as no surprise that one of Austin’s most cherished cupcake spots also offers exceptional cakes. Like its smaller counterparts, the full-sized cakes are super moist and flavorful — like the fan-favorite carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Sugar Mama’s accepts custom orders for cakes in a variety of sizes, and can even whip up a tasty gluten-free creation by request.

Cakes from Sugar Mama’s
Cakes from Sugar Mama’s
Sugar Mama’s/Facebook

La Mexicana Bakery

Open since 1989, this traditional panaderia and local favorite serves up classic Mexican sweets and pastries 24 hours a day. Where else can you find a tres leches cake — and an exceptional one at that – at 3 in the morning?

Jack Allen's Kitchen

Austinites can’t get enough of legendary chef Jack Gilmore’s comfort food restaurant, but the desserts from pastry chef Dee-Dee Sanchez is the real star of the menu. Each of the four locations offer simple but exquisite takes on classic desserts like pies and cobblers, and yes, cakes. Frequent diners have long been obsessed with the flourless chocolate cake.

Jack Allen’s chocolate bomb dessert
Jack Allen’s chocolate bomb dessert
Jack Allen’s Kitchen/Facebook

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