It is hard to beat the convenience of a grocery store cake, but not every supermarket has a good selection of cakes. However, the big box stores aren’t necessarily the best place to go for a wide cake selection, particularly if you are looking for something freshly prepared.
Grocery stores known for their cake selection include the likes of Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Publix, among many other regional favorites, totaling 12 in this list. Continue below to learn about which grocery stores have the best to offer and what the signature item is at each store.
Why Should You Buy A Cake at A Grocery Store?
There are several reasons why you would buy a cake from the grocery store rather than the local bakery (or having to make one yourself). You may be surprised at how bountiful the selection is at some of these grocery stores. For example, Publix has a reputation for taking their desserts seriously, and they’re not the only ones.
Here are some reasons why you should consider going to the grocery store to get a cake (or two):
- Convenience: You can take care of all your party needs in one fell swoop, all under the same roof.
- Affordability: Cakes at grocery stores tend to be affordable.
- A Good Last-Minute Option: If you are pressed for time before the big party, a grocery store can fulfill your order.
- Special Themed Cakes: Many stores are well-known for being able to create a large variety of specially themed cakes, certainly always an excellent addition to a child’s birthday party.
Kroger
Kroger is perhaps the most popular grocery store chain in the United States, with at least one location in 35 states. No matter where you live, there is a good chance that you are within range of one of these stores, so you’ll be excited to hear the popular grocery does prominently display a selection of freshly prepared goodies.
The menu includes popular choices, such as:
- Special Orders
- Angel food
- Poundcake
- Chocolate cake
- Vanilla Cake
- Red velvet cake
Kroger is one of America’s most popular grocers. You are sure to find a wide variety of items at an affordable price at one of their many locations. The fact that some stores are open until midnight also makes this a go-to if you ever find yourself in a bind where you need a last-minute cake for a party.
Signature Item
Kroger has a selection of birthday cakes for order, and they also have a wide selection of cakes that are the standard at grocery store bakeries. Kroger does offer a wide selection of chocolate cakes, including a Triple Chocolate Tiger Cake. Sandwiched between two layers of rich dark chocolate is a layer of white cake. Everything is topped off with white chocolate icing.
Whole Foods
You can find a wide variety of cakes and desserts for order at your local Whole Foods Market. This is a great store to visit if you are looking for new and unique flavors, as well as goodies that are compatible with special diets. Be sure to contact your store for specific details, as offers vary by location.
If you’re a chocolate cake lover, then you’ll be happy to know that Whole Foods has many different variations of chocolate cakes: ganache, buttercream frostings, fudgy fillings, chocolate garnishes, and more. Be sure to ask your local store if they carry the chocolate eruption cake.
Signature Item
One of the most popular items at Whole Foods is their Berry Chantilly Cake. This cake features layers of vanilla with Chantilly cream frosting and is punctuated by fresh strawberries and blueberries, both in the filling and on the top of the cake.
The market also seasonally offers a carrot cake that is sure to be rich in flavor. The Whole Foods take on the cake is covered along the sides with pieces of carrot, raisin, and walnut. The crunchy walnuts complement the smooth texture of the cream cheese frosting.
A wide selection of vegan cakes: it’s not common for supermarkets to have as many vegan cakes as Whole Foods does. Included in the vegan section of the bakery is a carrot cake (availability varies by location).
Meijer
Meijer has a wide array of cakes and desserts on display at their bakery. You can order cakes for parties by either stopping by the bakery during your next shopping trip or by contacting the bakery directly, being sure to provide enough time for the order to be fulfilled, as is typically the case with grocery stores. There are six different gourmet cakes available for order in a party plan:
- Cookies’ N Creme
- Carrot Premium
- Custom Sheet Cakes
- Whipped Double Layer Rosette Cake
- Chocolate Banded Torte
- Double Layer Unicorn Cake
Signature Item
Meijer is known for its turtle cake. This masterpiece blends chocolate, caramel, and nuts. As such, it is probably one of the richer-looking turtle cakes that you will see on the counter at any grocery store bakery.
Publix
Publix is a grocery store chain based in the Southern United States that offers an impressive cake selection. You can also order a customized cake for your party or wedding.
Flavors include:
- Cookies and Cream
- Caramel pecan praline
- Rocky road
- Toasted coconut cases
- And many more
Please don’t let the limited list above fool you about Publix’s wide selection of flavors and cake types. The store routinely offers a cake of the month, promoting cakes that their customers may have never heard of before.
Signature Item
It’s hard to nail down one or two signature items, but one of the more decadent items on the menu is the fruit-filled derby cake. This is a chocolate two-layer cake with fresh fruit in the center, and vanilla whipped topping. It’s all topped off with a coating of powdered sugar.
Also unique is the chocolate ganache supreme cake. This cake has four layers of either chocolate or vanilla cake crumbs and chocolate or vanilla whipped topping. The finishing touches on this masterpiece include chocolate ganache icing, ribbons of fudge, and a bow of dark chocolate pieces.
Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s is by no means your run-of-the-mill grocery chain. The company’s sense of creativity has undoubtedly also been applied to their cake selection and bakery, where you can find new and unique blends of flavors.
Here are some of the more savory choices:
- Raspberry & White Chocolate Bundt Cake
- I Dream of Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Peppermint Loaf
- Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake
Signature Item
Trader Joe’s bakes a Raspberry & White Chocolate Bundt Cake infused with ripe raspberries and pieces of white chocolate. This is not a frosted cake. Instead, it is hand-topped with coarsely powdered sugar and a white confectioner’s glaze.
The I Dream of Chocolate Cake has two layers: dark chocolate crumbs and a layer of creamy chocolate that closely resembles a pudding filling. The rich layers of chocolate in this cake make it a go-to item for the chocolate lover in your life.
Albertsons
Albertsons is a grocery store chain with 398 locations in 15 states operating under the Albertsons banner. The store has online ordering, convenient for parties. The party menu includes an impressive array of themed cakes for birthday parties.
The counter on the bakery section looks like this:
- Cookies & Cream
- Fresh Baked Carrot Cake
- Chocolate Cake
- Marble
- White Iced Cake
- Lemon-flavored Pudding Ring
- Red Velvet
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Tiramisu
- Candy bar icings
Signature Item
The signature item at Albertsons would have to be the sheer number of themed cakes that the store offers for parties. Just take a look at this construction dig sheet cake or this Disney princess cake. The store also has a diverse offering of flavors for their cakes that aren’t themed, as displayed in the list in the section above.
Wegman’s
Wegman’s is a supermarket chain operating grocery stores all across the Eastern Seaboard of the US. The chain does offer online ordering for cakes, with in-store pickup. If you’re looking to order a cake for a party, few supermarkets will offer more variety. For those on a gluten-free diet, you will find cakes to your liking.
You will find a bountiful collection of favorites here, such as:
- 3-Layer Chocolate Raspberry
- Red Velvet Cake
- Coconut Cake
- Marble
- Gingerbread
- Strawberry shortcake
- Angel food cake
- And many more
As you can see from the list above, Wegman’s does have a stunning diversity of options regarding flavors. If you live in the Atlantic region, you’d be hard-pressed to find a grocery store bakery that is more likely to carry one of your favorites.
Signature Item
Lovers of gingerbread will be happy to know that Wegman’s bakes a 3-Layer Gingerbread Cake. If you happen to live along the East Coast, you’ll be in luck come the holiday season. Three layers of gingerbread are separated by a creamy vanilla filling and topped off with festive icing.
The Fresh Grocer
You’ll find this store in Philadelphia and New Jersey within close range of New York City. The Fresh Grocer does display a wide selection of cakes freshly-prepared within their bakery, as is evident in their online catalog.
Some of the more intriguing items on the menu include:
- Cannoli Cream Cake
- Carrot Cake (with cream cheese icing)
- Cookies and Cream
- Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt
Additionally, The Fresh Grocer also sells an abundance of contract bakery cakes, such as this unique 7Up Ring Cake. This cake is inspired by the popular soda. As is the norm with supermarkets, the store also offers many pre-packaged desserts.
Signature Item
The Fresh Grocer’s best cake may be their Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt cake. This is The Fresh Grocer’s version of the famous Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake recipe from Williams Sonoma. Rich chocolate and sour cream are combined into one so that you have an interesting contrast of flavors.
Target
Target falls within a separate category of store bakeries. Most of the company’s stores do not have a bakery inside; you have to visit your local Super Target to access such services.
At Super Target, They are known for offering a wide variety of licensed character cakes, making them a clear-cut favorite when it comes to children’s birthday parties.
Signature Item
The signature cake at Super Target would have to be their made-to-order sheet cakes. Sheet cakes come in ¼ sheet, ½ sheet, and full sheet sized cakes. The latter is capable of feeding a crowd of up to 96, and costs start as low as $42.99. Special character cakes cost a small additional fee.
There are numerous choices when it comes to both icing and filling flavors, with four icing flavors and eight different filling flavors. Perhaps the most unique option is the Bavarian cream flavor.
Ralph’s
Anyone who’s been to Southern California has probably been to a Ralph’s store. This local grocer is the largest subsidiary of Kroger foods and certainly does display a selection of freshly prepared cakes worth taking a peek at.
Freshly prepared cakes include the likes of:
- Triple Chocolate Tiger Cake
- Chocolate Layer Cake
- Lemons & Cream Cake
- Yellow Cake with Fudge Icing
- Strawberry Shortcake
From the list above, you will notice that the selection includes some of the grocery standards but does deviate slightly from the offerings in some of the East Coast bakeries. Regional grocers are a reliable place to find some of the flavors that may be favored locally, such as the lemon cream cake. Ralph’s does fulfill order requests for party cakes as well.
Signature Item
The most unique cake at Ralph’s has to be their Tres Leche Double Layer Cake Topped with Fruit. A Leche cake is a sponge cake that is widely popular in Latin America. Given Southern California’s Latin scene, it makes perfect sense that this would be a local favorite. Evaporated milk, sweet condensed milk, and whole milk are all poured onto the cake, punctuated with a whipped vanilla icing and fresh strawberries.
Hy-Vee
If you live in one of the 8 Midwestern states with a Hy-Vee, you are encouraged to take a peek at their cakes. The grocery chain does make a variety of cakes tailored for events like birthdays, as well as a handful of tasty treats for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Here’s what’s on the menu:
- Character and theme cakes
- Birthday cakes
- Floral cakes
- Cheesecakes
- Wedding cakes
Hy-Vee operates a convenient online order form with an abundance of customization options as far as which specific cake you want and what size you are looking for. The company does offer an efficient ordering process for catering weddings.
Signature Item
In terms of freshly baked options, the emphasis certainly seems to be on making festive cakes for catering events. Take a look at the wide selection of character cakes, perfect for a child’s birthday party.
Wholesalers: Costco, Sam’s Club & More
The wholesaler stores, such as Sam’s Club, Costco, and WinCo Foods, do sell a wide array of goodies, but are any of these fresh-made? In the case of Sam’s Club and WinCo Foods, the answer is yes. Unfortunately, the dessert options at Costco aren’t what they used to be.
Does Costco Still Sell Sheet Cakes?
Costco used to be famous for offering sheet cakes at ridiculously low prices, but that has been discontinued recently (at least temporarily). At the time, the company announced that they do not intend to bring the sheet cakes back, but one can always hope. In the meantime, you will still be able to find many other cakes still available at Costco.
Does Sam’s Club Bake Cakes? WinCo Foods?
Fortunately, Sam’s Club does offer an entire catalog full of freshly prepared cakes for events. There are at least 16 different icing colors available, two icing flavors, and two whipped icing flavors. WinCo Foods also accepts custom orders for sheet cakes and cupcakes.
Final Thoughts
The grocery stores best known for their cake selection include Kroger, Meijer, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Publix, and a variety of other mostly regionally based supermarkets listed above. In places like these, you will find an abundant mixture of both freshly prepared cakes and treats from the frozen food aisle all sure to be a phenomenal option for the next night your family has a persistent sweet tooth.
If you are looking for a specially themed cake for an event, there are few better places to go than Super Target, known for containing a ton of licensed character cakes. If you are ordering a large cake for an event, always be sure to provide at least 24 hours for the order to be fulfilled. The good news here is that most of these stores operate an online ordering form from their website.
