Finding the best cake shops in Sydney can be a daunting task. There are so many choices, each claiming to be the best. So how can you find the right one for you with so much variety? This blog post will help you narrow down your search and find the best cake shop for you.
We'll provide an overview of some of Sydney's most popular cake shops and some tips on what to look for when choosing a bakery. So whether you're looking for birthday cakes, wedding cakes or just a delicious treat, read on for information on Sydney's best cake shops!
Are you looking for the best cake shops in Sydney? Look no further! Here is a list of some of Sydney's most popular and highly rated cake shops. Whether you are looking for a specialty cake or just a classic chocolate or vanilla cake, these shops will have something to suit your needs. So what are you waiting for? Start browsing through this list and find the perfect cake shop for your next celebration!
Cake Shops in Sydney
While Australia probably isn't defined as much of a cake country, per se, we are a baked goods country through and through. Boutique bakeries thrive here as much as the craft distillers, specialty coffee roasters and breweries that have taken up residence in our cities, and as such, we're awash with incredible cake shops — some of which are now among the most famous in the world.
But whether you're after a Sunday morning sweet treat or something to celebrate a special occasion, where do you go for a slice of cake that you're sure will send your tastebuds to a sugary, pillowy heaven? So, where do you travel when you're in search of the crunch of a fresh baguette or the flakiness of a newly-baked croissant? Look no further than our GQ tastebud-approved guide to Sydney's beset cake shops and bakeries.
Characteristics Of A Good Cake Shop
Australians love desserts. Most of us treat ourselves with something sweet after a good day at work. It is also the staple food for every celebration - may it be for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, or corporate events. That’s why looking for the best cake shop in Sydney has always been a challenge.
Black Velvet Sydney, a cupcake store that's been around for years, has embraced the qualities of a good cake shop. Not only we're focused on making delicious cakes, but also in providing excellent customer service. Listed below are the characteristics that made us one of the most trusted Sydney bakeries:
- Cake available on every occasion
- Flavours Galore
- Friendly and reliable customer service staff
- Talented cake decorators
- Custom and personalised cakes baked to perfection
- Efficient delivery service staff
La Renaissance Patisserie and Cafe Sydney
Indulge your sweet tooth the European way with a sweet treat from La Renaissance Patisserie and Cafe. This French-inspired cake shop sits in the historic Rocks district, with a second location in Waterloo. Owned by Sally Charkos and Jean-Michel Raynaud, the cafe was the first restaurant in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere to be admitted to Relais Desserts, recognizing excellence in French desserts.
Head Chef Jean-Michel trained in France, worked in Michelin-star restaurants and high-end patisseries and won multiple awards across his career. So first, make sure you try the Monet cake with layers of vanilla sponge and white chocolate bavaroise, raspberries, and lychee jelly. They also offer flaky croissants, decadent Mille Feuilles, and fresh fruit tarts. Then, enjoy your cake out in the idyllic Parisian-style courtyard at The Rocks.
Bourke St Bakery Sydney
Bourke St Bakery is a Sydney icon, run by chefs turned bakers Paul Allam and David McGuinness. With a dozen locations, it’s easy to get a delicious carby fix. The menu at this neighbourhood bakery includes tasty cakes like Flourless Belgian Chocolate, Flourless Lemon, and Carrot & Walnut.
Other sweet items include croissants of many varieties and tarts like a Ginger Brule or Raspberry Meringue. If you decide that cake doesn’t constitute a whole meal, there are savory options like sandwiches and pies, plus a range of fabulous artisan bread. The staff makes everything by hand with love. You can also learn how to bake bread like a professional with a Sourdough Master Class, creating your own warm, crusty loaves at home.
Black Star Pastry Sydney
It’s all about the ‘gram at Black Star Pastry. Established in 2008 in Sydney, this cake shop rose to stardom thanks to its incredibly Instagrammable fare. This includes the Strawberry Watermelon Cake, which the New York Times declared “the world’s most Instagrammed cake.” It boasts dacquoise, rose-scented cream and watermelon, and it is topped with strawberries, pistachios, and dried rose petals.
Other original and inspiring creations include Dragon Cake, Vegan Chocolate Popcorn Cake, and Pistachio Lemon Zen Cake. There’s even an elaborate Japanese Forest Cake, with layers of hojicha sponge, Choya confit ume fruits in umeshu infused cream, and garnished with matcha moss. Plus, the cake shop has collaborated with other brands like the National Gallery of Victoria and Koko Black. So enjoy a slice in-store, or order one for a special event such as a wedding or birthday.
Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake Sydney
Get jiggly wit’ it with a Japanese Cheesecake from Uncle Tetsu. These delicious cakes are like nothing else on earth. They’re light, fluffy, and jiggle like a bowl of jelly. The recipe uses Australian cream cheese mixed with butter, eggs, sugar, milk, and flour. Then, the finished product is branded with Uncle Tetsu’s smiling cartoon face.
Other menu items include buttery Madeleines and velvety smooth Cheesetarts. Before finding global success, the company began on Oyafuko Street in Fukuoka, Japan. In addition to the Sydney location, you can find them in Melbourne, plus internationally in New Zealand, Canada, the USA, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, the UAE, and Indonesia.
Flour & Stone Sydney
Nadine Ingram is the woman behind Flour & Stone. Her baking journey took her from her kitchen in the Hunter Valley to Michelin-star restaurants in London, honing her skills in the kitchens of Le Gavroche, Le Caprice, and The Ivy. Now, she’s set up shop in Wooloomooloo, offering a delicious selection of dreamy cakes, sweet tarts, and French pastries, plus savory options like pies and sausage rolls.
Make sure you try the Pannacotta Lamingtons, Pear Tarte Tatin, and Pistachio, Raspberry & Rose Cake. If you fancy learning how to bake like a master pastry chef, Nadine released a book, Flour and Stone, Baked for Love Life, and Happiness. In it, she shares her signature recipes with clear instructions and stunning photography. Grab a copy next time you pop in, or you can order it online.
Drawing from the European tradition, this Sydney cake shop is towards the top for serving up the best cakes in Sydney. Their Instagram feed is basically sugar porn, and the taste of their decadent desserts follows suit. Order for takeaway or eat a small bite in the café, and don’t forget to chase each bite with a sip of hot coffee or tea. Now you’re doing it like a European!
Penny Fours Sydney
As the former pastry chef at Tetsuya’s and Sepia, Penelope Ransley definitely knows how to bake some of the best cakes in Sydney. That’s in addition to her mouthwatering tarts, danishes, sticky buns, meringues, and whatever else she might be heating up. Oh, and did we mention she’s also a master breadmaker? Suffice it to say, this eccentric little shop is definitely worth the trip to Leichhardt.
Lorraine’s Patisserie
Lorraine Godsmark is something of a pastry legend in these parts, and with good reason. While her iconic date tart still graces the menu at Rockpool, why not go straight to the source? Before you do, you’ll need to call in and special order it in advance, but trust us when we say your extra effort will go a long way. Should you forget to make that call, fret not, as her heavenly (and readily available) cheesecake might be one of the best cakes in Sydney. Ever.
Andy Bowdy Pastry/Saga
After discovering his passion for pastry, Andrew Bowden took on the alter-ego Andy Bowdy, and the rest is flavour-fueled history. His eye-popping and lip-smacking desserts were all the rage at Hartsyard, and that trend duly continues at Saga, where he oversees the kitchen. Bowdy’s bespoke Sydney cakes—which must be ordered about a week in advance—are so freaking gorgeous that you might sooner encase them behind glass than take a bite. But, on the other hand, you’ll definitely want to take that bite!
Andrew Bowden's singular passion for pastry, which eventually saw him take charge of the pastry menu at Newtown eatery Hartsyard, has cemented him as one of Sydney's foremost cake-makers. His opulent wedding cakes and multi-tiered creations are worthy of even the most picturesque weddings and have even launched him into a guest spot on Masterchef Australia. He now sells his cakes by the slice out of his Enmore cafe Saga and Darling Square kiosk Saga Lyte.
Saga Cake Shop Sydney
As soon as you see the pastry cabinet, you’ll know Saga is Andy Bowdy’s place. It’s the odd mix of innovation, prettiness and reverence for old-school American comfort food the chef has become known for since leaving Hartsyard in mid-2015.
Where else would you find Paris-Brests almost overflowing with a pecan-pie filling and caramel cream; intensely boozy banana cream pies; and a pineapple and coconut tart of palm sugar-glazed pineapple, salted coconut cream and coconut praline?
Beyond the pastry cabinet, which also houses Bowdy’s signature decadent, meringue-capped cake towers (mini versions), there are surprising savoury options such as Italian deli sandwiches and a medley of corn with egg, spelt and parmesan.
The fit-out doesn’t really lend itself to pastry shop or bakery archetypes. Being so timber-heavy, clean-cut and hosting just a handful of benches, it looks more like a noodle bar or a minimalist fashion shop.
If you’re lucky enough to get a seat at the small bar adjacent to the open kitchen, you’ll be able to order an Artificer coffee and watch the chefs at work.
Textbook Boulangerie Patisserie
The apple crumble is the firm favourite at Textbook Boulangerie Patisserie. Its picture-perfect dome and the glossy-green colour is a clever blend of poached cinnamon apple and apple custard mousse on a base of Speculoos (spiced biscuit) crumble.
It is exemplary of Textbook’s approach to the art of patisserie. Pastry chef John Ralley is committed to recreating classics but with a distinctive modern twist. His Jaffa cake is a sophisticated take on the classic dessert of biscuit with milk-chocolate mousse and sponge spiked with mandarin. A raspberry compote enlivens his lemon meringue. The viennoiserie selection of croissants and pain au chocolat is more traditional.
Bread is an equally important part of the business, with baker Steve Anderson creating baguettes à la française with a crackled crust and light-as-a-cloud centre. All-important sourdough is also available.
The pair trained together in the Southern Highlands before going their separate ways. But after a number of years of working on various other projects, they both yearned to set up on their own and decided their complementary skills could be put to good use on this new project.
The space seats 20 inside, with a handful of tables outside, and there are plans to expand its outdoor seating into the neighbouring courtyard.
Koi Dessert Bar Chippendale Sydney
A few dessert bars and cake shops have opened in Sydney, but none have burst onto the scene with the same confidence and pomp as the Poernomo brothers’ (Arnold, Reynold and Ronald) Koi Dessert Bar.
The space is split over two floors, with two distinct identities. Downstairs is casual. Upstairs more fine dining, but still relaxed.
The upstairs bar, with sparse tables and a glossy black bar, is a showroom in feel and function. Order the brothers’ creations in the form of a six-course degustation split between three savoury courses from Indonesian Masterchef judge Arnold Poernomo and three desserts by Reynold, an Australian Masterchef contestant. The selection will change seasonally, but one thing likely to stay is a rehash of Reynold’s perfect-score dessert with coconut pannacotta, black-sesame sponge, yuzu curd and crumbled meringue.
The Indonesian-inspired savoury dishes are small and delicate, more like dessert primers than mains. A dish with a card-sized piece of mackerel over a salsa-sambal blend sits alongside a petite, riceless curry with a fillet of poached chicken and a granola garnish. Ronald will curate a list of matching cocktails.
Downstairs is an open-air courtyard serving coffee and neater, more basic iterations of Reynold’s desserts. His famous Nomtella has been condensed with espresso mousse, salted caramel, and a brownie base packed into a dome.
Brickfields Sydney
Brickfields is more than just a cake shop; it’s a full bakery offering artisan bread, flaky pastries, and other sweet treats. Discover the full range at either the Chippendale or Marrickville locations.
The Persian Love Cake is a popular choice, while the Chocolate Kaya Cake is sure to satisfy any cocoa craving. Other options include a White Chocolate & Raspberry Cake, Lemon Chiffon with torched meringue, and Spelt, Zucchini & Walnut Cake which is excellent for some sneaky vegetables. If you can’t make it into either store, they appear at several weekend markets around the city. Plus, they also supply several cafes around town, so you may have already tried their delicious fare!
Sydney Cakery
Jillian Butler started her Cakery in 2013 under the name Jillian’s Cakery, leaving the corporate world behind to follow her dreams. In 2020, she refocused her attention and decided to move away from the business, passing it on to her trusted employee, Caryn Greyling, and her mother, Nadene.
They decided to rename the company to Sydney Cakery while keeping the dream alive of selling great-tasting vintage cakes and treats. As such, you’ll still be able to get your hands on delicious creations such as Sticky Date Cake, Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake, Key Lime Pie, and Hummingbird Cake. Everything is made with the highest quality ingredients and a heaping of love. Coffee is also revered here while the cake is king, so grab a warm cup to accompany your slice. If you have a special occasion coming up, you can also order custom cakes to celebrate.
Mrs Jones the Baker Sydney
Lucy and Barry Jones are the wife/husband team behind Mrs Jones the Baker. Both have illustrious careers, working in varying capacities as elite Pastry Chefs across multiple five-star venues in the UK, France, and Australia. In 2015 they opened their own bakery and patisserie, pouring their hearts and souls into the food.
You can expect to find a mouth-watering collection of artisan bread, beautiful pastry, and indulgent cakes. Opt for a pain au chocolate, raspberry brioche, or almond croissant. However, if you’re after a more traditional cake, then the Victoria sponge, DD flourless chocolate cake, or carrot and ginger cake are all excellent selections.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cake Shop
A cakery or cake shop is a retail business specializing in producing and/or selling cakes; they may also sell cupcakes, muffins, sponges, as well as other baked goods that fall under the title of a cake.
A bakery can be established as a retail business from a storefront location selling baked goods to consumers, or a bakery can be established as a wholesale business selling baked goods to food retailers and institutions.
- Take advantage of industry trends. You don't need us to tell you that cakes are incredibly popular, so there is considerable competition among businesses operating in the baked goods sector
- Work from home or the high street
- Create a good work-life balance
- Baking cakes can be fun
One of the most rewarding ways to make money is baking because it helps you connect with people by sharing the creative (and delicious) things you create. You get to custom design and make cakes, cookies, pastries, and other baked goods and get paid.
Demographic. Demographic segmentation criteria include age, gender, family status and income. Younger customers may order pastries from a bakery, while families may drop by for breads and rolls. Orders for tiered cakes for birthdays and other special events may come from high-income households.