Bakery Cakes vs. Grocery Store Cakes: What’s the Difference?

While you’re picking up items on your grocery list from your local supermarket, have you ever found yourself browsing the bakery section and examining the decorated cakes on display? While these cakes might look appealing in the case, how do they really compare with a custom cake made at Frost Artisan Bakery?

Let’s dig into the differences between bakery cakes vs. grocery store cakes.

Bakery Cakes

Quality Ingredients: Bakeries like ours use high-quality ingredients in their cakes, everything from flour to flavoring. Custom cake bakers prioritize taste, and they may also accommodate special dietary requests with their products. You can taste the quality of the butter, cake flour, and natural flavors used with every bite of a bakery cake.

Freshness: Custom cakes or made-to-order cakes from bakeries are generally fresher than those that have been sitting in supermarket cases. Bakery cakes are baked and decorated as close to the time of purchase as possible, unlike grocery store cakes, which are generally made in advance and then kept in freezers or refrigerators until they’re ready to be sold.

Customization and Personalization: Custom cakes are highly personalized baked goods. Bakers who specialize in creating custom cakes take their time to understand what a customer wants in a truly personal, one-of-a-kind cake for an occasion. Whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary, or wedding, custom cakes can be decorated to suit the spirit of a celebration. Additionally, custom cakes can be created to account for an individual’s specific dietary needs.

Attention to Artisanship: When you ask for a custom cake from a bakery, you’re investing in the time and talent of the bakery team’s skill and expertise. Custom cake designers are passionate about their work, and they strive for the highest quality possible through their cake baking and decorating. From the texture of the buttercream frosting to the perfection of the piping work, custom cakes are crafted with a skill level that sets them apart from those at the supermarket.

Supporting Local: Choosing a locally owned bakery like Frost Artisan Bakery for your custom cake means supporting a local business in your community. Local bakeries depend on their customers to stay in business. By purchasing your custom cake from them, you keep their business doors open and the ovens on so that people like you can enjoy freshly baked treats.

Grocery Store Cakes

Shelf-Stable Ingredients: Grocery store cakes are generally mass-produced and require a longer shelf life. To maintain a long shelf life, grocery store cakes often contain artificial preservatives, lower-quality ingredients, and artificial flavors.

Availability and Convenience: Grocery store cakes are created as convenience items. Their ready availability for immediate purchase makes them ideal for picking up for last-minute occasions. Bakery cakes, however, require more time because they’re not a mass-produced product. To ensure the look you want to achieve is attained, custom cake bakers and decorators generally require advance orders.

Variety: Grocery store cakes are designed to appeal to a wide range of consumers’ tastes. As a result, they don’t contain as much personalization as you’d get from a bakery cake. They’re often designed in advance with generic shapes, styles, or basic decorations that may not fit your needs or desired occasion.

Premade or Frozen Components: Due to production demands, grocery store bakeries often rely on premade mixes and frozen ingredients to achieve the quantity required for mass distribution. As a result, the freshness factor that people want in a special-occasion cake won’t be at the same level as a bakery cake.

Create a Custom Cake with Frost Artisan Bakery

Now that you know more about bakery cakes vs. grocery store cakes, you can make a more informed purchasing decision. When you need a custom cake for an anniversary, birthday, wedding, or just-because, look no further than the cake and decorating specialists at Frost Artisan Bakery. Our artistry, quality ingredients, and personalized touch ensure that every cake we create will make your event extraordinarily sweet. Call or visit us today to discuss our custom cakes.