6 Best And 2 Worst Grocery Store Cakes, According To Shoppers

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It's extremely helpful to rely on store-bought cakes when you have a special occasion or a random dessert craving where it might not be reasonable to make one yourself. It's even better because you can upgrade the ones you buy to create unique flavors, presentations, and more, saving you time without giving up flavor. There are plenty of grocery stores where you can buy a delightful treat, but not every cake is a worthy purchase. There are certainly a lot of good and average cakes available, but we wanted to select the absolute best from the worst. 

We wanted to find the cakes you can consistently rely on versus the ones with so many problems it's safer to avoid with a 10-foot pole. To do so, we consulted reviews from the shoppers themselves. There had to be a clear consensus: Either there were countless glowing reviews praising various aspects of the cake, or there were a disproportionate number of negative reviews with serious issues. By the end of this article, you'll have a clear view of which store-bought cakes make a worthwhile purchase and the ones that are best left on the shelf.

Costco has many delicious cakes, and the one you'll hear about time and again is the Kirkland Signature Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse Cake. This decadent item goes beyond your basic chocolate cake, although it does have that layered in. It also has white chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse, and brownie chunks added to the mix. The blend creates a fantastic mixture with a soft, creamy mouthfeel and a slightly denser bite from the brownie chunks. There's also chocolate ganache and delicate chocolate decorations that make it look like something you might get at a fancy bakery, not from a big-box wholesaler like Costco. As one person put it, "I was mesmerized by the beautifully and assiduously crafted cake." 

It is beloved by many, including our very own Tasting Table writer, who deemed it the best cake that you can get at Costco. Others on Reddit warned against buying it for the sole reason that you'll devour it faster than you ever thought possible. "I usually just eat it in the car before I get to the gas pumps," said one commenter. "Don't cut it. That way you only have one piece," another person joked in a back-and-forth about how easy it is to gobble up. People say it's one of their favorite desserts, that they used it for their wedding cake, and that they still get it yearly to celebrate the occasion. Shoppers can always count on this Costco cake.

Walmart has loads of excellent bakery cakes in its warehouse, and the Freshness Guaranteed 5-Inch Chocolate Cake is certainly among them. "This is one of the best bakery chocolate cakes I have ever tasted," said one shopper. The item has thousands of high reviews complimenting anything from the incredibly rich texture to the creamy, chocolatey taste. One thing that stands out, though, is its size. The 5-incher is perfect for when you don't need an enormous baked good. Folks like that they can buy themselves a cake to nibble away slowly, but mention it could still feed up to four people. 

"I don't want to share this but [it's] too good not to," said another reviewer, who went on to say the small cake is simply perfect from the taste to size to price, and more. Customers love the almost dark chocolate flavor, which makes it more elevated than you might initially think from such an affordable Walmart selection. It's basically a fully loaded chocolate creation, from the cake to the icing. Even though it's "small," you still get nearly one pound of cake.

On the other side of the Walmart spectrum, one of the chain store's worst offerings is the Marketside Almond Vanilla Raspberry I Do Cake. The cake is meant to be an elegant baked good with almond vanilla cake, raspberry filling, buttercream, and pearl dragees to complete the look. It appears to be a somewhat new cake introduced around May 2026, but the reviews are not good. Aside from tasting nasty, according to one Facebook commenter, most people say the execution is terrible. 

Multiple folks in the Walmart reviews report that they almost broke a tooth on the (supposedly) edible decorative balls. People say the decorations are too big, difficult to eat, and generally unpleasant. One reviewer called them "flavorless jawbreakers," which isn't something we'd associate with a nostalgic wedding cake, as Walmart describes. Others complain that the raspberry filling was too sparsely applied and that the frosting tastes cheap. It seems the company has some kinks to work out with the new offering, as the feedback is pretty bad and shoppers are not pleased.

Trader Joe's has a selection of sheet cakes to buy, but the best one is the moist, flavorful carrot cake. It came in No. 1 in our ranking of TJ's sheet cakes and is consistently considered the best the grocery chain has to offer. It has a complex flavor reminiscent of toffee. One thing that stands out is that it doesn't have raisins, and dozens of customers applaud TJ's decision to keep them out of the cake. Although some are equally as happy that it doesn't have chopped walnuts or pecans, there is actually some walnut meal in the recipe.

Other reviewers say it's nearly as good as making a cake from scratch. It's the perfect size to bring to a celebration when a larger cake isn't a good fit. Some like that it isn't terribly sweet, which makes it more palatable and enjoyable — that (along with the general deliciousness) makes it easy to scarf down a third of the cake at a time. People love the creaminess of the frosting, while the cake itself is nicely spiced with cinnamon. This is a fantastic Trader Joe's option when a plain variety like vanilla or chocolate doesn't appeal to you. You'll be happy with the prominent carrot and cinnamon flavor.

We couldn't discuss Trader Joe's sheet cakes without at least mentioning the Chantilly Cream Vanilla Bean. The carrot cake might only appeal to a certain audience (although that audience clearly adores it), but vanilla is more approachable. If you plan to bring something to a party where you don't know people's taste buds, this is the ideal way to go. Some even say they'd use it as their wedding cake. It is a rich, moist cake with prominent vanilla notes; it's simple yet well-made, with an elegant appearance that you can always upgrade with fruit, caramel drizzle, and more. 

Shoppers constantly recommend this to each other when seeking grocery cakes. "Does anyone else think the Chantilly Cream Vanilla Bean cake is sent straight from heaven?" one Redditor asked. The thread resulted in over 1,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments. "Probably the best store-bought cake I've ever had. Possibly the best cake in general," they continued. So if you're looking for a scrumptious but small offering, this vanilla variety is anything but boring. The cake's vanilla bean helps it shine, setting it apart from other "vanilla" offerings where the ingredient falls by the wayside — or isn't even included at all.

While browsing Target's cakes, we noticed one that caught our eye because it was among the lowest-rated on the store's website. The Target Favorite Day Double Red Velvet Cake lures customers in with its appearance, which people say is the best part of the cake. The cake is supposed to be a gourmet offering, per the packaging, made with two layers, cream cheese frosting, and chocolate drizzle. On average, it's rated two out of five stars for quality, value, and taste by shoppers through the website's rating system. But individual reviews dive deeper into its many problems, the biggest of which seems to be its dryness. 

Many folks complain about the "bone dry cake." Others say it's relatively flavorless, horrible, and inedible. One reviewer bought it as a birthday cake based on the looks, but everyone was displeased. "I strongly recommend that Target consider removing this product from their shelves to spare others from this disappointment," they noted in their review. Other photo reviews show what appears to be an extremely crumbly cake, which customers attribute to the dryness. Favorite Day baked goods can range widely; some are worth buying, but almost just as many are better off skipped, and this red velvet is the latter.

Whole Foods' Berry Chantilly Cake is well-known and phenomenal, so we wanted to give you insights into another equally scrumptious cake that deserves more recognition. Save room in your cart for the Strawberry Shortcake on your next visit. It's available in various sizes, slightly different presentations, or even by the slice, but the sponge cake and strawberries are the stars here. People adore this fruity creation and say it's the best cake, which looks elegant with layers of cake, whipped cream, and fresh berries. Our Tasting Table writer named it a must-buy Whole Foods cake for its juicy fruit, light yet moist sponge, and approachable sweetness. It's the ideal option to buy when you don't want something heavy but don't want to sacrifice the flavor either. 

Other shoppers say they are obsessed with the cake or that the berries impart a slight tangy note that balances the sweetness. People applaud the flavor, presentation, fluffiness, value, and plethora of strawberries. "[Whole Foods] really took their time perfecting this one," said one reviewer on TikTok. They went on to say it's a "great, fruity cake." One person commented on the video, saying, "unpopular opinion but the strawberry shortcake is superior!!" and received dozens of likes in agreement. Try this instead of the berry Chantilly next time.

Some people debate whether tiramisu is a cake, saying it's a layered treat instead. We're not here to argue that logic, but Sam's Club definitively calls the Member's Mark Tiramisu Cake a cake. Regardless of semantics and definitions, shoppers devour this dessert. Sam's Club uses imported Savoiardi ladyfingers, an espresso mixture, and Italian mascarpone cream as the cake's foundation, which people say basically melts in the mouth. If you think there's no way Sam's Club could make good tiramisu, you'd be wrong. "Some of the best tiramisu I have had," one reviewer said on the website. Folks say they buy it for their birthday dessert each year and claim it's restaurant-quality or could even pass as coming from a fancy bakery. 

Customers praise the light, creamy texture and rich, but not too sweet taste. "I would eat this everyday if I could," said another happy customer. Some shoppers buy two at a time to keep on hand because it makes such an easy dessert. It's widely touted as scrumptious with a fantastic ratio of cocoa and coffee. "I always walked past it in Sam's Club thinking it would be nothing special..... but omg it is amazing, better than a lot of restaurants' tiramisu," said one Instagram commenter. Don't sleep on this decadent dessert.

We looked through Tasting Table rankings, customer reviews on the grocery store's website, and reviews on social media platforms where people discussed cakes. We identified a select group with a lot of glowing reviews talking about the flavor, presentation, texture, and other factors. Cakes to avoid were harder to locate because virtually any product will have negative comments; therefore, we sought out low-rated reviews directly from company websites. We started by searching for cakes and then sorting by the lowest rating on Sam's Club, Costco, Target, Walmart, and Albertsons/Vons; the two we found (on Walmart and Target) were among the ones with the most negative reviews and lowest rating, which helped explain why they are the worst; people not only critiqued all aspects of the cake, but also had some concerning issues with them.