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A slice of chocolate plate with a glass bottle of drink. Marc Fiorito

17 Decadent Cakes in San Francisco

Let them eat cake, from old-fashioned faves to elaborate layers

by Dianne de Guzman, Becky Duffett, and Ellen Fort Updated
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by Dianne de Guzman, Becky Duffett, and Ellen Fort Updated
Marc Fiorito

San Francisco has strong bakeries slinging sourdough and folding croissants, but it isn’t a party without cake. Whether you’re putting in an order for a special occasion or just vicariously ordering dessert on a Tuesday night, the city’s best cakes come from both bakeries and restaurants, crafted by acclaimed pastry chefs and cute neighborhood shops alike. From elaborately layered opera and princess cakes to Italian custard, Mission-style tres leches, and decadent chocolate, there’s a cake to suit every sweet tooth. Plus, birthday party emergency resources, if you just need a set of cupcakes with American buttercream, like grandma always made them.

Here are the sweetest cakes in San Francisco, ordered geographically.

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Maybeck's

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Chef Lori Baker is well-known around town for her cakes, and her Brooklyn Blackout Cake has landed with sugary aplomb at Maybeck’s. The decadent multi-layered cake features chocolate pudding layers and vanilla malted milk in the batter, making it a perfect, sweet way to end the meal.

3213 Scott St, San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 400-8500
(415) 400-8500
A slice of chocolate plate with a glass bottle of drink. Marc Fiorito

Also featured in:

Stella Pastry & Cafe

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Stella’s is an old standby in North Beach, serving Italian-American pastries like cannoli, tiramisu, and danishes to the neighborhood since 1942. The sacripantina cake has been on the menu for more than 40 years, and the owners say it’s perfect for weddings, baptisms, and communions. It’s vanilla sponge and zabaione shaped into a dome, and the rum sings through. 

446 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 986-2914
(415) 986-2914
Sacripantina cake at Stella Pastry Stella Pastry & Cafe

Also featured in:

b. patisserie

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Award-winning pastry chef Belinda Leong has a fine dining pedigree, and her elegant tea salon serves an array of carefully constructed pastries. The seasonal cake slices feature many layers, stacking chocolate, almond, and caramel, or matcha and tiramisu, for example.

2821 California St, San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 440-1700
(415) 440-1700

Also featured in:

Yasukochi's Sweet Stop

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Only in Japantown can you find a bakery tucked inside a grocery store serving one of the best cakes in the city. Tom Yasukochi has been serving this coffee crunch cake since 1974. It isn’t Japanese at all but inspired by a cake from a local soda shop. It’s a sad story, but with a sweet ending: During WWII, the Yasukochis were sent away to a Japanese internment camp, but returned after. Tom graduated from Lowell High School in 1955 and eventually mastered his favorite childhood treat.

1790 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 931-8165
(415) 931-8165
Coffee crunch cake at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop

ONE65 San Francisco

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One65 is an ambitious, multi-leveled emporium all dedicated to French food. The patisserie is on the first floor, and colorful macarons, cakes, and croissants are offered. Chef Clément Goyffon hails from L’Ambroisie in Paris, and he makes a standout imperial cake with a praline base and a dark chocolate caramel mousse.

165 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 814-8888
(415) 814-8888
Imperial cake at ONE65 San Francisco ONE65 San Francisco

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Bluestem Restaurant & Market

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You know a cake is a hit when the customers will revolt if it’s ever taken off the menu. Such is the case at Bluestem, with its ever-popular Honolulu Hangover Cake, which has clung to the menu since the restaurant’s opening. It’s a dark chocolate cake soaked in rum, with coconut filling and a marshmallow meringue with toasted coconut on top.

1 Yerba Buena Ln, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 547-1111
(415) 547-1111
Kelly Puleio

Also featured in:

Schubert's Bakery

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Schubert’s has inhabited the Richmond District for over a century, serving old-world European cakes for at least half that long. The stunner is the princess cake, and it’s San Francisco royalty. Fluffy white layers alternate with custard, jam, and whipped cream, all regally draped in marzipan.

521 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 752-1580
(415) 752-1580
Princess cake at Schubert’s Caleb Pershan

Also featured in:

Miette Patisserie

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With sweet shops both in Hayes Valley and in the Ferry Building, Miette is there for when your sweet tooth strikes. Miette makes some of the prettiest cakes in town, perfectly smooth, in pastel colors, with a single rose or cherry nestled on top. The tomboys are the top sellers, with dark chocolate layers, and luscious Italian buttercream.

449 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 626-6221
(415) 626-6221

Also featured in:

Hahdough

Copy Link

This dedicated German bakery in San Francisco puts out a handsome array of traditional cakes. Chef and owner Ha Do is originally from Vietnam, and grew up in Germany, and missed the konditorei tradition of a coffee and not-too-sweet slice of cake in the afternoon. She stacks up Black Forest cake with chocolate and cherries, Herrentorte “gentleman’s cake” with marzipan and brandy, and Bienenstich “bee sting cake” with a thick layer of cream and a crunch of honeyed almonds.

1221 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 590-2051
(415) 590-2051
Various slices of cakes topped with icing and fruit. Patricia Chang

Also featured in:

Stonemill Matcha

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Stonemill Matcha pours many varieties of green tea, so it only makes sense to accompany them with an array of Japanese treats. Mikiko Yui’s soufflé cheesecake is light, airy, and never too sweet.

561 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 796-3876
(415) 796-3876

Also featured in:

Le Dix-Sept Pâtisserie

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Le Dix-Sept opened its first storefront in the Mission with a beautiful array of botanically inspired pastries. In addition to technical French treats like canelés and nougat, pastry chef Michelle Hernandez is a buttercream artist, crafting cakes in lavender and rose hues, with leaves and petals climbing up the sides. Whole cakes are still available for custom orders, and the petite cakes might be just the right size for smaller servings.

3376 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Cake from Le Dix-Sept Patisserie Le Dix-Sept Patisserie

Also featured in:

Tartine Bakery

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The award-winning local bakery is known for its sourdough and croissants, but the cakes are also pastry perfection. The chocolate soufflé, filled with several layers of mousse, is a true indulgence and longtime fan favorite — plus it’s wheat free for those who live a gluten-less life.

600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 487-2600
(415) 487-2600
Chocolate soufflé cake at Tartine Gentl + Hyers

Also featured in:

Butter&

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The San Francisco cake shop Butter& earned its popularity with pithy sayings inscribed upon cakes, but it’s the flavors that kept customers coming back. Gorgeous stacks of light brown sugar cake are stacked with your choice of flavors like brown butter and Meyer lemon or sweet cream and berries. Options also include fully frosted cakes with designs like marble, ombre, and dinos. Delivery or pickup in the Dogpatch are both available.

615 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107
Text: 415-805-1371
Text: 415-805-1371
Quarantine cake from Butter& Patricia Chang

Noe Valley Bakery

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Noe Valley’s resident bakery has been serving the small children of 24th Street for more than 20 years, doing a steady business in mini cupcakes. The custom cakes are from scratch and reasonably priced, and the red velvet has a tender buttermilk crumb and tangy cream cheese frosting.

4073 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 550-1405
(415) 550-1405
Red velvet cake at Noe Valley Bakery Noe Valley Bakery

Also featured in:

Dianda's Italian American Pastry

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Dianda’s is an Italian-American bakery in the heart of the Mission dating back to 1962. It’s a local institution, plus a unionized bakery, and an ideal place to get a sheet cake for a party. While it started out with purely Italian baked goods, after owners added tres leches to the menu, it became their bestseller. Of all the flavors, mango and strawberry are the most popular.

2883 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 647-5469
(415) 647-5469
Chef’s holding sheet cake at Dianda’s Dianda’s Italian American Pastry

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Black Jet Baking Co.

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Bernal Heights got lucky when Gillian Shaw set up shop in the neighborhood, filling her pastry case with old-fashioned treats. The double chocolate cake has dark devil’s food layers, a rich cream cheese frosting, naked sides, and liberal sprinkles.

833 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 829-3905
(415) 829-3905
Cakes at Black Jet Baking Co. Black Jet Baking Co.

Also featured in:

Zibatreats Cakes

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Those with dietary restrictions have a tough run at baked goods, given that many cakes incorporate ingredients that need to be avoided. It’s nice to know, however, that Zibatreats Cakes has you covered. Not only is baker Hosna Tavakoli making less-sweet cakes that taste more like the Iranian cakes she loves, but she’s also crafting vegan, keto, and gluten-free versions so more can enjoy them. They’re custom cakes, so some planning ahead is in order, but well worth it for those who can’t go elsewhere.

103 Horne Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
(650) 539-9540
(650) 539-9540

Also featured in:

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Maybeck's

3213 Scott St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Chef Lori Baker is well-known around town for her cakes, and her Brooklyn Blackout Cake has landed with sugary aplomb at Maybeck’s. The decadent multi-layered cake features chocolate pudding layers and vanilla malted milk in the batter, making it a perfect, sweet way to end the meal.

3213 Scott St, San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 400-8500
(415) 400-8500
A slice of chocolate plate with a glass bottle of drink. Marc Fiorito

Stella Pastry & Cafe

446 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Stella’s is an old standby in North Beach, serving Italian-American pastries like cannoli, tiramisu, and danishes to the neighborhood since 1942. The sacripantina cake has been on the menu for more than 40 years, and the owners say it’s perfect for weddings, baptisms, and communions. It’s vanilla sponge and zabaione shaped into a dome, and the rum sings through. 

446 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 986-2914
(415) 986-2914
Sacripantina cake at Stella Pastry Stella Pastry & Cafe

b. patisserie

2821 California St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Award-winning pastry chef Belinda Leong has a fine dining pedigree, and her elegant tea salon serves an array of carefully constructed pastries. The seasonal cake slices feature many layers, stacking chocolate, almond, and caramel, or matcha and tiramisu, for example.

2821 California St, San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 440-1700
(415) 440-1700

Yasukochi's Sweet Stop

1790 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Only in Japantown can you find a bakery tucked inside a grocery store serving one of the best cakes in the city. Tom Yasukochi has been serving this coffee crunch cake since 1974. It isn’t Japanese at all but inspired by a cake from a local soda shop. It’s a sad story, but with a sweet ending: During WWII, the Yasukochis were sent away to a Japanese internment camp, but returned after. Tom graduated from Lowell High School in 1955 and eventually mastered his favorite childhood treat.

1790 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 931-8165
(415) 931-8165
Coffee crunch cake at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop

ONE65 San Francisco

165 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

One65 is an ambitious, multi-leveled emporium all dedicated to French food. The patisserie is on the first floor, and colorful macarons, cakes, and croissants are offered. Chef Clément Goyffon hails from L’Ambroisie in Paris, and he makes a standout imperial cake with a praline base and a dark chocolate caramel mousse.

165 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 814-8888
(415) 814-8888
Imperial cake at ONE65 San Francisco ONE65 San Francisco

Bluestem Restaurant & Market

1 Yerba Buena Ln, San Francisco, CA 94103

You know a cake is a hit when the customers will revolt if it’s ever taken off the menu. Such is the case at Bluestem, with its ever-popular Honolulu Hangover Cake, which has clung to the menu since the restaurant’s opening. It’s a dark chocolate cake soaked in rum, with coconut filling and a marshmallow meringue with toasted coconut on top.

1 Yerba Buena Ln, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 547-1111
(415) 547-1111
Kelly Puleio

Schubert's Bakery

521 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Schubert’s has inhabited the Richmond District for over a century, serving old-world European cakes for at least half that long. The stunner is the princess cake, and it’s San Francisco royalty. Fluffy white layers alternate with custard, jam, and whipped cream, all regally draped in marzipan.

521 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 752-1580
(415) 752-1580
Princess cake at Schubert’s Caleb Pershan

Miette Patisserie

449 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102

With sweet shops both in Hayes Valley and in the Ferry Building, Miette is there for when your sweet tooth strikes. Miette makes some of the prettiest cakes in town, perfectly smooth, in pastel colors, with a single rose or cherry nestled on top. The tomboys are the top sellers, with dark chocolate layers, and luscious Italian buttercream.

449 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 626-6221
(415) 626-6221

Hahdough

1221 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94117

This dedicated German bakery in San Francisco puts out a handsome array of traditional cakes. Chef and owner Ha Do is originally from Vietnam, and grew up in Germany, and missed the konditorei tradition of a coffee and not-too-sweet slice of cake in the afternoon. She stacks up Black Forest cake with chocolate and cherries, Herrentorte “gentleman’s cake” with marzipan and brandy, and Bienenstich “bee sting cake” with a thick layer of cream and a crunch of honeyed almonds.

1221 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 590-2051
(415) 590-2051
Various slices of cakes topped with icing and fruit. Patricia Chang

Stonemill Matcha

561 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Stonemill Matcha pours many varieties of green tea, so it only makes sense to accompany them with an array of Japanese treats. Mikiko Yui’s soufflé cheesecake is light, airy, and never too sweet.

561 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 796-3876
(415) 796-3876

Le Dix-Sept Pâtisserie

3376 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Le Dix-Sept opened its first storefront in the Mission with a beautiful array of botanically inspired pastries. In addition to technical French treats like canelés and nougat, pastry chef Michelle Hernandez is a buttercream artist, crafting cakes in lavender and rose hues, with leaves and petals climbing up the sides. Whole cakes are still available for custom orders, and the petite cakes might be just the right size for smaller servings.

3376 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Cake from Le Dix-Sept Patisserie Le Dix-Sept Patisserie

Tartine Bakery

600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110

The award-winning local bakery is known for its sourdough and croissants, but the cakes are also pastry perfection. The chocolate soufflé, filled with several layers of mousse, is a true indulgence and longtime fan favorite — plus it’s wheat free for those who live a gluten-less life.

600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 487-2600
(415) 487-2600
Chocolate soufflé cake at Tartine Gentl + Hyers

Butter&

615 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107

The San Francisco cake shop Butter& earned its popularity with pithy sayings inscribed upon cakes, but it’s the flavors that kept customers coming back. Gorgeous stacks of light brown sugar cake are stacked with your choice of flavors like brown butter and Meyer lemon or sweet cream and berries. Options also include fully frosted cakes with designs like marble, ombre, and dinos. Delivery or pickup in the Dogpatch are both available.

615 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107
Text: 415-805-1371
Text: 415-805-1371
Quarantine cake from Butter& Patricia Chang

Noe Valley Bakery

4073 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Noe Valley’s resident bakery has been serving the small children of 24th Street for more than 20 years, doing a steady business in mini cupcakes. The custom cakes are from scratch and reasonably priced, and the red velvet has a tender buttermilk crumb and tangy cream cheese frosting.

4073 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 550-1405
(415) 550-1405
Red velvet cake at Noe Valley Bakery Noe Valley Bakery

Dianda's Italian American Pastry

2883 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Dianda’s is an Italian-American bakery in the heart of the Mission dating back to 1962. It’s a local institution, plus a unionized bakery, and an ideal place to get a sheet cake for a party. While it started out with purely Italian baked goods, after owners added tres leches to the menu, it became their bestseller. Of all the flavors, mango and strawberry are the most popular.

2883 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 647-5469
(415) 647-5469
Chef’s holding sheet cake at Dianda’s Dianda’s Italian American Pastry

Related Maps

Black Jet Baking Co.

833 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

Bernal Heights got lucky when Gillian Shaw set up shop in the neighborhood, filling her pastry case with old-fashioned treats. The double chocolate cake has dark devil’s food layers, a rich cream cheese frosting, naked sides, and liberal sprinkles.

833 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 829-3905
(415) 829-3905
Cakes at Black Jet Baking Co. Black Jet Baking Co.

Zibatreats Cakes

103 Horne Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124

Those with dietary restrictions have a tough run at baked goods, given that many cakes incorporate ingredients that need to be avoided. It’s nice to know, however, that Zibatreats Cakes has you covered. Not only is baker Hosna Tavakoli making less-sweet cakes that taste more like the Iranian cakes she loves, but she’s also crafting vegan, keto, and gluten-free versions so more can enjoy them. They’re custom cakes, so some planning ahead is in order, but well worth it for those who can’t go elsewhere.

103 Horne Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
(650) 539-9540
(650) 539-9540

Related Maps