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Cakes from Black Jet Baking Co.

16 Iconic Cakes in San Francisco

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

by Becky Duffett and Ellen Fort Updated May 7, 2021, 12:28pm PDT

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by Becky Duffett and Ellen Fort Updated May 7, 2021, 12:28pm PDT

Black Jet Baking Co.

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 to Japanese cheesecake, there’s something 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.

From old-fashioned faves to elaborate layers, here are the sweetest cakes in San Francisco, ordered geographically.

As of publication time, some of these restaurants offer seated indoor and outdoor dining. However, their inclusion should not be taken as endorsement for sit-down dining, as there are still safety concerns. Studies indicate that COVID-19 infection rates are lower for outside activities than dining indoors, but the level of risk involved with even outdoor dining is contingent on restaurants and their patrons following strict social distancing, face covering, and other safety guidelines.

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Note: Restaurants on this map are listed geographically.

Stella Pastry & Cafe

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.

Open in Google Maps

446 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Visit Website

Sacripantina cake at Stella Pastry

Also featured in:

15 Festive Cookies in San Francisco

b. patisserie

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

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by B. Patisserie (@bpatisserie) on Jul 25, 2020 at 11:52am PDT

Also featured in:

Yasukochi's Sweet Stop

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 the 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 the war. Tom graduated from Lowell High School in 1955 and eventually mastered his favorite childhood treat.

Open in Google Maps

1790 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Visit Website

Coffee crunch cake at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop

ONE65 San Francisco

One65 is an ambitious, multi-leveled emporium all dedicated to French food. The patisserie is on the first floor, and there are many colorful macarons, cannelés, and cream puffs. Chef Yannick Dumonceau came from Quince, and he’s making a striking Imperial cake, shaped into a ring, with a crispy praline base, filled with chocolate mousse.

Open in Google Maps

165 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Imperial cake at ONE65 San Francisco

Also featured in:

12 Elegant French Destinations in San Francisco

Schubert's Bakery

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

Open in Google Maps

521 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Visit Website

Princess cake at Schubert’s

Also featured in:

18 Essential Bakeries in San Francisco

Miette Patisserie

Miette has reopened its sweet shops both in Hayes Valley and in the Ferry Building, although items may be limited, so it might be worth placing a preorder. 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.

Open in Google Maps

449 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Tomboy cake at Miette

Also featured in:

15 Festive Cookies in San Francisco

20th Century Cafe

Note: The cafe will be “winding” down over the next couple months before it closes permanently. The honey cake may make appearances at pop-ups in the future, so stay tuned.

Michelle Polzine of 20th Century Cafe was inspired by the grand cafe tradition in Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. The ladies behind the counter wear full skirts, and coffee and cake arrive on vintage china. Malty and sweet, stacked 10 to 12 layers high, the honey cake has earned a certain reputation.

198 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Honey cake at 20th Century Cafe

Also featured in:

Hahdough

The only 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.

Open in Google Maps

1221 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Visit Website

Various slices of cakes topped with icing and fruit.

Also featured in:

Stonemill Matcha

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.

Open in Google Maps

561 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Soufflé cheesecake at Stonemill Matcha

Also featured in:

The Morris

One of the most hyped cake trends to come out of the pandemic is Basuku Cheesecake, serving a Japanese take on a Basque cheesecake, with a deeply burnished top and ultra creamy center. It’s a small operation and those cheesecakes sell out fast, but the deal is that they’re dropping off at Nightbird, Commis, Vino Enoteca, and the Morris on various days. It’s competitive. There’s an Instagram post with ordering instructions. Good luck, and may the cheesecake odds be in your favor.

Open in Google Maps

2501 Mariposa St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BASUKU (@basukucheesecakes) on May 29, 2020 at 7:04pm PDT

Also featured in:

Le Dix-Sept Pâtisserie

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.

Open in Google Maps

3376 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Cake from Le Dix-Sept Patisserie

Also featured in:

15 Festive Cookies in San Francisco

Tartine Bakery

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.

600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Chocolate soufflé cake at Tartine

Also featured in:

Butter&

Just vaccinated? There’s a cake for that, at SF cake shop Butter&, where pithy sayings inscribed upon cakes abound. Gorgeous stacks of light brown sugar cake are stacked with your choice of flavors like brown butter and Meyer lemon, and sweet cream and berries. Options also include fully frosted cakes with designs like marble, ombre colors, and dinos. Delivery or pickup in the Dogpatch are both available.

Open in Google Maps

615 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Text: 415-805-1371

Text: 415-805-1371

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Butter& (@butter_and)

Noe Valley Bakery

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.

Open in Google Maps

4073 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Visit Website

Red velvet cake at Noe Valley Bakery

Also featured in:

Dianda's Italian American Pastry

Dianda’s is an Italian-American bakery in the heart of the Mission dating back to 1962. It’s an SF institution, the city’s last remaining 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.

Open in Google Maps

2883 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Chef’s holding sheet cake at Dianda’s

Black Jet Baking Co.

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.

Open in Google Maps

833 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Cakes at Black Jet Baking Co.

Also featured in:

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Stella Pastry & Cafe

446 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Sacripantina cake at Stella Pastry

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.

Open in Google Maps

446 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Visit Website

Sacripantina cake at Stella Pastry

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

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by B. Patisserie (@bpatisserie) on Jul 25, 2020 at 11:52am PDT

Yasukochi's Sweet Stop

1790 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Coffee crunch cake at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop

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 the 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 the war. Tom graduated from Lowell High School in 1955 and eventually mastered his favorite childhood treat.

Open in Google Maps

1790 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Visit Website

Coffee crunch cake at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop

ONE65 San Francisco

165 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Imperial cake at ONE65 San Francisco

One65 is an ambitious, multi-leveled emporium all dedicated to French food. The patisserie is on the first floor, and there are many colorful macarons, cannelés, and cream puffs. Chef Yannick Dumonceau came from Quince, and he’s making a striking Imperial cake, shaped into a ring, with a crispy praline base, filled with chocolate mousse.

Open in Google Maps

165 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Imperial cake at ONE65 San Francisco

Schubert's Bakery

521 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Princess cake at Schubert’s

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

Open in Google Maps

521 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Visit Website

Princess cake at Schubert’s

Miette Patisserie

449 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Tomboy cake at Miette

Miette has reopened its sweet shops both in Hayes Valley and in the Ferry Building, although items may be limited, so it might be worth placing a preorder. 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.

Open in Google Maps

449 Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Tomboy cake at Miette

20th Century Cafe

198 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Honey cake at 20th Century Cafe

Note: The cafe will be “winding” down over the next couple months before it closes permanently. The honey cake may make appearances at pop-ups in the future, so stay tuned.

Michelle Polzine of 20th Century Cafe was inspired by the grand cafe tradition in Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. The ladies behind the counter wear full skirts, and coffee and cake arrive on vintage china. Malty and sweet, stacked 10 to 12 layers high, the honey cake has earned a certain reputation.

198 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit Website

Honey cake at 20th Century Cafe

Hahdough

1221 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Various slices of cakes topped with icing and fruit.

The only 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.

Open in Google Maps

1221 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Visit Website

Various slices of cakes topped with icing and fruit.

Stonemill Matcha

561 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Soufflé cheesecake at Stonemill Matcha

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.

Open in Google Maps

561 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Soufflé cheesecake at Stonemill Matcha

The Morris

2501 Mariposa St, San Francisco, CA 94110

One of the most hyped cake trends to come out of the pandemic is Basuku Cheesecake, serving a Japanese take on a Basque cheesecake, with a deeply burnished top and ultra creamy center. It’s a small operation and those cheesecakes sell out fast, but the deal is that they’re dropping off at Nightbird, Commis, Vino Enoteca, and the Morris on various days. It’s competitive. There’s an Instagram post with ordering instructions. Good luck, and may the cheesecake odds be in your favor.

Open in Google Maps

2501 Mariposa St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BASUKU (@basukucheesecakes) on May 29, 2020 at 7:04pm PDT

Le Dix-Sept Pâtisserie

3376 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Cake from Le Dix-Sept Patisserie

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.

Open in Google Maps

3376 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Cake from Le Dix-Sept Patisserie

Tartine Bakery

600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Chocolate soufflé cake at Tartine

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.

600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Chocolate soufflé cake at Tartine

Butter&

615 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Just vaccinated? There’s a cake for that, at SF cake shop Butter&, where pithy sayings inscribed upon cakes abound. Gorgeous stacks of light brown sugar cake are stacked with your choice of flavors like brown butter and Meyer lemon, and sweet cream and berries. Options also include fully frosted cakes with designs like marble, ombre colors, and dinos. Delivery or pickup in the Dogpatch are both available.

Open in Google Maps

615 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Text: 415-805-1371

Text: 415-805-1371

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Butter& (@butter_and)

Noe Valley Bakery

4073 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Red velvet cake at Noe Valley Bakery

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.

Open in Google Maps

4073 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Visit Website

Red velvet cake at Noe Valley Bakery

Dianda's Italian American Pastry

2883 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Chef’s holding sheet cake at Dianda’s

Dianda’s is an Italian-American bakery in the heart of the Mission dating back to 1962. It’s an SF institution, the city’s last remaining 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.

Open in Google Maps

2883 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Visit Website

Chef’s holding sheet cake at Dianda’s

Related Maps

Black Jet Baking Co.

833 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110