clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
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

View as Map

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.

Read More
If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Maybeck's

Copy Link

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.

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

Stella Pastry & Cafe

Copy Link

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. 

Sacripantina cake at Stella Pastry Stella Pastry & Cafe

b. patisserie

Copy Link

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.

Yasukochi's Sweet Stop

Copy Link

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.

Coffee crunch cake at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop

ONE65 San Francisco

Copy Link

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.

Imperial cake at ONE65 San Francisco ONE65 San Francisco

Bluestem Restaurant & Market

Copy Link

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.

Kelly Puleio

Schubert's Bakery

Copy Link

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.

Princess cake at Schubert’s Caleb Pershan

Miette Patisserie

Copy Link

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.

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.

Various slices of cakes topped with icing and fruit. Patricia Chang

Stonemill Matcha

Copy Link

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.

Le Dix-Sept Pâtisserie

Copy Link

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.

Cake from Le Dix-Sept Patisserie Le Dix-Sept Patisserie

Tartine Bakery

Copy Link

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.

Chocolate soufflé cake at Tartine Gentl + Hyers

Butter&

Copy Link

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.

Noe Valley Bakery

Copy Link

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.

Red velvet cake at Noe Valley Bakery Noe Valley Bakery

Dianda's Italian American Pastry

Copy Link

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.

Chef’s holding sheet cake at Dianda’s Dianda’s Italian American Pastry

Black Jet Baking Co.

Copy Link

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.

Cakes at Black Jet Baking Co. Black Jet Baking Co.

Zibatreats Cakes

Copy Link

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.

Maybeck's

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.

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

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. 

Sacripantina cake at Stella Pastry Stella Pastry & Cafe

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.

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 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.

Coffee crunch cake at Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop 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 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.

Imperial cake at ONE65 San Francisco ONE65 San Francisco

Bluestem Restaurant & Market

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.

Kelly Puleio

Schubert's Bakery

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.

Princess cake at Schubert’s Caleb Pershan

Miette Patisserie

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.

Hahdough

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.

Various slices of cakes topped with icing and fruit. Patricia Chang

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.

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.

Cake from Le Dix-Sept Patisserie Le Dix-Sept Patisserie

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 — plus it’s wheat free for those who live a gluten-less life.

Chocolate soufflé cake at Tartine Gentl + Hyers

Butter&

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.

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.

Red velvet cake at Noe Valley Bakery Noe Valley Bakery

Dianda's Italian American Pastry

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.

Chef’s holding sheet cake at Dianda’s Dianda’s Italian American Pastry

Related Maps

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.

Cakes at Black Jet Baking Co. Black Jet Baking Co.

Zibatreats Cakes

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.

Related Maps