10 Best Birthday Cakes in NYC
Birthday Funfetti Cake by Milk Bar in NYC.
Birthdays are undoubtedly one of the best times of the year. Whether it’s your own special day or that of family and friends, a little celebration does the soul and body good.
With a new age comes great responsibility and many choices. If you’re having a party, will it be small or large? How will you decorate? Will you hire a caterer or create a special meal from scratch? One thing is for sure: you need an incredible, delectable birthday cake.
New York City is brimming with top-notch bakers, but some are particularly skilled at the birthday celebration. We’ve compiled a list of the best places to get birthday cakes in the city, so you can be sure you and the special someone in your life gets a face full of fun on their special day.
From chocolate to ice cream, cheesecake frosting, tiers and themes, these are the best bakeries whipping up birthday cakes in NYC.
See also: The 10 Best Bakeries in NYC
NYC Birthday Cakes
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71-19 Eliot Ave., Queens / Website
NYC Birthday Cakes creates extremely impressive cakes that taste as good as their masterful architecture. Choose from a wide variety of birthday cake designs from sheet cakes to round cakes, tiered cakes and sculpted cakes. Willing to take on any birthday cake design, no matter how challenging, NYC Birthday Cakes prides itself on making “edible art.” Whether you want a Louis Vuitton purse cake for you best friend or an iPhone cake for your brother, there’s nothing NYC Birthday Cakes can’t do.
Soma Cakes NYC
380 E 10th St., Manhattan / Website
Soma Cakes does many treats well, but the birthday cakes are especially spectacular. This East Village bakery gem can bake any cake you could possibly want, but some of their greatest designs include the New York City skyline cake, a BMW-themed birthday cake, as well as customizable, tiered and colorful birthday cakes. Soma also specializes in all sorts of cake shapes, so let your imagination run wild.
Empire Cake
112 8th Ave., Manhattan / Website
Like NYC Birthday Cakes and Soma Cakes, Empire Cake is not for the shy birthday boys and girls. These custom cake experts will make your birthday cake as extravagant or simple as you want, offering everything from fully customizable decorated theme cakes to simple flavors with basic writing. All the cakes are Empire Cake come in three layers and measure eight inches long, but you can choose from flavors ranging raspberry lemon to hazelnut, cookies & cream, bananas foster, salted caramel and more. Gluten free flavors are available upon request, too.
Flour Shop
177 Lafayette St., Manhattan / Website
Flour Shop is famous for its impressive, sprinkle-exploding birthday cakes. You’ve probably seen them on Instagram. The birthday celebration is guaranteed to be the party of the century with one of these gorgeous surprises. While explosion cakes usually come in cookies n’ cream or rainbow flavors, Flour Shop also has original cake shapes such as the “cara the unicorn cake,” “mixed berry pie cake” and even a “burger cake.”
City Cakes
155 W 18th St., Manhattan / Website
City Cakes is an expert in all things custom cakes. The bakery offers more than 100 preset custom cakes to order, but special requests are also welcomed. Categories include sports cakes, logo and corporate cakes, sculpted 3D cakes and more, while cake flavors include almond wonder, charismatic carrot, lush amaretto and strawberry champagne. With even more frosting and filling choices, the options are seemingly endless.
See also: The 11 Best Cheesecake Spots in NYC
Billy’s Bakery NYC
184 9th Ave.; 75 Franklin St.; 410 Columbus Ave.; 1 W 59th St., Manhattan / Website
Billy’s Bakery is a beloved Big Apple institution known to offer every sweet treat from your wildest dreams. With tons of different cake flavors, you can choose classics like chocolate, vanilla and confetti, while also trying out something unique, like the crowd pleaser bourbon salted caramel or 7up loaf. For a custom cake, decorations are available on all buttercream-frosted cakes with a choice of vanilla or chocolate.
Milk Bar
Multiple locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn / Website
Another well-known NYC bakery chain, Milk Bar specializes in unique layered-cake flavors with cake balls piled on top. If you haven’t seen these picturesque cakes on Instagram – you’ll notice them now. Choose from classic birthday cake flavor, red velvet, chocolatey classic and more variations.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery
126 Rivington St., Manhattan / Website
Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery offers some of the highest-rated cupcakes in the city, but the traditional cakes aren’t far behind. Flavors include yellow cake, chocolate, red velvet, pumpkin, Oreo, lemon and pistachio. These cakes come with the icing of your choice and can be made as extravagant or simple as you wish. From no layers to several layers, round or in a sheet shape, you can have it your way. Specific decorations can also be made upon request.
Little Cupcake Bakeshop
30 Prince St., Manhattan; 598 Vanderbilt Ave. and 9102 3rd Ave., Brooklyn / Website
With several locations, Little Cupcake Bakeshop is on its way to becoming an NYC baking dynasty. Here, you’ll find a variety of delicious layer cakes that can be customized with writing in the traditional birthday cake style. Original flavors are the standout, including Brooklyn Blackout, Blue Velvet, Golden Ganache, Dreaming Princess and Black & White.
Magnolia Bakery
401 Bleecker St.; 1240 6th Ave.; 200 Columbus Ave.; 1000 3rd Ave.; 89 42nd St., Manhattan / Website
Last but certainly not least, Magnola takes advanced orders for cakes and ships nationwide for those who want to wish loved ones a happy birthday from afar. Like Little Cupcake Bakeshop, Magnolia also bakes custom cakes in several shapes and sizes. You can even get a three-layer confetti cake. Magnolia also creates custom writing in the classic flavors of chocolate and vanilla.
Photography by: Daniel Zuchnik
