When you need to feed a large crowd a lot of cake, where do you turn? You could, of course, toil away in your own kitchen — but unless you really love baking, pulling pan after pan from your hot oven and then having to decorate the dang things is not our idea of a good time. So the path of least resistance is to order one from your local warehouse chain (save your sanity, truly), and for most of us, that means choosing between Sam’s Club and Costco. If you can’t decide which bakery to patronize, though, Reddit has a clear answer: Costco all day, every day.
In one subreddit, a user asked for Redditors’ opinions on which bakery is superior, and the responses in favor of Costco were overwhelming. “Go straight to Costco. Do not pass go, do not collect $200,” one commenter instructed. More than one respondent waxed poetic about the whipped mousse filling in Costco’s cakes, while another was slightly more balanced in their judgment: “I love [Sam’s], but Costco sheet cakes are soooooo good.” While not all Costco locations have the same limited-time treats, they all do have bakeries that churn out delicious custom cakes, made to order.
Why Costco cakes are so darn good
The consensus on Reddit — and really, the internet at large — is that Costco cakes are the ones to beat, but so far, no one really comes close. It’s true, Sam’s Club and Walmart, as well as regional chains like Safeway and Market Basket, have their own bakery adherents. But there is just something about Costco’s cakes that makes even the outdated ordering process worth the trouble (Food Republic even did a taste test between Costco and Publix birthday cakes, and Costco came out on top). What could it be? Well, for starters, according to one Reddit user, the Washington-based warehouse chain makes pretty much everything from scratch. “Everything is just as fresh and with real ingredients as an artisan bakery, it’s just done on a much larger scale and in huge batches,” they explained.
The result is a moist and fluffy cake base, with creamy chocolate or vanilla mousse fillings, a great deal of frosting, and an overall sweetness that is just perfect for most — not cloyingly sweet, but nicely balanced. And maybe, just maybe, adding to the overall deliciousness of Costco’s cakes is the price tag. A custom half-sheet from its bakery costs less than $30 and will feed nearly 50 people. You can’t beat the sweet taste of savings.
