Plum Bakery

Maybe the bread is better? The cupcakes we bought were old tasting/​not fresh, dense and dry, and covered with inedible piles of icing and stale sprinkles that went in the garbage. Disappointing, since the restaurant is so yummy.

Let me start by saying, we knew our gluten free, peanut free, tree nut free, sesame seed free Cake was going to cost us a WHOPPING $ 95 because it was made from scratch. We also knew going in that they couldn’t offer any fancy decorations i.e. A photo. Also wanted icing and not buttercream nor whip cream. We also knew they would need 3 days to make it. We also requested Red writing as well as black writing — this was a white cake. It was asked to put Congratulations (in red icing) & Black Belts as well as «make a black belt» with black icing on the top.
I thought that was pretty simple, OH did I forget to mention this is a 9 or maybe 10 person cake. Yes $ 95!!! Again we knew this before hand… By the way, this cake was not the main cake… the sheet cake we bought to feed over 100 people… yeah that one cost $ 65 from BJS AND was clearly our main cake, this one from Plums was an extra cake for the black belts who has these particular allergies.
The morning we need the cake, (thankful I didn’t pick it up) my husband arrives and the cake isn’t exactly ready yet. He is offered a cup of coffee. He asks what size do you have? A large and a small, except the large is the same size as a regular cup of coffee, so he decided to get the extra small (they call it a small)… $ 3 was what that ½ of cup of coffee was charged (just go to Starbucks, you’ll get more for you buck there and that NEVER happens). WOW $ 95 cake… couldn’t have thrown in the coffee while he waited for that excessively expensive cake that was for 8 people. Again I know we went into this knowing the cost however we have never done this before. I was thinking maybe 14kt solid gold measuring spoons, cups and bowls were being used.
So anyway we are all serving the huge sheet cake that cost only $ 65 and then opened «your special cake». What do we see… a cake that looks like my grandma used to make and had PINK writing not red and definitely not black.
This cake had NO FLAVOR other than tasting like a big heavy block of cream cheese.
BTW I live in Randolph. Morris County… Kumpai (traditional Japanese party) was also in Landing… OMG THERE HAS got to be a place that’s not in such a high rent district such as Montclair… because for the life of me, can’t understand WHY someone else would be a sucker to pay that kind of money for a cake that was horrible!
Note to self… check supermarket shelves for tree nut, peanut & sesame seed FREE products in the gluten free section… I KNOW the products are there.
SHAME ON ME ONCE!!!

First the positive. The bakery is super cute and the girl behind the register was very friendly. Ok, now the not so good. There are a lot of good gluten free items available now. I don’t understand the rave reviews when it comes to flavor. I bought a strawberry muffin that was just okay, a very dense Boston cream donut that tasted like unsweetened, chocolate covered cornbread and a glazed donut that had the same issue. I really wish they used a better flour blend and added a little more sweetener.

Please give the bakery a try. Donuts are really good, tasty. Only down side kinda costly $ 4 for a donut. Pizza not worth $ 3 per tiny slice. Cupcakes would not buy again.
But the donuts are worth going back for.

Wow. I bought several different items to bring to a friend who is gluten intolerant, and I tasted all but 2. They were fabulous. The lemon blueberry muffin was full of huge sweet blueberries; the apple cinnamon muffin was delicious and my friend’s favorite. I bought a slice of marble babka – scrumptious. I can’t say enough about Plum Bakery!

Irish soda bread is amazing! Please keep it in stock year-​round!!! Donut and bagels are good (better than frozen), but a little dense. Boston cream didn’t have enough filling for my tastes.

Has Montclair never tried a baked gluten free treat before? The cupcakes were tasteless and they had a vanilla bean ‘heart’ cake that was almost as tasteless. I don’t know. I guess Montclair needs a place like this but you would do a lot better getting a package of gluten free cupcakes from Trader Joes or a package of Schar sweets from Shoprite.

Not only are the baked goods delicious here, the owner is possibly one of the loveliest people you will ever meet. Natalie will go above and beyond to provide you with all your favorite tasty gf treats. Try the donuts, bagels, and eclairs… you won’t be able to resist them!

I am surprised by the reviews of the other users on here… I have never been disappointed by this bakery and revel at the gluten free products she produces. Her sandwich bread is amazing one of the best gluten free breads I have tasted. It freezes easy and slices easy. As far as the expense, its only $ 7 a loaf which is only a dollar above the Udi’s asking price. For a homemade, gluten free option that is not bad at all. I have had all of her other products and was not at all disappointed. Definitely worth a visit!

This bakery is the best thing to hit Montclair in a long time! This totally wheat free, 100% gluten free baking facility is a welcome addition to those of us who have to eat gluten free.
The baked goods are amazing… one thing is better than the next. I have to pinch myself to remember that everything is gluten free, the baguettes are crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. The rugalach, plum donuts and chocolate bundt cake are among my favorites. My wife doesn’t need to eat gluten free, yet comes here because the bakery items are so delicious. Everything is so fresh and really delicious. The staff is helpful knowledgeable and friendly… go early since they bake everything fresh and sell out early in the day.

So I really wanted to love this bakery and I fully believe such a place is necessary, however, the items I had weren’t that great and were largely inedible. Plum is going to have to improve its recipes and baking times or it will have no repeat customers, especially at GF prices.
The bagel was good – better than the frozen kind, but small.
Rye round was tasty and crusty; more for like dipping in olive oil – definitely not for slicing for sandwiches. It was, however, dense and heavy.
The baguette was not edible. It was a log of heavy crust, dense inside and under baked. It could only broken into its scored pieces. It is sitting in the freezer and I’ll turn it into bread crumbs.
The cranberry muffin was raw inside. It, too, was heavy, and went straight into the trash.
The jelly donut, shaped like a folded wallet and liberally sprinkled with sugar, barely had jelly inside, was very dense, and after 1 bite, went into the trash.
The cupcake stuck like glue to the wrapper which literally tore the cake apart leaving a nub of cake. It isn’t fun to eat cake off a wrapper. The cake was heavy and dense; I’ve had better using a box of GF mix and baking it myself. Being a real bakery, I absolutely expected better than this. The icing on top was also heavy and incredibly sweet. This, too, went into the trash.
Glazed donut was heavy and dense, and ok when dipped into a cup of tea. ½ of it went into the trash.
Considering the cost of these items, including a cup of coffee, $ 34 was an expensive lesson in throwing food in the trash.
I’m being honest here because I don’t want to send anyone else there with visions that this bakery is going to be a gluten free haven, because it was an expensive disappointment.
It seems to me that the flours being used are very heavy, there is nothing in the batter (s) to create other than dense treats, and Plum should change its recipes to lighten up the heft of its breads, cupcakes and donuts.
My advice for Plum is to experiment with lighter flours, and check the doneness of its baked goods. Otherwise, it will slowly go out of business without repeat customers.
I did not try brownies, cookies, bars, or quiche, which MAY actually be good.

I was very excited to hear about Plum Bakery. When I visited in November, I thought the store was beautiful and everything looked delicious. I bought over $ 50 worth of donuts, jelly donuts, and other desserts for a party, plus a baguette. What a disappointment. The baguette was actually uncooked inside. Everything else I tried was heavy, dry, and just mediocre – nothing tasted good. Once my guests tasted something from Plum they went for the other desserts that were from Gina’s and Whole Foods. I had many leftovers from Plum and no one wanted to take them home. I wonder if they actually sample what they make. A waste of money – I won’t be back.

She’s gone and done it again! Natalie took some of her gluten free recipes and opened up a 100% gluten free bakery!
All baking done on premises. No gluten allowed — actually you can’t even bring it into the shop.
Now you can come here and get everything imaginable in a gluten free version. Her recipes are fabulous — her baguettes have a crunchy crust — her bagels actually taste and feel like bagels. She also has GF pizza and soups and some other savory items.
The place is small but she has 2 or 3 stools at a window counter if you want to sit for a second and eat something scrumptious while sipping on some of her fabulous coffee.
Parking is a breeze as there is a public lot across the street.
She usually sells out around 2pm during the weekends so call ahead to make sure she still has items.
OH and if your looking for a good gluten free meal — check out her restaurant a few streets over — Plum on Park — across from the Y.