SusieCakes

Got a bomb Super Bowl cake from Susie Cakes the day before the big game. Was a huge hit at the party! Sad that I only had one slice left over after the event!

Had to try some of these sweets… Great for gatherings, kids will love them. A little too dense for me, excessive frosting if your watching the sugar intake. Cute and a large variety. Flower Flour is still my go to place for special events.

Classic American. Which translates to dense and sometimes overly sweet. While the bakery is all kinds of cute and IG-​worthy, the desserts can be a real hit or miss. While I personally love the vanilla (with robust flavor), the strawberry was so sweet, I almost went into diabetic shock on my first bite. I swept the frosting off and just ate the cake… which does tend to be thicker and drier than what some may be accustomed to, but the all-​natural ingredients contribute to the texture. Not bad and not amazing either.

I’m copying Jan P.‘s review as it mirrored my experience:
«Classic American. Which translates to dense and sometimes overly sweet. While the bakery is all kinds of cute and IG-​worthy, the desserts can be a real hit or miss. While I personally love the vanilla (with robust flavor), the strawberry was so sweet, I almost went into diabetic shock on my first bite. I swept the frosting off and just ate the cake… which does tend to be thicker and drier than what some may be accustomed to, but the all-​natural ingredients contribute to the texture. Not bad and not amazing either.: «
i may add that I waited over an hour at the Grand Opening and if not for a nice chat with folks who also thought they were going to get a free mug I would have left after 20 minutes. It was like wating in line fof «Star Wars»; I don’t remember any other Lincoln Avenue business that had this much Grand Opening buzz. It was also very nice to see a business owner meet with customers.
Suzie Cakes has high quality product and service which is priced as such. It seems they are geared for special occasion orders or perhaps supplying local restaurants given their large kitchen and staff. Hours are short or at least not open early enough for me and I’d really like a good old fashion cup of brewed coffee or milk with my cake. I guess they expect everyone will stop by Peets first. While I’m glad they are a dessert option for downtown, my personal preference is Flour Flower for their cakes and Fairy Cakes for their moist cupcakes.

Holy mackerel, I think this place is now tied with Icing on the Cake for «Emily’s Favorite Bakery» (a very prestigious honor, obviously).
After seeing that a SusieCakes was being built on Lincoln Avenue, I did a little bit of research and was surprised to see that it was somewhat of a chain. I had never heard of it before and was really wondering if it was going to be any good. Let me just tell you now — it is plenty good.
When you walk in, the first thing you notice is the smell. The next thing you notice is that someone behind the counter who seems like they legitimately like their job is smiling at you and saying hello. Stop a second to take it all in: the clean, fresh décor; the display case with a smattering of delicious treats to choose from; the view of the kitchen with no fewer than 4 bakers working their magic at a time… it’s an experience, for sure. Not that I have a million questions about cake (other than where is the cake and why isn’t it in my mouth yet) but I have had any and all questions answered every time I’ve visited and the ladies behind the scenes are always super knowledgeable and can tell you about your particular choices six ways from Sunday.
I had no idea what to expect from their product as I have recently been somewhat disappointed with other local cupcakeries in the area, but I can’t believe how delicious their cakes turned out to be. The frosting is not cloyingly sweet and has a great consistency, while the actual cake itself is the prefect balance of fluffy and dense. Please do yourself a favor and make your way to SusieCakes ASAP for their seasonal cupcakes and cake slices… or maybe don’t, and leave more for me.

I think so far this place is overrated at best! We tried their cupcakes and brownie, no better than the grocery store and overpriced for their size. They had no prices posted for any of their items, and gave no receipt with the change. Other reviews said they charged an additional 2% for employee health insurance? This shop is a chain, and we prefer to stick with the Mom & Pop shops.

I read the reviews and there were a lot of complaints about them taxing the customers in order to pay for the health insurance, no prices anywhere and the sliced cakes being dry. My experience was I bought 4 cupcakes and although a little pricey for the size of the cupcake, they were super moist and had tons of flavor. I still think you get more for your money going to Frost Cupcakes in Campbell but I would definetly buy here again.

I love cake, so I was excited to see the coming soon sign. Unfortunately I missed the grand opening. However, we went around 1 pm today (Saturday).
We bought two pieces of cake and a red velvet cupcake. Everything was delicious. The cake slices (chocolate and marble) are huge. The chocolate cake was amazing. The marble cake was a little firm, but the chocolate chips were a nice touch.
Overall I enjoyed everything we ordered. I look forward to trying everything else soon!

I visited this dessert shop yesterday, because I saw a notification for 50% off one cake slice for their grand opening this week. Customer service was okay — I was greeted when I walked in, and helped by polite staff. I ordered three cupcakes and one (generous) slice of their seasonal Cinnamon Bun cake (but, looking back, they must not have given me the 50% discount), for a total of $ 17.12 (cake slice: $ 6.25; cupcakes: $ 3.25 per cupcake). (Note: There is a 2% surcharge — for employee health insurance — added after purchase.)
Cinnamon Bun cake slice: Frosting was good — sweet and creamy, but cake was rather dry.
Cupcakes: I have yet to try them. After trying the cake, I am not too enthusiastic about trying the cupcakes.
Overall, I would say this bakery is better than the desserts section at a normal supermarket, but is not as good as many other bakeries in the Bay Area (and thus not worth the price).

I was walking by the bakery today and decided to stop in. The red Velvet cake caught my eye so I ordered a slice since it was 50%off. The employee wasn’t that friendly. As I paid I notice a little tiny sign that explained a extra charge to help pay for employees health insurance. If I’m not mistaken I thought that was for the employer to pay for if they offer benefits.
I then walked back home with my slice of cake, when I got home I opened the box and it was a average size slice of cake for over $ 6 as the regular price. The taste of the cake was not impressive at all. I think it was the worst red velvet cake I have ever had. It had no flavor. For Red velvet cake I will have to stick with nothing bundt cakes… I might go back to Susie’s to try the coconut cake but not sure if I want to pay over $ 6 to sample a cake..

Just what we needed in Willow Glen, a bakery! I walked by after lunch and couldn’t resist to try a chocolate brownie. The employees were all very nice, and the brownie was delicious. I’ll be back to try the cupcakes and the carrot cake which looked amazing.

Went on Saturday for their grand opening. The line was wrapped around the corner by 10am. It took about an hour to get into the shop but it was worth the wait. I ordered the celebration cake along with a mini red velvet cupcake. My order was ready within 5mim but they forgot my cupcake! I told Susie about it and she threw in an extra one for the mistake.
The cake was absolutely divine. Will definitely be back!

I can’t in truth give a star rating, because they are closed and I couldn’t patronize Susie Cakes newest location. The grand opening was yesterday. And today… they are closed. Even though their hours read Sunday’s 11−5pm. That doesn’t begin until mid February.
So they created buzz and interest in Willow Glen, sent out a mailer enticing folks to visit, and then they are closed the day after all the fanfare. From a strategy perspective, not great.
The traffic and difficult parking in downtown Willow Glen is most certainly a barrier to patronage. When someone fights all of that on a busy Sunday to visit your business expecting you to be open, it is disappointing and frustrating when you are not.
I wish them well. And hope for smarter business practice in the future.

SO happy to have Susie Cakes in Willow Glen!!! I love the Menlo Park location (which has a larger storefront), and was thrilled to see a store opening on Lincoln Ave. We stopped by for the grand opening on Saturday and had just a short wait in line at 2:00. They were definitely hopping! They were passing out chocolate chip cookies but we just missed them. Not a problem, though, because the cupcakes were the reason we were there!
Once we were inside, we sampled our favorites, coconut and strawberry, and they were delicious as usual. The best moist cake that is not super sweet but very rich and the perfect base for the AMAZING frosting. I don’t even like frosting, but I could eat Susie Cake’s frosting with a spoon. This location is going to be such a wonderful (albeit dangerous) addition to our neighborhood!

To be completely honest, I did not even know today was their grand opening. Morning drives through willow glen, their «baking soon…» sign caught my eye, but I never looked into it much further. I was having brunch at The Table and saw the balloons and long line. They opened up at 10am, with a line wrapped around the block. About 10 or so people were let in at a time, which I liked since the shop is small and it could’ve easily been an overcrowded experience. I signed a slip at the entrance for a chance to win free cake for a year, then proceeded onto looking through the goodies. The first thing that caught my eye was a decadent looking carrot cake. I don’t know why my eyes were so decisive on it being the best carrot cake to enter my mouth, but I instantly knew that’s what I was going to walk out of here with. I ordered that carrot cake, along with 3 mini cupcakes (2 chocolate, 1 red velvet), 4 normal size cupcakes (3 chocolate, 1 salted caramel frosted chocolate), a classic cheesecake, and one chocolate cream pie (I swear this all wasn’t for me!). It was really inconvenient that there are no prices shown for any items. Michael helped us out in getting our goods and after I paid, gave them to me once it was ready. I walked out with a large bag of sweets, ready to go home and devour them.
Even though the amount of people in the store was regulated, the employees were still overwhelmed, which is understandable. So I was disappointed, but not completely surprised, that they forgot part of my order. It was my fault for not checking my bag when I got it, but I guess I just didn’t think anything would go wrong. Of all the things they could have missed, they forgot the carrot cake. I was gonna accept my loss, but looking at my receipt and seeing $ 6.50 for that slice, made me want to at least let them know. So I called and they were really understanding and took responsibility of their fault and let me know to expect something in the mail to compensate for it. Will be waiting for that!
As for taste, the highlight was their seasonal flavor, the salted caramel frosting on chocolate cupcake. The cake was so moist, not to sweet, but still kept a wonderful salty caramel flavor. It was amazing and probably one of the better salted caramel cakes I’ve had. I noticed that their full size cupcakes were a lot more moist and had a better light texture compared to their smaller mini cupcakes, which were dry and dense. The chocolate cream pie was also a little too sweet, coming from someone who enjoys things extra extra sweet. I don’t know if I would come back after they stop selling their seasonal flavor since that’s the only one I enjoyed.
*****UPDATE:
it’s now been past a week since they told me on the phone they would «send me something in the mail by Monday» and nothing has come. Do not make empty promises. That’s worst than my empty, cake-​less bag.

Me driving all over the Bay Area to satisfy my sandwiches and sweets cravings doesn’t occur often anymore but that was the Tram 3 – 5 years ago. I went to SusieCakes in San Francisco many moons ago but after my first bite into my old fashioned chocolate cake yesterday, it brought back the memories from my first ever experience w/​this bakery.
Long lines. It was their grand opening. Service was great.
Right when I got inside, how much money I would be spending and the amount of calories kind of flew out the window. Nothing seemed to exist except my chocolate-​loving desire. My daughter wanted a red velvet cupcake and I got my son a mini chocolate cupcake.
What I got for myself:
— slice of red velvet cake
— slice of the old fashioned chocolate cake
— whoopie pie
— chocolate/​mint cupcake
The red velvet cake was smooth, rich, and blissful. My favorite was the old fashioned chocolate cake. Look at how many layers it has! It was moist, decadent, super rich, and sinfully delicious. The whoopie pie was good but definitely not my favorite. I have not tried the cupcake yet but I plan to put it in the freezer so I can enjoy it after I have earned it.
There you have it, folks.
A short review aka diary of a chocolate-​a-​holic.
I’ll be 34 in May and I still scream when I go inside a bakery.

UPDATE #2: I was contacted by Susie and was given a gift card to try out the shop again. I got 2 slices (celebration vanilla and red velvet)… happy to say that this time, both were good! The vanilla celebration is a more dense cake and was properly baked, was delicious. 4 stars because I appreciate a company who is willing to put in an effort and right a wrong. Also worth noting, the gift card covered my original purchase, not just the 2 bad slices. While I probably won’t get cake slices again, I’m a fan of their cupcakes (haven’t had a bad one yet, neither have my friends). Happy they turned my experience around.
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UPDATE: Went back to this location on my birthday and got 3 slices of cake and 2 cupcakes. 2 of the slices were horribly dry (either overcooked or stale and completely not edible). I emailed Susie through the website, a few days later I got this response:
Dear Kristin,
Thank you for visiting us and taking the time to share your feedback with me. I’m so sorry that you were disappointed on your second visit. This is certainly not at all consistent with our company’s product standards. Please know I have immediately addressed with the team in Willow Glen as we take this very seriously. I hope you will give us another opportunity to bake for you and your family in the future to prove our commitment to quality to you. Again, thank you for your honest comments and please know they are taken very much to heart.
Warmest regards,
Susie
Founder
That’s it. No, «hey come back in and we’ll replace your 2 horrible pieces of cake you purchased». I won’t be going here again due to lack of customer service. If I had ordered a full cake for my birthday and it was that bad, I would have been flaming upset. Will continue to get my cakes from Icing on the Cake, their cookies are 1000% better anyhow. Bad customer service won’t last long in the WG neighborhood… Disappointed.
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Got to experience their soft opening, walked away with 2 cupcakes and a chocolate chip cookie… Love that they’re hands on and calm while training their staff, talked to Susie herself (very nice). Cake is fantastic from here… Mint chocolate cupcake and a mocha cupcake. The chocolate chip cookie was decent, I like mine not as flat and more dry. Haven’t tried other cookies but with cake this good, who needs cookies. Excited to have them in the neighborhood!

Meh. Went for the grand opening today. Waited in line outside for 15 minutes. Finally got inside, and there’s no prices on any of the signs — and no samples, which were mentioned all over their promotion for the grand opening. What the heck? I bought a $ 1 caramel because I wanted a bite of something sweet, and it rang up as $ 1.12 — apparently they add a 2% surcharge for some reason? It wasn’t explained. Service was not friendly.
I know they were beyond thrilled that the line was endless and they were raking in money hand over fist, but this was a terrible first impression for me. The guy out front said they had over 15 other locations, so you’d think they’d know how to make a grand opening flow. I expected at least a sample when you finally made it inside the shop. Not having prices posted is a cardinal sin, especially when none of us have ever set foot in your shop before.
For now, I’ll continue to patronize locally owned bakeries instead of this chain that overpromised and under-​delivered.

SusieCakes has finally opened a shop in the San Jose area! today was their grand opening n they opened bright n early at 10am. the cute n bright looking shop is a welcome in joining the other quaint mom n pop operations here.
they r located on Lincoln Ave. in the hustle n bustle of downtown Willow Glen. the shop is a bit closer to Willow St. by the popular restaurant, The Table. I wouldn’t even try to park in the small parking garage across the street. we usually park in the BOA parking lot in the back cuz there’s plenty there.
I’m usually not one to go to store grand openings (not even if they r offering free swag.) just cuz there’s always much too many ppl waiting in lines. but I made an exception today since I was in the area. so I acquiesced n gave in to the hype. :)
all the employees were so nice n helpful with each of the incoming customers. (line went around the block!) what a great start to my Saturday morning. plus, the real life Susie was also there greeting ppl in line. I will say that it was weird not seeing any prices for the cakes n other desserts. all they had was signs saying what flavor they all were. I would still like to know how much I’m paying before I get to the cash register. (sorry, but I’m practical like that.) u probably have to get on their website to c all the prices first. that’s not really convenient though.
just seeing all the pretty n delectable cakes on display r enough to put the pounds on me. (I can always walk it off. fast metabolism. yay! :)) a voice in my head says «u MUST give in to the temptation.» n so I do! I bought only 2 cupcakes n a HUGE chocolate chip cookie today. (just enough to hold me over til lunchtime.) they were so soft n spongy with the frosting fillings. I will definitely b coming back to try some of the other flavors.

Today we were walking by the storefront and the employees were getting ready for the grand opening. One of the girls popped out of the shop and offered my little guy a mini chocolate cupcake. Needless to say, the staff is friendly & welcoming. And the cupcake!!! It was the best I’ve ever tasted… rich and delicious… the frosting was amazing. Can’t wait to try more when they open :)