Peters’ Bakery

Not sure what all the fuss is about. The German chocolate and burnt almond (vanilla) were bad enough that only 2 – 3 slices were eaten at a party we brought them too (after the initial taste-​testers gave their opinions).
The cakes were dry and flavorless and the frosting tasted cheap. I felt like we wasted money and disappointed our friends.

I finally had the opportunity to stop by Peters’ Bakery to try their almond cake! I came by at 11:30am on a Sunday, and it wasn’t that busy at the time. I tried:
From L to R: Cream Puff ($ 2.35), Burnt Almond Slice ($ 3.20), Chocolate Burnt Almond Slice ($ 3.20) [
–Burnt Almond Slice ($ 3.20): Yum– I preferred this over the chocolate version. The cake was fluffy and moist, and the cream was also good. The diced almonds on top of the cake also gave it really good flavor. Recommended!
–Chocolate Burnt Almond Slice ($ 3.20): Just ok for me since I wasn’t a big fan of the chocolate. However, the cake was still very fluffy and moist, so I would still recommend it to chocolate lovers.
–Cream Puff ($ 2.35): I love whipped cream, but even this was too much whipped cream for me. The choux pastry had a good crisp to it, but I prefer my cream puffs with custard. I wouldn’t get this again.
–Boysenberry Donut ($ 0.75,
): This donut is on the dense side, but it wasn’t overly sweet, which I really appreciated. I also loved the boysenberry compote on top, and the lemon curd in the middle– recommended!
They had a sample of their lemon cake, and that was pretty good (even though I’m not a big fan of lemon), since the cake was fluffy and moist.
My biggest complaint about coming here is that they don’t have labels for any of the desserts, so you have to guess or keep asking what everything is, and you don’t know the prices of the items until you pay. The people working there are really nice and patiently answered all my questions, but it would have been difficult to do that when they’re busy. Please label or put up a sign when a list of your common items so that I can order more without feeling like a pest asking what everything is! Parking is limited since there isn’t much street parking; however, there were still a few spots during the time that I went.

I called them inquiring if the sell banana cream pie. Fortunately the lady on the phone said they make 4 in the morning. I was able to reserve and get it put aside for me. The pie itself looked weird. I though banana cream pie should be yellow, cream color, or white. My pie was orange and initially I thought they gave me mango. Despite the looks, the pie tasted pretty darn good. I’d definitely come back here.
On a side note, minimum credit card charges are $ 10. My pie was a hair under that amount.

I ordered by telephone a dozen burnt almond cupcakes for my cousin’s graduation. The bakery was able to include a little colorful frosting (you can specify the school color) and cap/​diploma plastic decorations. At only $ 1.85 a cupcake, they are a bargain! I think the cupcakes are regularly $ 1.55 each without the special decorations. The cupcakes were ready as promised with no issues.
The vanilla cake is so light and heavenly, and the frosting with toasted (not really «burnt») almonds is not too sweet. We also picked up a few slices of cakes: the burnt almond with marble cake is a nice variation. The lemon cake and chocolate with raspberry filling were fine but nothing to write home about. Their cakes are definitely not the best I have ever had, but I appreciate their humble quality. I do love that Peters’ has been around for a long time and still retains that no-​fuss, traditional bakery feel. They’re not trying to pretend to be something they’re not, and they’re unabashedly not trying to catch up with the times. They do take credit cards though, so that’s helpful. If you’re looking for very reasonably priced, pretty tasty cakes and cupcakes, go for the burnt almond.

My friend and I always bike to this place during holiday breaks as our tradition.
We ALWAYS get the burnt almond cake and one other slice of another cake. All are amazing. I do think that the german chocolate and other cakes we have tried taste a little better than the burnt almond cake.
I have also ordered a large rectangular burnt almond cake over the phone. I requested the writing «Happy birthday «on it but something got mixed up and when my friend and I picked it up, it said «Fetus Fiesta» haha.
We got it removed but kept the receipt. I would recommend the cake without any frosting because it sort of overrides the burnt almond. Other than that, great tasting and a particularly funny cake.

Burnt almond cake.
Just… just go get it.

Although I’ve had Peter’s Bakery’s burnt almond cake before, and can’t say it’s better or worse than Dick’s, I think both are just okay. The cream is not my favorite, and the almonds are crushed, when I would prefer whole.
However, the prices cannot be beat, $ 66 for a whole half sheet, all decorated at no extra cost! Also, they do take credit card now which is perfect! Parking can be limited in front of the shop.

I am sorry to say this, but to those of you who are allergic to almonds, you are missing out :(
This place screams BURNT ALMOND CAKE! The best i’ve ever had. Service is always friendly! One time, I came here on my mom’s birthday without preordering a cake, & thankfully there were plenty of cakes here to pick up. I was also able to have them write happy birthday to my mommy on it. Great Service, & super fast.
CAUTION: highly addictive

Been here a few times since I was in high school. Friendly staff and I have only had the burnt almond cake but as someone who’s not a big fan of nuts, it’s amazing! Light, creamy and fragrant… I recently tried the pumpkin burnt almond cake and personally I thought the original was still better. I look forward to trying the marble and chocolate versions as well as the other yummy looking desserts!

I was in SJ for the roommate’s mom’s birthday. They decided to order the burnt almond cake for her since they’ve had it several times in the past and loved it. Granted they bought it on Saturday and we ate it on Sunday, but I found the cake dry and couldn’t have more than a couple of bites. It was kind of disappointing since I’ve heard so many great things about their famous burnt almond cake.
The roommate’s brother also bought a couple of eclairs which we ate that same day. These were delicious! Light and the custard inside was sooo good! We split an éclair three ways, but next time, I want my own éclair!
So averaging the two items, I think Peter’s bakery deserves 3 stars.