Craig’s Cake Shop

Craig’s is consistently the best cake I’ve ever had.
True, there may have been a slice here and there that’s lived up to or surpassed it, but across all flavors, fillings, and occasions, Craig’s routinely… takes the cake. Sorry. Had to.
Every year I say I’m going to get a cake from Craig’s for my birthday, but being so close to Thanksgiving I always put it off until it’s «too close to Christmas» and then start the cycle again. This year, however, I really, really wanted cake so I looked over the website and discovered that they have mini cakes that are ready made for walk-​ins. You can also call ahead and reserve one if you don’t want to chance it. I did just that and made the hour round-​trip drive from downtown to pick up my cake: chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and chocolate shavings. When it comes to birthday cake I don’t do subtle — the other choices were red velvet, vanilla, and carrot.
Their storefront is beyond unassuming — if I hadn’t had the GPS to guide me I’d have driven right past it. There’s not a whole lot to look at when you walk in, but the woman working was incredibly inviting. I let her know my order and she went back to get it. She said they took it out of their freezer that morning so it should be thawed; I was a little disappointed to find out it wasn’t freshly made that day as the «we’ll have some made every day and ready to go» description implies.
While still tasty, the cake was a little drier and a little less flavorful than the wedding and birthday cakes I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying. Still better than most cakes, though, so I’ll let it slide. In the future, though, I’ll definitely get a custom-​made cake. Their peanut butter and mocha fillings are incredible.
Fingers crossed I remember to order in time next November. :)

Delicious cakes, very flavorful and fresh. Really is the perfect cake maker. Go Craig’s!!!

I ordered a cake for my wife’s birthday via the website and received confirmation a few hours later via email.
When I went to pick it up, the cake had been made perfectly. Since I picked it up a couple of days before the event, I was concerned about it getting soggy, or picking up food odor from the fridge. She recommended using a plastic bag to keep the odor out, which worked very well.
The cake itself was delicious! nothing too fancy, but it was a big hit at the party. I would definitely buy here again.

I order my cake at Craig’s Cake for my 23^rd birthday party. The lady who helped my friend and I do the cake tasting was wonderful and very patient. I wanted my cake to be the best but couldn’t think of any ideas, the lady from Craig’s cake made a few suggestions and made an AMAZING CAKE!

They definitely make the most delicious wedding cake in Madison, by far! And I love that they give you a cake on your 1^st anniversary, so you don’t have to save the top layer from your wedding cake. We needed a gluten-​free option for some of our guests and a birthday cake for my sister who’s birthday was on the day of, and they handled everything with ease.

Last week, I picked up my fiancé’s birthday cake: 6 inch chocolate and vanilla cake peanut butter mousse and fudge filling with their signature frosting. So delicious! As expected, the cake layers were moist and not too dense; the peanut butter mousse was so light and had just enough of a kick to give the cake the flavor we wanted, and the fudge was not overpowering. The best part is making sure every bite had the signature frosting (whipped cream and white chocolate shavings) – each bite was so good.
The ordering process online is a piece of cake (ha!). I requested the pick-​up time for 5pm but was able to pick it up 2 hours earlier due to a change of plans. Great customer service!

Craig’s did our wedding cake. It was a two tier cake the top tier had carrot and pumpkin cake with a cream cheese frosting layer. And the second tier was vanilla and banana cake layers with raspberry cream filling. It turned out perfectly. They were helpful throughout the entire process and the delivery went smoothly! Oh yeah, and it was delicious! We’ve gone to a few weddings and have could wedding cakes to be so-​so. But our cake not only looked great it tasted amazing as well.

Went to this place 3 times… I cannot give 5 star because I did not order in advance I only got their small cakes and cookies from the stock.
The staffs are nice and friendly and the small cakes are really good. I will definitely go back for different flavors.

I am sorry to have to give Craig’s Cake Shop only three stars because I was expecting and hoping for better.
The staff was nice and the product was ok but it did not rise to what I was expecting to find based upon their many good reviews and the fact that they are a small local bakery as opposed to some large producer of a variety of baked goods.
I compare it to Cupcakes A-​Go-​Go which exceeded my expectations in flavor and quality while CCS didn’t do this. Though CCS does use a very pretty frosting technique we didn’t particularly like the flavor. The cake was moist enough but the crumb and flavor did not reach to the level of what we have experienced from other bakery that we have purchased. We once had an outstanding cake from The Rolling Pin and another one that was good was purchased at Metcalf’s.
We decided to try CCS in the hopes that we would find another bakery to add to our best list. Instead, we will be going back to the Rolling Pin or Metcalf’s for our next cake.
Three stars state what is an a-​okay rating which these cakes were just a notch below in relation to our high expectations. But to not be so harsh I will give them this rating.

This review is far overdue. Craig’s cake shop made our custom wedding cakes and went absolutely above and beyond. Anyone can look at my review history and notice I write reviews very seldom and can be a harsh critic.
Not only were everyone of Craig’s cakes absolutely masterful in appearance and taste, but his personal service, especially for special requests is why I go out of my way to not only recommend him, but to actively encourage others.
Craig’s is the diamond in the rough of cake shops, excellence for a very reasonable price. I will return here again and again for years to come.

Craig’s is the best cake shop in all of Dane County for sure! We used them for our wedding reception and people are STILL talking about the cake! Not only is it delicious and gorgeous, but their team is outstandingly accommodating. Since our wedding we now only buy cakes from them… birthdays, anniversaries, etc. They may seem slightly more expensive than your average bakery, but they are well worth the extra money! Bonus… on your one year anniversary they make you a cake so you don’t have to try and save the top!

Celebrated the parents anniversary with a trip to the Dells. Ordered an anniversary cake and a small birthday cake over the phone. Both cakes turned out beautiful and exactly as ordered. We had the red velvet w cream cheese frosting and whipped cheese cake filling. It was amazing in appearance and taste. The small birthday cake was a chocolate with chocolate mouse frosting. Two thumbs up for both!

We have used Craigs Cakes for years. Birthdays, weddings, and just because! I absolutely adore Craig. He’s such an interesting fellow. His cakes are TO DIE FOR! I love that when you order a birthday cake for a kid, he gives you (FOR FREE) a smush cake just for them! My daughter LOVED IT! If you can dream it, Craig can do it. He uses the best ingredients and it shows in the flavor and texture of his cakes. All of the staff are very friendly and helpful. And their prices are fantastic! I just wish he could deliver to South Florida. I’m truly going to miss having Craigs Cakes for my birthday and other occasions.

Craig has the personality to match his cakes; fun, exuberant and tasty! Well, I don’t know if Craig is tasty. But his cakes sure are! I’d been working professionally in the pastry field for years (now career shifted), and I have to say that every single interaction I’ve had with him– whether through him directly or through his cakes– has been a very positive one. This is RARE, sadly. Especially with wedding cake makers. They’re almost always one way with customers, and quite another with industry peeps. But Craig is genuine, solid and consistent through and through. His cakes speak very well for him. :) I don’t even LIKE cake! :D

Craig is awesome and I’m surprised to see some lower ratings. He did our wedding cake, which consisted of three separate layers and two extra sheet cakes. Everything was amazing, and we got a free anniversary cake a year later, which was a nice touch and something few vendors would consider offering these days.
Craig offers a free cake tasting during which he walks through all available options from cake to frosting to mousse. He is very detailed and did not rush the process. Our cake arrived as ordered and on time, and guests all seemed to like our choices. Definitely recommended for wedding cake or any occasion.

They did our wedding cake two years ago. Best cake and best price, the fact that they make you a new mini cake for your 1yr aniversary so you don’t have to eat old cake is a nice touch.

Absolutely Fantastic! Their cakes are delicious, the staff is friendly, and they always get the job done. We’ve gotten numerous 3D cakes from them and they’ve been stunning. This is a small shop so they don’t have fancy computers and contracts. It’s all done by hand. Well worth the price!
The Thanksgiving pumpkin cake with whipped frosting and white chocolate shavings is the best.

We had these guys cater our wedding. We ended up having 6 different flavors of cake. All were delicious, although the carrot cake was especially exceptional. The staff was friendly and prepared.
All around a great experience.

While talking with a co-​worker, she told me her sister discovered a cake shop from verona, that made absolutely delicious cakes, and that I should check it out.
so while being a cake-​oholic who’s off the wagon. I drove the wife out there for some cake.
We got a 6″ double layer cake. One layer was white, one layer was chocolate with a layer of chocolate mousse in between. It had a whipped icing, with white chocolate shavings.
When we got the cake in the car my wife swiped a taste of the icing. She said it was excellent. I took a moment of silence to ponder the cake and champagne plan for later that evening.
I was hoping for a Homer Simpson moment when I finally had a chance to devour the cake. it wasn’t there. The cake was ok. The mousse was good. The whipped icing firmed and changed texture-​down from the heavenly delight to being just ok.
I would say a step up from grocery store, am not sure if the quality increase matches the price increase. 6″ double=$ 16

I never visited the shop, but I did attempt to schedule a cake tasting with them. I’d tasted a cake of theirs at a friend’s wedding and it was good, so I thought I’d contact them for a consultation on my own wedding cake.
Unfortunately, Craig’s Cake Shop doesn’t offer a wedding cake contract. Rhonda, who is the manager at Craig’s, refused to guarantee anything — not even the date the cake would be dropped off (useless if it’s not there on my wedding day)! They told us we’d just have to rely on the testimonials of prior customers and word of mouth. A wedding cake can cost hundreds of dollars, and we wanted to make 100% sure that we were getting what we paid for.
This place makes good cake, like I said I’ve eaten it. But their refusal to put anything in writing makes me fear that they may have had some really bad experiences in the past with dissatisfied customers who wanted all or part of their money back, and their refusal to provide a contract is their way of protecting themselves legally. Run!