I first tried cupcakes from Black China Bakery at a wedding I attended and was impressed by how delicious they were. So when my mom's wedding was coming up, I knew exactly where to get the cupcakes from. We ordered the vegan chocolate with raspberry frosting and vegan carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and they did not disappoint. Katelin was incredibly friendly and easy to work with. She provided options for how the cakes could be frosted to match our theme and colors, and helped to make the planning process so smooth. The cupcakes were delivered for a very reasonable rate and were a huge hit at the wedding. Everyone loved them! I highly recommend Black China Bakery for any special occasion. read more

Black China Bakery - Vegan chocolate cake with raspberry frosting - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We got our wedding cake from Black China Bakery as the groom is vegan. The cake was amazing -- we had so many guests (all non-vegan) specifically mention how good the cake was! Katelin made us six cupcakes to sample flavors and was very communicative throughout the process. The decorations were also exactly what we were envisioning. We highly recommend Black China Bakery! read more

They make good vegan cakes for Whole Foods. Too bad Whole Foods can't manage getting the right cake to the right person. Very unprofessional of Whole Foods. read more

I bought a vegan carrot cake from Whole Foods and was really looking forward to eating it after reading about Black China Bakery for years. The cake was good, although a little dry, but the frosting was terrible. It had the consistency of a thick marzipan and didn't taste anything like a traditional cream cheese frosting. I couldn't eat it, and only ate the cake. While I know that imitating a true cream cheese frosting can be a challenge for vegan bakers, I have done it successfully myself, and I would expect that a bakery specializing in vegan cakes would do a better job than I could. Alas, no. I would have made one myself, but it was my birthday and I wanted to treat myself. In the future, I'll make my own birthday cakes. But three stars for trying and getting the cake part mostly right. read more

Vegan coconut cake and coconut sour cream cake are amazing. I've been vegan off and on for years and out of efficiency not. I worked at Black China Bakery when they were located across from the old crepe place kind of. They have always been wonderful even when they had the tiny little indoor out door cafe. I intend on special ordering a coconut cake soon, as I can't seem to find one at Whole Foods or new leaf or staff, but so glad they still have their private kitchen and I'm so glad they still wholesale and take orders. They're magical. read more

Vegan Dark Chocolate cake!!! YUMMM!!! I'm just a wee bit enamored with this cake. Ok, in all actuality, I totally LOVE this scrumptious cake! I don't follow a vegan diet, but I wouldn't choose anything but this cake for my special occasions. We have a few serious options when it comes to cakes in Santa Cruz County. However, nobody makes cake like Black China Bakery! Kaitlyn was helpful in answering my questions, and helped me get my cake safely during these challenging times. The cake was made on Monday, and enjoyed on Thursday for our special occasion. It was perfect! It was moist, fresh-tasting, beautifully decorated, reasonably priced, and best of all...100% delicious, scrumptious, and pure chocolate yumminess! I was very pleasantly surprised to see the bakers had decorated my special cake with soft, pastel-colored blossoms. It was perfection! Thank you, Black China! You're the best! read more

I've been enjoying Black China Bakery vegan cake slices from Whole Foods for years now, so I obviously thought of them when I was planning a Santa Cruz wedding. I didn't have a ton of money to spend on a fancy wedding cake, so instead I got 2 different flavored sheet cakes and a smaller "cutting cake" for displaying and taking pictures with. Katelin was very friendly, gave helpful suggestions, and was happy to work with me to get the decorations and colors I wanted. I picked up the cakes the day before the wedding. The bakery was a little tricky to locate, but thankfully some folks at Verve told us Black China was right around the corner. We ordered chocolate with chocolate ganache and carrot cake, both of which were delicious! We ordered all vegan cakes and our guests really enjoyed them! We got a lot of compliments at the reception. Thank you Katelin and Black China Bakery! read more

Black China Bakery - vegan carrot cake we cut into at our wedding - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We got an awesome cake through Black China Bakery for our wedding in April. We wanted a simple two tier cake for our intimate get together, we couldn't have been more pleased. Katelin was so helpful and she personally delivered the cake during the mayhem of getting ready. She decorated it with flowers we had on hand and from the garden. The cake was delicious! Wonderful sour cream cake with cream cheese frosting. Perfect ~ You can't find a better bakery in town. read more

Black China Bakery - sour cream white cake - Bakeries Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Katelin Bowers Brightman made sure we had the most beautiful and delicious cake for our wedding!!!! The cake was gorgeous and decorated with three tiers of Dahlia flowers. The cake had vanilla frosting and the bright red and orange flowers made it so lovely. My guests told me either they went back for seconds or wished they had! The cake was delivered in plenty of time and I didn't want to cut into it, it was that beautiful. Thank you Black China Bakery and Katelin for being a part of our very special day. We highly recommend any kind of baked good from this bakery and of course your wedding cake! Best Wishes, Sandy & Troy Virostko read more

I used to be a huge fan of Black China, especially because they used to be the very best in vegan baked goods. They ship a lot of them to Whole Foods. Sadly, when I tried their cupcakes at the Whole Foods Walnut Creek AND the Whole Foods in Monterey, both stores carried their cupcakes that were terrible. They were old and stale tasting. The cake part was hard and dry. The frosting was hard. I will say I did purchase their German Chocolate Cake from Whole Foods Walnut Creek for a birthday last month and that tasted delicious. I'm so surprised at how different the cakes vs. the cupcakes taste. I am not sure why. I was told that they store freezes the cupcakes and then ships them frozen to the stores to preserve them. I can understand that, however, because I had been a huge fan I kept an open mind and on two tries recently both times were terrible. So my fiancé and I went directly to their location in Santa Cruz and tried two straight from their bakery. A German chocolate and a raspberry vanilla cake. Both of them were good but not great. Same issue with the cake is that it is hard and dense and dry. I was so hoping to order Black China for my wedding because I've been a fan for many years, but sadly, they just don't taste as good as I remember them. We went with another place instead. read more

My husband and I were married in Capitola on July 20, 2013 and had some amazing cupcakes baked by Black China Bakery. Katelin at Black China Bakery was fantastic to work with. Black China Bakery is a whole sale bakery that works with stores including Whole Foods. We were drawn to them by a friend who lives in Santa Cruz because they are vegan and I have a sensitivity to dairy. They have cupcakes that are also not vegan but trust me when I tell you that you would not know the difference! The carrot cake is to die for and the german chocolate was mouthwatering. Everyone commented at how great the cupcakes were. We did a tasting prior to our booking and Katelin was very flexible with times since we were driving out from the east bay. We met with her on an early evening and she had us taste several kinds of cupcakes with no additional charge. We also ordered some fantastic shortbread cookies- I wish I would have ordered more of them! They came and set up a beautiful display of cupcakes and cookies that everyone enjoyed. They were so enticing in fact that a few people were caught stealing cupcakes before our small cake was officially cut! I would call that a success! Some friends fessed up to eating several cupcakes. I'm glad I ordered extra! read more

I only order the vegan chocolate cake so I cannot comment on the other goods. Moist, dense, flavorful, satisfying. I truly think my life would be miserable without being able to order this cake once a month "just because." I serve it to dairy eaters and they enjoy it just as much. I am not vegan but this is my go-to cake above any other bakery's cake. read more

I wanted to love the Black China vegan treats I purchased from Whole Foods but was terribly disappointed. Both the chocolate and vanilla cakes had icing that was rubbery and flavorless. The cake was dry and salty. The vanilla cake had a strong lemon flavor which was so bad I couldn't even finish (and I LOVE dessert). The cakes looked pretty but I wonder if they were actually meant to be those styrofoam "stand in" cakes they use at weddings sometimes. I know it's not that difficult to make even mediocre vegan desserts. I have no idea what Black China is doing, but whatever it is, it's all wrong. read more

Great vegan cakes and cupcakes - the cake is moist and tasty. They do contain wheat and soy (which I can eat). My favorite is the chocolate - the frosting is amazing. The goods are available at Whole Foods. read more

Black China did an amazing job for my wedding cake in March 2012. The cake looked beautiful and tasted great. Everyone at Black China was really helpful in picking out flavors and the design. The cake was delivered on time the day of the wedding and it looked perfect! I have never been to a wedding where so many people enjoyed the wedding cake. read more

My son and his girlfriend bought me a Dark Chocolate Vegan Cupcake for my Christmas Dessert. It was Fabulous! It was moist and not too sweet which Is what I loved about it. I went to Wholefooda to get one for New Years, but they dis not have any. This is the beat Cupcake I have ever had! Simply scrumptious! read more

Caitlyn returned my call! I love their vegan cakes selections. Thank you for your quality and professionalism.

I have only ordered the Vegan Chocolate Cake, I will be ordering the Vegan German Chocolate Cake this week because...duh, coconuts, why wouldn't I want that extra amazingness? My experience with the bakery is totally solid. Down-to-Earth people that are RIDICULOUSLY BUSY. The only thing I know is that it takes a few tries sometimes to connect on a phone, but there is a reason why these people are so dang busy. What they do is an art and it is in high demand. My life would not be as enjoyable as it is without the vegan cakes from Black China Bakery. read more

Their vegan cakes are amazing. The mocha cake and raspberry are really fantastic. However, their best one has to be the vegan chocolate cake. Tasty, sweet, moist and rich with coco flavor.... an absolutely master piece. For them to make such a wonderful product without any eggs, butter or dairy is quite remarkable. My only complaint is the price versus the size of the cake. Definitely a little pricey. read more

Black China Bakery *used* to be my favorite bakery until they decided to cheapen some of their products to save money. This happened about a year ago. For example, their "signature" vegan brownies were outstanding. Super-fudgy with lots of vanilla extract, chips and walnuts. They were wonderful. The best around. Not any longer. I stopped buying their products when the prices rose and the quality went down. They changed their brownie recipe (probably to save money) and probably hoping that no one would notice. The old recipe used cocoa. The new recipe does not use cocoa. The new chocolate has Vanillin in it. (Look up Vanillin). They will try to say it's "vanilla" and it was a typo but that's not true. Now the brownies are usually super dry (like a dry cake....I can tell by looking at them) and it looks like they removed most of the chocolate chips (again, to save money). I suspect the BC cakes are all right still but I don't know that for a fact. Of their cakes, their vegan German Chocolate Cake was the best. I've noticed that their cupcakes have gotten smaller and smaller (again trying to save $$). About 1.5 years ago they used to have a big "mushroom" dome on the top. Not any more. Now one gets a small cupcake inside this little sleeve they started using. I would have given BC 5 stars a couple years ago when I was buying their brownies on a regular basis, but the 5 star days are gone, unfortunately. When bakeries are trying to save money, usually the quality goes down and they hope that no one notices. I've noticed. The price of their vegan cake (single layer) is $20.99, if I'm not mistaken (at Rainbow). That's $21 for a single layer cake. That's Outrageous! If it were a double layer cake it would be about $40.00! It's vegan so theoretically it should cost a bit less to make than a cake with butter and eggs. I remember when they had the incremental price increases for the cakes (over time) the reason given was "a raise in fuel costs" (in part, the round trip cost from Santa Cruz to San Francisco). Well, over time, fuel costs went down but the price of the cakes remained at the same. The cake price did not reflect the drop in fuel costs. But if one wants to buy BC products and you're in San Francisco, go to worker-owned Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, and not some faceless corporate grocery store where your money is going to some big corporation. read more

Just paid $15 for 4 very dry, bland cupcakes. Here's how bad they were, my son handed his back half eaten, and he loves desserts. They were purchased from a New Leaf market, so its hard to say how old they were or who is to blame for the sub-par freshness. They tasted like they had been frozen and thawed, 5 days prior. The "frosting" was like play doh. read more

I love this bakery! The owners/staff are always friendly and helpful. They go out of their way to accommodate. I called late on Wednesday to request cupcakes for my son's birthday and even though their cut off time was in the morning, they still made them for us and were so pleasant about it. I also love that they offer mostly vegan bakery items and they're so yummy! I will buy all of my bakery items from Black China in the future. read more

My favorite bakery despite all the competition out there these days. Incredibly fresh, pure ingredients and flavors, not too sweet, and luscious textures! One would never guess that the desserts are vegan and honestly, it wouldn't matter. Black China Bakery represents the finest, high-quality baking and I recommend them to everyone. I have a loaf of their amazing lemon tea bread on order and coming this week... read more

My husband and I were introduced to Black China Bakery's Vegan Chocolate Cake by a friend a few years ago. Since then we are both ardent fans. BUT, to be fair, in the last couple years we have found some equally great and equally satisfying cakes at the local Whole foods as well. I know some Whole Foods carry Black China cakes but one day when I went, they were out of it which made me buy one of their Whole Food cakes and oh My! they were awesome too. So, all in all, great cakes but if you don't find one in your local Whole Foods then I would say go with the WF bakery ones- truly amazing for dessert lovers like me :P read more

The Black China Bakery's cakes are AMAZING! I usually by the chocolate cake slices at New Leaf in Felton. This is by far the best chocolate cake I've ever had. The other day they were out of the regular chocolate cake so I bought a vegan german chocolate slice as well as a vegan chocolate slice. My boyfriend and I both agreed after tasting both slices, that had we not known they were vegan, we would have had NO idea!!! They were both incredibly delicious. My only complaint is that there cakes and other treats are hard to find, even in Santa Cruz. I wish they still had their cafe. I believe now they just have a wholesale kitchen- bummer! read more

Vegan Carrot Cake - Come ON!! Do you guys taste this crud before you ship/sell? The frosting is inedible and the cake itself is dry - I'm BUMMED!! $4 wasted on this piece of .... cake. read more

I must have been lucky - I got Black China's vegan carrot cake at 2 Whole Foods in the North Bay and fell in love. Not too sweet and made of wonderful, complex ingredients. Wish they had the whole cakes there for a birthday party in November. I'm so gone on this bakery I might even drive to Santa Cruz for pick-up. Can't wait to taste it all! read more

black china bakery is the best damn bakery in the universe! they make the best cakes and i am really amazed at their service. for my husband's 60th birthday i ordered a terrific german chocolate cake (yummy!) and it was FABULOUS! i ordered a dozen assorted cupcakes in several other flavors just in case and i had several folks tell me the cake was dry. i called allen at the bakery and he was terrific. he said he would speak to the owner and amazingly he called back and they insisted on sending me a wonderful gift certificate and felt awful about the experience and really care about their customers! wow! allen said they would even speak to their bakers to see if maybe they can figure out their timing in baking to make sure that their cakes remain moist! wow! now that is SUPER customer service! i am sold on their products, their customer service and great attitude! i HIGHLY recommend BLACK CHINA BAKERY! read more