I had my husband's cake made here and it turned out great. I wasn't sure how it would look since I was sick from both jobs the week before. Didn't touch bases with Cake Works until Saturday before. Sick and all everything turned out great. read more

Cake Works - This was a picture of the cake for my husband's birthday! And it tasted better than the taste test. - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Cake Works could not have been more accommodating in assisting me with a desert order for the baby shower I recently hosted on zoom for my niece in Honolulu. I needed a desert specific to the theme and unique needs of a zoom baby shower. They created just what I wanted and made it all so easy to set up. Very professional and customer oriented. I highly recommend them! read more

Gosh, I'm sad to say that I've been here a lot and each time I sort of expect not so great service or array of cakes, cupcakes and macaroons to choose from. Why do I continue to go here? Well, I only go here if my other go to places are closed- say, like a Sunday. I know, terrible. But I'm just being honest.... It all started when we ordered a first birthday cake for our daughter's first birthday. We asked for a Disney theme with Mickey and Minnie and what we got was a whole bunch of marshmallow characters that looked like a messy slew of characters. We were shocked and I still remember the staffs response-"it's the best we did". Wow. I've bought the strawberry cream cake which is pretty good and the macaroons- it's ok. I like the salted caramel macaroons. I also bought the dark chocolate cake and surprisingly didn't taste like genuine dark chocolate. The frosting tasted a little odd- the cake itself was fairly ordinary. I actually told my husband that I preferred a zippys dobash compared to that. Some final thoughts- I really believe that in any industry, service is key. Sadly I must say that I haven't experienced excellent service here. Seems like the staff aren't happy there and your bothering them. I'm sure I'm wrong- it's just the feeling I get. Really hoping they will improve in many areas. read more

Someone gave me some macaroons from this place. I got green tea, red velvet and strawberry flavor. While it looks nice, I didn't like the taste. I have eaten macaroons before and this doesn't taste good. The filling tastes like milk. read more

Cake Works - Strawberry and Red Velvet macaroon - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Out of nowhere, I had this strong & urgent craving for Sprinkles cupcakes. What is a girl supposed to do in such a situation??? " When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" So, of course, yelp directs me to Cake Works. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU SOOooOOO much Yelp! Cupcakes here are so moist, sweet & delicious. The frosting is just sooo full of flavor without an overwhelming cream cheese aftertaste. Must try's are the Lilikoi & Pistachios. read more

I'm not sure if it works? I finally got to taste some of their macaroons at Eat the Streets! However, I was fairly disappointed because most of the macaroons were dry, hard, & flaky. I ordered about 8 macaroons for $15 which included mango, red velvet, chocolate, lilikoi, and ube flavors. Fairly disappointing for $2/piece. A few were delicious and had just the right texture and taste, but only a FEW so I don't think I would ever purchase macaroons here again because of the inconsistency. However, I have not tried their cakes or cupcakes, so if it works out then I will definitely do an update on this review. read more

Great cakes and cookies and good service from Casey! She answered the phone, helped us out and was nice when we actually showed up! A go to place for your wedding cake too! read more

Cake Works - Casey is awesome! Cookies are pretty good too - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So disappointed.... My husband special ordered a cake for my birthday- in the past we have ordered cakes for special occasions here- this time the decorations were something we may have been able to have done at a supermarket- nice but not spectacular...and worse, the cake texture was dry....frosting was very sweet and creamy- that was OK- but was very disappointed in the texture of the cake...it was a vanilla butter - the other issue was that my husband ordered it from their other mini location at the NEX and they gave him a price, then called him and told him it would be more-?? SOOOOO not sure if we should try another cake....dry cake is the worst....so disappointing for a birthday cake.... read more

The best place to pick up mini desserts for a quick birthday gift!

This review is solely on their oh so yummy MACARONS!!! oh my sweet delicious goodness! will definitely have to come back and try other dessets but Macarons are a must, the mango flavored was what won me over! only negative was there was only one person working the front not too sure if she was the owner but she was on the phone which her conversation took about 8 minutes til she finally helped us and the only thing (speaking on behalf of my fiance) he didn't like the fact that she grabbed our macarons without using any gloves just her bare hands...but heck they were still freaking delicious! read more

I couldn't wait to try Cake Works when I heard that Abi, formerly the pastry chef of Honolulu Coffee Co., is the chef/owner. I worshipped Abi's pastry and cake creations when she was there. Not only was everything delicious, but she used the best ingredients and make everything look like a work of art. They told me she had trained in France and she is the only one I have found in Hawaii whose patisseries can rival those produced by the finest bakeries in Paris. Cake Works' main business is in wedding cakes, but they sell cakes, cupcakes and other bakery items to walk-ins. I bought a lilikoi cake with berries, a walnut meringue, a lilikoi cupcake, and something else to try and strolled across the street to the Humane Society, thinking I could eat everything at a table in the dog park. What was I thinking?! Let me just say that I was the most popular human in the dog park that afternoon. Knowing everthing I do about Abi and what she's capable of producing, Cake Works was a huge disappointment to me. As I was perusing the offerings, I noted that nothing even looked like it had the same quality as the items at Honolulu Coffee Co. Gone were the intricate designs, the beautiful presentations, the Parisian-quality pastries. The lilikoi cake was actually frozen, not fresh! The berries were not sweet or ripe. At HoCoCo, when she made a fruit tart, it seemed like she hand-picked only the sweetest, freshest, best looking fruits for the filling; I never had bad fruit there. The cupcake and cake were both very dry and the meringue was chewy, stale, and soggy! I can't even remember what the last item was. I was so disappointed. At least it wasn't too expensive. read more

Got cupcakes and 2 cakes here for mothers day. The cupcakes were dry and it seemed like they put on a lot of icing to make up for it. I was sad as was my sister. The red velvet cake was too dense and thick...I swear our kitchen knife almost didn't stand a chance. My mom said she didn't care for it... But she thanked me for trying... It's located in the middle of king street across from the Hawaii humane society...very obscure location. read more

I give this place 4 stars for the Red Velvet cake! Yumm...=) Just dont get hit by a car trying to cross the street if you happen to be biking or walking here! Since this place is located right next to the Humane Society & H-1 freeway entrance, there are a lot of rushing/ruthless drivers around Cake Works so pleeease be careful! Try the red velvet cake here. It's really good. Buy 1 slice and see for yourself. I think 1 slice costs about $3.50? Maybe a little more I forget. The frosting is perfect... not too sweet, fresh cheesecake frosting..very dense and thick...you can tell it's made with a generous amount cream cheese and not too much sugar.. and the dense cake and the red color is juuust right! I love it when the cake is dense almost like cake+ poundcake... This place has a lot of potential...Gee I wish I can give them a Makeover! We need someone to clean the windows, plant more cute plants outside, really make this place brighter and more welcoming! It could be a lot more popular but they need to find some new people to decorate the cakes and do the fondant work! Like find some highly skilled art/patisserie students because the wedding cake photo album has a few FUGLY cakes. I asked to see the photos of the wedding cakes and they were not impressive. Not sure if I would want my wedding cake from here now that I heard some horror stories of previous reviews. Some of the fake display cakes were falling apart ...geeze they look like they need to be dusted they are so old! I really think they need to hire some new cake decorators to do the fondant work! They could use more of a professional touch and to clean the place up a bit. If they did, this place can go far! Despite the "old" look this place has, I cannot deny that they do have the best red velvet cake I've had on the island so far. If the cupcakes taste as good as the cakes, then I'll definately be back again! read more

my mom was dying for something 'sweet' so we decided to drop by here. amazingly there was actually parking available which was a first. the sucky thing is the parking-hate it. anyway i'm not reviewing their parking situation nor the bakery itself (why in a dingy, old building). sorry for my rant! so we enter and was greeted by some girl with two other ladies working in the 'back.' for one it's kinda warm in there, i guess it's a bakery that's why, OR i must be menopausing (hope not!). we didn't decide so she helped the next customer that entered. there are showcases filled with assorted cookies that were individually wrapped in plastic wrap, sorry i can't remember what kind of cookies. they had a couple of different meringues in glass jars on the counter as well as some almond biscotti. in the showcase next to it was their cakes, like strawberry shortcake, haupia cake, lilikoi cake, lemon crunch cake, and something called 'decadence.' of course they a couple of others but i don't recall what they were. and in the last showcase they had cupcakes and other petite desserts like an 'opera' and red velvet cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes. so, we finally decided and ordered their 'decadence' indeed it looked decadent. thick, chocolate, almost fudge like (maybe a ganache) covered this 8-inch chocolate cake with raspberry and chocolate filling. okay so i'm probably boring the hell out of you now...sorry! the cake in my personal opinion seemed to be a bit 'overrated.' while the cake itself is dense and the chocolate ganache is thick and melts in your mouth slowly, i have to say i wouldn't buy this cake again. for one the price, i know the economy sucks right now and cakes are never cheap, but $28 for this cake and while it looked pretty, it just disappointed me. i suppose i had higher expectations. the cake for me could have been a bit more sweeter, and i loved the density of the cake BUT the chocolate 'ganache' thing was lacking something, maybe it needed more 'depth' or something, or maybe my 'palate' just sucks! hee hee...anyway perhaps next time i stop by i'll give their strawberry shortcake or red velvet cupcake a try... read more

Cake Works - 'decadence' cake - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Koree was absolutely great to work with! We flew in from out of town and I wanted to surprise my husband for his 30th birthday with a special cake and have it delivered prior to our restaurant in Waikiki for his birthday dinner. They were very responsive with my request and sent them a picture of what I had in mind and got it all figured out! Everything was perfect the day of, the restaurant surprised us after dinner by bringing it out and my husband LOVED it! It was Jurassic Park themed and the raptor on top looked so amazing and life like we didn't even want to eat it! The cake was absolutely delicious too, I can't thank you guys enough for doing such an amazing job and making my husbands birthday truly special! read more

Cake Works - Such an amazing cake!! I can't get over how life like the raptor looked!!! - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Love this place and all the different varieties of macaroons my favorite is a strawberry if you're looking to make a special cake care a place to come read more

Cake works did reach out to me to make things right. I appreciate the fact that they reached out to make things right (although they did initially try to blame Me for ordering the wrong cake -- which I didn't. The pistachio cake is no longer made as a chiffon cake and they didn't update the description on their website and I wasn't told about the change. Which is why I expected one thing and they made another.) the third cake I ordered was nicely made and tasted ok. I probably won't be ordering from them again -- just personal preference...I didn't think their cakes were worth driving 45mins for. read more

I've had their macarons at Street Grindz events and when gifted, but I only went to their store for the first time yesterday! Their store is located near the Hawaii Humane Society. It's a small little place, but the staff is incredibly friendly. Aside from selling yummy baked goods, they do custom cake orders, also. At $2 a piece, I can't say Cake Work macarons are the "best" I've had, but they're always coming up with fun new flavors that keep me coming back! I always get their salt caramel and strawberry guava. The strawberry guava macarons has tiny candied guava pieces in their creme. For Halloween 2013, Cake Works made a batch of special macarons with pumpkin, green apple, candy corn, and berry flavors. Some other notes: -They sell "reject" macarons at $5 a box on some days. -Get a free macaron for checking in to Cake Works on Yelp. -Purchase gift boxes for macarons for friends and family. read more

Bad attitude, poor communication (never answers emails), no apologies... Do not associate this bakery with previously owned Mary Catherine's!! No comparison! Original owner of Mary Catherine's now has her own newly opened gluten free (actually gluten free) bakery...Puuwai Aloha Bakery on Lusitana St. Go check it out... Yummy! AND customer service is super... Like it should be. read more

We just moved to Hawaii and I decided that I would have to try as many macarons as possible while we were at Eat the Street. We tried the Red Velvet, Lilikoi, Strawberry Guava, Cappachino one? and one that had a liquor in it. I wasn't impressed with the first three so I just didn't try the others. My husband took a bite of each and then we threw them out. Very dry. I am willing to try their cupcakes. They look great. I'm hoping they are a little more moist. read more

Cake Works - French macaroons. - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Tried their strawberry birthday cake, it was amazing! Not too sweet, very moist, and very low cost for the taste. It's nothing fancy really, and decoration is minimal. But the main thing is the cake! Loved it! Just the right amount of sweetness! FYI, Cake Works, I'll send you an invite, if you do read my comments. You have great cakes, and I'd love share you with all my client and friends; while printing you free money for what my service can bring you. read more

stay away! if you eat the macarons, you get addicted, and then you eat more macarons. i speak from experience! i came in to get gifts for friends and i figured i'd get myself a macaron or two. well, about an hour later i came back and got myself more macarons! they are delicious and SO perfect. i feel like even though i know what happened to hansel and gretel and i understand the consequences and the moral of the story, i would STILL eat the witch's house if it were made from thing from cake works. and i wouldn't be gretel, devising cunning ways to save herself and her brother and destroy the wtich. i would be hansel. i'd be in that cage, getting fat, asking for more macarons. read more

Cake Works - Salted caramel and red velvet macarons. The best! - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Such a colorful display at Cake Works, but what torrid macarons! Unlike the exquisitely light and dainty sandwiches of meringue with buttercream and ganache that simply melt into a fantasy of flavors, these came across with texture of stale cake. For delectable and delicate ones, in just as lovely colors and flavors, try the lady down at the Kaka'ako farmers market on Saturday. read more

Cake works saved the day! After a bakery cancelled three weeks before the wedding, I called frantically and was able to place an order for a 60 person cake. Whew! The design was simple, but they paid attention to what few details we had and made sure everything was correct. We sampled their red velvet, vanilla and chocolate cakes during the consultation and it was delicious! The wedding was at North Shore (Kahuku) and was tricky to find, but they delivered relatively on time and set up quickly with no problems. When we saw the cake, the ribbon was actual fabric ribbon while I was expecting fondant. I guess I didn't specify, but the picture I brought in for reference had fondant ribbon, so I was under the impression we were getting the same. While cutting the cake we hit a few skewers but they were easily avoided once found. I recommend asking about cutting and serving your cake before you try it! The outside layer was a very thick fondant, sometimes too thick to make a clean cut. The fondant puckered a bit after 3 or 4 hours but still looked beautiful. All in all we had a last minute order fulfilled and a delicious cake that fed everyone. read more

Best devil's food cupcake I've ever had! The chocolate devil's food cupcake is way better than Cake Couture, Zippys, Starbucks, Star Market cupcakes! It's rather pricey at $2.75 for the devil's food cupcake, but very worth it. I've tasted their meringue cookies (meh, not getting it again), magic bars (very chocolatey), and some of their blueberry oat bars (probably wouldn't get this again either). Traffic can get crazy, but I'll chance it anyway to purchase my devil's food cake for my birthday in a week. Yummy! read more

First time here. My friend is showing me around... Small shop. Looks run down. I expected more -- clean and modern, perhaps? Counter help didn't seem overly helpful, but did answer my questions. Everything looked good, and according to my friend who took me there said it is. Well... I ordered 6 mini red velvet cupcakes ($1.50 ea) to take home...hmmm, this particular batch tasted dry. I hate to compare, but CPK's red velvet cake tastes waaaay more moist than what Cake Works had to offer. And $2 macaroons?? Flavors are based on availability. On this day they had chocolate, Lilikoi, and green tea. I also ordered the 8" Chocolate Raspberry Decadence ($16.75), but after reading fellow Yelpers' reviews, I'm afraid at what I might find if I slice into it! Okay, okay... I just took a bite... and it's good. It's thick and indeed decadent. I can only handle a couple bites because it's so rich. Need a glass of milk. Definitely. I always have high hopes whenever I go to a bakery, and I was a little disappointed. read more

I had some business to do which had me driving back and forth from Waikiki through Moilili and as I am getting onto N. King St. I notice CAKE. I'd love to tell you my keen powers of perception caught more than that but it was more like an ADHD dog's "SQUIRREL!" kinda moment. Pulling into the same an awkward parking lot I admired the adorableness of this place. I wanted so much to love it but I have to review with an unbiased heart. From the moment I walked in I felt rushed by pleasant young woman. She was nice but how many times are you going to ask if I am ready. Dear lord let me look, let me ogle the fine sweets and where is a menu. I looked and sure enough I didn't see any. Now maybe I am just distracted by the glass enclosed sugar rush but I did not see one. This makes me feel like I am an in a fine collectible boutique where if you have to ask the price "you just don't get it and can't afford it". All the while I'm being asked if I know what I want. The young lady was kind enough to recommend what she liked and what was popular but again I am wondering how many which is determined by a complex mathematical equation of sugar + calories x price= #of goodies. I ask for a half dozen of strawberry guava, raspberry chocolate and carrot cake. Most places I go to will knock off a little for a half dozen and a little more for a full. Turns out that it's $3 a piece. So far this was heading for two stars but the cupcakes were all enjoyable. The carrot cake turned out the best and surprisingly it was the only one not injected with fruit. The fruit reduction for the other two was injected into the cupcake which does add more flavor but I feel if you have a good cake than you don't need any of that. read more

This review is overdue and based on macarons and mini cupcakes only. I stopped by in March for a friend's birthday and figured I'd pick up some macarons and mini cupcakes for her. I saw Cake Works thru a friend's post on Instagram, so thought I'd try it out. Macarons were pretty good - lilikoi being my favorite out of the 9 flavors I chose. Most of them didn't have a distinct flavor and when we were tasting them I kind of forgot what the flavors should have been - it just tasted well hmmm, sweet. I did love the heart-shaped ones, though! Cupcakes were ok... I've had better for sure. The girl that helped me was alright. She wasn't too friendly but she wasn't rude. When I asked her what flavors were popular (since I've never been here before), she couldn't give me a suggestion. I felt rushed although no one else was in there at the time. Oh, and parking really sucks here! BUT, I knew that from prior reviews that parking here is really tricky. And oh boy, yes it was! I managed to score the last, super-tight stall right in front of the shop as the street makes the bend (...and shoots you directly back on the east-bound direction of the freeway). From parking alone, not sure how often I'd be coming back. read more

I've ordered two cakes from here in the last three weeks, both for weddings. The first one was for my uncles wedding. We had a small party of 6 people but the bride still wanted a wedding cake and I was in charge of buying one. I knew I wanted to go to this place since I'd had a birthday cake from Cake Works a couple years before, and it was divine. After I told the staff what I needed, the baker herself came out and helped me pick a Cake design and flavors. We went with just a simple one tier cake with purple edible flowers. It came out beautiful. I chose vanilla chiffon cake with lilikoi curd and buttercream as that was one of their best sellers. It ended up being a very delicious cake. Secondly I came back a week later with my sister to do a cake tasting to order her wedding cake for August. Cake tastings cost $20, which goes towards the cost of your cake if you end up ordering one. They brought out a book with cake design pictures and a sample platter of their best selling flavors. There was a slice of vanilla chiffon cake (made with no butter) with whipped cream frosting and strawberries, and cupcake flavors in Pistachio, Strawberry Guava, Chocolate Brownie, Devils Food Cake, Red Velvet, Banana Cream, and Lilikoi. Upon tasting them all my sister chose a two tiered cake with banana cream on the bottom and pistachio on top. I can't tell you how delicious that pistachio was, OMG! Their prices are super reasonable and they will even deliver the cakes all over the island. I recommend this place to anyone who wants a delicious cake for their event! read more

Cake Works - Wedding cake made with vanilla chiffon cake and lilikoi curd and lilikoi buttercream frosting. - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Cupcakes are divine! Plus they can make any flavor gluten free if you call ahead. Fun local flavors plus the classics. Super friendly service and right now if you have Fivestars they'll send you a birthday reward for 4 free cupcakes. Yum! read more

Cake Work's macaroons and cakes are always the hands-down choices for presents to family and business colleagues, for many years now. Abigail and her staff are always professional and accommodating. I've gone to them for many birthday cakes (custom or otherwise), holiday presents and everything else. Appreciate that they always have parking and it's always so easy to call in and get what I need. Quality baked goods that always make me look good :) read more

Love their macarons (like green tea or mango), but I'm an even bigger fan of the mini cupcakes! Delicious! I always get the lilikoi ones with the lilikoi curd filling. LOVE. I also recommended them as a vendor for wedding cakes because their cake taste's SO GOOD. She wasn't entirely pleased with the decorations (it wasn't the same as she had envisioned), but I thought it looked nice for the price and as a guest at the wedding, I was much more concerned with how the cake tasted - hehe. When I was looking for a cake for my own wedding, I sampled several of the wedding cake vendors in town and none of them even came close to the flavor of Cake Works. They're also at the Ala Moana farmer's market every Saturday (maybe some other markets I don't know about). It's a nice place to go for a snack! Cheap date, guys! Take your GF to the humane society to pet some kittens, then head across the street for a box of macarons or cupcakes. She will be yours forever! read more

Two words, nothing special. I want to stop there, but I'll elaborate a little. So, I was excited about the cupcakes and macaroons, I tried both. The cupcake was ok I guess, I just didn't like the flavor or texture. THEN the macaroons, the all looked so good! I got 3, Hawaii Blue, Mango-lime, and... and... I cant even remember the last flavor because the flavors were just names. None of them tasted like what they were supposed to. They tasted like if they took sugary fondant and made sculpted out a bunch of macaroons. Something else was weird about the macaroons that I couldn't put my finger on until later when I got some good macaroons from somewhere else and had one left over the day after. It tasted like the Cake Works ones, stale. read more

I ordered a small cake with Kristen for my destination wedding and it turned out better than expected. Everyone said the cake was so pretty and also delicious. Most important, Kristen didn't treat my small order less than she would a larger cake (10/12 people only), she offered EXCELLENT service, answered my million questions and made the process of ordering a cake in Hawaii from California stress free. Oh, I should also mention that it was the only place that didn't want to add extra charges just because it was a wedding cake, I told them the design I liked, the colors and they did the rest. Good to leave these things up to the experts. I am very very pleased! This is an excellent bakery When we go back for a vow renewal ceremony I will order from them again. read more

Went for their 3pm-6pm pau hana special! Got the BOGO mini cupcake deal. The cupcake itself was moist and flavorful but the frosting was very thick and oily. It was definitely interesting. However, overall taste was great! read more

Cake Works - Bakeries Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I've been in the hospitality business for 35 years and have had to cut a few wedding cakes. Recently, I had the misfortune to have to cut one of your cakes. The frosting was so greasy and tar like that I had trouble washing it off my hands and the silver wedding set was ruined in our attempt to clean it. What are you using in your frostings? I worry for anyone who ate that cake. read more

Thank you Cake Works for our beautiful 25th wedding anniversary GLUTEN FREE cake. So appreciate how easy it was to order from the mainland. Was excited to find a place that had gluten free options. The cake was beautiful and absolutely delicious! read more

We were very impressed with the quick responses to our requests, and the overall professionalism of the crew at Cake Works. More importantly, our wedding cake was beautiful, delicious and surpassed our expetations! read more

BEST NINJA TURTLE CAKE EVER!!!!! I nephew who loves Ninja Turtles got a special Ninja Turtle cake from Cake Works. This cake was huge, and I thought it was gonna be dry, just because of the size and weight of it. IT WAS AMAZING!!! It was moist, and delicious, probably one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever eaten. I tried to sneak several pieces home with me, but my wife caught me and made me put them back. (Chocolate is unhealthy or something.) I think the only bad thing about Cake Works is the location is a bit hard to get to, but I'm judging this place purely on the cakes. A chocolate Ninja Turtle cake, that was like a dream come true for my nephew. Best present EVER! read more

Mmmmacaroooons ... I don't remember how I found out about this place but I am glad I did. Was told they have the best macaroons in town ... but doesn't everyone claim they do? Anyhow .. their macaroons are indeed great. They have plenty of different flavors so picking one or two is .. well .. you guessed it .. really difficult!! I've had the lychee macaroon, wow! Soo good .. mouth drooling just writing about it. Their pumpkin spice wasn't as good as I would have wanted it to be...but the other flavors live up to their name. Everyone was going on about the blue hawaii but I just wasn't a fan of that one. I hear they make other things too and I'd love to try it .. but for now I'm sticking with the macaroons. read more