The Tastiest Cupcakes in Oakland

Angel Cakes Cupcakes

★★★★★ 4.8 (781) • $$

"I received a box of vegan cupcakes the day I came home from giving birth to my newborn. Now, these are the only cupcakes I ever think about because they are:1) moist - not oily2) great balance - not too sweet3) delicious, colorful flavors - goodbye boring vanilla and plain chocolate!I'm no longer prisoner of preservative-packed vegan cupcakes from WF or overtly sweet vegan cupcakes from other bakeries! With postpartum brain, I forgot where they came from and had to immediately contact the sender. I googled Angel Cakes Cupcakes and was heartbroken to hear about Jen Angel's passing. RIP to a wonderful and beautiful community organizer, outstanding baker, and one of a kind soul. I hope her legacy and work continues one bite and one march at a time."

Cupcakin' Bake Shop

★★★★★ 4.6 (736) • $$

"The Best Cupcakes you will ever taste!! Love this place!! Thank you for the incredible and professional customer service!"

Gregory's Gourmet Desserts

★★★★★ 4.6 (717) • $

"I had high hopes when coming, as I saw this bakery on my Instagram reels. I was met with a line and a bakery that only allows one group at a time. It took awhile until it was my turn, so be prepared to wait. The man that got our items was quite nice. We got the sweet potato, carrot cake, and peach cobbler cheesecake. For the cheesecake, eat it asap or keep it refrigerated, because it WILL melt! We ate our stuff a few hours after purchasing, so it may have affected the original taste but here is what we thought.Note : most of us have a "traditional" Asian palate The carrot cake and sweet potato cake were quite nice, but the sweet potato cake didn't taste like much. The two had quite a lot of frosting which were a little too sweet for us, but the layers of cake were thick which made up for it. The peach cobbler cheesecake was good, and the topping was perfectly seasoned and sweet. The cheesecake crust was also made very nicely.Unfortunately, (with our Asian palates) it was too sweet for us. So if you prefer desserts on the lighter side, I wouldn't recommend. Otherwise, it was a great stop for a reasonable price."

James and the Giant Cupcake

★★★★☆ 4.4 (593) • $$

"After running by this place for months I came to see that this was thee Oakland cupcake jam! I went inside to get my girlfriend her favorite cupcake (red velvet) and was greeted with kindness, cheerfully educated on my options and overall left with a mini cupcake too. :) Sad that their jack London location closed but just Drive another 15 minutes and do yourself a favor to support this local gem! Cant wait to try the vegan options!"

The Cupcake Shoppe

★★★★☆ 4 (639) • $$

"Maybe located in an interesting area but this shop does NOT miss. This has been my go to place for the past few years to pick up cupcakes, grocery store ones weren't hitting anymore.Customer service is GREAT.Everyone here is very nice. Including the owner(?). I have been here many times and never felt received a hint of attitude or uneasiness. They are welcoming and open to explaining the flavors available. However, I don't understand the tip system for putting the cupcakes in a box but that's not important here.Everyone loves the variety of flavors and quality of cupcakes!Tiramisu, NY cheesecake, carrot, etc. This place has so many different kinds that I can't help but purchase at least a dozen, two if there are flavors that pique my interest.The frosting is delicious, the cupcakes aren't stale or too moist, the perfect amount to hold shape and the frosting on top. They also sell cake pops, banana pudding(?), and slices of cake. They may do custom orders but I feel I have a great experience perusing the different options on display that I don't need to place an order ahead of time.Overall, love this place. Will be my main cupcake shop indefinitely."

Sweet Bar Bakery

★★★★☆ 4 (589) • $

"Overpriced insanity I ordered an everything bagel with bacon and cream cheese. I was charged $1 to toast the bagel (which was the start of the insanity.) I was handed a cold bagel barely toasted (it was barely warm) and ONE SINGLE piece of bacon. I paid $9.45 for absolute nonsense and I'm furious. I won't ever be back."

Marley's Treats

★★★★☆ 4.3 (476) • $$

"I'm so sad that Marley's Treats is closing their storefront! They'll stay open throughout February (March onwards, TBC) before transitioning to catering only. As a huge Pandan/Ube fan (but also someone who does not have a sweet tooth), this hits hard. These flavors are my absolute favorites! I ordered my wedding cake from Marley's--an 8" UBE CAKE ($135) along with dozens of UBE CUPCAKES ($32/dozen)--and they were a hit! So many guests raved about how moist and yummy they were. Delivery to Walnut Creek ($40) was smooth too.When I visited their store, I also tried the UBE FLANDESAL and UBE OREO CUPCAKE. They were decent, but I definitely preferred the ube cupcakes. The flandesal's leche flan filling was a bit too sweet for me. It was coconutty, and slightly salty which helped balance the sweetness a bit. I also found the Ube Orea cupcake to lack ube flavor in comparison as the oreo cream kind of diluted it.However, the PANDAN ICE CREAM $11 for a pint, took me by surprise. It's super green (probably an extract), but the texture is creamy--not icy at all. The pandan flavor is actually strong, which is rare! Most spots dial down the pandan/ube flavors, so it ends up too subtle, but not Marley's Treats! I personally like this more than other pandan ice creams I've had (like Garden Creamery and Miharu). My husband also tried their UBE PANDAN CRUNCH ICE CREAM and he said it was really good too, but they didn't have it when I was there.That said, the UBE MILKSHAKE was painfully sweet. I had it on an empty stomach and felt sick after a few sips--couldn't even finish it. Also felt that the milk kind of watered the ube flavor down (compared to cupcakes/ice cream). Their milkshakes are only for those with a serious sweet tooth.Btw, I'm on a mission to try all the pandan cakes/ice creams/coffees in the Bay Area. Haven't tried too many yet, but I'll report back. At least I have had Singapore's Bengawan Solo Pandan cake to compare as a gold standard!***Tip: Catering only after February :( think it's street parking only, but there are meters in the downtown.Likes: Ube cake, ube cupcake, pandan ice cream, ube pandan crunch ice creamMeh: Ube Flandesal, Ube MilkshakeLast words: Strong ube and pandan flavors (extracts)"

Cupcakin' Bake Shop

★★★★★ 4.7 (325) • $$

"This is my fav cupcake spot!I love the decadent cupcakes with a variety to meet any palettes selection! It's black owned too with a few different locations. I recommend coming early to get them fresh before the sell out or preorder(for an up charge)"

Cupcakin' Bake Shop

★★★★☆ 4.4 (158) • $$

"Celebrating both my and my girlfriend's birthday together. She's on the 11th and I'm on the 22nd. I'm not going to lie. The first time I came here I thought they were a little expensive for a cupcake but now on my 2nd visit they are most definitely worth it. Interesting flavor combinations but the the key to their cupcakes is the detail. The icing is flavored often but what's important is that it's not overbearing. Details: they had a Key Lime Pie and the detail that set it up was the crumble crust on the bottom. I love stuff like that. Creative Flavors: Passionfruit Bourbon. I wept. Flavors change often so when you get there you can find out or call. These desserts are very light and never feel heavy.Warrants going all out and getting a sugar high on these cupcakes.Go!"

Mom's Homemade Bread

★★★★★ 4.8 (99)

"Mom's Homemade Bread was on my radar because David N posted all the goodies offered by this business...mochi, Chocolate haupia pie and of course, a Crunch Cake! Celebrating my sister's and brother-in-laws birthday decided to place an order for all the items above....ordering online was straightforward and simple with a mutual pickup spot from the Castro Valley BART station. Since I'm not a big fan of mochi or chocolate pie (I know, I know it's a texture thing) I can't fairly give a rating but guests really enjoyed these items. The Coffee Crunch Cake was delicious but have to say I have my favorite spots...the cake texture was more bouncy like an Asian-sponge cake with smaller crunch bits...not overly sweet with a nice balance.Reasonably priced, friendly customer service with a taste of Hawaii close to home. Support this small, local business, Mom's Homemade Bread for your next event"

Ladyfingers Cakes

★★★★☆ 4.2 (101) • $$

"We ordered a cake here for my daughter's birthday. We went with a Bluey themed cake that I got the inspiration from instagram and emailed them for a quote. I got a fairly quick response and decided to order through them. Turned out as what I expected. It was a bit on the pricier side when adding the custom decorations but other than that, everything went well from the ordering, to picking up, presentation, and taste of the cake. All our guest enjoyed it and no crumbs were left behind. Will definitely order from them again!"

Dessert & Spice

★★★★☆ 4.2 (29)

"Omg desserts were AMAZING! We randomly walked by this place and they said they just opened. Server was sweet and friendly. There was seating inside with not only desserts but they had coffee drinks! Ambiance was peaceful and quiet. Definitely would come back!"