The Southern Grocery Store With the Best Cake (3 Chefs Had the Same Answer)

It’s all about the icing.
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I Asked 3 Southern Chefs to Name the Grocery Store Chain With the Best Cake and They All Picked the Same One

Celia FunderburkEditorial Assistant

published 2 days ago

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[Add a Pinch's "The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe" on a pedestal cake stand, with a slice taken]

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk

There’s a time and place for a homemade cake, perhaps as a heartfelt gesture or to fill an empty Sunday afternoon. But sometimes, all we really want or need is a good old-fashioned grocery store cake. Those cakes have perfectly leveled layers, icing piped on thick, and whimsical designs that, realistically, we could never do ourselves. And where else to find the best grocery store cake than the home of all things butter, sugar, and good-for-the-soul cooking: the South.

As a proud Southerner, I trust all of our best grocery stores to deliver some delicious, moist slices. But because I wanted to find out which store has the best, I asked three chefs in (or from) the South. All three had the same answer: Publix.

Why Publix is the Best Grocery Store to Buy a Cake

To be honest, the fact that Publix was the agreed-upon grocery store wasn’t really a surprise to me. The Florida-based store has one of the most loyal fan bases out there. I personally love the chain, but it seems that I may have been spending too much time hyping up its iconic “Pub Sub” and far too little on its bakery selection.

On his birthday, Justin Burke, a pastry chef in Columbia, South Carolina, doesn’t want something fancy. He prefers a cake “that takes me back to being eight: retro buttercream piping, buttery vanilla cake, that super-moist crumb that pushes you for a second helping.” To Burke, Publix is just the place to go for both nostalgia and flavor. He describes the chain’s cakes as having a “sweet, fluffy buttercream” and “slightly retro-campy piping.” And adds that you can rely on them to always taste good.

Keya Wingfield, a pastry chef based in Richmond, Virginia, also couldn’t help but recommend picking up a cake from Publix. She specifically loves the bakery’s almond raspberry cake. “It has that quintessential wedding cake flavor vibe,” she says. “You just know you’re about to celebrate something when you bite into that cake.”

Our very own food editor, Patty Catalano, lives in Florida and also voted for Publix, saying that “Publix cakes and celebrations go hand in hand in the South.” Catalano says its cakes can be found at every special occasion, like a child’s birthday party and even weddings (which is exactly what her sister-in-law did).

“The cakes are plush and soft with an even crumb,” Catalano says. “The icing is light and sweet but not too sugary.” And even though Catalano cooks and writes about food for a living, everyone in her family asks for Publix cakes on their birthdays.

Which grocery store chain do you think has the best bakery cake? Let us know in the comments below. 

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