Best Cake Delivery Services

Best Overall: Bake Me A Wish!

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $48 per cake
• Delivery Area: 50 states (plus military bases)
• Free Shipping: No

Why You Should Try It

With a wide selection of cakes for all different occasions that can be shipped overnight if need be, Bake Me A Wish! has everything you’d want in a cake delivery service.

Pros and Cons 

Overview 

Bake Me A Wish! offers dozens of decadent cakes in all kinds of flavors — some pretty standard, and some rather creative (limoncello, anyone?). You can also opt for cheesecakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, pies, and even fruit baskets through the Bake Me A Wish! website. Just about any occasion can be accommodated, along with plenty of personalization options. And if you’re sending your cake as a gift, it will arrive in a gift box with a card. 

Pricing and Plans

Cakes start at $48 and go up to $130 for personalized sheet cakes.

Best Birthday Cakes: Milk Bar

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $62 per cake
• Delivery Area: 50 states
• Free Shipping: No

Why You Should Try It 

As its motto says, Milk Bar’s been “shaking up the dessert business since 2008.” The beloved storefront in NYC now has locations across the U.S. and ships its delights just in time for a birthday celebration. 

Pros and Cons 

Overview

The brainchild of award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi, Milk Bar has been churning out creative and delicious cakes, cookies, pies, and other confections since 2008. Milk Bar’s default birthday cake is Funfetti-inspired, complete with thick layers and a “naked” exterior (i.e., no frosting around the outside) so you can see all the artistry at work. Milk Bar has locations in multiple cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., but if you can’t make it to one, the company ships its products nationwide in 1 to 2 days.

Pricing and Plans

• 6-inch cakes: Start at $62 
• 10-inch cakes: Start at $140
• Gluten-free cakes: Start at $67 (for 6-inch)

Best for Gifting: Harry & David

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $25 per cake
• Delivery Area: 50 states, plus Canada, Germany, the U.K., and APO/FPO addresses
• Free Shipping: No

Why You Should Try It 

You may know Harry & David for its beautiful, high-quality fruit baskets, but the company is the go-to resource for gifting all kinds of cakes, too. 

Pros and Cons

Overview 

Known for its impressive gift baskets, Harry & David is a staple in the gift-giving business. And if there’s a cake you want to send as a gift, chances are Harry & David makes it and can ship it straight to your recipient’s door. You can order cheesecakes, tea cakes, Bundt cakes, and birthday cakes, with classic flavors such as chocolate, hummingbird, carrot, and more. 

Pricing and Plans

Cake prices start at $25 and go up to $80.

Best Variety: Goldbelly

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $17
• Delivery Area: 50 states 
• Free Shipping: Varies depending on vendor/brand

Why You Should Try It

Goldbelly can send a cake from almost any well-known bakery, celebrity chef, or up-and-coming food maker from across the country and ship it to your doorstep. This is the go-to curated clearinghouse for delicious gourmet cake deliveries.

Pros and Cons 

Overview

When we say “best variety,” we mean it. Among its several hundred cakes, Goldbelly can send you a cake jar, Bundt cake, coffee cake, decorated cake, cheesecake, ice cream cake, loaf cake, and cakes of all flavors. You can also order a king cake, fruitcake, or something called a “piecaken,” which combines pie and cake into one creative and impressive dessert. Brands and chefs include Duff Goldman, Ina Garten, Carla Hall, Daisy Cakes, We Take the Cake, and many more.

Pricing and Plans

Prices start at $25 for boozy cake pops from Knipschildt Chocolatier all the way up to $360 for a 25-pound, Texas-shaped fruitcake from Gladys’ Bakery. 

Best for Same-Day Delivery: Instacart

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• Starting Price: Varies by selection
• Delivery Area: 50 states
• Free Shipping: Varies

Why You Should Try It

For last-minute cake emergencies (we’ve all been there) that require same-day delivery, Instacart is the go-to choice. 

Pros and Cons 

Overview 

If you need a cake on the fly, Instacart is here to save the day. Just pop your ZIP code into the app to assess delivery options based on where you live. Instacart works with grocery stores and mass merchandisers across the country (like Fairway, SuperFresh, Kroger, Wegmans, Giant, Aldi, H Mart, The Fresh Market, etc.) to bring food — and most importantly cakes — to your doorstep. Keep in mind that what’s available to you will depend on where you live. For example, if you live in New York City, Wegmans, Aldi, Fairway, and SuperFresh all deliver within hours. Specialty stores are part of the network, too, like Di Bruno Bros. in Philadelphia, for example. 

Pricing and Plans

Pricing and cake selection will entirely depend on where you’re located. Here are a few examples of cake pricing at various stores on Instacart: 

• Pink rosette cake from Fairway in New York City will cost $21
• Vanilla layer cake from Di Bruno Bros. in Philadelpia costs $25
• Bakery Fresh Chocolate Cake from Kroger in Chicago: $20

Best Chocolate Cakes: Carousel Cakes

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $60 per cake
• Delivery Area: 50 states
• Free Shipping: No

Why You Should Try It 

Carousel just so happens to make Oprah’s favorite red velvet cake, but we love the company for its selection of over a dozen classy chocolate cakes, which are available for local delivery in New York City. However, if you live elsewhere in the U.S., you can still get Carousel Cakes delivered right to your door through Goldbelly.

Pros and Cons 

Overview 

Carousel offers about a half dozen chocolate cakes for delivery nationwide, some of which are seasonal and change periodically, through Goldbelly. Choose from Chocolate Outrage, Nonpareil Giggle Cake (all chocolate with colorful layers and covered in nonpareils), a Chocolate Mousse Supreme cake, Chocolate Chip Layer Cake, Brooklyn Blackout Cake, and more — all of which are loaded with chocolate. The cakes are all kosher, too, which is an added perk. Whichever cake you choose, keep in mind that Carousel only ships Monday through Thursday. 

Pricing and Plans

If you buy a cake from a Carousel Cakes store, the price will range from $20 for a 7-inch cake to $30 for a 10-inch. If you’re purchasing through Goldbelly, the chocolate cakes all cost $60 plus shipping.

Best for Cupcakes: Georgetown Cupcake

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $42 per dozen 
• Delivery Area: 48 states
• Free Shipping: No

Why You Should Try It 

For cupcakes that are sure to impress (and taste delicious, of course), it’s hard to go wrong with the treats from this Washington, D.C.-based business. Georgetown Cupcakes offers everyday classic flavors along with daily and monthly specials.

Pros and Cons 

Overview

For some beautiful and delicious cupcakes made with high-quality ingredients, look no further. For starters, Georgetown Cupcakes uses European–style sweet cream butter, Callebaut chocolate, and Valrhona cocoa for a gourmet touch. Everyday favorites lean heavily toward chocolate and vanilla, while daily and weekly specials bring in more adventurous choices such as salted caramel, vegan apple cinnamon, or a gluten-free strawberry lava fudge. (Note: Georgetown Cupcakes’ facilities are not gluten or dairy-free, so cross-contamination is possible if you have allergies.)

Pricing and Plans 

The minimum order for shipping is a dozen cupcakes ($42), but there are many ways you can order that. Opt for a monthly assortment, or put together a dozen of your favorite flavors.

Best Gluten Free: Karma Baker

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $135 per cake
• Delivery Area: 50 states
• Free Shipping: Yes

Why You Should Try It

This California-based baker creates some exquisitely beautiful cakes that are both vegan and gluten free, which satisfies two dietary preferences in one fell swoop. If you live close to Karma Baker’s Los Angeles location, you can pick up a cake there; otherwise, everything ships nationwide. 

Pros and Cons

Overview 

The dozen-plus cakes at Karma Baker steer clear of gluten and animal products, but you’d never notice the difference. Flavors feel both retro and modern, such as a chocolate fudge cake, rainbow pride cake, and strawberry eclair crunch (reminiscent of the frozen novelty). Most cakes are six inches, but some are eight, and they’re all dense, layered, and rich; a little goes a long way with these cakes. 

Pricing and Plans

6-inch cakes start at $135. Shipping is free.

Best Vegan: Yvonne’s Vegan Kitchen

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $26 per cake
• Delivery Area: 49 states
• Free Shipping: No

Why You Should Try It 

Yvonne’s vegan cakes make for an absolutely stunning presentation, whether it’s with flowers and other botanically inspired decor or an ombre frosting treatment. The company does multiple layers and multitiers, too, and you can add all sorts of custom fillings and decor to the cakes if you like. 

Pros and Cons 

Overview 

Your vegan friend or family member will love the works of cake art from Yvonne’s Vegan Kitchen, which also happen to be gluten-free. High-quality ingredients and extensive attention to detail mean these cakes aren’t cheap, but they are sure to please. Decorated cake balls are available too, for something fun, along with a New York–style cheesecake with berry compote. Yvonne’s is transparent about the ingredients it uses (the kitchen is peanut-free), which makes it easy for people with allergies and special dietary needs to determine what’s best. Custom orders are welcome, but only if you’re local to the company’s Pasadena kitchen.

Pricing and Plans

A simple four-inch mini cake with decoration and writing starts at $26. The most expensive cake for delivery is the two-layer six-inch pressed flower cake at $132.

Best Allergy Friendly: Caroline’s Cakes

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Key Specs

• Starting Price: $70 per cake
• Delivery Area: 50 states
• Free Shipping? No

Why You Should Try It 

Caroline’s is a family-run business known for its caramel cake and its Southern charm — and the whole kitchen is nut free, too. Cakes come in four- or seven-layer sizes for an impressive presentation.

Pros and Cons 

Overview 

With a seemingly endless list of cake choices, you might have a hard time deciding what to order from Caroline’s. Red velvet, coconut, lemon, chocolate, vanilla, carrot cake — it’s all covered here in the company’s signature four- and seven-layer style. We love that you can order a few of Caroline’s selections as half-and-halfs, like a cake that’s half caramel and half Southern chocolate, for example, to please the indecisive orderers out there. 

Pricing and Plans 

Both 4-layer and 7-layer cakes start at $70. Gluten-free options are priced from $90.