The Bake Shoppe: champagne cake, sticky rolls, and 20-plus years of scratch baking
A from-scratch bakery in Windsor Heights and downtown Waukee, known for Barbara's Original Champagne Cake, custom cakes, and a pastry case worth getting up early for.
The Bake Shoppe has been baking for the Des Moines area since 2003, starting in Windsor Heights and now with a second shop in downtown Waukee. Everything is made from scratch, from the morning pastries to the wedding cakes, and it's the kind of bakery people order from for every birthday, shower, and holiday in the family. It was voted "Best Desserts in Greater Des Moines" by Catch Des Moines.
Start with the champagne cake
If you only order one thing, make it Barbara's Original Champagne Cake. It's the cake The Bake Shoppe is known for, and it comes as cupcakes too. From there, the custom cake list covers just about any occasion: birthdays, graduations, showers, anniversaries, weddings, and religious celebrations, with a cake of the month if you'd rather let them pick.
The pastry case
Get there early. The breakfast pastries include cinnamon rolls, sticky rolls, pecan rolls, bear claws, almond and chocolate croissants, fruit and cheese danish, and the orange yum yums. Right now the most popular item is the mini danish, sold by the dozen as a special order. There are coffee cakes too, in flavors like almond, blueberry, cinnamon nut, and raspberry.
Pies, bread, and cookies
The Bake Shoppe makes 6-inch pies every Thursday, with apple, cherry, blueberry, French silk, and key lime on the regular list, plus pecan and pumpkin for the holidays. The bread is worth the trip on its own: a six-strand braided challah that makes great French toast, a garlic poppyseed focaccia, and rye in light, marble, and pumpernickel on Thursdays. For parties and offices, there are cookie trays, decorated cutouts, and printed logo cookies. If you don't know where to start with the specialty desserts, they recommend the petit fours.
Good to know
Orders are placed by phone or in person only, not by email, and some items need a day or two of notice. There are dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free options, and if you have a severe allergy they ask that you call before ordering. Both shops close on major holidays.
Go: 6611 University Ave, Windsor Heights · 515-255-2253 Also: 420 6th St, Suite 110, Waukee · 515-452-8969 Hours: Mon to Wed 6:30am to 4pm, Thu to Fri 6:30am to 5pm, Sat 7am to 4pm
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