While planning for lunch with a close friend of mine last week, she suggested The Cake Bake Shop. I had never been, but I had heard wonderful things about the atmosphere and the award-winning cakes. Little did I know I would be walking into the picture-perfect tea party. |
Gwendolyn Rogers, founder of The Cake Bake Shop, has had a passion for baking since she was young. After ending up in Indianapolis in her 40’s, she decided to start over and follow her dream: creating a fairy-tale cake shop for people to enjoy to the fullest. The first location, opening in 2012, is located on Carrollton Avenue in Broad Ripple, Indiana. Two years later, there was a second location, one that accommodated more guests, had a larger kitchen, and had a full bar and bar seating, opened in Carmel, Indiana. The Cake Bake Shop has been recognized locally multiple times, like when she was featured in the Indianapolis Star, Carmel Magazine, and named one of the “Best of Indy 2018” in Midwest Travel Magazine. The shop and Gwendolyn have also been reviewed by big celebrities, such as Oprah Winfrey and Rachel Ray.
While waiting on my friend, I drank a glass of wine and admired the décor. There was a lot of bright white (including little sheep everywhere), nice flowers on the tables, crystal chandeliers, and well-dressed staff. The pinot grigio I got was delicious, and when my friend arrived, I ordered a glass of the pinot noir (suggested to me by my server. He even got me a sample to make sure I’d like it, which I thought was really sweet of him.)
After our appetizer of truffle pommes frites with aioli, we decided it was time for brunch. My friend ordered the French onion soup and a turkey and gruyere sandwich. I went for the sun-dried tomato, basil, and feta quiche with a side of asparagus. Both brunches came with an arugula salad dressed with a house made lemon vinaigrette. Everything was absolutely delicious. The quiche was a big enough portion that I had some to take home to enjoy later. I ate about half of that and the asparagus, and it was as phenomenal when I ate it the next day!
Next, my friend and I decided to share a piece of cake, and when we both saw the lemon blueberry slice, we knew it was the one. The piece arrived looking more like a whole cake, and it was…sparkly! I had never seen anything like it. We ordered a brut rose to pair with the cake, and I think I may have gone to heaven at this point.
Both locations are heavily suggesting making a reservation due to the demand as well as the mandate we are in right now. The Carmel location is running at 75% capacity, and the Broad Ripple location is at 50% currently. This is an amazing spot to celebrate a birthday, engagement, graduation, and anything and everything in between. With a wide selection of coffee, tea, wines, and cakes, it has a little bit of something for everyone. I know personally I am counting down the next opportunity I have to go, and hopefully I get to make it to the original location.