A Baker’s Wife

Everything here is delicious. Especially the hot ham and cheese croissants. They have a tiny round white cake filled inside with home made caramel/​butterscotch light filling. The tiny cake has a wonderous butter flavor. Their Russian tea cake cookies little $. But as a special treat are magnificent. Yes cake donuts (holes are fun) fresh are best in the state. Only one negative are their cakes — too dense heavy weak flavor. We special ordered a huge sheet cake and the cake part was dry. Maybe part was frozen. Very disappointed. But everything else and the staff are wonderful.

The best! Everything I’ve had has been great, but I’m the most blown away by the plain cake donuts. They’re just… the first time I had one I thought «it tastes like it was made by an archetypal grandma… a grandma who LOVES me.» Then I visited another time and got an iced coffee — the ice cubes were made of coffee! Again, I felt loved.
Go, bring cash, get tasty things, be happy.

Everything I’ve had from A Baker’s Wife is great. The Danish, the Turnovers, the Croissants, the American Teacakes, THE DONUTS! I love this place. Its not a fancy frou-​frou, or hipster-​style bakery, its plain and simple, but the baked goods make everything else immaterial.
If you don’t carry cash you may not be happy because they don’t take credit cards, but that’s probably what helps keep these delightful goods affordable. Get yourself some cash so you can buy their stuff.
PS: I also love the Baker — he’s always smiling, I think he must love his job, and he is sure is a master.

A Baker’s Wife cake donuts are the holy grail of donuts. I have spent my entire adult life looking for this very cake donut. They get right what dang near everyone else fails to achieve in a cake donut: the moist, tender, flavorful inside, surrounded by a crisp, fried exterior. Seriously, cake donuts need to be fried to be worth eating. Don’t waste my time with a baked cake donut.
A Baker’s Wife’s cake donuts are so good, they don’t even need icing or cinnamon sugar (although those are great, too). One bite of a plain cake donut and I was hooked. These donuts are a religious experience for me. Well worth the hassle of remembering to bring cash, since they don’t take cards here.

I still can’t get enough of this place. It’s 30 minutes from my house which is probably good, because of it was closer I’d have a serious problem. The donuts are the best in the twin cities and it’s not close. If your looking for creative, cool, interesting, hip flavor a this is not your place. But if you want a simple classic done to perfection stop in and buy a dozen. Even if you’re eating along, it’s about $ 6 so you can’t go wrong, you’ll eat the leftovers at 1:00 on the morning, it’s worth it.
I’ve now tried a few other things as well though and they are all just as good. The American Teacakes are amazing. I’ve never had it heard of a Teacake before but it’s so good, just buy one you won’t regret it. We also tried a loaf of bread, which not surprisingly was delicious. I don’t think you can go wrong here with anything.

Amazing! I live in Florida, but every time I visit my brother, this is my first stop. Best bakery!
Their caramel cakes are so yummy!

The baked goods were good. The NY cheesecake was light and airy, the lemon bar was nice and tart, and the million dollar bar was meh. The gals working the counter were too involved in their gossiping to care much about customer inquiries. This place is a bit «out of the way» for me, the staff didn’t leave much of an impression, the goods aren’t good enough to bring me back alone.

Without a doubt, best croissants EVER! And, I’ve been to France… these are so much better! Everything I’ve tried here is spectacular!

The American Teacake is literally THE BEST ever. Traveled many places and never found anything like it! (I hope that is the name). Flaky, buttery, and delicious! I love the community vibe, been going here since before 2006! Great staff! Probably best bakery in Minneapolis– HANDS DOWN! Couldn’t imagine the neighborhood without it!

I’d run down the 28^th Street naked, with my flat booty hanging out and all, if it meant eating their New York cheesecake again. (I’m upping my squat game, OK?)
*****
New Year’s resolutions can kiss my a**. A majority of them concern losing weight, when they should really be about eating more baked noms from A Baker’s Wife. And the fact that I didn’t visit them during my time in Minneapolis is a freaking-​sin. Like, talking back to your mother sin. Or, swearing in a church-​sin. Or, when I change the channel on my girlfriend when she watches Love & Hip-​Hop because it’s so trashy-​sin.
*****
I. FOOD & DRINK
I didn’t grow up eating baked goods (Asian family), so the only exposure I got were the times I went over to my white friends’ cribs. And then their moms would make these bomb-​as-​hell cakes, cookies, cupcakes, etc… and all of their flour-​y, sweet awesomeness would get me hella high. #becausesugar
When I would return home, I be like, «mom, why can’t we eat baked goods like white families?» And she would reply, «because you have to study.» That doesn’t make any sense, right? Exactly. Anywayssssss…
A Baker’s Wife reminds me of those times I used to get high on sugar as a shorty. Their baked goods don’t necessarily look the most refined — like Patisserie 46 or Rustica — but damn do they taste amazing and from a home! What I tried:
*Croissant: Perfectly flaky, buttery, and soft. Just heavenly.
*New York Cheesecake: Unlike ones bought at a convenience store, this one is not very sweet, not immensely compact, and sort of pillow-​y. Yas. In my face. Sexy time.
*Red Velvet: It was pretty good, but not my favorite (could use some olive oil to make it a bit more moist). So if you like red velvet, it’ll satisfy your craving. Just not the best thing on their menu, IMO, though.
They also have coffee, hot chocolate, chai, etc. but I didn’t get a chance to try any.
**Side Note: They have a gigantic pointing hand cutout that has the word «bread» on it. I sort of want to buy it. Or steal it. But I live in Atlanta. So, that’s not possible.
II. SERVICE
Two folks held it down behind the counter. Super nice. No problems.
III. ATMOSPHERE/​DÉCOR
Joint is pretty small, so it’s more of an order-​to-​go type-​of-​place. –In contrast to other bakeries I’ve been to, this one feels like the most home-​y. (I’m just killing this review with hyphens.)
IV. PRICES
My big bro paid (all cash), for those three items listed above. I think it came out under $ 9. Pretty freaking affordable, if you ask me!
V. OVERALL
I don’t know the story behind A Baker’s Wife, but if I was that baker, I’d be sure to do whatever my wife desires (helping her with her resume, picking up kids from soccer, anything sexually, shoot, whatever!) to keep her happy. (That cheesecake, yo!) I’m seriously kicking myself for not visiting A Baker’s Wife when I lived in Minneapolis, so I’ll end with this.
Efff you, Jon. Efff. Freaking. You.
*****
Thank you for reading my William Faulkner-​esque aka train-​of-​thought review.

Simply the best cake donuts in the Twin Cities. Go early on a Sunday for warm, fresh donuts.
Favorite is the cinnamon sugar, it’s classic and perfection. Must try the chocolate cake donut, the icing is simple but perfect, and the American Teacake is huge and a little overwhelming, but absolutely delicious. It’s light and fluffy but packed with sweet flavor. Plus you cannot beat the price– approx 50 cents each. The price alone will have you coming back.
Bring cash though, they don’t accept cards. Be prepared to wait on a weekend morning, but the line goes fast.

It would be far easier to tell you the things not to get here — and even then — I don’t trust that they weren’t flukes. Everybody has an off day.
This is the best overall bakery in MN for a few reasons.
Selection (breads, cookies, cakes, pastries, donuts).
Value (size, quality, cost).
Atmosphere (small town vibes and no posing).
The donuts. ABW doesn’t do raised donuts or ridiculous donuts. They do cake donuts. Cinnamon sugar. Chocolate frosted. Powdered Sugar. Plain. And they are .49/.59 each. GTFOutta here. Show up early and get two warm cinnamon sugar donuts for less than a buck and they melt in your mouth. They. Are. The. Best. I think some of these other donut places are charging a cover just to get in the door. Two for a buck!!! C’mon.
The pastries. Favorites: Lemon bar, chocolate croissant, American tea cake, caramel cake, tart cherry sour cream danish, blueberry cream cheese danish, pumpkin bar… umm…forgetting some. To be amended.
The bread. It’s summer. You’re having some annoying friends over. Get some good meat. Get some buns at ABW. Cut those puppies open. Give ‘em a nice little layer of butter. Put them face down on the grill for a hot minute. Slide your meat between those buns. Add condiments because condiments are life. Be proclaimed king of summer. These bready bastards MAKE a burger. Oh, they have other damn good breads too.
To this day, I’ve still never had a cookie there. That is some sort of crime against humanity. They look fantastic and are the size of plates. I just always cave in to pastries. This needs to change.
Cash only.
Stop by Buster’s next door for a tasty burger on an ABW bun.

I called up A Baker’s Wife and was all like, «I need 250 cookies» and they were just like, «Ok!»
So easy and accommodating! I had actually tried calling 5 places previously, and no one was able or willing to provide this volume of cookies, let alone any sugar cookies that were not just circular. But A Baker’s Wife happily took my bulk order of fun holiday shaped treats. They offered at least 5 assorted shapes, and I settled on snowmen, stars, trees, and snowflakes. Preparing for such a big event, I was having nightmares of things not getting done in time or something going wrong. So when I called the day I was supposed to pickup my cookies, I was relieved that not only things were running smoothly, but they were already done!
I parked across the street for free and smelled all the smells inside the bakery. It’s a small space, but the employees kept the line moving. I got a whoopie pie that was screaming my name from the case and it was so indulgent. There was a layer of ganache on the inside of the pies which made it even more decadent. The hundreds of cookies were boxed and ready to go, and two super sweet employees also helped me carry them out to my car. I of course had to taste test the sugar cookies, and they were buttery and perfect. They were golden and held up to the frosting we loaded on them, yet weren’t rock hard. Thank you, A Baker’s Wife! Everyone at Unilocal’s Jingle Bowl VI enjoyed your offerings!

This is a fantastic bakery located downtown! The prices are so cheap and the selection of pastries is very diverse. I would recommend getting their chocolate croissant and the raspberry-​sourdough danish. Ask them to warm them up and the pastries are even better.
The owners are so nice. They were closing for the day so they gave me a free loaf of bread to take home. Very tasty bread that was fresh.
Remember to bring cash or check. Parking is a bit tricky and you have to park in the side streets of the residential area.

Super reasonably priced. The Chocolate Croissant nearly killed me dead (good thing I was already in heaven.)
My only complaint? I live too far away.
(Though my wallet and waistline aren’t complaining).

A bakery that knows very well how to bake and serve at low-​cost therefore no frills attached.
You walk in and you’re exposed to all these scrumptious goodies you pick and pay and you leave happily! There are a few tables outside where you can sit and enjoy the treats if you desire!
This place has an awesome collection of cookies, lots of baked goodies, lots of fresh bread and soda. I walked in on a Thursday afternoon at 3 PM it was just perfect since I got a parking right across the bakery and the bakery itself had minimal customers which gave me time to look around.
In general I don’t get overwhelmed when I see desserts. I just look and pick one item what I feel would do justice to my taste buds and therefore I picked the American Tea cupcake.
And boy oh boy it was fantastic it was hard from outside, had a sweet glaze on it and not too soft from inside. I smelt toffee as I took my bites and it tasted a bit toffee-​ish too!
Since it wasn’t too crowded I got excellent service! Both the people behind the counter smiled and chit chatted with me! I will come for more treats again! I will refrain myself from giving it a 5 stars because of the poor décor and store look! But I don’t mind paying lesser dollar for top notch goodies and zero décor!

Yummy Yummy!!! I would give this place ten stars for how good the cake donuts are for the reasonable price of 49 cents but the service was pretty crappy. The girl working the front was not friendly at all. She never smiled, said hello, nothing. I get it. We came 15 minutes prior to closing and the place was pretty packed still so I am sure the day was getting long for her but then have two people out at the counter for donuts sake!
I took Ci and her BFF and we just went for the cake donuts since they were rated so highly on the rankings for Best Cake Donut in Minneapolis. I had a chocolate covered cake and regular cake and they both were so good, I couldn’t stop eating them. I ate one right after the other! I didn’t even get on the road! I sat in the car, opened up the bag, and could not stop until my two donuts were gone! Meg, Ci’s friend did the same thing but she was even luckier because she had a sprinkled one freshly made and to this day, she still says she cant get that donut out of her mind!
I can not attest to anything else here but I came for cake donuts and that’s what I got. You need to ask for them though; There were no cake donuts in the display case. They are sitting on the back counter on school lunch tray– like trays. You know what I am talking about. Had I not opened my yack and asked, we would have left donutless and what a pity that would have been!
Just do it! Get in your car and drive over and get some cake donuts! Thank me later and bring cash!

Do you love carbs? Do you also love America? Look no further for your next go to spot because, this place is boss! We came over after staying in the neighborhood and quickly found out why.
The place has a great feel as soon as you walk in. Quintessential local joint with a great selection of everything carb-​tastic. The American teacake was downright incredible in a addition to being MAMMOTH! Put two of these together and it rivals the size of your head. Donuts were excellent and the cookies spectacular. Our 2 year old was in heaven!
No less than 20 selection at your disposal ranging from very sweet to, «Wow, you put caramel on that!».They’ve also got a legit ham and cheese croissant that will put a smile on the face of the most freedom hating commies! The magic that was happening below the surface of that savory treat was Epic and not to be missed!
An absolute must if you’re in the area!

DAMN you Baker’s Wife for baking the best priced and delicious confections. You know what this means, I have to drive 15 minutes out of my way after a 12 hour overnight shift to grab baked goods whenever my wife has a craving for your scrumptious treats. I ordered apple tart, chocolate stuffed croissant and a donut. All under 8.00. And they were HUGE! They sell gargantuan cookies for 1.50. F#ck! I pay twice that at Starbucks for «gourmet» cookies half the size.
The apple tart was so rich, sweet and tart. I ate half and stashed the other half where no one can get to it. I made sure my two year old didn’t see me enjoying it. That kid can sniff out a sugary treat like a bloodhound after a fox. I hid it behind a 6 pack of beer in the fridge. She doesn’t like beer… don’t ask me why she knows the taste of beer… that’s another tale… don’t judge.
I see myself seeing the Baker’s Wife quite often since my wife is OK with that. Maybe we can both see the Baker’s Wife together someday. I’m sure my wife will enjoy that, I know I would.
Bring cash. No CC accepted.

American tea cake, yes!!! (three exclamation points!)
The American tea cake is buttery, flaky, a little gooey in the middle, dusted with powdered sugar, and almost the size of baby’s head. It’s delicious and amazing with tea or coffee (pst, Angry Catfish brews Intelligentsia just 2 doors down).
Fresh cake donuts! (Also very exciting!)
I’ve not had a cake donut like this before. When warm, they’re lighter, almost fluffy on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, and full of cake donuty deliciousness. A little on the greasy side, but that comes with the territory for most cake donuts.
After devouring the tea cake and donut, you’ll notice almost everything at A Baker’s Wife is big: cookies, brownies, cakes, etc… It’s also very affordable with just about every item under $ 5.
This is a must stop for anyone with taste buds in the Twin Cities, so what are you waiting for?