Black China Bakery

I have only ordered the Vegan Chocolate Cake, I will be ordering the Vegan German Chocolate Cake this week because… duh, coconuts, why wouldn’t I want that extra amazingness?
My experience with the bakery is totally solid. Down-​to-​Earth people that are RIDICULOUSLY BUSY. The only thing I know is that it takes a few tries sometimes to connect on a phone, but there is a reason why these people are so dang busy. What they do is an art and it is in high demand. My life would not be as enjoyable as it is without the vegan cakes from Black China Bakery.

I only order the vegan chocolate cake so I cannot comment on the other goods. Moist, dense, flavorful, satisfying. I truly think my life would be miserable without being able to order this cake once a month «just because.» I serve it to dairy eaters and they enjoy it just as much. I am not vegan but this is my go-​to cake above any other bakery’s cake.

I wanted to love the Black China vegan treats I purchased from Whole Foods but was terribly disappointed. Both the chocolate and vanilla cakes had icing that was rubbery and flavorless. The cake was dry and salty. The vanilla cake had a strong lemon flavor which was so bad I couldn’t even finish (and I LOVE dessert).
The cakes looked pretty but I wonder if they were actually meant to be those styrofoam «stand in» cakes they use at weddings sometimes.
I know it’s not that difficult to make even mediocre vegan desserts. I have no idea what Black China is doing, but whatever it is, it’s all wrong.

Katelin Bowers Brightman made sure we had the most beautiful and delicious cake for our wedding!!! The cake was gorgeous and decorated with three tiers of Dahlia flowers. The cake had vanilla frosting and the bright red and orange flowers made it so lovely. My guests told me either they went back for seconds or wished they had!
The cake was delivered in plenty of time and I didn’t want to cut into it, it was that beautiful. Thank you Black China Bakery and Katelin for being a part of our very special day. We highly recommend any kind of baked good from this bakery and of course your wedding cake!
Best Wishes,
Sandy & Troy Virostko

My husband and I were married in Capitola on July 20, 2013 and had some amazing cupcakes baked by Black China Bakery.
Katelin at Black China Bakery was fantastic to work with. Black China Bakery is a whole sale bakery that works with stores including Whole Foods. We were drawn to them by a friend who lives in Santa Cruz because they are vegan and I have a sensitivity to dairy. They have cupcakes that are also not vegan but trust me when I tell you that you would not know the difference!
The carrot cake is to die for and the german chocolate was mouthwatering. Everyone commented at how great the cupcakes were.
We did a tasting prior to our booking and Katelin was very flexible with times since we were driving out from the east bay. We met with her on an early evening and she had us taste several kinds of cupcakes with no additional charge.
We also ordered some fantastic shortbread cookies– I wish I would have ordered more of them!
They came and set up a beautiful display of cupcakes and cookies that everyone enjoyed.
They were so enticing in fact that a few people were caught stealing cupcakes before our small cake was officially cut! I would call that a success!
Some friends fessed up to eating several cupcakes. I’m glad I ordered extra!

I used to be a huge fan of Black China, especially because they used to be the very best in vegan baked goods. They ship a lot of them to Whole Foods. Sadly, when I tried their cupcakes at the Whole Foods Walnut Creek AND the Whole Foods in Monterey, both stores carried their cupcakes that were terrible. They were old and stale tasting. The cake part was hard and dry. The frosting was hard.
I will say I did purchase their German Chocolate Cake from Whole Foods Walnut Creek for a birthday last month and that tasted delicious. I’m so surprised at how different the cakes vs. the cupcakes taste. I am not sure why. I was told that they store freezes the cupcakes and then ships them frozen to the stores to preserve them. I can understand that, however, because I had been a huge fan I kept an open mind and on two tries recently both times were terrible.
So my fiancé and I went directly to their location in Santa Cruz and tried two straight from their bakery. A German chocolate and a raspberry vanilla cake. Both of them were good but not great. Same issue with the cake is that it is hard and dense and dry.
I was so hoping to order Black China for my wedding because I’ve been a fan for many years, but sadly, they just don’t taste as good as I remember them. We went with another place instead.

Just paid $ 15 for 4 very dry, bland cupcakes. Here’s how bad they were, my son handed his back half eaten, and he loves desserts. They were purchased from a New Leaf market, so its hard to say how old they were or who is to blame for the sub-​par freshness. They tasted like they had been frozen and thawed, 5 days prior. The «frosting» was like play doh.

Black China did an amazing job for my wedding cake in March 2012. The cake looked beautiful and tasted great. Everyone at Black China was really helpful in picking out flavors and the design. The cake was delivered on time the day of the wedding and it looked perfect! I have never been to a wedding where so many people enjoyed the wedding cake.

Vegan Carrot Cake — Come ON! Do you guys taste this crud before you ship/​sell? The frosting is inedible and the cake itself is dry — I’m BUMMED! $ 4 wasted on this piece of … cake.

Great vegan cakes and cupcakes — the cake is moist and tasty. They do contain wheat and soy (which I can eat).
My favorite is the chocolate — the frosting is amazing. The goods are available at Whole Foods.