The Caker reviews and discussion

I was given a box to try out by the company and I absolutely loved the finished product. A high end boxed cake mix is more fun than you think, and the cake was soooo delicious.

Embarrassingly, I haven't made any of The Caker cakes myself, but I've gifted multiple and they're an absolute hit every time. I'm not an easy pleaser, the boxes are stunning. period!

Amazing concept - have purchased in the past. However, wanted to try the carrot cake mix which was delicious! This is nice to have on hand for spontaneous gatherings. It is on the pricey side for a box cake so as long as they create delicious and adventurous flavors, I will still be interested in purchasing.

Cake and everything is fine. Nice packaging, easy to follow directions.

i am A BIG CARROT CAKE PERSON and yes, i was skeptical of the price (even for a thingdrop), but the cake was absolutely delicious. the currants and quality of ingredients is far superior to what i'd normally pick up in the grocery store (both to diy and behind the glass). the box comes with almost everything you need minus the pan and a whisk. instructions were just as straightforward as a regular box cake but the TASTE.... THE DIFFERENCE.... i'm in freaking love!

Im going to preface this review by saying that I am a very experienced baker. Formerly a professional, now a hobbyist, so I will admit that I ordered this kit with some degree of skepticism. I have tried to not let that color my review, but unfortunately, my fears have proven out. Im going to split this out into two sections: the kit itself, and the cake. The Kit: $25 for some sugar, flour, spices, and a little pouch of caramel is *insane*, yes, but overpriced Instagram-aesthetic products seem to be popping up all over the place now. If all you care about is how slick this will look on your hand-marbled DIY kitchen counters next to your felt letter board then you'll love it. The kit contains 3 pouches: The cake mix, to which you must add 2/3 cup oil, 2 eggs, and 8.5oz shredded carrot. The frosting pouch, to which you must add an 8oz block of cream cheese and the small caramel pouch. The cake mix and frosting mix were easy to open, the caramel pouch needed a small snip with scissors. It also contains a parchment round for lining the pan, more on that later. I wish the currants were in a separate pouch, as dried fruit in carrot cake is a preference that many do not share. Mixing was easy enough, although this mix is extremely thick, far thicker than the batter for a banana or zucchini bread, for example. The instructions make some claims that admittedly made me roll my eyes a bit, like when they say that the parchment round is oversized "so you will end up with The Cakers signature ripples in the sides of your cake". Who knew that lazily sizing my parchment for sloppy edges could be "signature"? Also "the density of your cake is completely intentional" feels a little disingenuously apologetic, before anyone has even taken a bite. The icing came together quickly, and the amount of caramel felt sufficient, even generous. The Cake: It's fine. Really, just fine. The cake is moist, the frosting is good (but, come on, it's cream cheese and sugar, hard to screw that up), the caramel, in my opinion, could use a bit more depth - it's nothing special. There was plenty of frosting for the cake, possibly even too much for a single layer. At the end of the day though, I have a hard time being enthusiastic about spending $25 plus supplies for a single-layer 8" carrot cake. It comes out to almost $30 and for that, I think you'd be much better off just buying a jar of caramel, a bag of sugar, and a bag of flour and making 4 or more of these. You'd already have to get out the hand mixer for the frosting, a grater, a couple of bowls, a measuring cup, and a rubber spatula. You might as well save yourself some money and add in another measuring cup and spoon. (To preempt some of the claims/comments I have seen from the owner on this point, ground almonds and nutmeg cant make up that price difference.) In my experience boxed cake is mainly about 3 things: Convenience, cost, and predictability. This kit adeptly negated the first two, though it did make a very acceptable cake in the end. Like all cake kits, it only contains the stuff you most likely already have in your pantry - and charges you through the nose for their (admittedly very nice) packaging. I would not repurchase and I would not recommend this product.

*Sigh* I reeeally wanted to like this. I love everything about this brand's aesthetic, they're basically upending what we know to be a boxed cake aisle dominated by Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker. I tried the Caker's spiced pear cake mix from Martie. The expiration date was marked as September 2022 when I bought it in December 2022, but apparently that was just a manufacturing error. Points to the Caker for minimizing waste and selling product that was still a-okay to use. Here's where things went downhill. The spiced pear cake called for two pears, diced. There were no volume or weight measurements for this. Anyone who bakes knows that moisture content can make a huge difference in the final outcome of a baked good, and here I was without a single clue of how much pear to put in this cake. Type of pear can also make a difference! I threw two diced pears in between layers of cake mix per the instructions and immediately felt that it was too much. Regardless, I put it in the oven despite my concern for the welfare of my soon-to-be cake. My hunch was correct, the cake refused to bake all the way through. I was left with a burnt-on-the-outside-and-raw-on-the-inside concoction. I'd be willing to try it again, just because the other reviews are great and I believe the Caker truly strives to make a solid cake mix. But alas, this particular flavor was a bust for me.

I think this is such a cool concept, and I'm glad I got it as a Thingdrop-- but not sure I'd pay the full price for a cake mix. The cakes are gorgeous and upscale, but the marketing photos have flowers and extra ingredients to make it the elevated cake... not necessarily what is included in the box. I understand they're using super premium ingredients, but it is so, so expensive. Potentially I'd buy this for a friend, a very specific friend, but otherwise I don't know if I'll buy more.

I made the carrot cake for my friend's birthday, and it was a complete hit! The cake was so delicious, and very easy to make. Did not taste like a box mix cake at all! It is on the expensive side, so I don't think I would purchase again without a sale or a big discount, as I can get a decent cake in my area for a little more than this box mix. But I am interested to try out the other flavors.

Really good cake and easy to make. Price point is too high to buy without the discount.

The packaging was beautiful and wonderful as well as the unboxing. But I was expecting the cake to to rise a little and not be quite so dense flat, I know carrot cake in general is a dense cake which I love, but I was expecting it to just be a little taller. It didn’t rise at all and I also like my cream cheese frosting to be a little bit more cream cheesy and not quite so sugary so I didn’t add as much powdered sugar as recommended. If you want if you want your pantry to look beautiful with nice boxes and packaging this is a great buy. If you want a cake that’s reasonably priced and just as good I wouldn’t go with this one.

purchased two of these as christmas gifts and they were a hit. i bought the spiced carrot cake and the banana cinnamon cake as i read reviews that the other cake mixes were a little too sweet. the spiced carrot cake was the favorite, it is perfectly spiced and you can taste the carrot without it being borderline just a juice flavor. they are a little pricey but i think the presentation, quality of ingredients, and having a forever recipe is worth it.

I tried the carrot cake and l loved it. The instructions are very specific so it is helpful to read ahead so you can plan to have correct pan size and additional ingredients required.

I love the packaging design, the taste, and the tips that were emailed to me. Yes, you do need more ingredients than a typical boxed cake mix, but you still need less total ingredients than making a cake completely from scratch. I love that The Caker makes more elevated box mixes, and I think this would be great for a gift--I've already ordered one for my friend to make with her young son!

While you do need a lot of additional ingredients, the ones that are already included in the cake mix are high-quality and specialty foods. To be honest, they do not look very attractive if you just bake them according to the directions using only what is provided. The flavor is amazing though, and from trying just the Spiced Carrot Cake kit, I have faith that the others are just as good. I really appreciate the website because you can preview the steps that you need to take to bake it, and it's good to reference while you are in the grocery store (and you don't have to carry around the box). The packaging is really sleek and pretty. Great for gifting, whether baked or unbaked!

It was very exciting to get this product because of its natural ingredients and convenience. The cake packaging is so lovely and classy. It does need more ingredients than I had anticipated for a mix, so it is expensive when I think I’m basically buying sugar, flour and icing. 🥴

4 stars for taste, 2 stars for convenience (or lack there of), and 2 stars for value.

I purchased a kit through Thingdrop but didn't have the best experience. Though the packaging was beautiful, the bags weren't clearly labelled and so I accidentally put the icing mix into the cake and baked it all together. I also wish that they had more options for restricted diets (ex. nut allergy, gluten free, etc)

I made this cake for a small gathering and it was enjoyed by many. The convenience of getting a luxury dessert mix is fun, but not something that I would utilize often, due to the cost and the fact that you need to provide the extra ingredients. As for the caramel icing, it was a bit too much (sweet, rich) for me. I do love carrot cake and will try one any chance I get.

Super tasty cake and beautiful packaging . Would absolutely try again - I will say they are an expensive kit but great quality and taste!