There’s nothing more exciting than planning the fun, festivities, and food that come along with a birthday celebration but, if you’re like me, some of the finer details (read: the birthday treats) are better left to the professionals.
While cake is a birthday go-to for obvious reasons, who says the deliciousness has to end there? And maybe it’s not the best time to be blowing out the candles on a cake everyone will be eating.
Whether you’re in the mood for cake, pie, donuts, cookies, macarons, ice cream, or just about anything in between, we’ve rounded up our favourite places to pick up birthday cakes and birthday cake alternatives in Calgary so all you have to do is place the order!
Ollia Macarons & Tea | byollia.com
Macarons are a tasty, gluten-free alternative to a traditional birthday cake and, since they’re bite-sized, you’ve got a great excuse to try more than one flavour! If you still love the idea of a cake, why not try a macaron cake? And for an extra fun way to experience macarons from Ollia, I’d definitely recommend signing up for one of their macaron baking classes (they are currently on hold due to Covid, but will resume next year).
I took one and had a ton of fun learning how to bake macarons from scratch, and took home a giant box of leftovers at the end!
Sucre Patisserie & Café | sucrecafe.com
For a coconut cream cake that you will dream about for days after you’ve taken your final bite, head over to Sucre Patisserie & Café. Looking for a kids’ cake? Eggless cake? Gluten-free cake? Sucre has you covered. For a cake that’s a little lighter, check out their “almost guilt free” chiffon cakes that come with icing made with less sugar than other cakes in the shop. Be sure to place your order at least 24 hours in advance!
Pretty Sweet Bakeshop | prettysweetco.com
For desserts that are as visually stunning as they are delicious, you’ve gotta check out Pretty Sweet Bakeshop. It’s your one stop shop for donuts, cookies, cakes, macarons, cupcakes, tarts, and sweets.
Custom orders must be made at least a week in advance, so plan accordingly!
Crave | cravecupcakes.ca
If you’re looking for a birthday cake or cupcakes that simply can’t be beat, Crave is a no-brainer. Their mini cupcakes are perfect for a bite-sized treat (not saying we wouldn’t go back for seconds on a regular-sized one, though!) Check Crave’s website to see what seasonal flavours are available when ordering, but rest-assured that their classic flavours are on regular rotation for a reason – they’re totally irresistible.
If you want to go the classic cake route, they’ll decorate in any style from abstract to animal cakes. It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re looking for a fun birthday activity, they sell cake and icing mixes so you can bake and decorate your own cakes or cupcakes!
Yann Haute Patisserie | yannboutique.com
If you’re looking for beautiful, mouthwatering treats suitable for many diets including gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free, you need to check out Yann Haute Patisserie. Cakes, macarons, tarts, ice cream, mille-feuille and tiramisu are just some of the delicious desserts you’ll find at Yann Haute.
Custom orders can be placed up to 48 hours in advance.
Yum Bakery | yum-bakery.com
Yum Bakery definitely lives up to its name – this bakery has treats galore, and all of them will have you licking your lips! One of my favourite options here is their DIY kits which are tons of fun to create together as part of your birthday celebration. There are three DIY kits to choose from – cake pops, s’mores and cookie decorating kits – which are always a huge hit.
They also carry individual-sized cakes in lots of unique flavours, as well as tarts, pavlova, cookies, pies, and more.
Glamorgan Bakery | glamorganbakery.com
Glamorgan Bakery is well-known for their mouthwatering cheese buns, but it’s impossible to deny the allure of their doughnuts. If you’re on the hunt for a delicious donut at a price that can’t be beat, look no further than Glamorgan Bakery. They’ve got all of your favourite classic donuts in regular, donut hole, and Texas size!
They also have incredible cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cookies, pies, tarts, squares and more.
Wow Bakery | wowbakery.co
This Korean and Japanese bakery brings cake flavours like red velvet, Earl Grey Chiffon, and strawberry shortcake to the table, in addition to handheld treats like cookies, macarons, Madelines, and merengues.
Cakes must be ordered three days in advance.
Crème Cream Puffs | cremecreampuffs.com
Substituting cake slices for cream puffs? Count me in. With irresistible flavours like malted chocolate Skor, salted caramel, vanilla birthday cake, and crème brûlleé, you may never ask for another birthday cake again!
Actually, hold that thought.
Their birthday cake selection comes with options like pumpkin spice, lemon square, and cookies and cream, so maybe ordering a little bit of everything would be a better way to go.
Jelly Modern Doughnuts | jellymoderndoughnuts.com
You really can’t go wrong with a Donut from Jelly Modern, and you definitely can’t go wrong with a dozen or two! With more unique flavours than you can shake a stick at, the hardest part will be deciding between options like Madagascar bourbon vanilla and lemon curd (our tip: get both!)
Pie Cloud | piecloud.ca
Who says you can’t celebrate your birthday with a pie? Pie Cloud has seven different sweet flavours to try, including a “Marshmallow Mermaid” pie made of orange curd flavoured with Blue Curacao on a graham crust, spiked with orange zest and heaped with a marshmallow cloud topping that’s sure to have all of your party guests looking for a second slice!
Pie Junkie | piejunkie.ca
Because we can never get enough pie, we had to add Pie Junkie to our list. Their classic flavours, like Key Lime and Apple are guaranteed to be a hit at any celebration, but the Cappuccino and Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Pies sound out of this world!
Made By Marcus | madebymarcus.ca
Not in the mood for cake? No problem! Made By Marcus sells their ultra-creative ice cream flavours by the pint, and you can even get them delivered right to your door! They also have four irresistible cake flavours available to order, including a vegan chocolate peanut cake for any folks celebrating who prefer to leave dairy off of their plate.
Cake orders require 24 hours notice!
My Favourite Ice Cream Shoppe | myfavoriteicecream.com
My Favourite Ice Cream Shoppe has been a favourite stop for frozen treats in Calgary for 40 years. Choose from a variety of designs and up to three different ice cream flavours for your perfect ice cream cake!
Orders must be placed at least three days in advance.
What are your favourite local spots for birthday cakes and birthday cake alternatives in Calgary? We’d love to hear them in the comments!
Tagged under: birthday cakes,birthday cake alternatives,birthday cakes in calgary,calgary birthday cakes
Category: events,birthday-venues
