Tried ‘Cake Boss’ Vending Machine and Carlo’s Bakery to see which slice is the best
Cynthia L. Herzog
2 min read
This Review article is part of a Narcity Media series. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Narcity Media.
Carlo’s Bakery cake is well known for being delicious, but is it better if it comes from a bakery or from a vending machine?
The iconic bakery is owned by cake boss Buddy Valastro, and although its main store is located in New Jersey, Ontarians can sample Buddy’s cakes at several vending machines across the province and at Canada’s first Carlo’s Bakery location in Port Credit.
The slices of cake in the vending machine are temperature-controlled, regularly stored, and shipped from Buddy’s Bakery in New Jersey, where Port Credit Bakery’s specialty rainbow cake is assembled in-store, with only the base cake ships from the United States.
I decided to subject a slice of rainbow cake from the Toronto Eaton Center vending machine and Port Credit pastry shop to a blind taste test to see if I could tell the difference.
I grabbed a slice from each spot within 24 hours, let both sit for about 10 minutes after taking them out of the fridge, blindfolded them, and a friend had the slices mixed up before digging.
Here are the results.
The vending machine slice
Carlo’s Bake Shop vending machine. Right: slice of cake.
Brooke Houghton | Narcity
Price: $9.99
Purchased: 220 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario
Taste: On first bite, I wasn’t sure this slice was from the vending machine, but I had my suspicions. The cake was creamy, fluffy, and light, with the perfect amount of sweetness, but the frosting was a bit softer than I expected, and it had an almost melted quality to it.
The slice of bakery
Carlo’s Bakery. Right: rainbow cake.
Brooke Houghton | Narcity
Price: $49.99 (whole cake)
Purchased: 167 Lakeshore Rd W., Mississauga, ON
Taste: As soon as I tasted this slice, I knew it was the baker’s. The frosting was solid but creamy, and the cake itself was perfectly spongy and moist. It tasted the same great as the first but with an added dose of freshness.
Results
In the end, the slice I got in the pastry was the big winner.
I could tell the difference the minute I tasted it, and when I took off my blindfold, I was right.
While you can’t go wrong with either slice, if you get the chance to try one of Buddy’s famous cakes, I’d recommend grabbing a specialty cake at one. of her pastries rather than a slice from one of the vending machines.
Luckily, Torontonians won’t have to make the trip to Port Credit for Carlo’s Bakery much longer, with a new bakery opening in Toronto in the summer of 2022.
