Cake World Bakery - Las Vegas

Always on the lookout for good local Bakeries, particularly ethnic mainstays offering something aside from the typical Cupcake or Brownie, it was admittedly surprising when business downtown led the car past Cake World Bakery, the Panaderia at 220 North Maryland Parkway flying well below Las Vegas’ PR-driven radar despite being located at that same address for the better part of two decades.<br/ <br/ Not to be mistaken with the similarly named Cake World on North Tenaya Way, the focus of both spaces on Mexican Pan Dulce and custom-orders but entirely unrelated, Cake World Bakery is owned and operated by Juan Castenada who immigrated from Guanajuato in 1959, the son of a baker eventually picking up the family trade after a couple of career changes and never looking back after opening the single-story blue shop in 2002. <br/ <br/ Certainly not a part of town frequented by tourists or even middle-class locals, though the slow gentrification of East Fremont including the likes of nearby PublicUS has created a cultural shift that makes the small Bakery’s barred windows seem a bit overly-cautious in 2018, guests entering Cake World Bakery will immediately find themselves greeted by either Juan or one of his family members, a pair of racks decked out in Pastries separating seating from the kitchen while chillers reside to the right full of Cakes and Beverages.  <br/ <br/ Far more English-fluent than other Panaderia in town, both the kyphotic woman behind the counter and her coworkers pleasant and accommodating to questions as they boxed several pre-orders including an elaborate Birthday Cake that must have been three feet in length, it was after several minutes indecision that an order was arranged in addition to inquiry about individual slices of Tres Leches, the product unfortunately sold out at 5:30pm but Mr. Castenada more than happy to make one fresh and even show how it was done.<br/ <br/ Inexpensive as those familiar with such places might anticipate, six Pan Dulce and the stacked Sponge Cake topped with Cream, Custard, and Condensed Milk tallying just $7, it was at a booth inside the Bakery that items were divided and tasted, the Concha-like Bread flavored by Sugar and Chestnuts starting things off and better than any other found thus far in Las Vegas while Pig-shaped Gingerbread was soft and spongy, though not nearly as spicy as the European equivalent.<br/ <br/ Moving next to a Cookie with Sprinkles, the traditionally crispy Galleta de Grajea substituted by moist cake not dissimilar to a Black White Cookie and all the better for it, those seeking something with a bit more crunch would do well to opt for one of Cake World Bakery’s Elephant Ears covered with caramelized Sugar or the laminated Cream Cheese Danish that tiptoes the line between sweet and savory.<br/ <br/ Saving the expected “best for last,” a sizable Empanada chockablock full of Guava Jelly every bit as sweet as anticipated, those looking for an alternative to Drago Sister’s world-class Tres Leches a bit further North will be happy to know that Chef Castenada’s many years in the business have yielded a textbook recipe that arrives soaking-wet while maintaining texturally complexity thanks to smooth Custard between layers of Cake and the addition of chopped Nuts on top of Pastry Cream.<br/ <br/ FOUR STARS:  Not quite as well stocked as Las Vegas’ other Panaderia, though quality certainly makes up for  quantity in most cases, Cake World Bakery is an underregarded gem” hidden” in plain sight to everyone but their longtime customers and a place more non-Hispanics would do well to discover based on the combination of value and taste.<br/ <br/ RECOMMENDED:  Galleta de Grajea, Oreja, Queso Pan Fino, Guava Empanada, Tres Leches.

Wonderful french baguettes sold here. Since moving to Vegas, I have not found a grocery store with bread I would consider worth the effort to purchase, but this bakery's bread is very well made. The crust is firm, but not too crisp, the interior is slightly dense, soft, and chewy. My homemade sandwiches have now vastly improved. They also have a great looking display with many sweet options that I look forward to trying in the near future. Thank you to the owners and staff, I really appreciate everything you do.

Amazing people, amazing cake and the bread is unmatched. Will definitely be returning!

Been using them for years! They never fail with my cakes! This was the most recent! It was beautiful!!! Thank you!

Everyone working here was extremely friendly and helpful to me. We had to emergency order cupcakes two days ahead of a party and they got us taken care of! Even at pickup they were just so kind.