Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart -- How Are Their Cakes?
Decorating By hktaitai Updated 3 May 2007 , 3:34am by randipanda
I don't live in the U.S. and was wondering about the quality of the cakes at Costco, Sam's and Walmart. From all the posts that I've read on CC, it sounds like the cake prices are inexpensive, but how is the taste?
I have a neighbor who always refers to the cake prices at Sam's Club -- $25 for a sheet cake, etc. Well, here, you can't buy a Western cake for $25... not even a 6" cake. Anyway, this neighbor always compares my cakes to Sam's Club cakes, so I don't know if it's a compliment or an insult. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a professional, but just wonder about what she's talking about -- and what she's comparing me to.
I just did a Cinderella cake (posted in my pics) and put about 10 hours of labor into that cake, and the neighbor said, "oh, it looks like the cakes that you can get a Sam's." Do these megastores spend this much time on their cakes? The customer paid over $100 for this cake (yep, cake is expensive here and people pay out the nose for their kids). Do these mega stores charge these high prices for 3D cakes?
Anyway, thanks for listening.
I haven't had one in awhile so I can't say about their taste anymore, but I do know that they do not even do 3D cakes. They only do simple sheet cakes and cupcakes (small selection of flavors and fillings). And, they certainly don't put nearly the time in to decorate them. I think they're only given around 10 minutes to decorate a cake. HTH
I bought a cake like this about 3 years ago from a large grocery store chain and it was $80.00. The cake wasn't very good, dry and the BC was way to sweet. Oh and it was a special order, they had one to look at there at the store and than a few photos of some of the doll cake in different colored dresses.
I am not a fan of Wal-Marts cakes....I ordered a ccc from there a year ago and the cupcakes were so dry the kids didn't even finish them. The icing was a bright pink and the coloring aparantly affected the taste because the kids didn't even like that!! Big flop...But Sam's club might be different. Now my sister thinks Cosco's cakes are very good. Says they put a larger layer of filling in the middle then Wal-Mart... Go figure.. She lives in FL so I don't make her cakes.
Christi
ssh! Dont tell anyone!)They do make a tasty tiramisu, though!
Now, I live in CA, so it might be different elsewhere, but our Costco cakes are yummy and MOST parties I go to have one. However, they have very set designs and always a sheet cake. They don't do designs other than their own and definetly NOT tiered or 3D cakes. One half sheet in your choice of 20 or so designs...roses, buds, rainbow, carrots...very generic type stuff. Wow, those are some expensive cakes! Costco cakes here are 14.99? And I thought CA was expensive!
I agree with Monica. I live in California too and we (family,friends, co-wokers) love Costco cakes. The chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate mousse filling is my favorite. Or white cake with cheesecake filling and cream cheese frosting. Awesome carrot cake too! The other grocery store/chain store cakes I have had are crap, but Costco's are yummy! Only $14.99 for white or chocolate cake and $16.99 for carrot.
My wedding cake was actually costco chocolate sheet cakes cut and stacked but that is kind of a long story....
here is a link to sams clubs cakes -
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?catg=5240
Costco does not show any types of cakes they do, but they only do sheet cakes.
I have to say...the last Costco cake I had was VERY good. I even had a second slice at the party I went to. Delicious!
Hktaitai, I think your neighbor might be remembering a Costco, Sam's Club or Wal-Mart cake from his or her rainbow colored world. I've looked at your Cinderella cake and I can tell you that it IS NOT like what you could get at any of those stores! Your cake is absolutely more beautiful and I'm sure it tastes far better. I'd quit showing my neighbor my hard work if all I can get from him/her is some crappy comparison to a chain store that doesn't even bake their cakes on-site (they are all frozen and thawed out, in case you didn't know already). Your work ranks much higher than any of those stores!
I haven't had a Sam's club cake, but I LOVE Costco cakes! Ours in UT is also just $15. Makes it a little difficult to sell to people around here. Most just buy Costco cakes. Mine are much prettier though! 
Every other grocery store cake I have ever eaten in my entire life has been disgusting. My kids won't eat them either, but they do like Costco cakes.
I have never had a Costco cake but have had both Sam's and Walmart (they are the same) and it was so dry and the icing was horrible, tasted like crisco and nothing else.
not sure if every walmart and sam's uses the same recipe or icing distributor but i have yet to have one that tasted decent.
I have had one from Sam's Club and one from Costco. I like dhte one from Sam's Club way better than the one from Costco.
Hope this helps!
Sheri
I have to agree that I love, love, love CostCo cakes. I have only tasted two, and I would never buy one for sure, but they ones I've tasted have been very moist and the icing was very light and tasty. No, they do not spend a lot of time decorating them, but for people who can't afford homemade cakes and don't care about originality or artistry, they're pretty good!
Unfortunately I like Costco cakes too. Their chocolate buttercream is good. And their price is soo good! I am really glad that they don't do anything besides the great big cakes with obnoxiously colored roses. Or huge balloons!!
I would like to know how they get their filling so fat....mine is always this dinky little layer of filler compared to their stuff!
. Glad to hear I am not the only one that likes the cakes from cost-co. I've only had 1 cake from wal-mart that wasn't very tasty but all the rest have been good. Even the local grocery store has chocolate cake that is better than mine. Don't know if California stores are diffrent. Sam's has some good looking cakes now but I haven't had one.
I don't know about Costcos or Sam's club, but I worked recently for Walmart in the Cake Decorating department, so I know a little about walmart's cakes. Most people at my regular job seem to like their cakes better or as well as any cakes made at any of the other supercenter. The cakes are regularly moist enough, the icing is industrialized - pretty much taste the same as anyother big stores icing - sweet. What I can tell you is the cakes are not baked on site, they come in frozen. The frosting is also prepackaged and precolored. This saves a lot of time. They are packaged in half sheet sizes,(in cardboard cake boxes) which are cut down to 1/4 sheet or two half sheets are put together to make a sheet cake. Their prices are very reasonable for what you get. They are extremely accomodating to their customers, sometime to a fault. They are starting to do many more 3D cakes, but they are typically square because that is the overwhelming shape of the cakes they are shipped. Any round cakes, such as wedding cakes or cinderalla cakes have to be special ordered as such. I would not be surprised if sometimes your cakes or cupcakes are dry, because many times they are exposed to air, and sat out, uncovered for a extended period of time. Walmart does a lot of cake kits. Its all about quantity instead of quality. They can easily have 30 to 40 cakes to do in a day. I think the designs are getting more creative and more challenging for the cake decorators. They don't do any chocolate, sugar, or fondant work, which gives people like you an edge! There is not nearly the time and love put into their cakes as is put in the the home decorator's cakes. Their decorators are very talented people though. Any home made cake wins hands down if you ask me! And would definetly be worth the extra cost!
I like Costco cakes...everyone I know LOVES their icing...the light, whipped stuff. I have started using stuff that is just like theirs per requests from friends and family.
Wendoger, I also love Costco frosting. Do you mind sharing your version of their frosting? Glad to know I am not the only one who loves their cakes, too!
im the main cake decorator for my sams club. i love are cakes. the icing isnt as good as home made but definately better then some of the store icings ive had.. i actully know of several people that buy our cakes by the case and use them in their personal business. i used our white with strawberry filling and didnt have any left at my wedding reception
Its just store bought stuff...no recipe.
I buy Rich's Bettercream, Pastry Pride and Frostin' Pride from Cash'n'Carry. They all taste like Costco's icing. They come in cartons, like milk, and ya just whip them up, like the heavy whipping cream.
I have tried many recipes for whipped icing from this site and none taste like the costco stuff to me. 
Hktaitai, I think your neighbor might be remembering a Costco, Sam's Club or Wal-Mart cake from his or her rainbow colored world. I've looked at your Cinderella cake and I can tell you that it IS NOT like what you could get at any of those stores! Your cake is absolutely more beautiful and I'm sure it tastes far better. I'd quit showing my neighbor my hard work if all I can get from him/her is some crappy comparison to a chain store that doesn't even bake their cakes on-site (they are all frozen and thawed out, in case you didn't know already). Your work ranks much higher than any of those stores!
Thanks BayouGatorFan for the compliment. Don't know why, but some people are just negative. I'm not sure why she's always making comments like that to me, but then turns around and wants me to make cakes for her family (and wants to negotiate the price). I don't take her orders anymore. Too high maintenance for me.
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