We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
There’s a time and place for a homemade cake, perhaps as a heartfelt gesture or to fill an empty Sunday afternoon. But sometimes, all we really want or need is a good old-fashioned grocery store cake. Those cakes have perfectly leveled layers, icing piped on thick, and whimsical designs that, realistically, we could never do ourselves. And where else to find the best grocery store cake than the home of all things butter, sugar, and good-for-the-soul cooking: the South.
As a proud Southerner, I trust all of our best grocery stores to deliver some delicious, moist slices. But because I wanted to find out which store has the best, I asked three chefs in (or from) the South. All three had the same answer: Publix.
Why Publix is the Best Grocery Store to Buy a Cake
To be honest, the fact that Publix was the agreed-upon grocery store wasn’t really a surprise to me. The Florida-based store has one of the most loyal fan bases out there. I personally love the chain, but it seems that I may have been spending too much time hyping up its iconic “Pub Sub” and far too little on its bakery selection.
On his birthday, Justin Burke, a pastry chef in Columbia, South Carolina, doesn’t want something fancy. He prefers a cake “that takes me back to being eight: retro buttercream piping, buttery vanilla cake, that super-moist crumb that pushes you for a second helping.” To Burke, Publix is just the place to go for both nostalgia and flavor. He describes the chain’s cakes as having a “sweet, fluffy buttercream” and “slightly retro-campy piping.” And adds that you can rely on them to always taste good…