Why One Delicious Gas Station Cake Is Stealing Hearts Across The Country

Whether it's a frozen burrito and chips to get you through a road trip or a bag of mini chocolate "donettes" you grabbed before work, most of us have snacked our way through a gas station. Sure, cravings, boredom, and hunger play a part — but let's be honest, nostalgia is a big reason we keep coming back. Many gas stations offer candies and snacks that appeal to our childhood memories from Haribo gummy bears and Cracker Jack to 100 Grand Bars and Bugles Corn Chips. Although it's been lurking around gas station cold cases for half a century, Ne-Mo's cakes are seeing a resurgence, as more people are appreciating the quality and made-from-scratch experience from a gas station snack cake.

It doesn't matter what people say, we'll always defend gas station hot dogs, as well as other tasty finds such as Ne-Mo's cakes. Lacking that made-in-a-factory feeling, the sweet, California-born snack cake looks, smells, and tastes like a confection your grandma made and packed into your lunchbox. In this respect, Ne-Mo's cakes are totally unlike those other foods items you should never buy at the gas station.

Back in 1975, Ed Smith, the founder of Ne-Mo's Bakery, whipped up a carrot cake made using his family's recipe and began selling slices to local restaurants in San Diego, California. Known for their quality ingredients, baking methods, and packaging, Ne-Mo's has long had a loyal following, especially in Southern California where it was born. The popularity spread and now you can find Ne-Mo's in gas stations and convenience stores such as RaceTrac, 7 Eleven, Suncor, Circle K, and Wawa.

Although they're a far cry from Ina Garten's carrot cake with crystalized ginger, Ne-Mo's most popular flavor is the original carrot cake, which reviewers on TikTok laud, praising the soft, moist, homemade quality of the cake. Visible bits of carrot are embedded in the cake which is frosted with a dreamy cream cheese icing. Other popular flavors include banana, lemon, red velvet, and vanilla birthday cake. Perhaps you'll grab a Ne-Mo's the next time you're filling up!