Are Walmart's Birthday Cakes Frozen Or Made Fresh Daily? Here's What We Know

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Ordering from a Walmart bakery may seem like a budget-friendly option for a delicious birthday cake. But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. On its website, Walmart promises: "Freshness Guaranteed." But if you assumed that the Walmart bakery was baking up a storm of fresh cakes daily, that might not be the case.

From what we could find, the Walmart corporation does not say where exactly its baked goods come from or what the process is once you order the cake. However, rumors have been circulating on social media that Walmart's cakes are ordered in advance — not to be baked, but to give the frozen cakes time to thaw. In one Reddit thread, former employees say that frozen pre-made cakes are decorated in-store. On another thread, one Reddit user noted, "The sheet cakes you see in the cooler come as is, frozen. [We] thaw them out and then write what the customers ask for on them."

But freezing can actually make it easier for bakers to decorate. That's because a firmer base won't risk crumbling or softening while you're carving, or adding piping and other designs that put pressure on the cake. Freezing can also help set what's called a "crumb coat," a thin layer of frosting that traps crumbs so that the final decorations look smoother. Freezing is also a way to make cake baking less time-consuming if you can't spend an entire day in your kitchen; freeze one day, and spend time later doing the decorating. Ultimately, a frozen cake can be a worthwhile choice and may be just as good as a freshly baked one.

A chain bakery assembling frozen cakes and just adding the decorations on site isn't unusual. It's rumored that Kroger bakery cakes are sent to the store frozen. Another Walmart employee explained on a Reddit thread that the cakes come frozen to ensure that all stores have the exact same item, down to the taste. A birthday cake that's thawed doesn't necessarily affect the flavor (although it's worth noting that the worst store-bought chocolate cake we tried came from Walmart). 

But if you have your heart set on a cake freshly baked on site, your best options are to go to a local bakery or choose another chain retailer. Costco is one of the best grocery chains to buy a birthday cake because, according to employees on Reddit, sheet and round cakes are baked daily onsite. The chain also supplies cakes for larger celebrations, making it an unexpected place to order a wedding cake. Albertsons is another solid choice, as its bakers make cakes fresh every morning. Sam's Club also bakes many of its cakes onsite, noting on its website that its sheet cakes are made daily.