Review: Taylor’s Bakery
Author: BigRedEater | Filed under: Food Reviews, Location: Fishers, IN, Location: Indianapolis, IN
Taylor’s Bakery
8395 East 116th Street
Fishers, IN 46038
(317) 596-CAKE
(also located at 6216 Allisonville Road)
http://www.taylorsbakery.com
Do you like cake? I do. Do you hate disappointing, crappy sheet cakes from Marsh? I do. If I’m going to eat something sugary, calorie-laden, and bad for me, then I want it to be worth my time. A chocolate chip cookie from Meijer? No way. A cookie from Paradise Bakery? Absolutely. So a good store-bought cake is of particular interest to me. I’ve had too many cheap supermarket sheet cakes to count, but a couple of years ago, a co-worker brought in a cake from a local bakery that was like a revelation. It was a chocolate ganache cake from Taylor’s Bakery. I love getting cake for dessert when I’m out at restaurants because frankly, you don’t make cake at home too often, outside of a birthday. And I didn’t realize you could buy a cake this good somewhere locally. One bite and I was sold.
What I Got: Taylor’s makes two different ganache cakes (ganache means “a sweet creamy chocolate mixture used especially as a filling or frosting”): chocolate, and strawberry. They’re $16.75, though Taylor’s sometimes runs sales on them. I endured the hardship of trying both of these cakes over a single weekend and I solicited the input of my extended family as well to ensure I was getting a realistic view of these cakes. First, let me describe these cakes: they include a hard shell that’s almost like a candy bar, layers of cake, layers of frosting and a layer of cream as well. Their chocolate cake is the closest thing I’ve found to a grown-up version of a Hostess (or Little Debbie, Tastykake, etc.) dessert. It has all the appeal and variety of textures of a Ho-Ho or Ding Dong, but with better quality all around. No waxy chocolate coating here. I served a chocolate ganache cake for some friends and their kids for dessert and most everyone at the table was unable to finish their cake because it was “too rich.” To me, this is the sign of a good cake; you can only have a single piece because that piece leaves you utterly satisfied. Don’t get me wrong, my kids loved it and would demand another piece for dessert each night, but every night they had a hard time finishing pretty modest pieces. I think that this chocolate cake is the single best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. If you’ve had a better chocolate cake, make sure to let me know, because I’d like to try that one too. I don’t mind being proven wrong if it means I find a better cake.
Taylor’s also makes a strawberry ganache cake. This cake is structured as the chocolate ganache cake is, but everything is white or red. There are layers of strawberry filling inside and the hard shell is white. We saved this cake for dessert on Easter, and this proved to be the cake that the family actually preferred. It’s lighter than the chocolate version and didn’t seem to make anyone feel like they were going to pass out from too much sugar. I think this is an excellent alternative to a chocolate cake if you’re in the mood for something different. Everyone at the table, including my mother-in-law (who doesn’t always see eye to eye with me on food), thought this cake was great. And this was the one my wife would choose to have a piece of for dessert the next night over the chocolate variety. Also, I like to refrigerate both to maximize the crunchiness of the outer shell.
Would I Buy It Again? Yes, repeatedly. I will continue to buy both of these cakes as frequently as I can stand to consume them, which is maybe every four months or so. It’s a lot of cake, and by the time you’ve finished an entire cake off several days later, you’d rather not see one for a while. But being cake-satiated is a plus in my book. It’s a state I can never achieve with a sheet cake.
So there you have it. Two good cakes from an independent local bakery that you can pick up for a modest price. At $17, with discount coupons ($5 off!) available in the Zoo and Entertainment books, this is a far better value than any cheap sheet cake from the supermarket that’s a buck or two less.
-BigRedEater
Tags: bakery, cake, chocolate, Food, ganache, strawberry, taylor's bakery
Good review. I agree, a great deal. Even at full price, they are well worth it. They have a great carrot cake as well, it is my go-to birthday cake.
What was their non-cake selection like, specifically donuts and cinnamon rolls? I’m preparing to go on a binge soon (LOL) and I went to their website and they didn’t have a lot of detailed information on that stuff. Do they have a good selection or am I better off going to the Meier/Kroger/etc. bakery to get that “regular” stuff and then just using Taylor’s for specialty items?
You and I seldom disagree, and, once again, you tried one of my favorites, and, once again, we agree! LOVE Taylors!
Oh, they’ve got a great selection of other stuff. They have these mini-ass glazed donuts that increase the ratio of glaze to donut by like seventy-five percent over a normal donut. They’ve got all sort of cookies, great coffee cakes, etc. Their sheet cakes are still sheet cakes, and are nothing special. They also have a broad selection of other smaller things like eclairs and brownies and that sort of stuff (all modestly sized) but frankly, they’re not as good as the donuts or the coffee cake. Although my single favorite donut remains the Marsh chocolate frosted with the white sugar filling. That one donut totally kicks my ass.
interestingly enough these cakes are in the catalog for a church auction I’m going to this weekend… chocolate, strawberry and also lemon (which might be my favorite – on the surface)
and my office just relocated right down the road from there too
anyway, Rene’s in Broad Ripple would be my go-to for cake
I LOVE Taylor’s and am very glad to have them in Fishers – where I can conveniently (but somewhat expensively) get my pastry on. Love their mini Butterscotch Rolls and, as we call them, “Itty Bitty Baby Donuts”. MMmmmmm, might have to go there this weekend!
I live about 2 minutes from Taylor’s and want to like the place and have tried to like it but I just do not see what all the buzz is about for what I think is a very average product and somewhat overpriced.
Encore (listed below) specializes in cakes. Although more costly that Taylor’s, a step above in quality. If I compare how moist the Taylor’s cake is in comparison to Costco, I will take Costco every time….and much better for the budget. I know I am in the minority on this one but to me, Taylor’s has overpriced cakes, lacks good bread, has below average rolls/doughnuts and slightly better than average bakery cookies.
To me, the true test of a top notch bakery is if they can pull of a good cannoli and Taylor’s completely misses here.
Another Fishers option especially for cakes is
Encore Desserts & More
11852 Allisonville Road
Fishers, Indiana 46038
317.570.1850
http://www.encoredessertsandmore.com/
EatHSE
Oh, that looks sooooo delicious. Mmmmm.
The Taylors chocolate ganache cake is ridiculously good. I’m a self-proclaimed chocolate cake connoisseur and compare Taylors ganache cake to chocolate cake elsewhere whenever given the chance and it simply can’t be beat! I find myself looking for reasons to get a taste of the chocolate ganache goodness…parties, work celebrations and pretty much any day of the week that ends in –day is a good enough reason for me.
When you visit Taylors make sure to also delight your taste buds with their other savory treats like the “sinfuls” (slightly bigger than a donut hole and filled with a thick, luscious cinnamon nectar from the gods) or the aligator tail (the culmination of cinamon roll greatness). If you’re looking for something a little lighter, you’ll also be hard pressed to find a better Angel food cake.
Thank you Taylors for expanding from your Allisonville Rd. location and putting another location closer to me right here in Fishers (116th St.).
i agree with you I’d whether eat marsh or walmart cake, it is more moist and fresh and 1/4 the price. i dont’ believe there cookies are fresh made every day they taste like frozen cookies to me.