Charm City Cakes

I pop by and scoop up a few a la carte cupcakes every now and again and they are always amazing. They also have a shop with great last minute gift ideas and cute baking supplies.

Visited Baltimore and CCC was at the top of my list to try. Ordered 6 chocolate chip cookies, 6 cupcakes and 4 blondies for a business meeting. After following Duff for years I was really looking forward to it. Was sadly disappointed. Blondies were so dry they actually crumbled taking them out of the cellophane. Chocolate chip cookies were grainy and dry and the cupcakes were just sad. The frosting was greasy and flavorless. Maybe it was just a bad day at the bakery. But I was embarrassed at the business meeting by the poor quality of the items. Can't recommend.

I can understand it's a cake shop but honestly why sell stale items (cupcakes) for a premium price at that, they should be ashamed. The place should be called Dusty Duffs boo to this establishment 2 thumbs down I expected better.

Love Duff on TV, love the decorating work of his cakes on display, didn't really enjoy eating his cupcakes. They were exceptionally dry and flavorless. I was expecting moist cake with layered flavors and this cupcake did not deliver. I'm glad we stopped by and I'd gladly take a cake decorating class. But I'd make my own cake recipe.

I was really excited to visit this shop, as a big fan of Duff on the Food Network. Visiting on a Saturday meant a slow day inside with no projects in action, but they do setup the interior to impress. We enjoyed seeing the sample cakes and how the industrial kitchen was visible from the merchandise area! I do wish the staff was a bit friendlier, it just seemed like a slow/bored day for him.

i visited here as a food network lover wanting to try something from Duff's bakery. i ended up getting a peanut butter chocolate cake in a jar, which had a great amount of both components and was very moist. my friend got the brown butter cake in a jar, and while the cake was really really good, the frosting literally just tasted like butter. i haven't tried a full cake from here, but i've heard they have some of the best (but priciest) cakes around. i will be back for the cake in a jar, but likely wouldn't spend a lot of money for a larger custom cake here. i would definitely come back for a baking/decorating class though.

My friend and I were super excited to visit Charm City cakes as we are are fans of Duff Goldman. I immediately loved the exterior of the bakery. The entry sign was neatly placed to let you know which door to enter. The inside of the bakery is sectioned off. Majority of it is for the bakery. There is a smaller section for walk-in customers. There is a customer area with Duff's cookbooks, a cupcake display and a refrigerated area for mason jar cakes and individual cakes. The employee on duty was very friendly. I enjoyed speaking with her regarding Ace of Cakes being recorded at that location. We purchased mason jar cakes and cupcakes. I have to honestly say that I was disappointed in the bakery items we purchased. The cake/cupcakes were dry. I'm assuming the mason jar cakes may be made with left lover cake from the main cake making area. I've been wanting to visit this location for years, so it was a bit of a let down when the desserts were not tasty and delectable.

Rating is based off stumbling across the shop, didn't taste or order. Was downtown, happened to pass it and went inside. As a fan of seeing the owner on television it was exciting to see the shop, went in to see some of the most amazing cake designs. Spoke to an employee that gave us a mini tour and let us know how much the cakes were and the different classes they offered. They were very friendly.

It was really neat to see the CCC business in person. I loved peering at all of the elaborate designs and watching the cake artists working in the background. The fourth star is for the entertainment value of seeing the bakery, because the strawberry cupcake and the chocolate cupcake were pretty but very dense, and the buttercream seemed more butter than buttercream. The staff member at the register seemed quite disinterested in helping us.

OUTSTANDING and INCREDIBLE business! I ordered a cake for my son and there was an issue with the courier company as they delivered it leaving it outside. The cake was ruined! CHARM CITY CAKES made it right in every way! They went out of their way to get a cake to him! I heard that the cake was delicious and worth every penny! I would order and purchase these cakes all the time as they are not only delicious but also the staff, management are incredible!

Yum! I didn't personally visit the bakery. Hubs ordered a cake from goldbelly, https://www.goldbelly.com/duff-goldman-cakes?gclid=CjwKCAiAjp6BBhAIEiwAkO9Wut9Xn9wgYPQiid8H4xc8N_CGmMo8Xun7i9-7J6L7i9j41MdFu_GStBoCfMIQAvD_BwE. What a sweet surprise! So grateful. It arrived well packaged with dry ice and care instructions. The cake was delicious and beautifully decorated. It was soft and flavorful. The buttercream is smooth, not overly sweet, and of high quality. I'm so glad we got a chance to try a Charm City Cake, we have always enjoyed watching Ace of Cakes. Thank you B :D

We order every cake for any celebration from charm city cakes. My favorite is the passion fruit but they're all great. Our guests always rave and ask us where the cake is from. The staff are also so professional and easy to coordinate with.

A group of friends and I visited this establishment over the weekend for cupcake decorating. It was a bit on the pricy side for me, but we were going for a friend's bday, and it seemed worthwhile because it made her so happy. We arrived and filled out all the necessary forms. We wore our masks the entire time. At 2pm, we met our host and after washing our hands, we set up at a long table to get down to business. We each had a box of pre-made cupcakes, 2 chocolate and 2 vanilla. Our host went around the table and gave each of us a dollup of frosting atop each of our cupcakes so the fondant we used would stick on better. I was pretty impressed by how easy it was to manipulate the fondant into a variety of shapes. Before I knew it (actually at just under 2 hours), I had 4 cupcakes decorated like junk food and it was pretty cool! It was most definitely an enjoyable way to spend some time with my friends and it was something different to do! Later that evening I tried a cupcake and spit it back out. The cupcake was super dry! And the fondant was more appealing to look at than eat. That's where the 4 stars comes in. I hope that cakes and cupcakes produced by this place are better.

Shop was ok, not great but cupcakes were trash. Icing tasted like shortening (basically sweet butter). It was disgusting. Could hardly taste whatever flavor of cupcake it was. Can't speak if cakes were good or bad. I can imagine they are similar. Don't waste your money. Good thing Duff is known for being a decorator and not flavor recipes. However, his opinions on the baking championship shows are now not as meaningful, If what he sells in his stores, is what tastes good to him.

My husband ordered the peanut butter pumpkin cake for my birthday from Duff through Goldbelly. I was so excited!! I've been watching him on Food Network for years. This is a fluffy chocolate cake with peanut butter cream. It is so light and fluffy and moist! One of the best cakes I've had in a long time.

I just made a quick pit stop here because I was in the 'Charm City' area of Maryland and remembered that Duff Goldman's cake shop from Ace of Cakes was here. So, of course I had to swing by to see the set where the TV food magic comes together! As for parking, there is limited street parking so it can be a little bit difficult to grab a space. I ended up going here on the weekdays in the early afternoon so it wasn't too bad, but I can imagine it being more crowded on the weekends or evenings. The building is not hard to miss and almost looks like a castle from the outside. Upon entering, you will see a whole bunch of cake replicas on display as well as some memorabilia such as clothes and books for purchase dedicated to the show. I just stood a moment admiring the workspace and taking in what I had seen on tv. It's pretty cool to know that many cake masterpieces were created here. They have a small dessert counter that features macarons, cupcakes, and mason jar desserts that sell for a few bucks each. I ended up getting a chocolate chip crunch cupcake. The frosting was very buttery and light with pieces of chocolate chips added for texture. The cake itself was a bit on the dryer side, but was firm with good air pockets that contrasted well with the frosting. Overall, it was a good quick pitstop to make, but I kinda wished that they had a bigger selection of desserts, or more specifically mini-cakes, for purchase. There are a lot of talented people here and I am sure they are busy with many larger orders to cater too. I just think it would be pretty neat to be able to take a little masterpiece of my own to go!

The little cakes in a jar are so cute and DELICIOUS!! Reasonably priced which honestly I was surprised at because it's celebrity chef owned. They also have these small fun Polar seltzer sodas, perfect for kiddos. We used the walk-up window to order; the staff was so helpful and friendly.

Charm City Cakes went the extra mile for my friend's baby shower. In addition to spot-on, hand-crafted decorations that were done with precision and care, they had the impossible task of making every layer gluten-free. There was a pure chocolate layer - a little dry but surprisingly good for GF. Then a peanut butter chocolate layer with a very subtle peanut taste but mostly just chocolate, which was fine by me. The bottom layer was... I forget, something with lemon and/or raspberry maybe?... but except for the texture, it was as good as any regular cake. Now, they apparently also went an extra mile on the delivery, and the cake got there over an hour late to the point that we were all talking about it. You never want to be talked about like that. Fortunately the quality of the cake pretty much made up for it, but I have to take a mandatory star deduction. If you offer delivery of prime quality cakes, you better be able to deliver on time. You're not Dominos, you're world-famous Charm City Cakes, and you have a reputation to defend. I'll give them another chance. Hopefully glutinous.

I have been wanting a cake from this bakery since I started watching Ace of Cake on food network. My daughter's Bat Mitzvah was an excellent excuse to use them, and boy did they live up to the hype! My daughter designed the cake along with one of the cake designers via Zoom. I drove to the bakery to choose the flavors. Since my event was in Northern Virginia, I paid for delivery. Charm City cakes contacted me prior to the event to confirm the details. The cake was delivered on time. The cake was a stunner! It exceeded my expectations. Not only was the design beautiful, the cake was delicious. The fondant tasted like marshmallows. It was pricey, but totally worth it!

I'm shook. I've never been more disappointed in baked goods. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration but not far off. I was so excited to come to Charm City Cakes because I've watched Duff for years and love him. The entire experience was disappointing. There is an option to order online which we did when we left home to come to Baltimore. We ran into traffic so we were about 15 minutes late getting there from the time I said we would pick up our order. The employee that was working behind the register did not have our order and had to ask me what we ordered and then he put it together for us. He looked absolutely miserable to be there so the experience inside the store was lackluster. Also, the store itself is huge on the inside but you can only stand on a sliver of the space. I kid you not, there is an index card with a sharpie written note to "not go beyond this line". You really have to be looking at every little thing to see it. My husband didn't see it and got scolded by Mr. Love My Job lol. When we got to our hotel I was very excited to try what we had gotten. We got two cake jars, one was peanut butter cup and the other was chocolate espresso. We got two red velvet cupcakes and two brown butter Blondies. I love to hear Duff talk about Blondies so I was excited to try them. The cake jars tasted old and the cake was dry. The icing was not buttercream and the chocolate espresso that promised a touch of Kahlúa was completely flavorless. The red velvet cupcakes had zero flavor , in the cupcake or the icing. The brown butter Blondies were good but tasted prefab and commercial. Overall disappointing. It was $34 (plus a tip which was asked for at the time of the order which I reduced to 10% from the default 15%--which after my experience needed to be 0%). But we literally took one bite and then threw them out. I still love Duff but I won't go back and do not recommend .

Don't waste your time or money at Charm City Cakes! Went out of my way on vacation to Maryland to check this place out and what a mistake! HIGHLY OVERRATED! Employee was not friendly and seemed like he couldn't wait to close up shop and go home. As for my purchase, the cupcakes were stale and hard and tasteless. At $4 each it really upset me. At the end of the day, they pack up the leftover cupcakes and put them in a large plastic container bin to try and sell again. Mine must have been a few days old. The icing was hard like a rock. My family was so anxious to have for dessert back at the hotel, but sadly we had to throw them away. What a waste of $25!! This business should be ashamed of themselves. Duff, I'm no longer a fan!! If I could give ZERO STARS I WOULD.

It was my first time actually going there, and I bought 4 cupcakes (strawberry, cookies and cream, mint, and something else) and 4 cakes in a jar ($50.00). A friend purchased a cupcake for me about a year ago there, and I thought it was not great (dry and flavorless), but I figured it was just an "off" purchase. I am a fan of the owner; however, the cupcake was dry and the icing tasted like light strawberry flavored Crisco. My friends purchased cupcakes and everyone felt the same; flavorless and dry. Other than in support of the owner, and the nice staff working there, I would not recommend.

After being a fan of Ace of Cakes I had to stop by Charm City Cakes while in Baltimore. I loved seeing the various cakes in the shop. I purchased a sea salted chocolate chip cookie which did not look appealing but tasted great, perfect mix of chocolate chips and sea salt. My friend and I bought two different cupcakes. My friend took his with him so I'm not sure how his cupcake was for him. I got the strawberry cupcake as a suggestion from the staff because I couldn't decide between red velvet and strawberry. The cupcake was a dry vanilla cupcake with strawberry whipped icing which I was not a fan and would prefer buttercream. The other thing I purchase was the cookies and cream cake jar. I have not had it yet, I just hope it's not as dry as the cupcake. All and all I would recommend checking the shop out, but would not recommend the dry cupcakes.

Don't expect to find any nostalgia from the days of food network king status. There are a few decorated cakes around and the cupcakes are really good. Apparently they have a cake class area which would be neat to watch. I didn't feel as though I was going to get stabbed or mugged in the area, so for Baltimore, that's a major plus

I am highly disappointed in the cupcakes! My family and I were so excited to be there and taste something from the store! The cupcakes were so dry and the icing is so greasy and flavorless!

I can't rave enough about the wedding cake they did for our wedding in 2016! They listened to all my ideas and offered more than enough samples. We choose the passionfruit and strawberry shortcake flavors. Very delicious and moist. Tiffany and Leslie were very personable and professional! The detail on the cake was impressive!

Charm City Cakes rocks! We recently moved to the Remington neighborhood and he surprised me with a Charm City cake for my birthday! Such a treat. The cake was executed flawlessly, amazing to look at and just as fun to eat. He chose the chocolate cake with cookies and cream filling. The cake was perfectly moist and that filling? YO, that filling, yep. I want a bowl of just that with a big spoon. People couldn't get over the cake and we all cringed a bit when I cut into it (it was too cool to cut!). Thanks for making my birthday super special!

*This is a review for a private cupcake decorating class* We had a bachelorette party in Baltimore so I decided to look up how to legally get inside Charm City Cakes ! Turns out they do private events - YAY! Thankfully the bride is a BIG baker (and fan of Ace lo Cakes)!! We had a Saturday appointment for 4pm - and I couldn't wait! We arrived a couple minutes before 4pm, and we were welcomed with open arms to look around the bakery, and open up our wines to start drinking - did I mention it's BYOB??! We lucked out and Joanna - actually the General Manager for the store - was our cupcake designing director! Evidently she doesn't typically do classes, but fortunately for us, because she was AWESOME! We had 2 hours to choose our own adventure so-to-speak. Joanna was amazing, and walked us through each design. She let our bride dictate which cupcakes we did, starting off with the champagne glass, then the bride, then groom! For our last cupcake she let up choose our own, all the while walking around and proving tips/coaching for anyone who's struggling. While the cupcake class was super fun, one of the most fun things was being in the bakery, and getting to ask Joanna all sorts of questions about cake life! I've been a fan of the show since its' inception (pre-dating all the cake boss nonsense) and fan girl-ed HARD about being there IRL! They provide you with boxes to take home your creations, I my husband and I got around to trying one a few days later, and even then, they tasted pretty great! Definitely schedule a cupcake class if you have the opportunity - one of the cooler culinary things I've had the opportunity to do!

Three words: YES, YES, & YES. I ordered and picked up this cake during the pandemic. The process was quick and easy and SAFE! And the cake, yellow sprinkle, was perfect and to die for delicious!

I understand COVID protocol but wish information was available so I didn't waste an hour driving to stand and order a cupcake through a window. The positive, inspiration personality of Duff on TV certainly isn't represented by the employees working here.

I've been dying to get a cake from here since the beginning of Ace of Cakes. Fast forward about 8 years and my "dream" finally came true! My husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told him the only thing I could think of was a cake from here! We went online and saw that you could purchase one of the top tier cakes for a fraction of what one of their "real" cakes cost. They had about 30 different top tier designs to choose from, as well as a limited assortment of cake flavors. The Charm City Cake Autograph cake immediately caught my eye. It had the Charm City Cake logo and the staff autographed it with edible marker, so cool! We placed our order and picked it up the following weekend. Once we got home, the cake looked so amazing that I didn't even want to cut into it! I chose the Maple Cinnamon Roll flavor and it was amazing! It was three layers of cinnamon swirls and with a delicious maple frosting between the layers. The cake came with a page of instructions for getting the cake home and storing it. My husband and I took a good 5 days to even put a dent into the cake, it was definitely large enough for a party! Overall, I was very satisfied with the ease of ordering, choices of designs and flavors, and of course the presentation and taste!

I ordered a cake for an anniversary banquet and it was not what we expected. Pictures were sent to them of what we would like. The cake was hand painted and it looked awful. Where the dowel was inserted in the top of the cake was not covered, I found something to put over it. The painting on the fondant was terrible. Two sheet cakes were ordered and the chocolate one was good, the other cake was not good at all, most all of it was put in the trash. This cake was ordered on line and we met the delivery person to pick it up. This was a special anniversary banquet and we were all excited to get a Charm City Cake. The cost of the cake for what it looked like and tasted like was one really bad decision. Live and learn and do not order a really expensive cake from here without taste testing and do not have it hand painted.

Duff has no talent. He relies on his staff for his success. My sister ordered a cake from here, not only did it arrive late, the cake was not as drawn, dry and an extreme disappointment. A supermarket cake would have been better. I'm not surprised he closed his California office. He truly needs to find a new career.

Cute shop, lots of awesome looking cakes, and the class area looks very clean and organized. I just think their cake is way overpriced and not as flavorful as I would've expected.

Solid go to option. 12 June is a Special Day for a Special person that requires a Special Cake. Moist and flavorful. Never a dry bit. Price is proportional to the experience.

I purchased the cake in a jar and the quality was poor. The cake crumbled as soon as I stuck the spoon in. This gave the appearance that I was sold a jar full of old stale cake crust. I won't be going back.

I'd forgive the hassle in ordering, the hassle in taking delivery and the amateurish execution were the taste not so gross.

We didn't make it inside. Traveled from Northern Va only to be greeted with a closed early sign but knock for cake class. Please call if it's later in the day to make sure the shop is open.

One of our favorite custom cakes came from Charm City Cakes! It was well-executed, looked exactly as pictured, the fondant was impeccable and the swiss merengue was phenomenal! We highly recommend CCC for any special occasion! The gorgeous Penguin Love cake was the icing on the cake for our anniversary!

I received a cake from Charm City Cakes for my 30th birthday. I was so excited when I got this cake. I am obsessed with penguins and it was the cutest little cake I've ever seen! I didn't even want to cut into it. Eventually I did and it was delicious!!! It was a red velvet cake that was covered in fondant, which I usually don't care to eat. This fondant was actually really good to eat. It didn't take me long to eat this cake and I had very little help. It was so so good. The little cakes are on the more expensive side, but completely worth it. I've been wanting a cake from Charm City Cakes since my 30th! Can't wait to have another!

This place did not live up to the hype! My twins birthday cake was made here and it looked delicious. However, it lacked flavor it was like eating a piece of bland paper. I was shocked and no one wanted to take any cake home. Again, the cake consisting of two layers looked awesome, like a piece of artwork but didn't do a thing for the pallet. It was dry as a bone. I was deeply disappointed I won't be back!

Charm City Cakes fulfilled a beautiful, personalized tribute to our groom for our wedding day cake. We loved working with Charm City Cakes, and the cake tasted as good as it looked!

I bought one of the Duff Goldman cakes on Goldbelly. The tiny $90- cake was horrible and fell apart when we cut it. Goldbelly won't give a refund or even let me speak with a supervisor and Charm City says I need to deal with Goldbelly. Find somewhere else to spend $90-.

My kids and I wanted to take a peek inside here since we'd seen it on TV. None of us like fondant decorated cakes - we all are amateur bakers and semi-professional critics - but it was fun to step inside their showroom and see the few cakes on display. The woman who spoke to us was moderately friendly. There were only six flavors of cupcakes available for purchase so we got two cupcakes. They were flavorful, and nicely decorated. I've had better, I've MADE better, but it was fun.

Super disappointing. We dropped in to pick up a few cupcakes to try and left underwhelmed by the experience and products. We ordered at a window which was a protocol put into place due to covid, which was completely understandable. There weren't many choices but we ordered one of each cupcake - 6 in total. They were all very dry and stale tasting. We were really surprised considering this was from the business/owner featured on multiple food network shows. You'll get a better product at a gas station or grocery store.

When I walked through the door, I was greeted by a very kind woman named Kate who helped me pick out a beautiful assortment of cupcakes for my friends and I. Her great customer service was the icing on the cake to the eye catching arrays of intricate cakes and other novel bits and bobs displayed around the shop. I also really liked the detailed and artfully designed menus and signs around too. It was so amazing to be in a celebrity chef owned cake shop that felt equally as "mom and pop" as it was rightfully prestigious. I had a great time here and will definitely be back for more reasonably priced tasty cupcakes that are catered to by kind, helpful, and friendly staff, like Kate!

I ordered the Red Velvet Heart Cake for my wife and I'm very sorry to say this but this cake was inedible. We really wanted to like it but after just one slice, we could not continue. It did not taste like a red velvet cake at all - just tasted of sugar. I've had better cakes for $5 sad to say.

Got the base level $35 chocolate cake with sprinkles. Didn't expect much because some of the reviews said stuff looks better than taste but the cake both looked and tasted amazing. Omg esp the buttercream. I had that cake for bf lunch and dinner :)

We loved our cake ! I ordered one of their standard smallest sized birthday cakes in red velvet for my hubby's 45th bday. It was first off, beautifully done and looked just perfect. Then when we tasted it- OMG. Moist, light fluffy, rich and the whipped cream/ hint of cream cheese frosting in the layers was just awesome. The best cake I have ever tasted. Will definitely order again for a very special occasion. We are so lucky they have an LA store!!