Dessert Designs

We love working with Jana & the team at Dessert Designs for wedding cakes — it’s truly a dream to work with them! From the initial tasting to the final delivery, their team is professional, detail-oriented, and incredibly talented. The cakes are not only stunning works of art but absolutely delicious — our couples (and their guests!) rave about them long after the wedding day. Highly recommend for anyone wanting a wedding cake that looks as beautiful as it tastes! Caramel cake = must try!!! Adding a few of our fave below!

Well the location is subtle and has plenty of parking, and the small reception area really hides well the magic happening here. Used this artisan for the wedding cake and grooms cake 10 years ago and I've been returning ever since because my wife loves the strawberry cake. We've been delighted and pleased with the attention to excellence that we receive every time we order from them. Absolute must order something for your next occasion.

Want a very flavorful, rich, delicious beautiful cake? This is the place for you. The cakes are always perfect and the staff are helpful and friendly. Best cakes ever and I've had many of them, often at weddings but also for special birthdays and special occasions. Join the Dessert Design fan club and try your first fabulous cake!

This isn’t your average bakery. Family-owned and backed by decades of experience, their cakes are packed with rich, unforgettable flavor. Every time I gift one, it’s a guaranteed hit. My personal favorite? The Hallelujah Cake. It lives up to the name!

As a wedding planner, I have tasted a lot of cake and I was able to taste Dessert Designs' Firefly cake at a wedding I worked in Pagosa Springs, Colorado and I am extremely impressed to say it was the best cake I have ever had! The Carmel frosting is incredible and I highly recommend it.

Being new to the area, my husband searched to find my favorite cake, Italian cream, for my birthday. It was so pretty, I didn’t want to cut it. OMG! It was the best tasting cake either of us have ever had. Yes pricey, but such a special treat!

I had a terrible experience with this bakery yesterday! Let me preface that by saying the cakes are amazing and I’ve enjoyed them once before at my daughter-in-law’s baby shower. Yesterday, I needed to get two cakes for my twins 18th birthday, it was all very last minute because I had forgotten to place a previous order. I phoned your bakery yesterday, mid morning and asked if there were premade cakes that I could select from even though I had not placed an order. The young man on the phone was very curt with me, NOT friendly at all! He said yes there were premade options available in their case, and he described the different cakes that they had available, as well as bundt cakes with caramel flavor (a flavor that I have enjoyed before from them). It was Saturday mid morning when I spoke with him, I needed to hustle over before they would close at 1 PM. I needed to rearrange my schedule (as I was at work) a bit to make sure I would get there in time since they are about 30 minute drive from me. When I arrived to my shock, the only thing available in the case were premade Bundt Cakes!! I would not have expected the attitude that I got on the phone to be even worse in person, but apparently that’s possible with this young man! He represented your business yesterday as rude and unprofessional! I restated to him what he said on the phone to me, that he made it clear the different varieties of cakes you had as well as the bundt cakes that were premade and available as well, he said that this was what they had! I told him that I was not going to give my kids bundt cakes for their 18th birthday celebration! He looked at me with a smirk and said “oh well!” I was absolutely livid at his response and lack of concern, and not being clear about what was in the case and available to pick up the same day! I was just disgusted that I had rearranged my schedule dropped everything and then drove 30 minutes to the other side of town to be misled and treated so poorly by a young kid. He was the face of your company yesterday and it was not a good one! It is absolutely unacceptable to be misled like that. Then I was scrambling worse than before trying to find a bakery to get what I needed for the twins birthday. I sat in the parking lot and did an internet search for another bakery that could accommodate what I was looking for. Fortunately, I was able to find another bakery and when I spoke with them on the phone, they were so understanding and helpful and let me know that they had quite a few options (9 options to be exact) for me to select from that would meet my expectations. Fortunately, from one bad situation, at least it was redeemed with another. Their cakes were absolutely divine, and it was a great hit for the party, even though they were a last minute find! I had forgotten to order their cakes, and that was my mistake, but this was compounded by such a bad attitude and poor customer service that just made it so much worse! In the end, I’m glad that I was able to get what we needed from other bakery and that was a success. Unfortunately, moving forward does not lend to me wanting to do business with your bakery in the future. No matter how wonderful your cakes are, if you can’t treat people right and display no empathy or concern to the situation. Furthermore are downright misleading them to what you have available, then there is no need to do business with anyone who behaves like that! If I was told that bundt cakes were the only available option in the case I wouldn’t have driven 30 minutes across town to be disappointed and treated disrespectful by a teenage twit!

I ordered a custom design cake from this bakery and I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out! I was going for a vintage-princess style cake which is exactly what I got. It also tastes good and the price was very reasonable.

Just had the worst German chocolate cake ever ! Ordered one for my husband's birthday. He thought it was stale. I thought it was dense. What a waste of money. 64 dollars for a 6 inch cake. I can bake a better cake than this. Why does this bakery use corn syrup instead of sugar? Cheap ingredients equals a poor excuse for an expensive cake. I can't imagine anyone would use this place for their wedding cake.

I contacted ahead to plan to pick up a cake for my mom's birthday. I got a vanilla bean 6 inch cake with raspberry frosting; the cake itself was incredibly dense... it was just like the texture of a cake pop. The vanilla bean taste was super faint. The frosting tasted almost salty and wasn't super sweet. I got a 6 inch cake for $65... the cake was definitely not worth the price. The first picture is the reference, and the second is what I got. The bakery itself was not the nicest, either.

The Hallelujah wedding cake was spectacular! It was beautifully decorated, and absolutely delicious. I have never tasted a better cake anywhere - our guests came back for seconds! I was so proud to serve it at my daughter's wedding. The staff is friendly and attentive and so accommodating. Amazing experience!

By far best cakes in Nashville! There attention to detail and amazing customer service keep us coming back for any and all celebrations! Recommend Dessert 1000%!

I went in last week and picked up a hallelujah cake. While checking out I saw in the cooler that they had an apple cake, so I decided to try a small one. Big mistake, it was absolutely delicious. So I guess from here on out I will be forced to pick up two cakes every time. Keep up the great work.

This was the TASTIEST cake! The cake turned out so pretty, it looked like a decoration. Plus, they were so kind and accommodating with my vision for this cake. I ordered the almond amaretto cake with their classic icing, 10/10 recommend!

The caramel cake is amazing. An OMG. I will rate it above my beloved grand mother's. Never thought I would ever say that.

Not only did Leland provide two amazing wedding cakes for us back in 2003, she was our go-to for the last 20 years for birthdays, parties, and any reason to celebrate. Dessert Designs goes above and beyond on originality, scrumptious taste and design. You will NEVER be disappointed. Try everything!

Dessert Designs is always my go to bakery for cakes. My favorite is the firefly, but you can't go wrong with any of their cakes. I love bringing one to a party because it becomes the talk of the party! They make great gifts, as well. I often order their cakes or other treat kits for my dad to give my mom for holidays like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day. It's a great idea for the woman that already has everything and is tough to shop for.

As an experienced home baker, I have very high standards and Dessert Designs did not disappoint. The Italian Cream Cake I recently ordered for a birthday celebration was exceptional; it might be the very best cake I have ever ordered from a bakery. It was moist, light, and tasted freshly baked which is not always the case with bakery cakes.

Amazing 20 yrs ago but the Nville landscape has changed. Many more options now. It will take more than legacy to compete now.

We called last minute to order a small surprise wedding cake for my brother-in-law who recently got married in Hawaii, and dessert designs were very accommodating. They were able to provide exactly what we asked for with a quick turn around and the cake tasted great! They loved it! Would definitely recommend!

Do NOT have dessert designs make your wedding cake!!!! Taste of cake is delicious however they cannot design and they don't have a problem charging premium price, $5300 to be exact!! I was so mad at my wedding when I saw our cake, I didn't ask for anything crazy. This is what I wanted ... the first picture which is clean and modern,second picture is what I got, old fashion and yellow Problems... -cake is yellow I wanted white -air bubble on top tier -ribbon is awful yellow and crinkled, not placed in cake (looks like it was thrown on by a 2 yr old) -proportion is off, bottom layer is oddly large -gold foil alone was $1500, yea exactly what gold foil and it's NOT gold foil! It's a painted gold color -roman numeral is crooked -bottom layer supposed to be flowers and it's a ruffle Bottom this company should not be doing weddings, DD responded that the cake was eaten so can't be refunded!! If you can't do a design than you can't charge premium price!!

I cannot believe I grew up in Nashville and never tasted Leland's GLORIOUS caramel cake until last night! (I did live in Alabama for 30 years, so I'll make that excuse!)...that, and the fact that as a chef/caterer myself, I can make a pretty mean caramel cake... However, my socks were blown off last night as I placed the first bite of this pillowy cake iced with "liquid gold" (as it is called by reputation!) Oh my word!!! It's a reason to don that mask and wander out of your Covid Cave!!! I'm headed there this morning to pick up one of these little glories AND grab one for a friend! Thanks Leland! You don't know it yet, but we're about to become new BFF's!!!!

Leland has retired. Don't waste your time. Cakes were unimpressive and burned. Selection was terrible. Service was unacceptable. One of the female employees was so rude that 2 of us left. She was whining about how overworked she is. The reality is....she is NOT, nor will she ever be, Leland. She can't handle the job. She is ruining the legacy of the business. Will not go back....ever.

These cakes are so good! We have had the caramel cake a bunch and the hallelujah cake was amazing! Can't wait to get another! My birthday is next month!

Tried to contact them to make an order, pretty poor business practice very rude over the phone, person claim she can't understand me and declined my business.

I have always loved the cakes from dessert designs but will no longer be supporting this business. The cakes have been good but twice in the last month, they have given me the wrong cake! You can't tell by looking at them, it is only when you get home and cut into them that you realize you have paid for something different from what you ordered! when I called to tell them my problem, they didn't offer to make it right in any way. They said oh, sorry. This business will not make it with their customer service and lack of attention to orders.

This place has the best cakes ever!!!!! You can go there and buy a mini chocolate one that is delicious! I like the flourless chocolate with a sliver of Carmel in the middle and I think it's a white pound on top.

I'm a wedding planner and event designer and I can honestly say that these cakes that are made by Leland Riggins and her team are incredible. They are my go to for all of my couples. Your customer service and they're willing to accommodate couples is yet another reason I feel comfortable referring my discerning clients there.

I ordered from New Mexico a cake from Dessert Designs in Nashville to be delivered to a friend who was having a birthday. My friend is a baker and a Chef...he's said that " This is the best cake that I have ever eaten " . He has lived in Nashville for 70 years. An accomplished Artist and Author. He has eaten all over the US. . I was so very glad that Dessert Designs made this awesome cake and delivered it despite my late request. Bravo! My friends have now recommended many this bakery to many or their friends.

I don't know how she does it, but Leland's cakes are out of this world. Without a doubt, they are the best in Nashville. Seriously, have you tried her sour cream poundcake with caramel icing?? Or her chocolate truffle cake? Leland uses REAL icing, not the chewy fondant icing. My husband wanted a typical college themed groom's cake at our wedding. I really did not want a giant mascot (Sebastian, the Ibis) or orange and green letters (UM). Instead, I sat down with Leland and told her a little bit about my husband. I told her he swam in college and together, we decided that she could make a cake to look like an olympic sized pool, complete with lane ropes and the University of Miami initials on the bottom of the pool. This cake was such a hit!! It was so unique and FUN, and above all it was the yummiest cake I have ever tasted!

Every cake I have ever bought or tasted from DD has been outstanding, regardless of flavor. Their cakes certainly justify the cost and make me wonder why I still bake myself. I hope they stay in business forever.

Dessert Designs has always made the best tasting and best looking cakes in Nashville. I dream about Leland's hallelujah and chocolate truffle cakes and have loved them since I was a child. I truly wish I could have a reason to celebrate with a DD cake every day, and now that they have the cake case it's even more tempting. Keep up the good work!

I ordered a sour cream pound cake with a caramel filling and red, white and blue decorations. When I arrived to pick up my cake, the decorations are also orange & green. I notify the person checking me out. His response? "Does it matter?" Yes. It does matter. I am paying over $100 for this cake, I would like for the decorations to be correct. He calls the decorator from the back who argues with me that I ordered the other colors & is VERY exasperated to have to change them (it took less than 5 minutes to fix). We get home & cut the cake. It's chocolate. Flavor was fine to most of my guests, but my husband hates chocolate cake. Attention to detail & customer service are severely lacking.

I ordered a birthday cake for my daughter in law several weeks ago so I would ensure she would have it for her party. She loves dessert design cakes and this was the one thing she kept asking for. The day I was to pick up the cake, (Tuesday) the Nashville area was covered in snow so I called the shop to see how I could get the cake for the party that night. No answer. I called all day and even drove across town to the store in snow myself and it was closed. My daughter in laws party was in a couple of hours and we had no cake. So, on the way, I stopped and bought her a cookie cake instead. Obviously a huge disappointment to a dessert design cake but we had to have a cake. Again on Wednesday I began to call dessert designs and again no one answered. On Thursday, I called and finally spoke to someone. I was told that because of the ice and snow they were unable to get to their store, which I fully understood and told her so. However, I did not understand not getting a phone call or anything letting me know they could not get my cake for the date of my event. She actually never apologized at all and then asked if I wanted to reorder. I did reorder because that was the only thing my daughter in law wanted me to get her. 2 days later, my cake was ready. When I went to pick it up, nothing was said to me at all. No apology, no discount, no explanation. Nothing! This establishment has started reading their own press and gotten a little too big for their own good. When customer service is not a top priority, then you do not deserve my business. I will not be buying any more cakes from dessert designs and have and will continue to tell of my experience.

Dessert Designs is a west Nashville bakery good for wedding cakes and other custom baked goods. They ship all over the country and have a simple online ordering site.

My fiance and I came in to their humble storefront after several of my work colleagues suggested we look here for our wedding cake. I became a fan of Dessert Designs on Facebook, and they posted about sampling a few cakes for the public this afternoon. We came in and were completely wowed--the vanilla bean cake and the chocolate truffle cakes were incredibly delicious, and the caramel icing is ridiculously delicious. It's sweet and salty and rich and creamy--I could be smothered in the stuff and die a happy girl. We were warmly welcomed into the store and shmoozed with Leland and her husband, Steve, as they sliced us generous samples of the 3 cakes they were tasting that day and invited us to come back for an official consultation and cake tasting. They graciously answered our questions and offered us seconds on anything we wanted--though we were too full to partake! We did walk out with a single-serve caramel cake (holy yum!!!), which, for the record, serves about 6 people. We are excited to purchase our wedding cake from Dessert Designs--we hope our guests will leave our wedding with the sweetness of the caramel icing still lingering on their tongues!

My best friend recently hosted a birthday party for me in my former hometown, Nashville. I wanted a truly Southern event and the cake from Dessert Designs was the highlight. The Hydrangea cake tasted as good as it looked. A white layerd-cake with caramel in-between. It was without question the best cake I've ever eaten. Everyone who had a slice agreed. The quality of the ingredients and the passion for creating something special and memorable is obvious. The reason I selected "moderate" for the price range is do the superior quality and artistry which goes into their work. There are several good bakeries in Nashville. If you want a cake your guests will never forget and tastes as good or better than it looks, Dessert Designs is the place to go. Through their website you can order several of their items to be shipped.

My husband and I could not have been happier with our wedding cake from Dessert Designs. It was absolutely delicious - so many guests told me, "I don't usually eat the cake at weddings, but this is amazing!" It was super-moist and very flavorful. This was true not only of the cake at our wedding, but also of the 9 cakes we tried at our tasting and the cake she made for our friend's wedding a month later. Our cake also looked beautiful. I showed Leland a rustic, twig-like design I found online, and she pulled it off perfectly. I can't wait to break out the top tier for our 1st anniversary!

They did a fabulous job for our daughter's wedding cake and the groom's cake. They decorated the bride's cake to look like her wedding dress..... everyone noticed! Lots of compliments, lots of second servings. And the chocolate truffle grooms cake was divine. Fondant cakes look lovely, but taste yukky......... not so with their meringue frosting. It is not too much and not too little. Pricey, but so worth it!

I ordered online a cream cheese pound cake with a caramel filling. The online process was simple (they accept Pay Pal). The cake was wonderful. Not dry, moist, and great tasting. Everyone loved it. Would definitely order from them again. I only wish they shipped these, since I live out of state.

Leeland did our cake for our wedding in May. It was absolutely amazing. Not only was it beautiful but I have had at least a dozen people say it was the best wedding cake they ever had and they wanted another piece but we ran out! I highly recommend dessert designs. I would also they they are very reasonable with their prices.

All my boyfriend wanted for his Birthday party was one of Leland's Carmel cakes. we had two flown into Aspen and everyone raved about it. THEN , we took a vacation to see his Family in Nashville and his sister, sue had a Carmel cake and a carrot cake , both were devoured. One of the Attorney's that I work for went to Vanderbilt and loved her cakes. I am having one flown into the office, here in Aspen, this week ....I bet it will be gone in an hour!!

These cakes are beautiful inside and out! They look great and they taste great. And they are living Nashville history a true taste of the city. The classic everyday Dessert Designs cake is a caramel bundt cake. The best I have ever tasted. My favorite birthday cake is there almond amaretto with a white icing decorated with a collection of their flowers. To get the best out of this bakery--choose your flavors and let them plan the decoration. They are artist with exquisite taste. Ask for their classic designs. For every season of the year and every event in life--they have superb designs that are rooted in tradition and yet as modern as tomorrow because they are classic. Worth every dollar. Don't forget to buy birthday candles in the shop. They have exceptionally pretty ones. When you arrive the shop looks very, very modest. The baked goods? The best of the best!

The gluten free chocolate truffle cake was one of the highlights of our wedding. I'm serious! I'm jealous of a cake :-) And they're super nice and efficient, too, more than any of the other cake makers we were in touch with. Sadly we don't live in Nashville, but it would be worth moving there just to be closer to Dessert Designs (every weekend, ideally). Thank you a million for your amazing work, it really made our day.

I've never actually been to the store (so 4 stars seems appropriate?), but I'm rating this because Firefly Grille serves one of their cakes that is ridiculously delicious. I'm a total cake snob, and this is a good chocolate caramel cake.

I absolutely love the sour cream caramel cake. I order out of state to get this wonderfully rich dessert from Dessert Designs. They have always delivered the cake to me fresh and ready to eat. If I lived in Nashville I would give them all of my bakery business.