Angie L.
Yelp
Chinese bakeries are on a different level, and by 'different level' I mean 'lower price point.' Mayflower Bakery (and the other Chinatown establishments) are dangerous in that regard -- they'll drain you of your cash in exchange for a fat bag of pastries. Better yet, in exchange for a classic Chinese spongecake layered with cream and fruit chunks. Delicious, but not too dense, which makes you opt for a second slice, then a third, and before you know it, you're swapping the jeans for the sweats. And so it goes.
When my roommate's birthday rolled around, I knew just who to hit up. Took a brisk morning walk from our apartment in West Philly (the bakery opens way early). We ordered the cake in-store -- 8" in diameter, pink frosting, engraved with 生日快乐 (Happy Birthday) minus the bday girl's name bc our Chinese knowledge only extends so far and "Can you write Chén Pèipèi except we don't know what the characters are" didn't cut it. The lady told us it'd be ready in 30 minutes; we waited an hour. To avoid the chill, we moseyed around some nearby shops until the cake was ready. Paid the $26 in cash, although a sign on their case broadcasted their Venmo QR code. $26 for a 5-person cake doesn't exactly scream "lower price point," but yo. Mayflower also had some hefty Swiss Roll cakes on display that were less than $5(!!!!!!) each, so there are options if you need 'em. But we love our friend, and we wanted to get her the good stuff.
The cake itself was... average? The cream was a bit mealy and I would have loved more fruit chunks interspersed. Still, Chinatown spongecakes are just that good, and it feels like a personal affront to criticize them. I hope they've been holding up during Covid-19. I saw the lady at the counter hand out free coffee to the homeless people who wandered in on occasion. Doing the Lord's work, you know.