Andrew W.
Yelp
Yeah I've been coming to Peters' Bakery for years, so I think I can finally give a solid opinion on this legendary bakery.
I was first introduced to this bakery as a kid, when my mother's coworker Anthony brought a Strawberry Ring to our house party. Ever since then, my family and I fell in love with Peters'.
Their strawberry ring is absolutely amazing. It's one of my favorite cakes of all time. It's hard to describe, but I like to think of it as a jumbo cream puff/donut sandwich, with whipped cream, custard cream, and fresh strawberries in the middle. It's the perfect balance of tart fruit and sweet cream; it's unbelievable. My only gripe is that it's super messy to eat, especially when you're trying to cut the cake into slices. There's not much structure to it because the "cream puff" pieces are so delicate. Another thing to note is that it's seasonal - you can only get it in the summer.
Then there's the famous Burnt Almond Cake that everyone raves about. At this point, it's a San Jose classic. The first time I had it, I thought it was really good. There's lots of chopped almonds along the outside, giving it a nice crunchy texture, and overall, the cake is not too sweet.
The custard frosting is extremely impressive. It's super tasty and creamy, but also light and not too heavy. It's the same frosting that's on the strawberry ring (the yellowish looking one). Honestly, it's the shining star of all of Peter's desserts. Unfortunately, I must confess that I believe the Burnt Almond Cake is overrated, and here's why.
Not to sound pretentious, but the cake at Peter's Bakery is super dry. The actual cake part of their cakes is dry as a desert. This is the reason why I think the Burnt Almond Cake is not that good. Honestly, you can get moister cake at Costco or Safeway, or maybe even from a Pillsbury Box Cake that you make at home. The actual cake layer quality at Peters is truly disappointing.
The reason why I think lots of people hype up Peters' and especially their Burnt Almond Cake is because the custard frosting is amazing. They try the cake for the first time, get a mouthful of the amazing frosting and instantly fall in love. But the more times you have the cake, the more you feel like you're eating a dry biscuit that's covered in decadent frosting. It's a weird feeling. The Burnt Almond Cake is accessible, since it's available year-round, so most people will try the it before the Strawberry Ring, which I think is a mistake.
Some other gripes with Peters' - it's always super busy, so you're going to have to wait in a long line, whether you pre-ordered a cake or not. If you do decide to walk in, many of the more popular items will be sold out, unless you go right in the morning. To this day, I've never tried one of their famous Portuguese Tarts (they are a Portuguese bakery after all). Another negative is the location. It's located on the busy intersection of White and Alum Rock, and there's not much parking out front. Often times you'll have to park in the sketchy lot in the back, then take the walk of shame around the block to get into the bakery.
OK, enough hating, because I think Peters' is still a great bakery. The prices are amazing here; it costs like $24 for a full sized cake, which is a super affordable in these trying times. Another awesome perk is that they do custom cake writing right on the spot. Whenever you pick up or order a full sized cake, they ask you if you want any writing on it. This is great if you're celebrating a birthday or holiday, or any other special occasion. Another cool thing is that they sell the San Jose edition of Monopoly in the store, which they themselves are featured in. Plus they give you plastic cake cutters for free!
Looking back, I think Peters' is great. Their Strawberry ring is godlike, no, scratch that, it's LORDLIKE. Unfortunately, since I've been coming here so much over the years, I'm starting to see the flaws in their cakes, like the Burnt Almond Cake. Nevertheless, I will still be a loyal customer to this local San Jose classic.
