Best Chocolate Cake in San Francisco
Did you know that Chocolate Cake is one of the top three most popular desserts ordered at restaurants? On January 27th each year, this incredibly popular dessert is celebrated with its own day. Valentine’s Day is also coming up, which is probably one of the holidays each year that goes best with pretty much any kind of chocolate, cake form included. It’s time to put those New Year’s Resolutions aside and indulge in some delicious chocolate cake!
San Francisco’s restaurants and bakeries have a wide array of absolutely scrumptious chocolate cakes to choose from. Here are some of our favorites in the city:
Best Chocolate Cakes
Schubert’s Bakery
Chocolate Mousse with Ganache and Shavings Cake
Schubert’s is an iconic San Francisco Bakery. When I do not have time to bake at home they are an absolute go to for birthday cakes for co-workers and friends. Originally located in Filmore street, Shubert’s was opened in 1911 by a German Immigrant Family. The bakery eventually moved to their Clement Street location in the 1940’s. It has changed hands 4 times since opening but the quality of the cakes have never diminished. Today it is run by a Ralph and Lutz Wentsel, 4th generation bakers from Germany. They have continued baking with old fashioned, traditional methods, using high quality ingredients and still offering popular menu items from Shubert’s humble beginnings in 1911. They have added some new additions, like the Swedish Princess Cake, which is a huge crowd pleaser. The cake most talked about, however, is the Chocolate Mousse cake. They also offer a version with whipped cream and a version with crushed almonds. All of the cakes can be purchased by the slice or as whole cakes. They are some of the most elegant and beautifully decorated cakes in the city. I recommend ordering ahead or getting to the bakery early, as cakes sell out quickly. When I arrive late in the day, the selection is usually very limited. Luckily all of their cakes are absolutely delish. The Chocolate Mousse cake is certain to satisfy the cravings of the most discerning chocoholic. It is layers of chocolate cake, filled with chocolate mousse and finished with chocolate ganache.
Schubert’s Bakery
521 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118
Miette
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Boiled Icing
Miette Bakery is the quintessential old fashioned bakery and confection shop. It immediately evokes nostalgia as you walk into the charming Hayes Valley location, with its pink walls, hand made, old fashioned candies and beautifully displayed cakes (and other treats). They use simple, old-fashioned recipes, with high quality, organic and locally sourced ingredients to create unforgettable experiences. A trip to Miette is nothing short of magical. Miette offers several unbelievably delicious chocolate cakes made with local chocolate such as Sharfenberger and Guittard. Our favorite, which has been featured in Bon Appetite Magazine, Food and Wine Magazine and the New York Times, has a rather generic sounding name but extraordinary taste. It is the Old Fashioned Cake with Boiled Icing. This delicious Miette Creation also comes in a cup cake version. The cake is a moist, dark chocolate cake with a fluffy, marshmallowy frosting on top. It is simply garnished with one candied peanut on top. No gimmicks. No elaborate decorations. Still somehow it is beautiful to look at and indulgent yet not too heavy on the palate. Miette also sells this must try cake at its Ferry Building location.
Miette
449 Octavia St
San Francisco, CA 94102
SusieCakes
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake
If you love buttercream frosting, Susie Cakes offers amazing chocolate butter cream. The bakery is known for straight forward old fashioned cakes in classic flavors, always frosted in decadent buttercream. They offer cupcakes and slices, as well as a nice selection of layer cakes and even a few types of classic cookies, offered also with buttercream. Their 6 layer chocolate cake is moist and delicious and frosted with their to die for chocolate butter cream. It is the stuff of child hood fantasies.
SusieCakes
2109 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA 94123
SusieCakes
3509 California St
San Francisco, CA 94118
Hahdough Bakery
Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
It seems San Francisco has no shortage of amazing German Bakeries. Hahdough makes some of the most beautiful cakes you have ever seen, perfect for a special occasion. They have a wide array of chocolate cake options, including their most popular, The Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake, which contains 8 forms of chocolate. This cake is for the serious chocoholic.
Hahdough Bakery
1221 Fell St
San Francisco, CA 94117
Sixth Course Dessert Cafe
Home Sweet Gnome Cake
A relative newcomer on the seen, the Sixth Course, opened by Chef Gianina Serrano in 2014 makes some of the most creative cakes I have ever seen. Each one is a piece of art, almost too beautiful to eat. This Mission district confectioner makes gelato, pastry, truffles and the most delicious, not to mention instagrammable cakes in the city. Chef Serrano has a background working in fine dining restaurants and 5-star hotels, so she has incredible experience with high end luxury desserts. She only uses local, sustainable ingredients and the best quality chocolate, which makes a huge difference. The quality and taste of her creations are second to none. The name 6th Course was an idea she got from a vintage cook book, which referred to dessert as the “6th course” of a meal. Her business is strictly a dessert cafe, which made the name perfect. “Home Sweet Gnome” is a cake that is particularly noteworthy. The cake is a mini mushroom with edible dirt and and adorable gnome sitting under it. is my ultimate goal today. It is composed of vanilla chantilly, chocolate amaretto mousse, candied cranberries, almond joconde cake, and chocolate soil. It is a delicious combination of flavors and just chocolatey enough to make the best chocolate cake list. Also, the CrawlSF Team is pretty much impartial to anything involving gnomes, so this one really nailed it for us.
*NOTE: Sixth Course is temporarily shut down, but the owner has stated that they are preparing for a “fresh beginning” so hopefully it will be reopening in the future.
Sixth Course Dessert Cafe
1544 15th St
San Francisco, CA
Chocolate Cake and Wine Pairings
Planning a movie night or party with friends at home? Why not have each guest BYOCC (bring your own chocolate cake) from one of these tremendous bakeries and enjoy them with wine? Merlot and Zinfandel make excellent pairings for chocolate cake. Host a dessert first dinner party and get to the good stuff first.
Cocktails That Are Fabulous with Chocolate Cake
Brandy Manhattan
2 ounces brandy, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, a few dashes of angostura bitters, stirred and strained into a cocktail glass.
This cocktail is sweeter than a whiskey manhattan but still packs a punch on the finish that will cut through the richness of a decadent chocolate cake. We highly recommend this with chocolate mousse cake.
Espressotini
1.5 ounces of vodka, .5 ounce coffee liquor, .5 ounces simple syrup and 1.5 ounces of cold brew or or hot espresso. Shake vigorously to get a nice foam on top and strain into a cocktail glass.
Espressotini’s are all the rage lately. They are delicious and pack a nice caffeine boost. Chocolate and coffee are a classic pairing, think mocha.
