The best part about profiling one bakery is that other people write to alert me about more. Oh, What A Cake! is an established wedding and fancy cake shop on Dobbin Road in Columbia that I discovered last month after an email to HowChow. I have run errands on Dobbin for almost four years, and I had no idea that I was just blocks away from a cupcake treat on every trip.
You should check out Oh, What A Cake! even if you just grab a red velvet cupcake, as I have done now twice in the past week. I actually bought trays of cupcakes both times -- once for dinner at my house and once to carry to a friend's. They sell small cakes that go for 80 cents or $1 and larger ones with fillings for about $2.50. They're all delicious, and the selection makes them a hit with a crowd. Vanilla cake with basic frosting for the kids. Almond, lemon, red velvet and other flashy flavors for the adults. Definitely try the cream cheese frosting, which has the thick but not-too-sweet flavor that I like best.
Although the cupcakes and the cookies are great to grab, the real business at Oh, What a Cake! is wedding creations along with sheet cakes and pound cakes. This is custom work. You appear to be able to get anything you want. There are books of photos for inspiration, and you can see into the bakery's back room where the real work is done.
In the end, Oh, What A Cake is all about that pastry work. The shopping center sits on a commercial strip of Dobbin that connects McGaw Road to Oakland Mills Parkway. Not exactly a commuter route, but then Howard County's other best bakeries -- like Bonaparte Bread and Touche Touchet -- aren't placed for drive-by business either. Those places serve coffee and a broader menu, with some tables to sit. Oh, What A Cake is just takeout. Cupcakes in the car, I'm pleased to report, are oh, so delicious.
Click here for my prior post about bakeries in Howard County, which I need to update to include Oh, What A Cake!
(Update: In a comment below, the Baltimore Beer Guy points out that Oh, What A Cake is just down Dobbin Road from Frisco Grille & Cantina. A cupcake, and a stellar beer! What could be finer?)
Oh, What A Cake!
6656 Dobbin Rd # K
Columbia, MD 21045-5841
(301) 931-2253
NEAR: This is on Dobbin Road between Oakland Mills Parkway and McGaw Road. So it's very convenient from Rte 175 (heading south on Dobbin) or from Snowden River Parkway (going west on Oakland Mills or McGaw). This is a few blocks away from Lily's Mexican Market on Dobbin or from Bon Fresco on Oakland Mills.
I'm not a big cupcake guy but am a sucker for anything red velvet, I'll have to swing by sometime to/from Frisco Grille!
ReplyDeleteGreat find.
We had cupcakes from here about 2 weeks ago, both the small and large and they were good. My only complaint was that one of them (a peanut butter & chocolate creation) was a little dry. However, overall we were VERY pleased. We also had a princess cake from here at a birthday party. I was very tasty and the kids and adults went back for more.
ReplyDeleteI stopped by yesterday and picked up a little assortment. Overall, I would say these cupcakes are just okay. But, for 80 cents for a regular sized one, I'll probably be stopping in again. Plus, the ladies who were working there yesterday were really sweet.
ReplyDeleteThey have a new treat called Cake Truffles. They are little chocolate covered balls of goodness. I'm totally addicted. Sometimes they don't display them, but if you ask, they usually have some in the back.
ReplyDeleteThis place is amazing! Sweet treats made by sweet people. Plus you can't beat their prices. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteLove this place. The crumb of the cake is nice and delicate, not grainy (ala a famous DC bakery chain).
ReplyDeleteThe red velvet was an authentic flavor, but mine was slightly overmixed (air bubbles = baking no-no). However, the other flavors were perfectly mixed. Believe the cakes were baked the previous day, but they weren't dry.
For $1 a cupcake, you can't go wrong. Too bad riverside coffee hasn't gotten together with them!
We visited the bakery a few times, the products are NOT always fresh baked. (although the owner said they were when we asked) DRY and BOXED MIX flavored would best describe the taste of their cakes.
ReplyDeleteThey can't fool me, I know better. I did a comparison once to a home baked Duncan Hines cake, I strongly suspect that is what is used for their goods. Oh, What a Rip-Off!
I've been there once and found the cupcakes just okay. They were a bit on the dry side and I thought the icing was too sugary. I prefer Touche Touchet.
ReplyDelete