We visit the pinnacle of confectionery with the best cakes in Madrid. Pastry is going through an interesting period: on the one hand, traditional fine pastries are consolidating, both in classic establishments and in new openings; and on the other hand, healthier versions are emerging, or those that avoid ultra-processed products, a trend that is here to stay.
1. Aroma & Bread
At Aroma & Bread not only have specialty coffee but also one of the best cheesecakes in Madrid. The best is the classic baked one, but there are also the blue cheese, the Japanese version and the made in USA. Every time you find new surprises, the work of Ainhoa, in charge of the bakery.
📍 Calle Apodaca, 10 (Malasaña)
2. Salt in Cake
Salt in Cake started in Alicante, but now has an establishment in La Latina (with almost daily queues). The key to all their cakes is that they are made from natural ingredients, with no additives or artificial coloring, and with little sugar. Everything is take away, they don’t have tables, and you can order online on their website. They also have vegan options.
📍 Calle de Toledo, 47 (La Latina), Calle de Hortaleza, 37 (Chueca), Calle Atocha, 4 (Centro)
3. Alex Cordobes
Although cheesecakes are a category unto themselves (as if they were something other than cakes), what they make at Alex Cordobés is more like pieces of goldsmithing – the store itself looks like a jewelry store – than a cake. They surpass all the limits of what is established or considered cheesecake and the sign of their success is their undisputed fame in social networks (more than 200 thousand followers on Instagram).
📍 Calle de Velázquez, 60 (Salamanca district)
4. Nicolina
The trend of healthy and unprocessed cuisine has already taken hold in baking and Nicolina is a good example of this. In this pastry shop in Valdezarza they achieve the traditional textures, but their cakes have no sugar, lactose or gluten. It can also be ordered online and they have a box with an assortment of 6 different cake servings for those who can’t decide.
federico Carlos Sainz de Robles Street, 23 (Valdezarza)
5. Arce Sisters
At Hermanas Arce the pastries are made daily from scratch, and although their chocolate cookies and savory dishes deserve a mention, their cakes are on another level. The cheese la Viña, burnt on top and almost liquid inside, is among the best in Madrid, but the highlight is the pavlova, made of meringue and whipped cream with seasonal fruits.
📍 Calle Marqués de Monasterio, 6 (Chueca)
6. Balbisiana
Paula Babiano, founder of Balbisiana, combined her career as a lawyer with her baking blog for a while until she was commissioned to bake a cake by the Larrumba Group, and finally her hobby became a profession. Her cakes triumph both in person and on Instagram, especially her Botanica cake. Its physical stores also look like a coffee shop worthy of a Wes Anderson movie.
Cakes from 34,50 €
📍 Calle Velázquez, 55 (Salamanca neighborhood), Genova, 1 (Downtown) and Concha Espina, 14 (El Viso)
6. The best chocolate cake in the world
With such a bold name, perfect for finding them on Google, not much more needs to be explained. But in The Best Chocolate Cake in the World they have two percentages of cocoa: the 53% and the 70% for the most intense. Ithas no flour at all, because it is prepared in layers of mousse and sigh, but the mixture of textures is impressive: soft and crunchy.
📍 Calle Alcalá, 89 (Salamanca district) and Calle Cervantes, 9 (Las Letras)
7. Sweets Studio Café
Sweets Studio Café differs from the rest of the coffee shops -because it is necessary to differentiate itself among so much competition- in two fundamental things: one, its creations have Japanese and French influences; two, the quality of the raw material is outrageous. The best proof of this? His matchapancakes millefeuille.
📍 Calle del Noviciado, 16 (Malasaña)
8. La Duquesita
Another essential stop had to be at one of Madrid’s traditional pastry shops. Since 1914, their handcrafted desserts and sweets have been a specialty not to be missed. Among them, its cakes, which have such expert hands behind them as that of Oriol Balaguer, who among other awards has the Best Pastry Chef of the International Academy of Gastronomy 2018. If you have to choose one, the one above in the photo: Hint, with chocolate sponge cake, vanilla mousse and raspberry compote.
Cakes from 26 €
fernando VI Street, 2 (Salesas)
9. Celicious
Celicioso has been working since 2012 in the best gluten-free sweets and has become a reference in healthy restaurants. An ideal option for celiacs (and non-celiacs) where in addition to pastries there is also savory cuisine.
10. Monroebakes
Monroebakes has brought together the best of Japanese and French pastries with a Spanish touch. This bakery, which has dazzled even the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, enters through the eyes both for its product and its presentation. For now it only has a store in Getafe, but there are those who travel to the south of the Community of Madrid just to try their desserts.
📍 Avenida de la paz, 21 (Getafe)
11. Embassy
Embassy’s lemon tart is on a par with the history of this Madrid bakery. In its original location, Paseo de la Castellana, on the corner of Ayala street, it was one of the finest and oldest tea rooms and cafes in the capital, but it was not only that: in its basement, with the collaboration of the British ambassador, during the 40’s, many Jewish refugees fleeing from the rest of Europe on their way to their new and safer destinations were hidden. Unfortunately, this establishment closed in 2017 and now has four locations spread throughout the Community of Madrid.