The 2026 Guide to The Best Iconic Cakes of NYC
There are a lot of lists about the best cakes in NYC. But we want one to be a little different. This is the list of the best iconic cakes in NYC (and this is where you can find them). Read on to learn about the tiered treats that shaped New York City.
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When the Big Apple craves something more indulgent, nothing will do but the best cakes in NYC! Today, we’re serving up four slices of New York City history, cutting to the chase on what makes these the best cakes in NYC. Whether they were native New Yorkers - i.e., cakes that were created here - or transplants who became legends in NYC, there’s a slice to tempt any taste buds!
1. Brooklyn blackout cake
Brooklyn blackout cake, unsurprisingly, is another “native New York” cake. Brooklyn blackout cake is the best chocolate cake in NYC, with chocolate pudding slathered between layers of devil’s food cake and frosted with chocolate ganache. Invented by the best old-school bakery in Brooklyn, the now-closed Ebinger’s bakery originally sold it as simple “fudge cake.” During the second World War, routine blackouts would occur along the Brooklyn coastline as a strategic way of obscuring the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a military target while ships entered and exited the harbor. Inspired by the community sacrificing their evening lights to support the cause, Ebinger’s renamed the dessert “Brooklyn blackout cake.” For years, this fudgy favorite was a Brooklyn staple, but in the years since, fewer and fewer folks are familiar with this forgotten favorite. You can check out our deep dive on the Brooklyn Blackout Cake here.
2. red velvet cake
Red velvet cake is a native New Yorker! According to legend, red velvet cake was invented at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel! History had them serving what they called “Waldorf Astoria Cake” as far back as the 1920s. As the story goes, one guest was so taken by the hotel’s signature cake, that she asked the chef for the recipe. Allegedly, the chef sent it to her - and billed her $350 for it! Out of spite, the vengeful guest shared the hotel’s closely-guarded secret recipe far and wide, and that’s how the word got out! Red velvet is one of the best cake slices NYC has ever invented. Cake Man Raven, our former neighbor in Fort Greene, became famous for his red velvet cake recipe, and rose to celebrity chef levels after opening his Brooklyn bakery in 2000. Appearing on Food Network and baking for celebrities and massive events, Raven Patrick De'Sean Dennis III elevated New York’s famous Red Velvet Cake to culinary infamy! The mild cocoa flavor offsets the sweet cream cheese frosting, while the deep crimson is surely evocative of the Big Apple itself! Red velvet cake is a frequent guest at weddings, and in this writer’s humble opinion, makes for the best birthday cakes in NYC!
3. New York style cheesecake
While the history of cheese-filled cakes can actually be traced all the way back to Ancient Greece, today, you will certainly find the best cheesecake in NYC! While variations of cheesecakes exist all over the world, ours is uniquely New York and as big as the big city itself! Once cream cheese became commercially available, it became the base of the New York style cheesecake. Arnold Reuben, owner of Reuben’s Restaurant in NYC, has claimed credit for inventing the New York-style cheesecake recipe (as well as the Reuben sandwich).
Popularized mainly by New York’s delis, a classic NYC cheesecake is tall and golden on the outside, sits atop a graham cracker crust, and is usually topped with fruit - cherries, strawberries, or blueberries. The syrupy, tart berries cut the richness of the cheesecake, which is lifted by the spiced graham cracker crust. You can get Brooklyn’s most famous cheesecake at Juniors, which is right down the street from our Clinton Hill bakery!
4. Babka
While you might consider it bread, or even viennoiserie, I just call babka one of the best cakes in NYC! While babka didn’t originate here, babka was elevated to a New York City icon with the 1994 Seinfeld episode. What began as a way for Eastern European bakers to use up leftover challah dough by rolling it up with fruit jam or cinnamon and baking it into a loaf shape has now become a New York City bakery staple. Today, the best bakeries in Brooklyn sell what are modern “twists” on this 18th Century exercise in thrift. All manner of unique flavor combinations are woven into modern babka, but the clear favorite is chocolate babka! In NYC culture, bringing a babka is always a welcome gesture - especially around Jewish holidays. Its yeasty, crumbly texture and subtle sweetness make it a perfect treat for anytime and one of the best cakes in NYC!
These classic cakes represent classic NYC bakeries and diners. But there’s one cake that’s more popular than all of these combined.
