Original research · July 2026
The 2026 Custom Cake Report
We analyzed all 4,407 custom cake bakeries in the Cakes Across America directory — spanning 1,637 cities in every US state and Canadian province — to map where North America's cake makers are and what they specialize in.
The states and provinces with the most cake makers
| # | State / Province | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California (CA) | 496 |
| 2 | Texas (TX) | 260 |
| 3 | Florida (FL) | 257 |
| 4 | New York (NY) | 151 |
| 5 | Illinois (IL) | 146 |
| 6 | Ontario (ON) | 145 |
| 7 | Michigan (MI) | 138 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania (PA) | 115 |
| 9 | Georgia (GA) | 112 |
| 10 | Colorado (CO) | 107 |
California, Texas, and Florida lead the raw count — no surprise given their populations — but smaller provinces punch above their weight: Ontario alone accounts for 145 listings, the largest provincial total in Canada.
The 15 cities with the most custom cake makers
| # | City | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas, TX | 21 |
| 2 | Calgary, AB | 19 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | 18 |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | 18 |
| 5 | San Antonio, TX | 18 |
| 6 | Sacramento, CA | 17 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | 17 |
| 8 | Colorado Springs, CO | 16 |
| 9 | New Orleans, LA | 16 |
| 10 | Charlotte, NC | 16 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | 16 |
| 12 | Vancouver, BC | 16 |
| 13 | Toronto, ON | 16 |
| 14 | San Jose, CA | 15 |
| 15 | Miami, FL | 15 |
What North America's cake makers specialize in
| Specialty | Bakeries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding Cakes | 272 | 6% |
| Custom Cakes | 1,139 | 26% |
| Cupcakes | 282 | 6% |
| Vegan | 3 | 0% |
| Gluten-Free | 14 | 0% |
| Macarons | 5 | 0% |
The vegan cake belt
Share of bakeries offering vegan cakes, by state/province (min. 30 listings):
| # | State / Province | Vegan share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quebec | 2% |
| 2 | Washington | 1% |
Gluten-free is spreading
| # | State / Province | Gluten-free share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | 3% |
| 2 | Montana | 3% |
| 3 | Arizona | 1% |
| 4 | Colorado | 1% |
| 5 | Illinois | 1% |
Cupcake capitals
Cities with the highest share of cupcake specialists (min. 8 listings):
| # | City | Cupcake share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa, OK | 45% |
| 2 | San Jose, CA | 40% |
| 3 | Jacksonville, FL | 36% |
| 4 | Ottawa, ON | 36% |
| 5 | Las Vegas, NV | 33% |
North America's highest-rated cake makers
Among bakeries with 200+ Google reviews, these hold the highest ratings:
| # | Bakery | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melina's Sweet Delights — Kissimmee, FL | ★ 5.0 | 629 |
| 2 | Dalia Cake — Oakville, ON | ★ 5.0 | 488 |
| 3 | Cupcakes d'Amour — Raleigh, NC | ★ 5.0 | 385 |
| 4 | Ghanshyam Cakes (24 Hours Online Orders!) — Schaumburg, IL | ★ 5.0 | 381 |
| 5 | Areum's Sweet Recipes — Moncton, NB | ★ 5.0 | 380 |
Methodology
Data covers 4,407 bakery listings in the Cakes Across America directory as of July 2026, compiled from public business listings. Specialties are inferred from business names and categories, so style shares are directional estimates. Ratings reflect Google Maps review data at collection time. Reporters and bloggers: you're welcome to cite these numbers with a link to this page.