Admit it, we’ve all been there: the waiter comes over, drops off your dish and like an influencer to a phone, you start snapping away. Riyadh loves its cakes, from light milk cakes to rich baklava ice cream. You don’t have to look too far for a cake that is as scrumptious as it is stunning. Good thing we’ve rounded up ten of the most beautiful cakes in Riyadh, then.
The capital is brimming with smart cookies who are ready to put their own spin on popular slices, even Middle Eastern classics.
According to studies, by delaying consumption and photographing food, your anticipation builds up and you gain more enjoyment from your meal. So snap these cakes before you eat them.
Many restaurants now add dishes to the menu based on how it will perform on Instagram, but don’t dismiss Instagrammable cake as a gimmick. It takes a lot of hard work to create something that is artistic, playful, innovative and eye-catching. So it’s time to celebrate the places that put the cakes firmly where they belong: in the spotlight and then your stomach.
Here are ten of the most beautiful cakes in Riyadh.
Mini lemon cake with berries at Delish Bakery
While Delish Bakery excels at creating cakes for special occasions, from birthdays to graduations, it also specialises in cakes that are too good to share. The sign in the shop declares: “All you need is love and a piece of Delish cake”. The team here understand that sometimes less is more. This mini lemon cake with berries is so cute, you’ll want to treat yourself, but not before you photograph it first. Small enough to hold in your palm, it’s a zesty little indulgence. When the taste is this good, size doesn’t matter. One small bite for you, one giant leap in Instagram likes.
8065 Prince Ahmad Ibn Abdulaziz, Al Wurud, instagram.com/delishbakerysa (011 455 0087).
Salted caramel popcorn cake at Chunk Bakery and Café
The Saudi-born brand recently celebrated its fifth birthday and prides itself on paying attention to detail. With the salted caramel popcorn cake, that’s certainly the case. If you thought popcorn was just for cinemas, think again. Thanks to this dessert, you can have your cake and eat it topped with caramel-coated corn. The sticky and sweet dessert should be on every caramel fan’s radar. In between the layers of vanilla sponge cake, you’ll find even more caramelised popcorn, caramel toffee and whipped cream. If that wasn’t enough, it’s topped with salted caramel sauce as well as that salted caramel popcorn. It’s one of the most beautiful cakes in Riyadh, and it’s easily one of the tastiest, too.
Al-Muhammadiyah District, Al-Takhasusy Street, Fiorenza Plaza Complex, instagram.com/hello_chunk (055 220 2042).
Lotus Magnum Cheesecake at Draft Café
Draft Café does not make cookie-cutter cakes – just check out the Lotus magnum cheesecake. Look at it from one angle, it’s an ice cream, look at it from another, it’s a Lotus biscuit. Whether you eat yours by picking it up from the lolly stick or with a good old-fashioned spoon, this will have heads turning in the café and on your social network. The crunchy and creamy cake is made with with cream cheese, vanilla, Lotus spread and Lotus biscuit. If the Lotus biscuit takes you back to your childhood, then make sure you post it on #tbt.
Al Ayinah, As Sulimaniyah, draftthoughts.com (011 426 4660).
Saffron cheesecake at Mitts & Trays
When you enter the elegant Mitts & Trays, with its beautiful bouquets and stylish sofas, you expect elegant cake. You won’t be disappointed. Because this place serves up some of the most beautiful cakes in Riyadh. Amna Al Hashemi, the Emirati chef behind the café, used to work in social media, so knows how to make picture perfect plates. The chef created this sleek little number – the saffron cheesecake – which fits your Insta-frame beautifully. A popular pick, it combines eastern and western flavours, mixing Philadelphia cream cheese, saffron soak and a digestive biscuit base, and garnished with pistachio flakes, red currants and saffron threads. Your plate is showing amber, so grab your spoons as it’s safe to proceed.
Takhassusi St, Al Mohammadiyyah, Riyadh 12364, mittsandtrays.com (011 479 1759).
Birthday Queen at Pandemic Coffee
With a name like Pandemic Coffee, you know that this brand doesn’t take itself too seriously. For starters, a gas mask with antlers – the brand’s logo – is on every takeaway cup, and the antlers rear their heads in the café where you’ll find statues of deer. When balloons don’t cut it, here’s the answer: the birthday queen cake. If Mary Antionette had a cake, it would be as extra as this – fairground food meets high society. A hot pink mannequin head, decorated with jewellery and topped with a tall candy-floss wig is clearly what our Insta-stories have been missing. Biscuits, M&Ms and marshmallows are like accessories that surround the strawberry cake. Happy birthday to you.
Prince Turki Al-Awwal, instagram.com/pandemiccoffee (011 433 3433).
Rose Milk Cake at Magnolia Bakery
The world-famous Magnolia Bakery might be oh-so New York, selling pecan pies and muffins, but they know how to cater to Riyadh residents. And this is definitely one of the most beautiful cakes in Riyadh right now. The rose milk cake is a swirl of sweetness. You’ll be mesmerised by the icing, which is piped into a blossom and decorated with pink petals. Sure, milk cakes maybe a little traditional, but this blushing bake is as good as grandma’s finest – and a novelty, too. It’s almost too pretty to eat. We said almost.
Takhassusi Branch Road, Al Mohammadiyyah, magnoliabakery.com (011 229 2157).
Saffron cake at MUH
With branches in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, MUH is a dedicated dessert café – even its tagline claims it’s “the house of pudd”. The café takes pride in its products and selects natural ingredients, and the proof is in the pudding. Its saffron cake is served with diced mango, caramelised mango and passion fruit, glucose biscuit crunch and crème brulée custard sauce. Fresh, filling and fragrant, the cake is a delicious dessert. Want to give your friends FOMO? Grab your camera – and then a seat outdoors by the walkway near the water – and drift away into a world of pure pleasure.
Riyadh Front, Airport Road, muhsa.com (053 944 1114).
Lavender and lemon cake at Jarlicious
If you want to brighten up your social posts, look no further than Jarlicious’ lavender and lemon, which is one of the most minimalist beautiful cakes in Riyadh. While most of its desserts come Insta-ready – desserts in a jar, anyone? – there is something more understated about this outing. The cake could quite easily verge on messy, but it’s the right balance between an artful Jackson Pollock and a casual creation. The yellow and purple sauce is drizzled decoratively around it, while the single lavender planted on the top makes it look like the ingredients were just picked out this morning.
Takhassusi Street, An Nakheel, jarlicious.co (058 202 3347).
Zofran milk cake at Social by Chunk
When you want the #photooftheday and only a dessert that looks like a work of art will do, head to Saudi-born brand Social by Chunk. This golden treasure, and seriously beautiful cake is called joy and we can see why, as it definitely made us smile. While the zofran (saffron) milk cake is a Middle Eastern classic, this creamy and rich version looks pretty at all angles, due to the icing on the cake – a 3D topping made out of shiny sugar art. Thanks to the café’s sleek, minimalist interiors, this Gustav Klimt-like dessert will pop against the neutral background and notch up likes on your Instagram account. Beautiful cakes in Riyadh? Chunk has them in spades.
MX Park, Al Aqiq, 13511, instagram.com/socialbychunk (050 222 5032).
Baklava ice cream at Lilou Artisan Patisserie
Is it ice cream, is it cake? We don’t care, we just know that we’re ordering this happy hybrid. And this is definitely one of the most beautiful cakes in Riyadh. The Middle Eastern classic dessert, baklava, is given an upgrade: bite into the pastry and you’ll find layers of baklava stuffed with slabs of pistachio cardamom ice cream as well as mistica ice cream. The creamy and puffy, crunchy textures make this a delightful dessert. While the colours, from the vibrant green ice cream to the pretty pink petals, means it’s ready for its close-up. Who needs captions? Let the picture do all the talking.
7425 Prince Turki Ibn Abdulaziz Al Awwal Road, Hittin, instagram.com/lilouartisanpatisserieksa (09 200 00746)
