A Winter Tradition at The Cake Bake Shop
- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 1
There are certain traditions you don’t plan… they simply become part of your family story.
For us, The Cake Bake Shop became one of those traditions back in 2020 - when Kyler was just two years old and Rori was still a baby. What started as a sweet winter outing slowly turned into one of the most meaningful rituals I share with my girls.
And this year marked our sixth season returning.
Six winters. Six chapters. So many memories.
Some years it’s just been Aaron and I with Kyler and Rori. Other years it’s been just us girls - me, Grandma, Aunt TiTi, and my two little dates. And sometimes we’ve been lucky enough to have extra love at the table: Great Grandma Honk, Aunt Kelly, Aunt Brenne… four generations gathered around pink champagne and glittering desserts.
No matter who’s sitting with us, the feeling is always the same.
Magic.
From the moment you walk through the doors, your breath catches. The whites, taupes, antiqued mirrors, French-style furniture, and soft glow of chandeliers make you feel like you’ve stepped into a fairytale café somewhere in Paris - except it’s tucked into the Midwest… or now, beautifully, along the Disney Boardwalk.
When we moved to Florida, I never imagined our tradition could continue. But in 2024, getting to visit Gwendolyn’s Cake Bake Shop at Disney felt like the universe saying, this is meant to be.
Different location. Same magic.
Same girls. Just a little taller.
Our Order, Every Time
Some things never change.
We always start by splitting a bottle of JCB Brut 21 champagne - because if you’re doing Cake Bake, you do it properly. Then I order Gwendolyn’s Famous Cosmopolitan, which feels like it was made for this exact place.
My favorite dish will always be the Chicken Velvet Soupe. Always. It’s comfort in a bowl and the one thing I crave before I even arrive.
Other table staples:
Truffle Pommes Frites
Pesto Burrata
Gumbo Poutine
Ham sandwiches for the girls
And yes… more Chicken Velvet Soup for the girls too
For dessert (because apparently cocktails can also be dessert), we sometimes get the Black Swan espresso martini - shaved chocolate piled on top, rich and indulgent and completely unnecessary… which makes it perfect.
Unicorn Hot Chocolate & Pixie Dust
Kyler and Rori always make their way to the cake window first.
Rows and rows of towering, pastel-perfect cakes. They take their time, pointing, debating, changing their minds. We have tried many over our years, but our favorite is Red Velvet Cake.
They order their Unicorn Hot Chocolates every year - pink, dainty, magical, exactly what little girls dream of.
And then comes my favorite moment.
The waitress brings out pixie dust.
She sprinkles it into their hair, into their palms, and tells them to make a wish. For a few seconds, everything slows. They close their eyes. They believe. And I just sit there watching, knowing one day they’ll be too old for this… and wishing I could bottle the moment.
Before Christmas, they sometimes write letters to Santa and drop them into the magical mailbox out front. It’s small, but it feels huge when you’re five and seven.
More Than a Restaurant
The Cake Bake Shop didn’t just become a tradition.
It became inspiration.
My youngest daughter’s bedroom is currently being transformed - and yes, it’s fully Cake Bake Shop themed. The soft neutrals, antique details, romantic French feel… it all started here.
It’s the place that reminds me to slow down. To dress up. To romanticize motherhood. To create rituals that feel special even when life gets busy.
Every year we leave full - of food, of sugar, of laughter, of memories. And every year, the girls fall asleep on the drive home, cheeks still pink from excitement, hands sticky from cake.
I always think the same thing:
One day, I hope I’m sitting at that same table… with them and their babies.
Same tradition. New generation.
And certainly still ordering Chicken Velvet Soup. 🤍
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