I have been yearning for a slice of caramel cake. When I reached out to my favorite person who bakes it, he told me he gave up baking during COVID and has yet to return to it. I asked if he had any recommendations for anybody else who bakes a mean caramel cake? Unfortunately no, he responded. He’s not a fan of anyone else’s caramel icing. And that I can understand. His caramel icing is fantastic. Soft and creamy with a silky smooth texture.

Now before I get a million emails telling me that I could have gone to the local grocery store and gotten a caramel cake from Angelica’s bakery, I have some sad news to report. Their main location at 175th and Kedzie has closed shop — with no explanation. What’s a sista to do?

I reached out over Facebook asking for recommendations for people who bake caramel cakes. The first recommendation sounded fantastic. However, after contacting the woman, she stated that she makes her cakes with “edibles” or alcohol. Her dessert treats are not “child friendly.”

I began to resign myself to not being able to get a caramel cake for the occasion I needed it. But one of my friends posted a review a few weeks ago about a bakery she had gone to: Pookie’s Crack Cake. The photo that accompanied her post looked delicious. Plus the jaunt to 105 E. 47th Street (home of the former Abundance Bakery) is pretty easy once I get on the expressways. So off I went. The bakery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. till 6 p.m. (or until all the cakes sell out).

I went on a Thursday and got there around 1. Pickings were slim. The owner told me the caramel had sold out around 11:30, so I tried the Peach Crack Cobbler. The cake was moist and the peach topping was tasty. But I really wanted caramel.

In monitoring Pookie’s Crack Cakes over Facebook, he’s been selling out his entire supply well before closing time. So this past Thursday when it was kind of raining, I got out there 10 minutes before opening time. By 11 a.m., there were at least 10 people in line. I was able to get a couple of the caramel cakes and a butter pecan crack cake. They were excellent and lived up to all the hype I had been reading. 

The bakery has been getting a lot of media coverage. News reports state that the bakery sells 2,000 cakes a week/400 a day, give or take. This past Sunday, he sold out his entire offering in just 40 minutes!

So feel free to give them a try and let us know your review. And if you’re a baker, it’s time to go into business and open one up.