The 411 on Bake It Up #

Address: 20865 Redwood Dr
Castro Valley, CA
Website: https://biucafes.com/home/
Phone: 510-736-9509

The Vibe: This is a small bakery with a handful of sidewalk tables. Very welcoming from the moment you step inside, as everyone's addressed as “my love” by the owner, Chef Fatima Mohamed.

I’d describe the items on offer as fusion baking, with Arabic flavors mixed into the cakes, stuffed croissants, and cupcakes. For example, they serve a cardamom-flavored morning bun and a Dubai chocolate bar-stuffed croissant beside pumpkin coffee cake.

The cases contain cakes, cupcakes, and pastries. According to their website, they also offer soups and sandwiches, but I saw no sign of those onsite.

Definitely signs of beautiful Biscoff cheesecake!

They also offer an impressive list of coffee and espresso drinks and iced refreshers. That latter category is one I'm extra happy to see, as it can be hard to find an interesting beverage that isn't (a) coffee, (b) milk-heavy boba tea, and (c) alcoholic. In terms of coffee drinks, the options range from a standard drip to Turkish, spiced Yemeni, sweet Arabic, and extra sweet dessert beverage options like the Biscoff Pleasure with milk, cookie drizzles, crumbs, and more.

My Take on Bake It Up #

The Food and Drink: I opted to try their Arabic leche cake, “It’s Vimto Time” iced refresher, and a slice of pumpkin-caramel cake.

For the leche cake, my first impression was saltiness! I am admittedly sensitive to salt, but rather than turn me off, it led to an interesting sweet–savory balance that kept me taking that next bite. I'm sure the liberal use of salt contributed to one patron's remark that she didn't know why Bake It Up's goods were so addictive—extra salt will have that effect!

I appreciated the pistachio dust and rose petals decorating the Arabic leche slice. The cake rested in a layer of milk, and heavy whipped cream adorned the milk-soaked white cake's top. The crushed pistachio nuts provide the cake with an appealing crunch, and the petals yielded a fun chew.

I loved the “It’s Vimto Time” iced refresher. This beverage is a blend of a Vimto soda syrup concentrate with flavorful fruit, ice, cucumber, mint, and cardamom elements. Vimto is a British soda that offers grape, raspberry, and black currant flavors along with herb and spice notes. "It's Vimto Time" had an excellent mix of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors, with bubbly water livening it all up. Gorgeous color, too.

The pumpkin caramel cake's recipe is also clearly free with the salt, but not as noticeably so as the Arabic leche cake. Mild spice and pumpkin flavors, but the shortening-based frosting and caramel sauce yielded tons of tangy flavor. I think the caramel was lightly soaked into the cake and poured between the layers, but I could be wrong about that. The tang reminded me of kumquats. Overall, a good cake!

Would I Go Back? For sure! There are many other cakes to try, and maybe sandwiches and salads someday, if the website is to be believed. I will enjoy working my way through that drink list, too. Maybe I'll opt for the Boss Lady next time, a sweetened Nescafe with coffee cream and coffee powder sprinkled on top. And maybe I'll enjoy it along with a slice of the Bake It Up! signature carrot cake.

Visited 6 September 2024.