H-E-B Cakes: What To Know Before You Buy

H-E-B is a chain grocery store with a cult following based in Kerrville, Texas. Founded in 1905 with just a $60 investment from founder Florence Butt, H-E-B has locations all throughout the state — plus a few across the border in Mexico. The company also owns other grocers, including H-E-B Plus, Mi Tienda, Joe V's Smart Shop, and Central Market. 

Though H-E-B is known for being a one-stop-shop — with a range of groceries, pharmacy services, and beer and wine all under one roof — one thing Texans keep coming back for is the store's signature cakes. With a colossal bakery department, the combinations are seemingly endless. H-E-B offers premade cakes in 6-, 8-, or 10-inch circles, two different sizes of sheet cakes, and bundt cakes, as well as cakes by the slice and cupcakes. Customers can order custom cakes ahead of time with almost any of H-E-B's cake and icing flavors, decorated however they like based on their special event, from weddings to birthdays to graduations. If you're planning to put it in a request for an H-E-B cake, here's what to know first.

H-E-B cakes come in what seems like infinite varieties. The store's bakery department has a long list of signature flavor pairings, like tres leches, carrot, chocolate fudge, Italian cream, piña colada, strawberry custard, and many more. H-E-B also offers a mix-and-match option for many of its cake varieties, like a chocolate and white cake in one, and frosting flavors that range from Oreo icing to strawberry or vanilla "bettercream" buttercream.

If customization is what you're after, H-E-B also stocks several toppings. Customers can opt for sliced fruit on their tres leches cake, whole Oreo cookies on their red velvet cake, and the list goes on. Other extras include chocolate shavings, nuts, maraschino cherries, sprinkles, coconut flakes, and even non-edible decorations, like lettered banners. Some users on Yelp even recommend H-E-B's cakes over other stores' based on decorations alone. These can be highly ornate: A confections catalogue on the website shows several photos of striking wedding cake designs. Finally, H-E-B has seasonal flavors for holidays, such as a red and white "piñata" cake with a surprise center of colorful sprinkles for Valentine's Day. 

While H-E-B doesn't have an option for customers to review individual products directly on the website, other sites do list reviews for the grocery chain's cakes — and they suggest that H-E-B has a cult following in Texas for a good reason. On WeddingWire, the bakery department has a 5-star rating, with 100% of reviewers saying that they would recommend H-E-B for a wedding cake. Many praise H-E-B's quality, value, decorations, service, and flavor, especially. One customer said, "IT TASTED AMAZING. We got a groom's cake from a fancy bakery, and it did NOT taste as nice or last as long as the HEB cake. If you're interested in flavor, I HIGHLY recommend HEB bakery." Other reviews echoed the sentiment, with one even saying that she didn't have any leftovers because it was so well received at her wedding. 

The Knot also has exclusively positive reviews of H-E-B wedding cakes, with all reviewers commenting on the stellar flavor and quality. Not only do the chain's weddings cakes shine in the eyes of customers; Reddit users have complimented H-E-B's "tasty" tres leches cake and chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream, per MySA.

Because H-E-B offers so many different types of cakes in ranging flavors and sizes, the price varies significantly from cake to cake. According to the bakery section of H-E-B's website, they range from about $14 to $40. For sheet cakes, the quarter size, which serves roughly 24, runs about $20 for a simply decorated dessert and closer to $35 for more elaborate decorations. The eighth sheet size, which serves about 12, costs anywhere between $15 and $25, depending on how many toppings you request. 

In terms of circular cakes, H-E-B's 6-inch cakes cost between $16 and $20. The 8-inch cakes cost about $22, with the exception of the piñata cakes, which are about $5 more expensive. H-E-B's 10-inch cakes serve approximately 20 to 25 people and cost about $27 each. While these are the starting prices for the cakes, the final amount is likely to change depending on whatever customization you desire.

For custom cakes for any occasion, you can order ahead of time through the catering page of the H-E-B website. This includes requests for multi-tier wedding cakes. The instructions on the site say to browse through the selection of cakes, pick the one you'd like to customize, and then call your local H-E-B to order. Make sure to call at least 24 hours ahead of time and to be as specific as possible when telling the bakery how you'd like your cake to be decorated. Let the staff know the date and time you'd like to pick it up, then swing by to grab your cake at the scheduled time. Be warned that all cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance. 

If you don't have any intricate decorations or flavor adjustments in mind, you can simply choose one of H-E-B's design templates for roses, balloons, or confetti that can be customized with your choice of text and frosting color. H-E-B also offers a case of ready-made cakes, from Oreo to strawberry shortcake, that you can just grab and go. If you're in a rush, order these online for curbside pick-up.

You know by now that H-E-B has a plethora of cakes, including options for those with special dietary needs. Currently, the H-E-B website lists at least two gluten-free options, including cookies and cream cake and carrot cake. As for nutrition facts about the rest of the store's cakes, these vary widely based on the ingredients in each flavor.

Some of H-E-B's undecorated cakes can be used to give a ballpark estimate of the bakery items' nutrition information. The website lists the chocolate cake with confetti buttercream at 300 calories per serving, with 15 grams of fat, 390 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbs, and 30 grams of sugar. The single-layer white buttercream cake has about the same stats, with a bit less sodium. H-E-B's cakes have common ingredients you'd expect to find in most desserts — like flour, sugar, and eggs — but unlike homemade varieties, they also include some preservatives, emulsifiers, batter improvers, and artificial colors and flavors.