The 5 Best Items From the Whole Foods Bakery Section

Spoiler alert: the Berry Chantilly Cake is one of them.

Food & Wine / Whole Foods Market

There’s so much more to the Whole Foods bakery section than the Berry Chantilly cake. The vanilla cake, studded with fresh berries and layered with mascarpone whipped cream, went viral last year as the ultimate grocery store cake. Like most of Whole Foods’ cakes, shoppers could walk in and buy the same cake in various sizes or by the slice. But last month, the Berry Chantilly cake made news when content creator Lisa Younes shared the tragic news: “Whole Foods is discontinuing the Berry Chantilly cake that we all know and love.”

While the whole cakes remained the same, the pre-sliced versions had a thin layer of raspberry jam in place of fresh berries. According to a statement sent to the New York Times, Whole Foods made this change in order to “align the flavor profile, size, packaging, and price” across every location country-wide. But after a public outcry on social media, the pre-sliced Berry Chantilly cake was returned to its original form.

The more love the Berry Chantilly cake gets, the more I am reminded of how many other incredible items the Whole Foods bakery department sells. From freshly baked bread that you can run through a slicer to the frozen, ready-to-make pastries, there is truly something for everyone. But out of everything they have to offer, what is the tastiest? And how does that Berry Chantilly cake stack up against the rest?

We picked up as many items as we could get our hands on and taste-tested them side-by-side, grading them on deliciousness and how likely we would buy them again. Read on for our five favorites.

Who needs to make cookies from scratch when these exist? This pre-made, frozen dough is available in batches of four or eight enormous cookies or 18 mini cookies. Every piece of dough is packed with an even distribution of tiny, dark chocolate chunks, ensuring that every bite is laced with chocolate flavor. When baked as directed (it only takes 10 to 15 minutes), they come out perfectly. “It’s crispy on the outside. Chewy and gooey on the inside,” said one of our editors. Plus, the browned butter gives the cookies a toasty complexity. You can also buy the Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies pre-baked, but they are far superior fresh out of the oven. $6 for four pieces of cookie dough

As much as we wanted to say that this viral cake is overrated, we couldn’t deny its mass appeal. The cake itself is more similar to an angel’s food cake — light, bouncy, and a touch dry. But any amount of dryness is covered up by the fresh berries and frosting, which is basically whipped cream. “It’s a classic for a reason,” noted one editor. “The fresh fruit and light frosting would be ideal after a big meal.” Another perk is the price. Since the cake comes in so many sizes (8-inch, 6-inch, 4-inch, and by-the-slice) you’re sure to find a cake that meets your desired needs without breaking the bank. The 4-inch cake we purchased for example, which could easily feed four to six people, was only $15. Just make sure you’re careful when carrying it home — the layered cake can easily topple over. $15 for a 4-inch cake

If you grew up on Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, you might have just met your new favorite breakfast. Like the Brown Butter Cookies, these croissants come raw, but ready to pop on a sheet tray to bake. While grocery store croissants are generally underwhelming, Whole Foods’ version was a pleasant surprise to our editors. “It’s pretty buttery and tastes fresher than I thought it would be,” said one editor. “Honestly good for store-bought,” remarked another. They might not rise as much as the croissant you’d get from a patisserie, but they’re remarkably flakey. Eat these croissants plain or sandwich them with ham and cheese for an easy weekday meal. $6 for four croissants

Most people wouldn’t consider buying a plain scone from Whole Foods. Coated in sugar, this item flies under the radar in the self-serve pastry case. Even though it looks as if the scone would be dry and flavorless, it’s actually soft, buttery, and biscuit-like. Scones can be fairly divisive, and yet, Whole Foods’ version won over our entire group. Since it is a fairly simple baked good, we’d recommend serving it with butter and jam or even dipping it in your morning coffee. $3.50 for a one scone

By now, you’ve probably caught on to the fact that we love the majority of Whole Foods’ ready-to-bake offerings. Their cinnamon rolls, the only item we tried that comes in a disposable oven-proof pan (meaning you don’t have to dirty any dishes), is no exception. Not only did they look like professionally made cinnamon rolls — coated in a generous amount of cream cheese frosting which comes with the dough — but they tasted like it, too. One of our editors said, “I can’t believe this was previously frozen,” while another noted, “I feel like I could buy this at a bakery.” We know what we’ll be making Christmas morning. $9 for four cinnamon rolls and icing