Earlier this year, I attended a community event in the City of Lakewood where Nothing Bundt Cakes…read moremade an appearance. The Lakewood location had just opened a couple months prior, and they were giving attendees a chance to win prizes, which included a couple of coupons for a free bundtlet at the Lakewood location plus four others. This location in Brea just happens to be one of the four others.
I could have stayed close to home and redeemed the free bundtlet coupon there, but I figured this would give me an opportunity to go out of my way to try a different Nothing Bundt Cakes instead. I hadn't been to Brea before and used this as an opportunity to visit the North Orange County city on a Wednesday afternoon.
This Nothing Bundt Cakes is in Brea Town Center on the southwest corner of Imperial and Randolph. For whatever reason, I wasn't paying close attention to the exact location the first time around and had initially discerned the location to be within the Brea Mall area. Not quite Brea Mall, but close enough? lol
I came after 5 PM, and the shop looked closed even though they're open until 7 PM on days not named Sunday. They have a few 20 minute parking spots in front of the shop, but none were occupied, hence another reason why I almost thought the shop was closed.
When I entered, I saw a male employee surreptitiously positioned behind the counter almost as if to give the impression that he was trying to hide from the customers. It was perhaps a foreshadowing of his customer service towards me, which I'd describe as indifferent for the most part as it seemed like I was just another number to him.
I showed him the free bundtlet coupon, and then he told me I could pick any of the flavors on the bottom of the refrigerated display case or the seasonal Pumpkin Spice flavor. I was a little surprised Pumpkin Spice was still on their menu because I came on a day after their Biscoff Cookie Butter flavor left the menu, but before the Reese's Oreo flavor came on the menu. I asked if there was another seasonal flavor besides the two mentioned in the previous sentence, but it was just the Pumpkin Spice that was for a limited time.
I had tried the Pumpkin Spice flavor at the Downey location and honestly could have cared less about it, so I didn't want to get it again. I did notice, however, they had two Gluten-Free flavors: Chocolate Chip Cookie and Lemon Raspberry. Normal bundtlets cost $6.50 at this location, but a Gluten-Free bundtlet would be $1 more. However, the free bundtlet coupon would cover the upcharge for Gluten-Free, hence why I wanted a Gluten-Free flavor. I chose the Chocolate Chip Cookie on this visit.
I don't think it'd be fair for me to say he was the worst Nothing Bundt Cakes employee ever, but his vapid and dreary personality was quite the buzzkill on my visit. He didn't offer me utensils or napkins, but at least he offered me a paper bag while meticulously placing a Nothing Bundt Cakes sticker over the bag, which held my complimentary Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie bundtlet. I asked him how long the cake would last both on the counter and in the fridge. He responded 2 days for the former, but 5 days for the latter.
I put the bundtlet in the fridge immediately after I got home, and I started to eat it the following day. I found the bundtlet kind of hard to cut, and I also noticed that the frosting had detached from the cake quite easily, causing a mess after cutting the bundtlet. Luckily for me, the frosting didn't fall on the floor, and it went well with the chocolate chips inside my bundtlet. If you love chocolate chip cookies (who doesn't?), you'll definitely enjoy Nothing Bundt Cakes' version in the form of a bundt cake! And gluten-free too? Even better for those with Celiac!
I saved the other half for the next day, which was two days after my visit. The cake felt a little firmer than the day before, and the frosting seemed to have lost some flavor that day. But overall, not too bad. I do wonder, however, how much less I would have enjoyed the bundtlet had I started eating it a day or two later than I actually did.
It's an alright Nothing Bundt Cakes to go to, but I wouldn't make a return visit, even to use my other Free Bundtlet coupon. However, if you live in Brea and need to order a birthday cake for that special someone in your life, this would be a good choice.