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Kalani Kakes

4.8 (36 reviews)
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Updated 3 months ago

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Kenneth K.

My wife has a serious sweet tooth! She had tried Kalani Kakes several times before like picking up at Dena's home back when the event was canceled at District 56 in Elk Gtove due to last year's Caldor Fire. Also she tried her dessert cupcakes at a Seat at the Table Bookstore in EG as it's just down the street from us. Yes way too close & tempting for my wifey!!! LOL Wow was all my wife could say! I think she died and gone to Hawaii Heaven a bit. But seriously if you haven't tried Kalani Kakes you are missing out. My wife's favorite was the Endless Summer 2.0 slice of cake. It was moist, flavorful & delicious with pandan, mango & pineapple flavas! Ideal for the Gram too! So colorful! Dena has been on the Drew Barrymore show 7 months ago as she has themed her cakes after "50 First Dates" movie bc it's her & husband's most favorite movie. The two chefs there gave her advice expressing to her that her cakes are so DELICIOUS as well as Drew presenting her a 15,000 check from Blue Diamond to help her business to grow. Anyway what are you waiting for? Go for it! And support Kalani Kakes small local business! You won't regret it. We must support them or else we will miss out in the long run...too bad they aren't keto or SF. My wife asked already as she met Dena at District 56 the same day there was a Yelp Elite event & Eastwind band was playing! Must follow her on FBK or IG to find her where she's selling her cakes & cupcakes! Sometimes she's at District 56 or Creative Space or if you're lucky she's dessert catering your friend or family's wedding! How (heavenly) Kalani is that? You won't regret it. Maybe you will get some Hibiscus tea. Dena gave some of that complimentary to my wife. Did she know it's my wife's favorite? Maybe! Also currently she's selling her cakes & desserts in Folsom too as well as at Big Wave coffeehouse. We haven't purchased them there yet as it's quite a drive away. In fact wifey purchased a cake slice at this year's Farm to Fork Festival with no hesitation! That's my wifey! Woohoo! We can't eat this all the time but only rare occasions! Wifey was really grateful for the gal at a Seat at the Table to recommend Ube Butter Mochi cupcake as it was one of best tasting & moist cupcake ever. She said most cupcakes are way too dry & crummy tasting but not Dena's!!! Are you drooling yet? You should be. Don't walk but run down to this specific A Seat in the Bookstore in EG or Big Wave Coffeehouse in Folsom! You will absolutely thank me later!!! TRULY!!! I see online she's also making her desserts available to San Francisco via Doordash, Uber Eats, Grub hub & Postmates. Check out her website. WOW!

Ula Cupcake
Janelle H.

I'm giving them five stars even though I wish I could give 4.5 .. but I think they deserve to be rounded up instead of down. A friend and I discovered them at the AAPI night market. My mothers family is from Hawaii so I HAD to try them. I think my friend got the strawberry cupcake, and I got the Ula which is Ube Haupia. The presentation definitely needs work and that's why I think they deserve a 4.5. However, the flavor is bangin! Both of our cupcakes were so moist and delicious. Idk why mine had weird blue pieces in it which was off putting , but still good nonetheless. Service was good at the market. Very friendly! I'm for sure going to have to hit up the storefront for more treats!

08.26.21 pop up tent at the Neighborgood Market today in Elk Grove
May A.

Tropical flavors, Heavenly island desserts! Aloha Kakahiaka, as I write this, which means Good Morning in Hawai'i. I saw Kalani Kakes' booth at the Neighborgood Market in Elk Grove yesterday and stopped by for some treats. I saw the beautifully made cupcakes, one was Forgetful Lucy (inspired by Drew's character from 50 First Dates). Looks like owner, Dena, is a fan of Drew Barrymore. Next to it was the ever popular lilikoi cupcake, Last First Kiss. It's the one with the gold sprinkles. But then my eyes shifted to the butter mochi. The best butter mochis I've tasted were from Hawaii at Liliha Bakery in Honolulu. I bought one each of the butter mochi and strawberry mochi and just like the ones I had in Hawaii it was onolicious. Kalani Kakes is a home based bakery and takes preorders and will let you know the pick up address once completing orders on their preorder site. Btw, there is another cake flavor inspired by another character from 50 First Dates. It's named "1 Time Opportunity"... can you guess the character in the movie? If you guessed Alexa then you're correct. And if you know the scene then you know why the cupcake was named after her. This is a white buttercream cake topped with macadamia nut brittle. Gluten-free cupcakes available too! Review #2366

"Last First Kiss" (Lilikoi)
Stephanie H.

I first was introduced to Kalani Kakes through a Yelp Event about a month ago. When I saw their popup in Elk Grove, I knew I had to stop by and show my support for this wonderfully delicious business! There were three cupcake flavors available at the time I stopped by, and I decided to try the lilikoi flavor (called Last First Kiss). Their menu is inspired by the movie "50 First Dates". I previously had the opportunity to try their POG (passionfruit, orange, guava called Endless Summer) cupcake, but I believe it is only sold in cake form. Definitely give Kalani Kakes a visit when you see their popups! The cupcakes are so flavorful and soft. I'm usually not a big frosting person, but the frosting on these cupcakes are just sooo good. I think I'll need to request a cake from here for my next birthday; the pictures look absolutely beautiful, and I know they'll taste as good as they look!

Brenda B.

No words because I'm drooling !! I heard it thru the grapevine that they were having a a kake kafe pop-up at the creative space midtown and I made it my Friday night event ! Got there at 5:3o and stood in line for 40 minutes before I had the chance to order . It's worth it people . Sooooo goood !!!! We got the endless summer , endless Summer 2.0 , Chantilly kake, and a handful of cupcakes . Holy moly kake a moly !! Every bite was heavenly ! My favorites so far ... kake kake kake ! Hard to decide , but the endless summer with pandan is a dream !! Definitely looking forward to trying more of their goodies in the future and so happy to support a local talent ! Mahalo !

Kona white chocolate chip
Lin V.

Came here to pick up my goodies for the Yelp Event and was hoping to be able to try more other goodies but the line was long and being preggos and one kid sleeping in the car I couldn't stay to check out the other goodies. POG cupcake - if you only are the frosting which I did first it was a tad too sweet but when you mix it with the cupcake it meshes well and takes the overly sweetness away. The cupcake although I ate it the next day and had it in the fridge was still moist and "gooey" and yummy. My hubby and daughter ate the Kona Chco chip cookie. My husband said it was good my daughter said she doesn't like coffee lol. I had the matcha shortbread and it definitely has the matcha flavor. Can't wait to try our more of her desserts and other pop ups.

Tiffany L.

I think this is the best cake I've ever had! My husband got a chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream from here. It is sooo good!! Each bite is perfection. I like that it also came with instructions on how to cut the cake, as the cake is pretty tall. The cake was pricey but the quality is definitely there! I will definitely buy cakes from them for special occasions. I'll have to come by and try their cupcakes too!

Allyssa P.

I attended an event a few weeks ago at the Creative Space and Kalani Kake's line was out the door! She was set up right inside - literally step through the door and there were the goodies. Because of this, the line was out the door and around the corner. They did have someone walking around with her menu - updated each time when something was sold out - which was very helpful since we could decide what we wanted before getting to the front of the line. I loved that they had a cute little background available for photos too! very aesthetic. I had her POG cupcake and it was so pretty & delicious! The cupcake was so moist and the frosting was so fragrant! I also had the kona coffee cookie and it was yummy! I would note that it is more like a shortbread than a soft cookie. I often visit Hawaii during the summer and because of COVID, we have postponed many of our trips. But, Kalani Kakes desserts surely make me feel like I am back at the islands!

Verona E.

I'm a new fan of Kalani Kakes. I attended one of their afternoon tea events and enjoyed it. The guava scones are my favorite. Then I recently tried their cupcakes with assorted flavors and I love all the Hawaiian flavors. The lilikoi and ube are my favorites. Also, Dena, the owner is such a sweetheart so I would love to continue supporting them. You can find her baked goods at Happy Niyama too in Rancho Cordova.

a cupcake and a chocolate cupcake
Muoi H.

I do love supporting small local business ! Finally got my mouth on some desserts to try! Cake n cupcakes was moist but I wanted more of Kono coffee to the frosting on the cupcake n would recommend adding like a guava jam/filling or frosting to the slice cake Overall it was enjoyed !

Jessica M.

Went to check out Kalani Kakes at a yelp event. They are a home based business and have tons of amazing items! My favorite is the passion fruit-orange-guava cupcake. Who knew this flavor combinations works! It just went together so perfectly. I wish I got more!!! Their cookies were also really good. My favorite was the hibiscus cookie. Support Kalani Kakes! Their home baked goods are way better than what I get at bakeries. AMAZING WORK!!!

Mango peach jam, pog cupcake, matcha shortbread dipped cookie, Kona coffee white chocolate chip cookie, and hibiscus tea. Delicious!
Elyse C.

SO DELICIOUS. I had seen her Instagram page multiple times in the past, but never made an order most due to proximity. When I saw there was a Yelp elite event with her and the creative space, I immediately opted in. I arrived at the creative space around 5:15pm on Friday, 7/23. I wasnt sure how long the line would be, or how long itd take, because I'd never been to any of her events before. When I got there, there was a line of about 20(?) In front of me. I waited in line for 20 mins, but unfortunately I had leave because I had to be somewhere by 6pm. I came back around 7pm expecting the line to be shorter (I figured earlier was the "after work" rush), but the line was just as long. Fortunately, if you were yelp elite, someone was going down the line and giving us the items without having to go in. I'm not sure if/why they were not doing that when I first got there around 5. Ok, now for the food. The POG cupcake was delicious! The cake part was perfectly vanilla-y(?) And the buttercream had just the right amount of pog flavor. The cookies, matcha shortbread dipped in chocolate, and white chocolate chip Kona coffee, were also great. My favorite was the Kona coffee white chocolate chip. The coffee flavor was strong and was balanced by the white chocolate chips. There was also some jam which was great and came in a cute container. And some bonus hibiscus tea that I haven't tried yet. Parking at the creative space was limited.... Just street parking. Not sure about kalani kakes regular spot though.

Taro Milk Tea cupcake: topped with tapioca pearls and taro-flavored frosting. It had a filling, too, but I'm not sure what it was but yum!
Maggie A.

I love Kalani Cakes! Dena was featured on the Drew Barrymore Show for good reason. Her desserts are inspired by the movie 50 First Dates, but they are also so delicious. I have tried the original and pandan flavored butter mochi, taro milk tea cupcake, and lilikoi mango cupcake, and they have all been so good. Dena has amazing attention to detail, and everything I have tried has been rich in flavor and texture. I've eaten a lot of cakes and cupcakes that I just can't finish because they're 90% frosting with nothing to break up the sweetness and no crunch or any other variation. I loved the chewy tapioca pearls on top of the taro milk tea cupcake, fresh mango on top of the lilikoi mango cupcake, and fresh young coconut in the pandan butter mochi.

I didn't get photos from my wedding yet so I had to get it from her IG! 528 Mini cupcakes on a piano and more in the fridge

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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7 months ago

Delicious flavors. Reminded me so much of my favorite place on Earth! Hawaii! And her menu is based on the movie~ 50 First Dates!

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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Mahalo Glenda for your kind review! We appreciate your support!

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

Best cupcakes ever! I love Kalani Kakes! I need to try every flavor! Pineapple is my favorite

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

Amazing cupcakes and many flavors must try you will not be disappointed. Support small local businesses.

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Mahalo Phias! We are so thankful for your support!

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Ask the Community - Kalani Kakes

Hi Dena.... Do you sell any in the Rocklin or Roseville area (north of Sacramento)?…

Aloha Nicole! At this time we do not but are looking in to possibly joining a farmer’s market in the… Read more

Do they have sugar free or low sugar products?

No we do not have sugar free or low sugar products.

Hi ! Are cupcakes nut free? Could I order online? Thanks

Aloha! Mahalo for your interest. We do offer many flavors without nuts on our website menu. To order online, please go to KalaniKakes.com and select Order Inquiry.

Do they offer a guava chiffon cake or cupcake? Also do they offer a variety pack for cupcakes? All…

Yes we do offer guava chiffon cake. We do not have a storefront but you can purchase our products at A Seat At the Table Books & Coffee in Elk Grove and at Big Wave Coffeehouse in Folsom. Contact stores directly for availability as menu rotates.

If i want to order you products for a bday,how far in advance should i order?

Aloha Conchita! Mahalo for reaching out. Normally, we need about 2 weeks notice on orders. However, with the current wedding and event season picking up, we are booked on cake orders thru May. If there is a specific date you're interested in… Read more

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Kalani Kakes - cupcakes - Updated May 2026

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