Violet’s Cakes

Omg! Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cake is amazing!!! Ive never had a cup cake taste so dam good.

What happened? What a disastrous change in quality! I was just charged $ 1.95 each for mini cupcakes ¹⁄₃ the size of their old mini cakes. Seriously one tablespoon of better per cup. The frosting was thicker than the cake… and tasted terrible. All sugar and oil. The «large» ones were tiny, too. And sloppy looking. SO SO SO depressed. I was reading reviews and heard it was possibly sold which makes sense, I guess. Anyway — I’m back in search of a new place for treats. Sigh.

My $ 300 dollar wedding cake was put in a refrigerator for two or three day’s and in the process was sooo dry, that when you cut it, it just fell apart. It was just plain terrible! I was embarrassed for guest to have to eat this. The owner of this business should be very embarrassed that a product like this was even passed off as a Wedding cake. But, she still had the nerve to steal my money ! Shame on you! Less than a year later, you’re closed… I wonder how that happened?

I went with my sister to pick up my nephews 1^st birthday cake and I was disappointed from the start. When I first walked in, the place looked dirty and not a very pleasant place to be in. A couple flies here and there.
What made me more upset was the fact that my sister had pre ordered the cake with specific details and the «1» which indicates his FIRSt birthday was missing. And the lady’s attitude was an «O well I don’t care.» Not only that but we didn’t even get a cover for the cake and she had the nerve to say oh it’s okay we do it all the time. No it’s not bout that it’s about the bugs and dirt blowing on it. The hell?! And she was not sanitary at ALL. Touched the monkey after doing everything else and when she finally found the «1» balloon that my sister requested, she just plopped it on the table next to the register. Ummmm hello it’s food.
By the way the cake was horrible and not worth it at all. I’ve had cake way better that was much cheaper.
Customer service was horrible and would not recommend it. Go to dots for cupcakes

I bought a Groupon, it was a great deal. Great selection of rotating daily flavors. Nice moist cake, cute details and touches to the frosting, which wasn’t too sweet.
What really impressed me about Violet’s is their customer service. I know there are some bad reviews here in regards to that but I couldn’t be happier with how well they handled my order! I had to arrange for delivery since their Valencia location does not have a store front set up yet. The person I spoke to on the phone was very friendly and was very helpful in answering all my questions. When the cakes were delivered to my office the gal was very nice also. Will definitely be ordering from them again. Thank you! :]

Violet’s is the best spot for cupcakes and cakes in Pasadena — it’s been my husband’s favorite since 2006. There are many other places to get yourself a cupcake in town, but in my opinion the others suffer from being either sickeningly sweet and too dry, or having that weird plastic texture to their icing. Violet’s has a natural, home-​baked taste. Their cakes are always moist and their icing hits all the right notes for flavor, texture and aesthetic appeal. The cupcake assortments are varied and simple, like red velvet, brownie, coconut, lemon, berry, etc. We used Violets for our wedding, and they made us the best lemon cake with white icing, dotted with fresh raspberries and blackberries on top.
Their citrus flavors are my favorite. Whatever extract they use tastes like actual fruit essence, not fake lab concoctions. I am a huge fan of lightly grating lemon rind to obtain the oil and small bits of essence. This cake achieved that sort of flavor, and really impressed everyone. I will never like cakes or pastries that employ a flavor that is a fake chemical version of a real flavor, with way too much corn syrup to confuse your brain. I think that might satisfy some people on a very base level, so that their brain tells them they’ve received sugar –HOORAY– ! But I really enjoy the actual flavor of an orange rind, or a dark chocolate, or a real tart berry atop my icing. We’re not 5 years old anymore, do we really need to add a crapload of sugar to everything?
I hate when cakes look like they came off of a conveyor belt, too perfect and fake plastic-​looking, with their icing perfectly shellacked on and their insides being usually dry and disappointing. Violets is the total opposite of that, and might be a bit messy, but the taste is worth it! One thing to understand is that you CANNOT leave these cupcakes in the sun for too long or they will melt. But in my experience, the best tasting food is not the stuff that was meant to last very long. They are also extremely fair priced. I’ve gone to cupcake shops outside of LA, and they seriously charge like 3 times more for less tasty stuff. Why do people in small towns do that? I will never understand.

I came here a few days ago and the girls working there need to learn basic customer service… like say «Hello» when a customer comes in.
I stood at the counter for a bit and blankly looked at everyone for a bit as they stared back at me, only to turn away and go back to their conversation until finally one came over to the counter.
That is SUCH a pet peeve of mine! I hate shitty service. I’m not asking anyone to ever kiss my ass and bring me a cocktail, but at least acknowledge a customer. Say Hi… that’s all it takes.
Their cupcakes itself: I’ll give them the frosting. It was very good. Not too sweet, and the consistency was good. The cake itself, varied. The red velvet was good, the strawberry & chocolate was half dry, and the cinnamon was just flat out dry. Also, the mini cupcake we got had way too much frosting on it and were also dry and it wasn’t a good balance like the normal sized ones.
Never coming back, and recommending against this place to others.

As a cupcake aficionado and proficient baker, I’m always on a venture for new and unique tasty cupcakes. Over the years, I’ve discovered that Pasadena is a mecca for great cupcakeries and dessert shops, hosting to decadent cupcake joints like Dots, ConfeXion, Sugarfix, and Polkatots. So when I heard about Violet’s in Pasadena from friends and fellow Unilocalers, a visit to this yummy bake shop was definitely in order.
Unlike other cupcakeries with their classy and sleek décor, Violet’s cupcakes offers a more simple and classic design with less emphasis on sophistication and artistry. Steering closely to store bought cupcake décor like frosting swirls and colorful sprinkles. But don’t let the shabby look and simple presentation fool you, inside their glass case are some righteous morsels of yumminess that will surely delight your sweet tooth and have you yelling «oh me oh my!» As for the cupcakes, simply delicious, not overly sweet and super moist. With a multitude of flavors that change daily and affordably priced ($ 2 mini & $ 3 regular size), you’re sure to find a few favorites that you’ll enjoy and love. A few of my personal indulgences include:
Twix Cupcake — moist, tasty and delicious. The small bits of twix chocolate pieces infused inside the cake provided a nice texture and flavor.
Red Velvet — super moist and delicious. The butter cream cheese frosting was not overly sweet or tangy and perfectly well balanced. No after taste from the red food coloring and well orchestrated.
Elvis — What’s not to like about peanut butter and banana? The peanut butter cream frosting was creamy and super delicious, pairing delightfully well with the moist banana cake. It will have you singing «Love Me Tender!»
Overall 3.5 — Lacking in artistry and fancy décor, Violet definitely makes up for it in taste and moistness. A perfect alternative without the sugary overdose that you would expect from Sprinkles or Dots, but still enjoy and love. Definitely worth the trip to Old Town Pasadena and highly recommend to anyone.

Cupcakes and service are okay, but if I was in the mood for cupcakes, this probably wouldn’t be my first choice.
Suggestions: Elvis cupcake (banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting) and Chocolate Chip.
Parking is either street parking, or paid parking in a garage around the corner.

I don’t make it up to the LA area very often anymore, but I found myself in a time crunch to order a bday party’s cake and cupcakes, set up what the bday girl wanted, and pay for it all at once. Based on a quick Unilocal search, this place seemed good.
Well, I’m not sure I saw the value for the exorbitant fee I paid. For a personal cake that was smaller than a personal pizza, and 30 cupcakes, I paid $ 300. That’s right, for $ 300 they’d better be the best baked goods i ever ate. I gave them a picture to use, but they still charged me a hidden $ 85 in «design fees.» To be honest, it wasn’t any better than the cupcakes and cakes I get at Pavillions, only Violet’s Cakes were 3 times more expensive. I think that next time, I’ll take my time and do better instead of getting taken advantage of by these people.
When the items were delivered, they were delivered on time and were cute. The details they charged me extra for– $ 30 for a cardboard flat age on stilts to stick up off the cake was nonexistent. Instead, they used some fondant to shape it into a number. When they initially told me they would use edible hello kitties, the ones on top of the cupcake were disgusting. I kinda’ felt that while it was cute, they overcharged me and simply didn’t charge me accurately for what I received.
Overall, they were ok. But just ok. Pity because if I was happier with them, I’d refer them out. As it is, I can only warn you to be extrmely specific about what you wanted and not to pay upfront without a clear idea of what they specifically promise to do for that money.

I happen to reeeeeeeally like these cupcakes. I like the fact that Violet’s sells mini versions, so we could taste more flavors and not feel (as) guilty. However, they tasted so good that I was sorry I didn’t have any in the large size cupcake. I also don’t like the fact that we live so far away that while they change their flavors daily, we will have to plot and plan more carefully in the future to try some new ones. That being said, I’m also GLAD I live far away. This place could become addicting. Incredibly moist and packing a punch of flavor, the cupcakes we tasted were deeeeeeeeeeelish. I didn’t love every single flavor, but I liked most.
In the mini size (enough for 2 bites, but since I shared, one bite per person), here’s what we sampled…
Berry Delicious… amaaaaaazing…different fresh berries woven through the cake. Berry frosting. TERRIFIC.
Brownie Bomb… more of a brownie base than true cake… a little dry but not horrid… really chocolatey, and I loved the crunchy chocolate things. Yummmm. I could eat a bowl of those.
Carrot… good, dense flavor w/​cream cheese icing… lovely.
Red Velvet… w/​cream cheese icing. Moist /​flavorful.
Lemon…great, strong (but not too much) lemon flavor… cake and icing.
Reese’s… my favorite. Chocolate and PB… moist, dense, perfect.
Strawberry Shortcake… vanilla cake, whipped cream topping w/​a fresh
strawberry…least favorite. I only like real icing. Whipped cream doesn’t cut it.
Vanilla/Vanilla…the icing was a little too sweet for me, but of course, for my husband, it was his favorite.
Chocolate/Chocolate…loved the chocolate icing. Tasted great with the cake.
They do sell other things, but I had no interest. I still don’t. Cupcakes are their main thing… and mine.

My buddy Travis B. gave me a Vanilla Gluten-​Free cupcake from this place. The verdict? ABSOLUTELY AWESOME.
It was insanely sweet, but clean and pleasant. They do not go cheap on that frosting. It was very rich and comforting, but I was DYING for a cup of green tea the entire time to wash around the sugar. The cake was ultra moist; don’t expect some hard corn-​bread gluten-​free cake here. They even sprinkled it with GOLD SPRINKLES. I felt like I was eating art, jewelry, or something.
This place would be great for dessert or an afternoon snack and I would recommend all lovers of cupcakes to go check it out.

Birthdays call for birthday treats so I headed out during my lunch hour into Old Town Pasadena which is studded with choices — Wonderland, Violets, Sugar Fix and Dots. I would have thought that any of those cupcakeries would be worth stopping at but oddly enough, most were serving weird flavors that day so I ended up at Violet’s.
It was the Elvis cupcake on the menu that totally sold it for me. Oh my god, how good does banana, chocolate, and peanut butter sound? The banana cupcake was moist and rich with banana flavor. The chocolate and peanut butter frosting was a really good match in flavor.
The Smores cupcake is one that I can never turn down because I love marshmallows. Unfortunately, this didn’t taste anything like a S’mores. There was a moist chocolate base, yes, but the frosting didn’t taste like marshmallow, much less toasted marshmallow. It was tasty as an ordinary chocolate cupcake but just not delivering on the flavors it should have.
I also really disliked the packaging. They use boxes that are too big so the cupcakes slip and slide and fall all over the place. They do some thing where they dab a blob of frosting onto a piece of tissue paper with the intent of holding it down and keeping the cakes separated but that totally failed.
The upshot is that I liked the Elvis very much. I also like how they carry a good variety of flavors everyday.

Came here with a friend to redeem his $ 18 groupon for their vegan cupcakes.
At $ 4.25 a vegan cupcake (which happened to be red velvet for the day), it is TOTALLY not worth it. They apparently make only one type of vegan cupcake for the day and if you want other types you can call and pre-​order.
The cupcake was dry, had a weird after taste, and just not very good in general. Their normal cupcakes are $ 3.00 each and I don’t think the extra $ 1.25 was worth paying to eat a Vegan cupcake. I can definitely make a better one at home.
Will definitely not be getting it again, but I guess this is the only cupcake store in Old Town who sells vegan cupcakes. We went into Dots Cupcakes later and they said they don’t offer them :(

If you are planning to place a custom order with Violet’s Cake, I would advise you to STAY AWAY or risk ruining your celebration. This establishment is completely unprofessional.
I am very upset. I placed an order last week for three dozen mini cupcakes for a baby shower today. I picked up my order today, but since I was in a rush and there was some street fair (making it difficult to find parking), I didn’t have time to open up the sealed boxes to check the cupcakes. Even if I did, it wouldn’t have made a difference since it was already too late.
I placed an order for 1 dozen chocolate cupcakes (with chocolate frosting, and the gentleman who took my order said the color could not be changed so I was fine with it being chocolate), 1 dozen brownie cupcakes (with white frosting that it normally comes with), and 1 dozen lemon cupcakes (with the normally white frosting tinted orange, which cost an extra 10 cent each). We were having a «Juno”-themed baby shower so I thought the white and orange frosted cupcakes, along with the chocolate ones, would be cute.
I saw the man write down my order as I noted above, so it was not a communication error.
Apparently, Violet’s Cakes has some sort of points system so when you buy cupcakes, you get points to redeem for free ones. I overheard the guy mention this to another customer; he didn’t offer it to me so I had to ask. I mean, I am buying 3 dozen mini cupcakes so I assume I’ll be racking up points. Sure enough, he said I would and I would receive my card when I picked up and paid for my order.
Today, I arrived to pick up my order. First, the lady couldn’t find one of the two boxes. Second, there was a line forming and no one was helping the people behind me as the lady looked for my order.
I saw three or four people in the area behind the counter pretending not to see the customers; yeah, I know it might not be your job normally, but say something to your waiting customers or offer to help! Alas, the customers behind me were pissed and walked out. Another customer was waiting for 5 minutes while no one tended to her. C’mon!!! This is awful service!
Of course, the lady did not offer me a reward points card so I had to ask. Grrrr.
Okay, I take the cupcakes to the baby shower and lo and behold, we discover EVERY SINGLE MINI CUPCAKE has a nasty orange frosting on it! Even the chocolate/​chocolate one that was supposed to be untouched. We couldn’t even tell the difference between the brownie and chocolate cupcakes.
As a perfectionist, I was livid. The presentation was sloppy; some cupcakes were shaped differently, some had globs of frosting. Everything looked cheap and like it came from the bakery section of Ralph’s.
People said the cupcakes were good and they tasted good except for the super sweet orange frosting when there should’ve been chocolate or white frosting. It just looked unappetizing. It’s not like Violet’s Cakes is cheaper than Dot’s or their rivals so I can’t forgive their unprofessional service and product.
Worst of all, I was very upset because the mom of the baby shower loves chocolate cupcakes, and would appreciate the chocolate frosting on chocolate cupcake I was promised. Instead, we get a orange frosting mess, and I didn’t say anything but could tell she didn’t gravitate toward the orange chunks.
It may not sound like a big deal normally, but when you pay this much for cupcakes, you want to make it perfect for the guest of honor.
It really infuriates me a bakery can’t FOLLOW SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS. How hard is it to READ? You know, «Chocolate/​Chocolate frosting,» «Brownie/​White frosting,» «Lemon/​Orange-​tinted frosting»? That was what was written.
I would advise everyone to stay away from Violet’s Cakes for custom orders. Stick with what they have in their case because you know you’re getting what you see. The cupcakes we received were a disaster.
Judging from the service I saw today while picking up my order, I can safely say attention to detail is not Violet’s Cakes strong suit.
I have learned my lesson — next time I place a big order, I’m going to a place that can handle it and read instructions. Can I get an amen up in here?

Disclaimer, I am NOT a desserts person. On a recent foody tour, our last stop was in Violet’s. We were told that they had been rated #1 on the west coast for cupcakes so I was actually excited to try them. I got the Elvis mini. It really tasted like banana and peanut butter, but it was so sweet that I was really glad it was only a mini. I did not taste any others, the group I was with loved them. But the big test for me was that not any of the 12 people in the group bought to go. They did however go back to where we started our food tour and bought from that vendor.
I much prefer my local cupcake baker Corner Cupcakes in San Diego. Theirs are really flavorful and not so sweet.

I was in town on a rainy Sunday hitting up all the places I had groupon vouchers to and this was my last stop. Before arriving, I thought this place would have a vast variety of cupcakes. However upon arriving, the bakery only had about 8 different varieties of cupcakes. And there was no one there. It seemed sad. Besides me and my friend, there was the lady who was selling and I believe her two daughters who looked miserable baking cupcakes. Maybe it was the rain? Who knows but being in there made me depressed too.
Now onto the cupcakes. I selected one of each flavor and the flavors that stood out to me were Smores and the Red Velvet. The Smores was SOO good. It had an interesting texture. The Red Velvet was moist and smooth. The other cupcakes however, weren’t so good. Not going to name all of them but the one that I couldn’t finish was the sweet potatoe. It was dry and just didn’t seem right in a cupcake. Overall the cupcakes were just OK. I think theres too much frosting but thats just me.
O and I didn’t like that they also place frosting on the bottom of the box! It annoyed me because it got my fingers sticky whenever I ate a cupcake. Please don’t do this!
Parking was easy to find on the street. Not sure if I would venture out here again for Cupcakes. I think I’ll stick to something else.

I loved their Berry Delicious cupcake! It was an explosion of berry flavors that you can taste distinctly. No artificial flavors. Just real berries. From the cake to the actual frosting, it was gooooood. A must try! I honestly only picked this out because it looked pretty with berries topped on the frosting. I’m so glad I judged this cupcake by its looks!
Their elvis (banana and peanut butter) was pretty good too. However, I wasn’t a fan of their red velvet. I was disappointed.
Their presentation in the boxes is cool. but can get sticky when you pull the cupcakes out. They line the boxes with paper then drizzle a white
sauce so the cupcakes «stick».
I like that they offer mini sizes of their cupcakes because sometimes I just want to try a bite of their flavors.

Violet’s is a cupcake specialty shop in the downtown area of Pasadena. They feature full size cupcakes (as well as mini versions of many of their cupcake flavors). I went with a selection of mini cupcakes though I wish I would have tried their full size cupcakes. Since the mini cupcakes were quite moist, I think it would have been a real treat to have a nice, moist full-​size cupcake (kind of a rarity).
I tried several flavors, but two really stood out. The berry delicious had a cupcake base that was overloaded with fruit purée. There was a good mix of sweet and tart. Good frosting that was not too sugary and a nice fresh berry garnish.
The Elvis cupcake was also good. The cupcake base was a very good and moist banana. I like banana bread and this one was a good variation of banana bread. I was not a big fan of the peanut butter frosting. It had a very strong peanut butter taste and I think it kind of overwhelmed the very good banana cake.
I also tried the strawberry shortcake and it was just okay. It definitely represented strawberry shortcake well in how it combined both the spongy type cake base with the light whipped frosting. However, it was northing that really stood out.
The last cupcake I had was the brownie bomb and I felt this cupcake was the weakest of the four because it was not that moist. The cupcake base was very dry. It did not really deliver on the brownie texture either; it did kind of taste like a brownie, but it was not one of the better brownie desserts I’ve had. The frosting on this cupcake was way too sugary.
Service was pleasant and quick.
I think each mini cupcake was $ 1.75, which was pretty high. That being said, the prices here seemed to be about what you would expect to pay at a specialty cupcake place.
I enjoyed the berry delicious cupcake and enjoyed at least the base of the Elvis cupcake. Based on this one experience, I would think that Violet’s stacks up well against other cupcake places (though I am neither a big cupcake fan nor expert). I do wish that I would have tried a full size cupcake because I might have really enjoyed it here. I do not return to cupcake places often, but I may return to Violet’s for one of those full size cupcakes.
Parking is available on the street by meter. There are several business nearby so you might be in for a walk.

Tried Violet’s again and I realized they’re worthy of a 5-​star review!
I love how you can see them baking and frosting the cupcakes in the back!
I love how the cake is always a little moist and the frosting is so light and tasty! I usually hate cupcake frosting but all of theirs is soooo good! And I love the mini edible sprinkles & designs on the top!
I love how they have so many different flavors and designs everyday! I shared the red velvet, brownie bomb, and banana crème pie cupcakes with my friends this time and they were ALL soooo delicious! I especially liked the banana crème pie! Light and fluffy goodness!
I can’t wait to try some of their other popular flavors! :)