Chaos Theory Cakes - cake tasting! 10/20/2008 7:30pm

So, there's been relatively little discussion (1,2) of Chaos Theory Cakes, but I'm a huge fan of Bleeding Heart Bakery (the folks behind CTC) and while I've only been to CTC once, it held a lot of promise. The only downside, which I noted in my initial thread about the place, is that the most interesting looking options are the layer cakes which are each too big for one (or even two) people and even if I did get one, I'd only get to try 1 kind. The perfect solution? A group outing to try a bunch of them.

I don't know if the seasonal flavor list (pdf) online is accurate or not, but I'm sure there will be some interesting combinations to try.

Let me know if you're interested in coming. Given the size and format of the place (and the size of the cakes to be shared), I would think no more than 8-10 people.

Chaos Theory Cakes
2931 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60686
(773) 281-2353
http://www.chaostheorycakes.com

-Dan

dansch wrote:The only downside, which I noted in my initial thread about the place, is that the most interesting looking options are the layer cakes...

Sorry for a reply that has nothing to do with the event you're planning per se, but while I agree with you that the layer cakes are the most interesting looking options, they are not the most interesting tasting. I think the Chaos Theory cupcakes are kind of special, while the layer cake we bought for a party was dry and mediocre-tasting (although, granted, beautiful-looking, in a neo-retro style, from the outside). Ironically, the excellent cupcakes are quite reasonably priced for the quality ($1.75 each), while the layer cake is overpriced for what it is.

But good luck and have fun with your outing--maybe the opinion of the collective "panel of judges" will be different from mine.

don't let me stop anyone from going, but according to the chaos theory website, this is a tasting event for people getting married, or wedding/event planners. rather than for people just curious to taste their cakes. justjoan

Another note -- the address is 2961 Lincoln, not 2931, according to their website.

justjoan wrote:don't let me stop anyone from going, but according to the chaos theory website, this is a tasting event for people getting married, or wedding/event planners. rather than for people just curious to taste their cakes. justjoan

Actually, I think that's Sunday the 26th. I was just trying to get a group of LTH folks together to eat some cake... not affiliated with any sort of official cake tasting.

-Dan

riddlemay wrote:

dansch wrote:The only downside, which I noted in my initial thread about the place, is that the most interesting looking options are the layer cakes...

Sorry for a reply that has nothing to do with the event you're planning per se, but while I agree with you that the layer cakes are the most interesting looking options, they are not the most interesting tasting. I think the Chaos Theory cupcakes are kind of special, while the layer cake we bought for a party was dry and mediocre-tasting (although, granted, beautiful-looking, in a neo-retro style, from the outside). Ironically, the excellent cupcakes are quite reasonably priced for the quality ($1.75 each), while the layer cake is overpriced for what it is.

But good luck and have fun with your outing--maybe the opinion of the collective "panel of judges" will be different from mine.

I certainly wouldn't object to testing this empirically... cupcakes and layer cakes side-by-side...

Out of curiosity, which layer cake did you try? Was it recent? Your note about the dry cake is not out of line with the comments (mine included) in the main Chaos Theory thread - I wonder if they're still having issues or perhaps are keeping cakes on the shelf past their prime.

-Dan

dansch wrote:Out of curiosity, which layer cake did you try? Was it recent? Your note about the dry cake is not out of line with the comments (mine included) in the main Chaos Theory thread - I wonder if they're still having issues or perhaps are keeping cakes on the shelf past their prime.

I wish I could answer more informatively, Dan, but it's been a while...I'll tell you what I remember. To deal with the recency question first, it was for a 4th of July Weekend cookout. The cake was an 8-inch layer cake. Memory says the "cake part" was banana cake, with buttercream frosting between the layers. The outside of the cake was chocolate frosting with circular "nubbins" of many colors festooning it. It was $50, which took me by surprise at the cash register, but I said to myself, "What the hell, if the cake is great, it'll be worth it." But it wasn't. Maybe they've gotten their layer-cake act together since then. (But since the cakes are trucked over from Bleeding Heart, which has been around for a while, it seems unlikely that the problem can be ascribed to inexperience.)

so sorry dan! i leapt to the wrong conclusion; and didnt look at the dates. jj