"11 shops where you can get delicious vegan cakes in Berlin"

I have a day off and want to do something nice for my family, so I'm looking online for recommendations for vegan cakes and tarts. After all, my sister already knows my creations very well, so I wanted something new, and there must be something in Berlin. There's almost an overabundance of options here, so blogs and other posts are certainly the most helpful in the search.

Just skimming through a post from the well-known food blog Mit Vergnügen that introduces and recommends providers (of vegan baked goods), I'm surprised by the mention of the online pastry shop Wunderkuchen where you have to order entire cakes, and whose vegan offerings consist of whipped cream with thick cake layers and some kind of fruit with jelly. The NY Style Cheesecake is also an insult to the original, which is traditionally baked and doesn't consist of foul-tasting vegan mascarpone from Schlagfix. I know this because I researched and experimented for a long time until I came up with the best vegan cheesecake. So I'm wondering why this vendor ended up in the blog post about vegan cakes when there are so many cafés in Berlin that also offer vegan cakes. Well, maybe the writer of the article is a fan of those old-school whipped cream cakes. I still wouldn't list it as an option. Just like La Maison, which has pastries and barely any vegan options, or like Café Velicious, where the cakes don't look appealing to me.

So I read on, skip the mentions of the cafes I know to be mediocre, and go for Sakura in Mitte. But I was disappointed. I pay €18 for three slices, and they don't even taste good. The thinly sliced piece of cheesecake was simply inedible. Someone doesn't know their stuff—to be precise, the maker of the vegan baked goods and the author of the article. Neither of them has actually tried the vegan cake.

A sense of horror spreads through me. The reliability of recommendations from so-called foodies and influencers must be questioned. I then do this by pitching my own café to a few well-known people on YouTube and Instagram. Either there was no feedback, which led me to conclude that the influencers were content with their lists of the same old places, or they respond that a post costs money. I'm fed up with that. The scene doesn't seem to be truly and honestly engaging with the wide range of cafés offering vegan food. Instead, they rely on hype and what's already known/established.

You simply cannot trust pages like "tipBerlin" or "Mit Vergnügen", influencers like "ANTEA" when it comes to researching good vegan spots.

So, in conclusion: THERE ARE NO 11 SPOTS TO FIND GOOD VEGAN CAKE!

There is a wide range of mediocre vegan cake makers in Berlin, such as Café Neundrei, Plants & Flours and Soi & Co., which get mentioned in food blogs. I have worked with all three of them. It is my very personal opinion, stemming from experience, that their cakes are not worth the money, nor a recommendation. That's because the cheesecake at Cafe Neundrei is always made with a tasteless, greyish cheesecake filling, and the one at Plants & Flours simply is not a cheesecake - instead it is crumbled lotus cookies (or alike) as base and a non-baked mousse on top. People who don't know their art...

All I can leave you with are my recommendations when you're craving something sweet:

1. If you like ice cream, go to Duo Sicilian, they have great nut flavours and the chocolate & fig combo called "Shalai" is simply the best ice cream I have ever had.

2. If you're up for donuts, check out Sammy's (and NOT Brammibal's). They are not too sweet nor too greasy.

3. If you prefer puff pastry, there's Sanctuary as a solid vegan bakery with baked goods (although I personally think the creams are lacking flavour).