Plush-Style Cakes in Toronto: Meet the Cake Buddies

Cake Buddies are The Place's plush-style character cakes: round, soft-faced cakes with hand-piped faces, made from real dairy fresh cream at our kitchen in Markham and delivered across Toronto and the GTA. At the time of writing there are seven Buddies, from $68.95 at 6 inch. This guide introduces each one, shows sizes and prices, and covers flavours, same-day options and the limits to know before you order.

What is a plush-style cake?

A plush-style cake is a real celebration cake whose outside looks like a soft, rounded toy character. On the Buddies, the face is piped by hand in fresh cream, and the cake underneath is airy Japanese chiffon with a real dairy fresh cream coating. The look is soft and stuffed-toy-like; the cake is a cake all the way through.

If you searched for a "Jellycat cake", this is the nearest thing on our menu: a cuddly character in cream. Cake Buddies are our own designs and are not connected to any toy brand.

A common question is whether a character like this is too cute to cut. The first slice is the hardest one, and the face is part of the fun at the table, so a photo before the first cut is worth taking.

Our pick Same-day optionBirthday BuddyThe happy-faced Buddy with a striped candle; eggless option, Express version6″ · 8″ · 10″ · serves 6–22From $69.95 Choose size & flavour

Who are the seven Cake Buddies?

There are seven, and each has its own face and colour. Descriptions below come from the product pages.

Prices are pre-order prices on the website and show as "from" because the final total depends on your choices. The cart shows the exact amount. Photos on each product page are for reference: every Buddy is handmade true to the design shown, rather than as an exact replica.

Dapper Buddy and Petal Buddy are the two newer additions at the time of writing, and neither has an Express version yet.

Which Cake Buddy should I choose?

Choose by the person and the mood, since the cake underneath is the same style in every case. Birthday Buddy is the straightforward birthday pick, with its happy face and striped candle, and it has both an eggless option and an Express version. Blushy Buddy suits a pink-leaning party, Party Buddy a bright and busy one, and Rollie Buddy a quieter white-and-scalloped look.

Dapper Buddy, with its glasses and moustache, suits a grown-up who will enjoy the joke. Petal Buddy is the gentlest of the group, with a hand-piped petal crown. Neither is a rule; the pages are worth a glance side by side.

For someone who avoids added sugar, Cocoa Buddy is the one to look at. It is the only Buddy offered as 0 Sugar Added or Keto (flourless), and both versions are sweetened without cane sugar. The ingredients page lists what is in each, and the allergen notes on the product page are worth reading first.

What flavours can a Cake Buddy be?

Most Buddies let you pick a flavour on the product page. The usual choices include Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Tiramisu, Coconut Latte, Soya Milk, Mango Oolong, Rose Lychee, Black Sesame, Matcha, Milk Tea, Chocolate, Strawberry and Strawberry Brulee, though the exact range differs by cake, so check the page for the Buddy you like. The face stays the same whichever flavour you pick.

Cocoa Buddy does not use that list. It stays chocolate-led, and you choose between 0 Sugar Added and Keto.

How big is a Cake Buddy, and how many does it serve?

A Buddy comes in 6, 8 and 10 inch, and the usual serving guide applies. A 6 inch serves 6 to 8 normal dessert slices, an 8 inch serves 12 to 14, and a 10 inch serves 18 to 22.

A coffee slice is less than half of a normal slice. These figures are only a guide. If you are unsure, go up a size, because leftovers keep well in the fridge overnight.

Can I get a Cake Buddy today or tomorrow?

Five of the seven can, because Birthday, Blushy, Party, Rollie and Cocoa Buddy each have an Express version for same-day. Order by 2:30 PM Monday to Saturday for same-day delivery that evening, between 5:30 and 10:30 PM, or by 4:00 PM for same-day pickup in Markham. Sundays do not take same-day orders, only pre-orders.

Only cakes with Express in the name can be made same-day or next-day, and a same-day cake and a pre-order cake must be placed as separate orders. You can browse them in the Express collection. Dapper and Petal Buddy are pre-order only. Pre-orders can be placed from the day after tomorrow up to 180 days ahead, and cost less than the Express version, so book early where you can. Daily capacity is limited, and popular dates fill up.

What should I know about allergies and diet before ordering?

Every Buddy is made in a shared kitchen that handles milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts and tree nuts daily, so no cake can be guaranteed free of any allergen. The Place does not offer products made for specific allergen-free diets. If someone has an allergy, write it in the cart note, then confirm with your order number by phone or email before the day.

Two details matter for Buddies in particular. Eggless covers the main cake and cream only, so decorations and add-ons may still contain egg, and the kitchen works with egg every day, so eggless is not zero contact. 0 Sugar Added concerns sugar only: Cocoa Buddy still contains dairy and eggs, and the 0 Sugar Added version contains wheat flour. Take off any decorations before slicing, and keep small parts away from young children.

How does Cake Buddy delivery and pickup work?

Pickup is free at our kitchen in Markham, and delivery covers Toronto and the GTA. Core GTA delivery is $4.95 for orders from $30 to $85, free from $85, and $10.99 under $30, before tax. Treat this as a guide, since your cart shows the final fee. Full areas and time windows are on the delivery page.

A round character cake travels best flat on the car floor or in the trunk, never on a seat, with gentle driving and no sharp stops. Put it in the fridge in its box within an hour of getting it, and do not freeze it. Take it out and serve it straight away; no warming up is needed. Room temperature is fine for 2 hours in total, 1 hour on a warm day.

Where to start

The Cake Buddies collection shows all seven side by side, with sizes and dates in the cart. Pick the face first, then the flavour, then the day.