Dessert review: Zen Baking Company in Dallas

by Jayme Campbell of Confection Confessions

Zen's cake balls are delicious treats despite being a little on the expensive side.

Photo by Jayme Campbell

Top: Blind Lemon and Choco-Choco-Choco-late. Bottom: Cookie Dough Woah and Rockin’ Red Velvet

Cake balls are like currency in my house. The barter system is in full swing and you can pretty much guarantee that with the right amount of cake balls, you can get out of cleaning the toilet and perhaps even get a back massage.

Zen Baking Company has some of the best cake balls that I have ever had. With that comes a price. I have said before that I don’t really put a price on really delicious baked goods. However, $2.75 for one cake ball is pretty steep in my opinion. Will I continue to pay it? Sure I will, as long as their product is different than what I can get elsewhere and remain delicious. I go to Zen for cake ball flavors I can’t find elsewhere, like Cookie Dough Woah, Ode to NOLA (Pecan Praline), and the Filipino favorite, Pastillas de Yummy. However, not everyone is willing to spend almost as much money on a dozen cake balls as they would a tank of gas.

Photo by Jayme Campbell

Ode to Nola and Chocolate Pepermint

I will tell you a little secret, though. Central Market and Market Street both sell a small selection of these resplendent creations for more than a dollar less than they cost in the Deep Ellum Store front. Surely that extra dollar is going towards the excruciating rent they must be paying.

In addition to cake balls, they also serve bubble tea and Asian and Filipino inspired Tapas, which I have yet to indulge in. The last time I stopped in, I had a salted caramel brownie that rivaled my favorite from Oh Brownie.

Despite being on the expensive side, Zen Baking Company is a delicious treat, and we all deserve in a little indulgence now and then.