Insider Trading: Café Cakehouse

On Saturdays, Beşiktaş hosts a two-story bazaar on Nüzhetiye Caddesi. Rain or shine the bazaar is always full of shoppers looking for cheap clothes, jewelry, toys, underwear, etc. It can be a stressful affair to navigate the stalls as every time I’ve been there it has seemed as though every other single person in Istanbul was there as well.

Once the shopping is done and the bazaar has spat you back onto the streets in a daze, carrying bags filled with shopping and a lighter wallet, you need some quick relief. Luckily, across the street from the bazaar sits a little oasis of calm in the form of Café Cakehouse.

The interior is a mishmash of design ideas with colorful lights, stained glass windows, a big clock hanging from the ceiling, giant cutlery on the walls and a range of eclectic furniture.

But I’m wasting words talking about things that aren’t cakes. You don’t visit a place called Café Cakehouse to gaze at the gorgeous décor or relish the comfortable surroundings (though the café definitely has those), no, you go there for the cakes and the coffee.

The coffee was great. I ordered a latte which was served at the perfect temperature for me to throw it down my neck in three gulps mere seconds after it was put in front of me. Ideally, I could forgo caffeine and just order adrenaline straight to the heart but, until that’s possible, I will accept a strong, warm coffee and enjoy the nice buzz that comes with that.

But, again, we’re here to talk about cakes.

Four of us visited Café Cakehouse and ordered different cakes to share. My wife ordered an Apple Tarteten, which was served with cream and tasted moist and chewy. My friends ordered a cherry, apple, and walnut crumble and a slice of apple pie. Both were fresh, fruity and flavorful. I ordered a slice of Oreo cheesecake and was pleasantly surprised when it was delightful. In the past, I’ve been bitten too many times by my choice of Oreo cheesecake when I am served something gooey and tasteless. Café Cakehouse’s cheesecake was rich, dense and creamy in the way a good cheesecake should be.

So, I would advise this: Shop until you nearly drop, and then go to Café Cakehouse and then you can drop… right into an order of coffee and cake.

Address: Nüzhetiye Cad. No: 66/A Ihlamur, Beşiktaş

Insider Trading is our new column sharing expats’ secret finds in Istanbul. These recommendations are unsolicited and uncompensated. Have a place you want to share? Send us an email at editor@yabangee.com