Nestled next to the CU Flower House and Old Time Meat & Deli, Hunny Bunny Bakes has made cakes for the community for several years, both in and outside of the current storefront back when Hunny Bunny was based out of the owner’s home.
Nowadays, customers can walk in and expect a frequently updated (at least monthly) inventory of baked goods ranging from cakes to cookies. The latter of these are constantly getting new designs on the sugar cookies as well. Although the bakery has walk-in choices each day, Hunny Bunny Bakes also takes semi-custom cake orders in different sizes, flavors, and writing on the cake.
A rotating variety-pack selection of their signature cake jars are a popular favorite (that I made sure to try out). Hunny Bunny Bakes also carries t-shirts, cards, and assorted party supplies.
For this review, I started with a bite-sized treat: a six-pack ($4.75) of chocolate chip cookies. Nice and buttery with just the right amount of chocolate chips to add flavor but kept my hands from a melty mess. Bite-sized, these cookies seemed like a great snack to bring to a tea party. They were a bit crunchier than soft, so keep that in mind if you prefer wholly crunchy or soft cookies.
The college brownie ($6.00) was next on my list because I’m never one to skip out on indulgent dessert. A treat so rich I could feel my heart slowing down as I ate it, this dessert was best savored one chunk at a time. The foundation of this brownie was a chocolate chip Oreo cookie and a fudge brownie covered in chocolate ganache and rainbow sprinkles, making it amazingly decadent. I repeat, do not try to eat one of these all at once!
So that I could easily share and try many different flavors, I also got a variety pack of cake jars ($18). First of all, my partner and I loved the names! They were named “Love you Cherry Much,” “My Main Squeeze,” You’re Cakin’ Me Crazy,” and “You Red My Mind” — all fun puns that we very much appreciated. My partner most enjoyed the lemon mousse and cake in “My Main Squeeze” while I loved the cherry preserves on cherry cake in “Love you Cherry Much.” The one called “You’re Cakin’ My Crazy” tasted great with the strawberry frosting on strawberry cake, though the crumpled teddy grahams had gone soft, so they lost some of their texture. Though we both enjoyed “You Red My Mind,” as a red velvet cake with cheesecake mousse and buttercream frosting, it was also the least memorable.
Ending with something simple, it was time for the printed heart sugar cookie ($5). One of many different options, I chose this as a late valentines treat for my partner. We both liked this simple sugar cookie. I couldn’t help being reminded of Pop-Tarts frosting while eating it, which while unexpected was a fun surprise. The fun of Hunny Bunny sugar cookies are the different designs and shapes, so pick whichever ones are the best fit for you.
And with that, I’ve covered a decent variety of what Hunny Bunny Bakes makes! Although I didn’t touch on them here, they also bake cinnamon rolls, macarons, and many other varieties of cakes and decorated sugar cookies. It’s a dangerous place indeed for anyone with a sweet tooth! With how much we enjoyed their February cake jars, I can’t wait to see what they make in future months.
Hunny Bunny Bakes
2004 S Neil St
Champaign
M 8 a.m. to noon
T-Th 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
F 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.