Review: Cloud Cake

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think you can go wrong with a good bit of cheesecake. Bad day? Cheescake. Good day? Cheesecake. Celebrating? Cheesecake. You get the gist…

So you can imagine my delight when Yuli from CloudCakes got in touch to say she’d like me to try some of her Basque style cheesecakes. What an offer!

Li Yu (friends call her Yuli) moved to the UK from China over ten years ago with her husband. When her now grown up children went to university, Yuli found herself with more spare time than she was used to, and wanted to put it to good use. She started baking and trying out different recipes, learning from her mistakes and improving along the way.

One day her daughter requested a specific type of cheesecake that she had tried before and was craving – and this was the beginning of Yuli’s journey with the Basque style cakes she sells today. It was a long journey, lots of failures, re-starts, feedback from neighbours who trialled every version (lucky them!) until she finally aced the delicious, creamy, and beautifully soft Cloud Cake cheesecake.

All the cheesecakes are gluten free, with no additives or preservatives. Yuli makes classic, salted caramel, pistacchio, chocolate, coffee flavours and is always experimenting with new possibilities (I hear passion fruit may be on the cards!). I tried the classic and the pistacchio, and they were both DIVINE. I took the classic into my office (to stop myself from devouring the whole thing) and safe to say all slices disappeared within a few hours – impressing some colleagues so much they’ve since ordered for themselves! It’s the perfect alternative to a birthday or celebration cake if you’re after something a little different, but also zero judgement if you’re wanting to order one just because.

Yuli secured her business license back in 2022 and has since won two Great Taste Awards. Cloud Cakes are now selling at many local markets, as well as shops in Oxford (including Crepe Affaire in Summertown). Or you can order online.