Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ - Is the Cake Boss overrated???

Who does not know the Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro? His show on TV is very popular and there is always a very long line in front of his bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey. But know that if you live in Hoboken, you can skip the line: just show an ID that proves you are living there. My first experience with Carlo's Bakery was so so: couple of years ago, I bought a cannoli and did not like it. I thought at that time that it might have been because I did not eat it right away and put it in the refrigerator for few hours. Then, one of my colleagues brought a tiramisu and a chocolate cake at work: I loved the tiramisu but the chocolate cake was way too sweet. So we decided to try again.

The Cake Boss is known for his insane cakes that he is building on his show. For sure they look spectacular, but I am not sure they taste that good considering the amount of fondant and rice crispy treat he puts in it. 

When we were there, it was packed! The problem is that we could not go around and look at the cakes and cookies. So we had to blindly ask for a cannoli and a red velvet cupcake. Maybe they should let less people enter in the shop to allow their customers to look around!

Let start with the cannoli: the shell was a bit stale and the filling was a bit tasteless despite the chocolate chips. I clearly prefer the cannoli at Giorgio's in Hoboken (see the review of Giorgio's here).

The Red Velvet Cupcake was also very disappointing! First, there was not enough frosting: you need to keep a certain ratio cake / frosting. Anyway, the frosting had a very weird taste. The cake was also not good and dry. Clearly not to recommend! For cupcakes, Sweet Bakery in Hoboken is far better with a delicious and moist Red Velvet Cupcake that I would not stop eating (see the review of Sweet Bakery here)!

So, I guess all the buzz around Carlo's Bakery is because of the TV personality rather than the cakes...This was a forgettable experience!

Update: Here is the review of the Cake Boss Cafe at Port Authority NYC!

Enjoy (the photos)!