Whether you pronounce the Michigan sweets shop as “Sanders” or “Saunders” there’s something we can all agree on — the shop’s trademark Bumpy Cake is one of the best desserts to originate in Michigan.
Michiganders have passed their love of the cake down through generations — it’s now more than a century old. It was founded in Detroit by Sanders Confectionery in the early 1900s and originally named “The Sanders Devil’s Food Buttercream Cake.”
Today, Sanders Bumpy Cake features a “rich Devil’s food cake topped with buttercream bumps and draped in delicious fudge icing,” according to Sanders, and is commonly found at birthday parties and other celebrations in need of a decadent dessert.
Try it for the first time or for the hundredth time from one of these southeast Michigan and Ann Arbor groceries.
Busch’s Fresh Food Market
Address: Locations in Ann Arbor, Canton, Dexter, Farmington, Livonia, Novi, Plymouth, Rochester Hills, Saline, South Lyon, Tecumseh and West Bloomfield
With 16 locations across southeast Michigan, it’s easy to find a Busch’s location for your Sanders Bumpy Cake needs. The Ann Arbor location regularly stocks the Bumpy Cake, but call ahead to double check it’s in stock at other stores.
Fresh Approach
Address: 805 S. Campbell Road, Royal Oak
Fresh Approach stocks Sanders Bumpy Cake as well as the Sanders dessert toppings. Check the shelves to find many more products made in Michigan.
Ferndale Foods
Address: 600 W. 9 Mile Road, Ferndale
This grocery store offers low prices on seasonal fruits and vegetables as well as weekly coupons. Plus, they have Sanders Bumpy Cake.
Holiday Market
Address: 520 S. Lilley, Canton
Sanders Bumpy Cakes aren’t the only desserts on the shelves in this market. Find cannolis, specialty cupcakes, pies and more to round out the dessert table.
Honey Bee Market – La Colmena
Address: 2443 Bagley St., Detroit
This market located in southwest Detroit is known for its produce and wide variety of Mexican ingredients. Find Sanders Bumpy Cake in the refrigerated section near an array of Detroit desserts sourced from nearby Mexican bakeries.
Kroger
Locations: in Birmingham, Chesterfield, Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Lincoln Park, Livonia, Northville, Plymouth, Roseville, Southfield, Taylor, Troy, Warren and Westland
The Kroger grocery store chain may have been founded in Ohio, but shoppers will regularly find local Michigan-made products on the shelves, including the Sanders Bumpy Cake.
Meijer
Locations: in Allen Park, Belleville, Chesterfield, Clinton Township, Fraser, Lincoln Park, Madison Heights, Rochester Hills, Utica and Warren
This grocery store giant was founded in Michigan, so it’s only right that Meijer stores stock the Sanders Bumpy Cake.
Nino Salvaggio’s
Locations:
- St. Clair Shores: 27900 Harper Ave.
- Troy: 6835 Rochester Road
- Clinton Township: 17496 Hall Road
- Bloomfield: 6592 Telegraph Road
Nino’s might be known for its Italian specialty items and housemade baked treats, but even they stock the Sanders Bumpy Cake. Most locations should have it in stock, but call ahead to be sure.
Sanders Shops
Locations:
- Clinton Township: 23770 Hall Road
- Rochester: 436 S. Main
- Wyandotte: 3042 Biddle Ave.
If you want to see everything Sanders has to offer, like hot fudge sauce or caramels, stopping by a Sanders store is the place to do it. While the chocolate bumpy cake is classic, the carrot bumpy cake and vanilla bumpy cake available at Sanders shops don’t disappoint.
Village Market
Address: 18330 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms
Find upscale groceries and specialty items, including the Sanders Bumpy Cake, caramel dessert topping and chocolatey pecan treats, at this market.
Copycat Sanders Bumpy Cake Recipe
If you’re unable to find a Sanders Bumpy Cake near you or just want to try your hand at remaking the classic cake, check out this recipe from Kirsten at her blog Comfortably Domestic.
The copycat recipe requires at least 3 hours to make, so plan wisely. The ingredient list is long as well, requiring coffee, buttermilk, corn syrup, condensed milk and more, so also be prepared to make an extra trip to the grocery store.
Spending the time to make the Sanders Bumpy Cake yourself may make you appreciate the beloved original even more — if that’s possible.
This post was originally published in 2021 and is updated regularly.
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