has been open now for a few months, and on a recent trip to Walt Disney World — after a LOOOOOONG day in the parks — I thought it would be fun to head over to Disney Springs in the evening to enjoy a few (OK, a LOT) of desserts. ;-D
The upscale patisserie is quite unique. Whimsical cakes and pastries are handcrafted individually in the show kitchen, and THEY. ARE. BEAUTIFUL. It’s fascinating to stand by and watch as these edible works of art take shape. In addition to individual pastries and multi-serving cakes, Amorette’s also features what they call “Petit” cakes — just enough to serve two people. (Or, if you’re an AJ, one person.)
But you’ll pay a pretty penny for all of that beauty. On average, prices are definitely higher here than at Amorette’s closest competition, BoardWalk Bakery at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie at Epcot.
Today, we’re taking a closer look at one of Amorette’s Seasonal Offerings.
Amorette’s Fall Petit Cake
Amorette’s Petit Signature Cake
was one of our favorites when we first reviewed the new spot in Disney Springs.
Signature Mini Cake — Side View
But since they opened last Spring, they’ve been also begun offering Petit Cakes in other flavors and designs. Every time we’ve visited, we’ve spied both the Petit Tea Cake and Petit Coffee Cake.
Tea Time Petit Cake
Coffee Time Petit Cake
The Seasonal Petit Cakes have also been a delightful surprise. For Summer, Amorette’s offered an Orange Marmalade version. The handpainted cake was decorated with Gold Leaf and Sugarpaste Flowers, and was so so pretty.
Summer Petit Orange Marmalade Cake
But now that the weather is turning cooler, the bakery is embracing autumnal flavors with their Fall Petit Cake. I was super excited to try this one for myself, since I love the spicy flavors of this time of year.
Petit Apple Cake — In the Box
The cake is decorated to look like birch tree trunk, with a sweet little heart and the letter “A” carved into the side. Like other desserts at Amorette’s, the hand painted detail and individual attention is obvious here.
Petit Apple Cake — Out of the Box
The dainty leaves on top were brushed with gold and red color, and looked like they had been blown by the wind to a resting place on top of the cake. And I was assured that they were edible (though they felt and tasted like straight up paper to me).
Petit Apple Cake — Garnish Detail
Inside, we found the same attention to detail, as the cake is made up of multiple layers and components. Once we cut into it, we found Spiced Chiffon Cake, Caramel Mousse, Milk Jam (whatever that is), Chocolate Flourless Cake, and Apple Compote.
Petit Apple Cake — Cross Section
And this is where, I’m afraid, they lost me.
I wanted to love this — truly I did. But the flavors were overwhelming, with an almost perfume-like quality. Amorette’s was just trying too hard to hit all the autumnal spicy notes in this one…and the strong flavors overwhelmed each other. It wasn’t a hit. And it wasn’t worth the $15 price tag in my opinion. (Note: $15 isn’t all that bad for a handcrafted dessert for two people — I’m perfectly happy to pay that — but the problem here was the flavors not working for me, not the concept price.)
But in all honesty, I’m often critical of “fancy” desserts and tend to better enjoy the basics. Give me a Sprinkles Ice Cream Sammy (which actually, is anything but basic :-D) over this one any day. So to recap — major style points, but not so much in the flavor department.
Amorette’s Mickey Pumpkin Cake
Now, here’s one I didn’t try, but I HAD to show you! Amorette’s features truly awesome “dome cakes,” which serve…probably 6-8 people (they weren’t specific)…and are adorably decorated to represent Disney characters.
Minnie Cake
We recently spotted a seasonal Mickey Pumpkin cake that was too cute. Check him out!
Amorette’s Mickey Pumpkin Cake
He’s chocolate chiffon cake, milk, chocolate mousse, and orange pate de fruit jelly; and he’s all yours for the low low price of $65! ;-D You can order him by calling (407) 934-3500 or stopping by Amorette’s at least 72 hours in advance of when you need the cake. (The ordering information is true of all Amorette’s cakes.)
Overall
Amorette’s churns out gorgeous pastries, but — for me — they fall flat when it comes to flavors and textures. And so far, that kinda sums up my feeling about Amorette’s in general. However, other DFB team members LOVE the place — and their desserts. The Disney Food Blog team score is 50/50 on this one, so we’re looking forward to trying more here to see if we can get a consistent pro/con recommendation.
If you want to try it out, know that you’ll be spending at least $8 per dessert, so maybe get one to share and, if you love it, grab a few more!
But seriously — I want to hear what you guys think here. What are your impressions of Amorette’s so far? Leave a comment and let us know what you think about the Disney Springs patisserie!
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I dislike so many Disney dessert offerings as too plain/dull/not worth the calories. I’ve yet to meet a cupcake that had enough complexity of flavor on property (not including Sprinkles) so I am very excited to taste some treats from Amorettes. The price tags seem fair given attention to detail and $7-10 I’ve paid from artisanal bakeries. Given your review, I’m no less excited. It sounds like it just wasn’t a good fit for you and that does sometimes happen.
We were at Disney World last week to celebrate my husband’s 40th birthday. I pre ordered the Donald Duck dome cake ahead of time for after his birthday meal at Disney Springs. The cake was both beautiful and delicious! It was a super lemony cake with buttercream filling and blueberry jam. We had 5 people there and only ate half the cake. Amorette’s was kind enough to refrigerate the rest for us while we shopped so we could take the leftovers back to our resort room later on. Overall our experience there was great and I would recommend the dome cakes as a great way to celebrate a special occasion!
I went to Amorette’s this past August and tried a salted caramel eclair, a (mini) Sacher torte and a tea time petit cake. I think for the price of the cake vs the pastries that the cake was actually a better deal. The eclair and the torte were fine, but nothing special. The cake, however, was beautiful and delicious! I loved every flavour inside- especially the jelly layer- and it was covered by Italian style buttercream and fondant (which I also love). It wasn’t too sweet- just nice and light and fruity. I’d definitely go back to try another petit cake. On a side note I was very disappointed in the chocolate Sprinkles cupcake I tried- it was dry and just ok flavour wise. And very overpriced.
Mary Jo — How wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us, and Happy Belated Birthday to your hubby!
My kids bought me the Mickey pumpkin cake. Because they ordered it in advance I had the filling from the goofy cake. It was absolutely delicious
“Milk jam” is basically the same thing as dulce de leche. Yum! Yum!!
Does anyone know is it possible to order the pumpkin dome cake without the jam?
Michelle — Based upon comments from other readers, yes, I believe they can customize your order. Give them a call at (407) 934-3500. When I’ve spoken to them, they’ve been very helpful.
And with that review…you lost me. I think the complexity of Amorette’s creations is astounding. In the future, rather than give a place like this a so-so review, I would let someone who is less basic in their tastes take the lead on spots like Amorette’s as well as the increasing number of interesting food options springing up all over Disney.
It isn’t fair to them, quite frankly.
Kudos on our photography, BTW! Every picture is absolutely gorgeous. And photographing food is no easy task! A++++