Wendy Rush

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delicious looking cake

This might be the saddest thing Las Vegas residents have heard this week.

A beloved dessert shop located in Chinatown just announced they are closing permanently. Sweets Raku made the announcement this morning on their Instagram page.

According to the post, Sweets Raku will be closing their doors for good on June 30, 2023. Which gives their regular patrons a little more than a month to enjoy the last of their favorite treats. The Instagram post implied the closing wasn’t necessarily a voluntary choice, saying it was due to circumstances beyond their control.

Sweets Raku has been a favorite of Las Vegas locals since they opened their doors in 2013.

A truly unique experience, the restaurant served up fine-dining level desserts in a casual environment. In fact, you could even sit at the bar and watch the chef craft your order in front of you. The loyalty of Sweet Raku‘s patrons partially comes from their insanely cool dessert presentations. Not only are the dishes delicious, but how the chef serves them is definitely something to see. Check out this video that shows just a couple of the cool presentations available.

The Chinatown location is a spin-off of the Japanese grill restaurants called Raku. But Sweets Raku is all desserts, all the time. You’ll know it in Chinatown as the place with the giant silver spoon outside the door. I highly recommend stopping by for the experience at least once before they’re gone for good.

If you don’t know what to order, you can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu.

But if you want something fun, try the Pistachio Cream Cake, which looks like a pile of spaghetti carbonara on your plate. Or the Puffy Cup, which grows as it gets injected with vanilla cream. All good choices.

And I know I speak for many Las Vegas locals when I say, “We’ll miss you, Sweets Raku!”

Wendy Rush, 96.3 KKLZ

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Where To Get The Best Chocolate Cake In Las Vegas

You have to love the National Day Calendar. There’s all kinds of holidays on there. And today we’re even bigger fans. Because it’s National Chocolate Cake Day! Side note: it’s also National Have Fun At Work Day. So if you can find a way to have fun at work with chocolate cake, you get bonus points.

History Of Chocolate Cake

You know how when you look at old-timey photos, nobody is smiling? Those sepia-toned pics of the couple or individual portraits. Why are they so unhappy? Sure, you can say it was just the custom at the time. But, I think it’s because those poor saps didn’t have chocolate cake.

Chocolate was primarily consumed as a beverage until the 1830s or 1840s. The first recipe for cake made with chocolate wasn’t even published until 1847, according to nationaldaycalendar.com. I know what you’re thinking…how did they handle stress before this when they couldn’t turn to eating their feelings in chocolate? I don’t even want to know. But I can guess there were a few wagons with fist-shaped dents in them.

Why Is It So. Darn. Good?

So many reasons. It goes with any flavor of frosting. Vanilla, strawberry, cream cheese. You can’t go wrong with any of them. Plus, unlike their lighter counterparts, cake of the chocolatey variety has caffeine. The darker the chocolate, the more the caffeine. Yeah, it’s no wonder we’re addicted.

Tips For The Best Homemade Cake

If you’re planning to make a chocolate cake at home, here are a few tips. Use room temperature eggs and butter to get the best texture. Use cold coffee or espresso powder in the mix to bring out the cocoa flavor. Use dark cocoa powder and brown sugar for a richer flavor. And my favorite tip is to make a poke cake. That yields some amazing moisture and flavor.

Okay, now that we’re all dying for a slice, here is where you can grab the best today in Las Vegas. – Wendy Rush

  • Strip House

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn7K4E0N3TX/

    They have a 24-layer chocolate cake that is to die for. Located at 3667 Las Vegas Blvd S.

  • Slice of Vegas Pizza

    https://www.instagram.com/p/ClzBGaFPprB/

    Located at 3930 Las Vegas Blvd S Ste 120, the chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting is a must have! (And pssst…it’s Vegan)

  • Freed's Bakery

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CgA5r8RpIkq/

    Their chocolate cake has a strawberry layer in the middle. Yum! Located at 9815 S Eastern Avenue.

  • Morton's Steakhouse

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn7Rvo6sQk7/

    Fans are calling this the best chocolate cake in the world. Located at 400 E. Flamingo Road.

  • The Cheesecake Factory

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CmZpRadNlZA/

    They make their chocolate cake with Godiva chocolate. An obvious win. Many locations in Las Vegas

  • Lawry's The Prime Rib

    CHOCOLATE MOLTEN LAVA CAKE DECORATED WITH ICING SUGAR ON A WHITE PLATE AND CHRISTMAS LIGHTS BACKGROUND

    If Chocolate Lava Cake is your thing, you have to try Lawry’s. It’s amazing. Located at 4043 Howard Hughes Pkwy in Las Vegas.

  • Fogo de Chão

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CaadmKROX_B/

    Located at 360 E Flamingo Rd, their Chocolate Brigadeiro Cake is another must-have.

  • Romano's Macaroni Grill

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn7YqB7rFZV/

    Try their homemade chocolate cake. You will not be sorry. They’re located at 2001 N Rainbow Blvd in Vegas.

  • Suzuya Patisserie

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn0gKkzD-Cq/

    Fans call this cake divine. Located at 7365 S Buffalo Dr Ste 115.