Pie from Ikeda's California Country Market

Update Review, 2024-2025

Back in 2016 I discovered Ikeda's California Country Market.  Well, not quite true, I had heard about Ikeda's for years, a common stop for folks when they drove to/from Tahoe, but not a stop I'd ever made.  And I still haven't.  Back then, a co-worker treated us to one of Ikeda's apple pies for breakfast one morning, and I declared it perhaps the best apple pie I'd ever had.  I was determined to try more of their pies, but ... I didn't really want to drive all the way to Auburn to do so.  And thus, I ordered online.

Ikeda's ships most of their pies (and muffins, granola, and a few other things) overnight on ice.  Note that this is just on ice (yes, big ice packs, and yes, in foil lined packaging, but NOT with dry ice as some places do, so if you aren't shipping within California, you might not want to get the cream pies for example).  Anyway, over the past few years, I've ordered quite a selection of pies, both fresh and frozen (thaw and serve).

Packaging

Safety First!

The packaging of the pies was honestly a bit excessive.  The individual pie boxes were all inside a bigger shipping box with ice packs.  The pies left Auburn in the evening, and reached me by the next night.  Strangely, they packaged ones that were supposed to be frozen, and ones that were supposed to be fresh, in the same box, with some ice packs that were fairly soft on arrival.  The frozen pies certainly didn't stay frozen in transit, even for <23 hour shipping time.

And then, inside each individual pie box, was each pie, bubble wrapped and taped up, which took some effort to remove.   

And then plastic wrapped!

... and then, under all the bubble wrap, the pies were plastic wrapped in several layers.  So, wrapped within wrapping in a box within a box.  So. Much. Effort.

The fresh pies stopped at that layer, but the frozen ones had an additional layer under all of that (a bag).

Each layer had its purpose: the plastic wrap to seal it from freezer burn, the bubble wrap from getting bumped around in transit, the box to protect, etc, but, wow, it took a bit of labor to actually reach the pies.

Clear Labeling.

The Ikedas website doesn't really have much information about the pies, no ingredients listed, or even descriptions.  "Tripleberry" is all it says for this one, not revealing what the three berries are.  Same with "razzleberry", no details.  Nor explaining the differences in the French and Dutch apple, just both kinds listed by name.  Luckily, the pies themselves do come nicely labelled with ingredients, so I was able to uncover the answers (although not nutrition info, which is probably for the best!).

Fresh Baked

For delivery, Ikedas has 10 varieties of fresh baked pie available - 2 different apple pie variations (both streusel topped), pecan, and a slew of different berry options (all double crust).  All are 9". Interestingly, their popuular cobbler topped options aren't available fresh, only frozen.  If you visit in person, they have all of these, plus all the of the frozen ones available fresh, and plenty of others that aren't available for delivery at all (e.g. banana cream).

"Pies are pre-baked and can be enjoyed upon delivery up to three days at room temperature! Tip - Preheat Oven to 350F and reheat pie for 15 min to make crust crispy!"

I had a really, really hard time picking one variety of fresh pie.  I love a good blueberry pie.  Or a cherry pie. Or pecan.  And although I don't love blackberry, marionberry, with its smaller seeds, was definitely appealing.  And then there was the "razzleberry" or "tripleberry", and I wasn't quite sure what the different berries in each of these were.  Honestly, the only one not tempting me was the strawberry rhubarb, just due to childhood dislike of rhubarb always "ruining" my mom's homemade strawberry jam.

Tripleberry Pie. $29.99.

I settled on Tripleberry. I wasn't sure what was included in the tripleberry when I picked it, it was mostly an act of indecision.  It turns out, the triple berries are marion berries, raspberries, and blueberries.  This sounded like a good mix to me, so I wasn't unhappy to learn this fact.

Like the apple pie I had from Ikeda's before, this is a double crust pie.  I wasn't impressed with the crust when I had the pie back in 2016, but I was still excited for it this time.  I do love great crust.  Unfortunately, I don't really consider this great crust.  It again just wasn't particularly flaky, wasn't particularly buttery.  It tasted fresh enough, but was just barely a notch about grocery store crust.  It really let me down flavor and texture wise, but it was a well constructed pie, nicely sealed, and sorta looked like maybe a machine did the "crimping"?  So sadly, crust, 2.5/5.  If it matters to you they use vegetable shortening and butter in their crust (and I think a dash of vinegar and egg, as those are the last ingredients in the pie too).

Tripleberry: Cross section.

The filling is where my first Ikedas pie shined.  I was eager for the filling of this too.  I tried it both room temperature, and warmed in a 350* oven, as instructed.  The filling was ... ok.  It was fairly thick.  Nice mix of berries.  It was however really a sweet pie.  I appreciated that they didn't add any odd spicing, no citrus, but it was really too sweet to eat without equal parts ice cream and whipped cream.   The warm filling, with big scoop of vanilla ice cream (or even tart frozen yogurt), was slightly enjoyable, but, really, just too sweet for me.  Good consistency, too much added sugar for my tastes. 3/5 filling.

Overall, this pie let me down.  Yes, it was better than a generic grocery store pie, but certainly not rave worthy, and not what I expected given the accolades Ikedas gets.  I certainly finished my portion (sans some of the lackluster crust, plus extra ice cream), but didn't really want more.  Low 3/5 overall.

Frozen / Thaw & Serve

If you prefer to have your pie shipped frozen, there are three styles of pie available, either "thaw & serve", "thaw in fridge", or "take and bake".  The "thaw in fridge" range is the cream/custard pies, the "thaw & serve" is cobbler/streusel topped, and "take & bake" is the double crust fruit pies that require you to actually bake them.  Clear instructions are provided for each style.  I didn't order any of the take & bake pies, out of laziness.

Fruit Pies - Thaw & Serve

The thaw & serve fruit pies are all cobbler or streusel (in the case of the apple option) topped.  I'm not sure why they don't offer the double crust in a frozen thaw & serve varieties.  The thaw & serve pies just need to be thawed overnight*, and are ready to serve.  They include full instructions in case you want to get more complicated:

"Cobbler has already been pre-baked! All is needed is to thaw on the counter until it reaches room temperature (Approximately Overnight). We do not recommend it but if you must reheat a cobbler (MUST BE FULLY THAWED), carefully remove and save as much topping as possible in a separate container. Reheat cobbler at 350 for 15 min then "re-top" with the saved cobbler. This is to ensure the cobble does not get soft and gooey. Cobblers will last up to three days at room temperature!"

From this category, I was tempted by all the berry options again, but I couldn't resist the cherry cobbler.  I also ordered both apple options, given how good the other style of apple (double crust) I had tried previously was (which they either no longer make, or don't do for delivery?).  I was very curious to see how the "dutch" and "french" versions compared.

* I say they "just need to be thawed", but, really, the, uh, extensive packaging makes it a bit more work than that.  They come bubble wrapped and taped up,  and then plastic wrapped with multiple layers of plastic wrap (like the fresh pies), and then in a bag.  It takes several minutes to reach your bounty, but I'll admit, the packaging is effective, the pies looked relatively unscathed.

French Apple. $27.99.

"White sugar crumb top."

The first one I tried was the French apple.  This one is topped with a white sugar crumb topping (as opposed to the Dutch, which has brown sugar, I soon learned).  The crumble topping was incredibly generous, quite a thick layer, and I loved that there were little balls that broke off - I got to take an early taste test!

The topping was indeed delicious.  Sweet and simple, again no spicing, just flour/sugar/butter, but I really enjoyed it.  Delicious topping.  4.5/5.

French Apple: Cross Section.

The filling too I quite enjoyed.  And again, I think it was the simplicity that worked here.  No additional spicing, not even cinnamon, let alone other warming spices.  Just apples, sugar, food starch inside.  The apples were nice size chunks, no skins left on, lightly al dente, just the right amount of bite.  The filling was sweet but not overly so, and when combined with the sweet topping, it all just worked in harmony.  4.5/5 filling too.

The bottom crust was substantially better than the crust from the fresh triple berry pie, which really surprised me.  It was a light blond style, soft, and flavorful.  3.5/5 crust.

This is a high 4.5/5 overall, and again, one of the best apple pies I've had.  

Even though they say not to warm it, I did warm up some the next day, and served it with vanilla ice cream, and thought it was even more glorious.  Don't get me wrong, it was pretty much perfect room temperature too, but it was fantastic warmed up as well.

Dutch Apple: Wrapped.

Next I went for the Dutch apple, that looked ... totally identical, although it had a clear "D/A" on it, so, I'm assuming they got this right ...

Dutch Apple. $27.99.

"Brown sugar crumb top."

I wish I had saved a piece of the French apple to do a side by side comparison.  Because, truly, these looked, very very similar.  I did expect to see a much darker crumble topping, or taste more of the depth from the brown sugar compared to the white.  I guess it is light brown sugar?  But hey, I loved the French Apple, so this is not a complaint.

The pie tasted much the same as the French apple, as you'd expect.  The apples had a nice to bite them, and I liked the big hunks, no apple goo here.  Mild spicing (not even cinnamon?), no other players like nutmeg that can so easily overwhelm.  I think this is why I like Ikedas apple pies so much, they just allow the apples to shine.  4.5/5 filling.

The crumble top was again good, but perhaps not as magical as I had remembered from the French apple.  I liked how much crumble there was, and the sweetness it added, but it didn't totally blow me away.  The crust was again fine, a blond style, but not otherwise notable.  3.5/5.

So overall, a fantastic apple pie, but I did prefer the French apple (and maybe the double crust?).  Still, the filling alone makes this the best apple pie I know of, and nets it a strong 4/5 overall.

Cherry Cobbler. $27.99.

Next up, the cherry cobbler, which is really crumble.  I'll give them one slight demerit for calling it a cobbler when its really a crumble ...

It did look slightly worse for the wear once I defrosted it, but I wasn't particularly worried.  The cherry cobbler I believe uses the same crumble topping as the French apple (white sugar crumb topped).  It did have less topping than the apple (or maybe so much absorbed the juices it was harder to detect it).

To start, yup, that topping.  ZOMG, love it.  Sweet for sure, but simplicity done well.  Sugar, flour, butter, check!  Another delicious topping, I wish it had more bigger hunks of rubble.  4/5.

Cherry Cobbler: Inside.

Next, the filling.  Again not much besides the cherries in there (and a bit of cornstarch to thicken).  No spicing.  It was however very sweetened.  Borderline cloying sweet really.  I love the sweet crumble top, but that combined with this sweet filling was really overwhelming.   It really required at least equal parts ice cream or whipped cream (or, yogurt if stealing a slice for breakfast!) to pie.  The cherries were super juicy, I liked how much liquid was in it too, even if it made it messy.  If they had just added less sugar, this really would be a fantastic filling.  I have to knock it down a star though, just because, wow, it was sweet.  3/5.

The bottom crust was also fairly "eh".  It was soft and soggy.  Definitely a victim of the "thaw and serve" format, and the very juicy nature of this pie.  2/5 bottom crust.

So, overall, as served, 3/5, but if I did pair it with enough ice cream/whipped cream/frozen yogurt/yogurt I truly did enjoy it, 4/5 that way.

Thaw in Fridge / Cream Pies

Cream pie options are coconut, chocolate, or key lime.  Sadly, their banana cream is not available for delivery, only fresh in their store.

"Thaw in refrigerator over night or until completely defrosted. Pie is now ready to be served! Store in refrigerator. Cream Pies will last up to three days in the refrigerator!"

I love cream pies (although not generally key lime or other citrus), so I got one of each of the others.  These have very easy instructions, just, thaw in fridge overnight.

Dark Chocolate Truffle Cream Pie. $29.99.

Well, this one was a mess when I got it!

It was packaged nicely, in a protective plastic shell, but cream had oozed out all over inside the plastic holder, had crust broken off, and really just looked like a disaster.  I was sure it would still taste great, and I didn't care exactly, but I was planning to serve at an event, and couldn't quite bring myself to attempt to put it on a platter and somehow make it look presentable without an apology to the group.  Luckily, it still tasted good!

Dark Chocolate Truffle Cream Pie: Inside.

The chocolate pudding was the star of the show.  It was extremely thick, extremely rich, and indeed quite chocolately.  Not a bitter chocolate, but not overly sweetened.  It was decadent, and a little went a looooong way.  It made up the majority of the pie.  

The whipped cream on top was rich, tasted fresh, and was just lightly sweetened.  It was absolutely necessary to offset the richness of the chocolate pudding below.  The ratio was right for a normal cream pie, but I almost really needed this to be 50/50 pudding to cream given how rich it was, so I found myself using extra whipped cream in order to finish a slice.

The crust was a pale shortcrust style, not a buttery flaky pastry crust like you'd use with a fruit pie, or a graham or cookie crust as is sometimes used for a cream pie.  I liked it, and it went well with the deep, rich chocolate filling as something a bit more neutral.

Overall, looks aside, this was a very good pie, and I didn't mind using extra whipped cream to round it out.  I think I would prefer to have some dark chocolate shavings or chips, or perhaps some nuts sprinkled on top, but, that's just if I wanted it absolutely perfect, it was quite good as it was.  4/5.

This is the only pie that wasn't $27.99.  I'm not sure why chocolate is more expensive than fresh fruit?  We served 8 people comfortably, with just about 1/4 of the pie left.  It was excellent overall, but, wow, even for me, eating a proper "Parent family slice" would be impossible, so you can definitely get 10+ servings out of this.

Coconut Cream (Thaw in Fridge). $27.99.

Next up, coconut cream. 

Another one that was a total mess when it arrived.  Again, packaged nicely, but just totally a disaster in looks, with broken crust, cream leaking out everywhere, etc.  Again, it still tasted great, but, wow.

Coconut Cream ... uh ...

"Filled with coconut pudding and topped with homemade whipped cream, coconut flakes and placed into our homemade graham cracker crust!"

There aren't really words for this.  I couldn't tell the top from the bottom, the crust was that lost.  It seemed to have a graham cracker crust rather than the blond crust of the dark chocolate truffle one, although it definitely was not a crust at that point, as it was entirely mixed in.

Could I serve this as a pie?  Absolutely not.  But did I just scoop it out into nice clear cups and tell folks I got "coconut cream pie pudding parfaits"?  Yep.  Again, if it tastes good, no problem right?  But, wow.  

Anyway, it really was tasty.  Strong coconut flavor in the pudding, much more of a traditional pudding rather than the thick nature of the chocolate one.  Lots of cream that tasted fresh enough.  Little bits of soggy graham throughout that added some pleasant soft texture.  One guest actually thought that was a cake layer.  It was all sweet, very sweet, but not cloying.  I liked it best with blueberries and chocolate chips added to cut the sweetness a bit.

Overall, tasty to eat, amusing to look at, and I'd get it again.  Low 4/5.

Original Review, 2016

When I first moved to the Bay Area, one early lesson I learned was about rituals different folks have for driving to/from Tahoe in the winter.  And by rituals, I mostly mean coping mechanisms.  For many, the answer seems to be a stop at Ikeda's California Country Market (with locations in Davis and Auburn).

Ikeda's is a "country market"with gourmet food products including all the snacks you may need to survive the journey, plus a bakery, and a restaurant.  While all aspects of the business are well regarded, it is the bakery that people swoon over.  And, in particular the pies.  The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and serves basics like burgers, sandwiches, and shakes.  Plus, the pie.  Oh the pie.

Ikeda's has 17 different pies on the menu, mostly fruit pies (with a pumpkin thrown in there too).   Most of the pies are available with full top crusts or with crumble tops, which they call "cobbler pie" e.g., cherry pie or cherry cobbler pie.  Apple pies get special treatment, with 3 different varieties: regular, dutch, or french (do you know the difference of all of these?)

Ikeda's has been on my radar of places to visit when driving to/from Tahoe for years, but, I haven't actually done that trip in a long time, so somehow I still haven't ever made it, even though for dessert loving me, this was high on my list.  But, this season, one of my co-workers stopped on their way home one Sunday afternoon, and brought us a pie Monday morning.  For breakfast.  I didn't object.

Apple Pie.

"Fresh Granny Smith and Golden Delicious Apples picked from our own orchard a mile away from our Auburn location.  They are peeled, sliced, and baked to perfection in our in house bakery."

As I mentioned, Ikeda's has three varieties of apple pie, and it is the classic that my co-worker selected.

I'll be honest, apple pie is one of my least favorite pies.  I don’t really like apples.  And I’ll be honest, usually if my only option is apple pie, I’ll get the pie, and mostly eat just the crust.  I rarely bother finish the filling, as soggy apples just aren't my thing.

Enter Ikeda's apple pie.  The filling was clearly the appeal, sky high.  I started with the crust though, double crust.  It was … fine, but not remarkable.  Not particularly flaky or anything.

But the filling?  That WAS remarkable.  The apples were thinly sliced, and perfectly cooked, still a bit crisp.  I think the mushy quality of most apple pies is one of the reasons I rarely like it.  And the apples were still tart, granny smith was a great choice of apple for this pie.  The tart apples  complimented the sweet sauce they were in perfectly.  Now let’s talk about that sauce.  Sweet and cinnamon-y.  Thick and a bit gooey.  It totally coated the apples and was really, really tasty.

All together, this was a fabulous pie, and probably the best apple pie I've ever had.  I'd love to try another one of their pies, ideally, a variety that I would actually pick!