Sanders Bumpy Cake Celebrates 100th Birthday With Free Slices

DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit's famous Sanders Bumpy Cake turns 100 on Saturday!

Sanders is celebrating the event by offering a free slice of Chocolate Bumpy Cake at all of its metro Detroit stores on April 27. Hiller's grocery stores and The Detroit Shoppe at Somerset Mall are also participating in the free slice giveaway. (See list below for participating locations)

The Bumpy Cake dates back to 1913 when Sanders opened its bakery division and started making unique style cakes. CEO Brian Jefferson said the

cake was the idea of Fred Sanders himself.

"It has this piping, a buttercream piping, and then a fudge ganache put on top, and it was all Fred's idea," Jefferson said. "Customers would come in and say 'I want the cake with the bumps,' so then it became known as the bumpy cake.

Sanders President Ron Rapson said it's not just another chocolate cake.

"The fudge icing is probably the hardest thing to make and perfect. I mean, it's a special recipe, it's got a special taste to it and to get that right, takes a lot of time and work," Rapson said.

Today, Sanders Bumpy Cake comes in three sizes and has expanded to include different flavors, such as Raspberry Bumpy, Vanilla Buttercream Bumpy and Caramel Spice Bumpy. Rapson said the entire nation now shares the joy of eating what was once a Detroit-only product.

"It's sold in every state in the country, including Hawaii and Alaska. So, you can go to the mainland in Hawaii and get Bumpy Cake," Rapson said. "We've actually started to sell the Bumpy Cake in trailer loads to the West Coast Safeway stores."

And no matter where they travel, Jefferson said they always hear the same thing.

"We have a lot of brand ambassadors out there now, and everybody likes to talk about their hometown foods or their memories, and the Bumpy Cake or our Hot Fudge are two great memories," he said. "We have so many former Michiganders come up to us and say 'I remember when I used to go to Sanders after going to the dentist or the doctor.'"

Here's where you can enjoy a free slice of Bumpy Cake this Saturday (while supplies last):

• Sanders Clinton Twp -- 23770 Hall Rd. (Sat 9a-9p)
• Sanders Rochester -- 436 South Main St. (Sat 10a-9p)
• Sanders Birmingham -- 167 N. Old Woodward (Sat 10a-10p)
• Sanders Grosse Pointe -- 16837 Kercheval (Sat 10a-10p)
• Sanders Novi -- Twelve Oaks Mall (Sat 10a-9p)
• Sanders Livonia -- Laurel Park Place Mall (Sat 10a-9p)
• Sanders Great Lakes Crossing -- 4708 Baldwin Rd. (Sat 9a-9p)
• Sanders St. Clair Shores -- 31075 Harper (Sat 10a-9p)
• Sanders Wyandotte -- 3042 Biddle Ave. (Sat 10a-9p)
• Hiller's Grocery Stores (7 locations)
• The Detroit Shoppe (Somerset Mall)