Can I purchase Baskin Robbins ice cream cake with CalFresh EBT benefits?
So my kid's birthday is coming up next week and I wanted to surprise him with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. He's been talking about it for MONTHS. I'm currently on CalFresh benefits and wondering if I can purchase it with my EBT card? I know food stamps covers 'food items' but not sure if specialty cakes count or if Baskin Robbins even accepts EBT payments. Anyone here know the rules on this? I don't want to go to the store and be embarrassed if they reject my card. Thanks!!
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Amina Bah
Yes and no. U can buy ice cream cakes with ebt BUT only if ur buying from grocery stores like savemart, foodsco, etc that accept ebt. Specialty food places like baskin robbins usally DONT take ebt even tho the cake is technically food... its dumb i know
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Paolo Marino
•Oh man that's a bummer. My son specifically wants the BR one with the little basketball decorations on it. Guess I'll have to figure something else out. Thanks for letting me know!
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Oliver Becker
The previous commenter is correct. CalFresh benefits can only be used at authorized food retailers. Bakeries and ice cream shops like Baskin Robbins are generally classified as 'eating establishments' by SNAP guidelines, not authorized food retailers, even when selling items you take home. Your best option is to check grocery stores that accept EBT - many have ice cream cakes in their freezer section that might be a good alternative. Stores like Walmart, Target, Safeway, etc. often have decent selections.
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Natasha Petrova
•This is so confusing tho!! If ice cream is food and cake is food then why isn't an ice cream cake food?? The whole system makes no sense. They should let people buy birthday cakes for their kids!
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Oliver Becker
•I understand the frustration. The distinction isn't about whether something is food or not - it's about where you purchase it. SNAP/CalFresh is primarily designed for grocery purchases from authorized retailers. Many specialty shops and restaurants are classified differently under program rules, regardless of what they're selling.
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Javier Hernandez
have u tried calling BR directly? some locations might take ebt but most dont. i tried using mine at cold stone once and got rejected lol
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Paolo Marino
•I haven't called yet but that's a good idea. I'll try calling my local store tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
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Emma Davis
Calling won't help - I worked at Baskin Robbins last year and NONE of our locations accept EBT. It's a corporate policy, not a store-by-store decision. Save yourself the embarrassment. The system literally doesn't have EBT as a payment option at checkout. Your best bet is getting a cake from Walmart or Safeway with your EBT, then maybe buying some BR ice cream separately to eat with it? Not the same, I know, but at least you'd have something.
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LunarLegend
•This is accurate. According to USDA regulations, specialty food shops like ice cream parlors and bakeries generally don't qualify as SNAP retailers even when selling take-home items. It's not about the food itself but about the primary business classification. For birthday celebrations, grocery store bakeries and freezer sections are your best options when using CalFresh benefits.
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Malik Jackson
You know what's ridiculous about the whole CalFresh system? That you can buy soda and candy but not a birthday cake from certain places. My daughter's birthday was last month and I had the EXACT same problem. Wanted to get her a special cake but nope! Had to settle for a grocery store one. The whole thing is designed to make you feel bad for being poor. And don't get me started on trying to reach anyone at the county office when you have questions about what's covered...
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Isabella Oliveira
•truth!! i spent 2 hours on hold last month trying to ask a simple question about my benefits. kept getting disconnected!
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Natasha Petrova
•Try using Claimyr for calling the CalFresh office! I was having the same issue with waiting forever and getting disconnected. Then someone told me about claimyr.com and it was a game changer - they wait on hold for you and call you when a real person answers. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8
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Javier Hernandez
walmart has those cookie cakes with frosting that look fancier than regular cakes my kids love them and there only like $12 with ebt
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Paolo Marino
•Thanks for the suggestion! I might check those out. My son is really set on ice cream cake though since it's gonna be hot next week. Wish the rules were more flexible for special occasions.
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Amina Bah
idk if this helps but my sister makes ice cream cakes at home!! just buy ice cream with ebt, let it soften, put in cake pan, refreeze, then decorate. cheaper than BR too
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Emma Davis
•This is actually a great idea. You can buy ice cream, cake mix, and frosting all with EBT at any grocery store. There are tons of YouTube tutorials on making homemade ice cream cakes. Might be more work but you could customize it exactly how your kid wants it.
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Paolo Marino
•You guys are amazing! I never even thought about making one. Just looked up some videos and it doesn't seem too hard. Think I'm going to try this route - might even be more special since it's homemade. Thank you all for the help and suggestions!!
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Emma Bianchi
•That's such a sweet idea! Making it at home could actually be even better than store-bought. You could get his favorite ice cream flavors and maybe add some of those basketball decorations he wanted on top. Plus kids love knowing their parents made something special just for them. Good luck with the homemade cake - I'm sure he'll love it!
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Taylor Chen
Pro tip for homemade ice cream cakes - if you want to make it extra special like the BR ones, you can buy those plastic cake decorating kits at the dollar store or grocery store (with EBT since they're considered food items). They usually have little sports figures, candles, and frosting tubes. I made one for my nephew last year and it looked almost professional! Also, if you layer different ice cream flavors it looks really fancy when you cut into it. Your son is going to be so excited that you made it just for him!
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Austin Leonard
•This is such helpful advice! I love the idea about layering different flavors - that would definitely make it look more professional. And I had no idea you could buy decorating supplies with EBT! That's perfect since my son really wanted those basketball decorations. This whole thread has been so encouraging. Sometimes the best solutions come from the community helping each other out. Thank you for taking the time to share these tips!
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Marilyn Dixon
Hey Paolo! I just wanted to say how heartwarming it is to see everyone jump in to help you figure this out. As someone who's been on CalFresh for a while, I've definitely faced similar frustrations with the system - it's not always intuitive what counts as an "authorized retailer" vs what doesn't. But honestly, after reading through all these suggestions, I think the homemade route might end up being even more special than a store-bought cake! Your son will probably be so touched that you put in the extra effort to make something just for him. Plus you'll save money and can customize it exactly how he wants. Sometimes the limitations push us toward even better solutions. Hope his birthday is amazing!
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Emma Thompson
•This thread really shows how supportive this community is! I'm new here but seeing everyone come together to help Paolo with his son's birthday cake situation is amazing. The homemade ice cream cake idea sounds perfect - and honestly probably more meaningful than anything store-bought. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for future reference since I have kids too and I'm sure I'll run into similar questions about what's covered under CalFresh. Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and experiences!
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Dylan Cooper
Just want to echo what everyone else has said - the homemade route is definitely the way to go! I've been in your exact situation before and ended up making my own ice cream cake. One tip that worked really well for me: buy a pre-made pound cake or angel food cake from the bakery section (totally covered by EBT), slice it in half horizontally, then layer softened ice cream in between and on top. Way easier than starting from scratch and it gives you that nice cake-and-ice-cream combo your son is looking for. You can even drizzle some chocolate syrup between layers to make it extra fancy. The basketball decorations from the dollar store will make it look amazing! Your kiddo is going to be over the moon that his parent made something so special just for him.
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LongPeri
•That's such a brilliant shortcut using the pre-made cake! I never would have thought of that - much easier than making everything from scratch. The pound cake idea sounds perfect and the chocolate syrup layers will definitely make it look fancy. I'm feeling so much more confident about this whole thing now. It's amazing how this community turned what felt like a disappointing limitation into something that might end up being even better. My son is going to be so surprised when he sees his custom homemade basketball ice cream cake! Thank you everyone for all the creative solutions and encouragement.
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Keisha Williams
This thread is so wholesome! As a newcomer to this community, I'm really impressed by how everyone rallied to help Paolo find a solution. I'm also on CalFresh benefits and have definitely felt that frustration when you want to do something special for your kids but run into these confusing restrictions. The homemade ice cream cake suggestions are genius - and honestly, your son will probably treasure the fact that you made it yourself even more than if you'd bought it from BR. Kids remember when their parents go the extra mile like that. Plus you can make it exactly how he wants with all those basketball decorations! Hope his birthday is absolutely perfect and thanks to everyone for sharing such helpful tips. This is exactly the kind of supportive community I was hoping to find!
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