[7][8] The show follows the operations of Carlo's Bake Shop, an Italian-American family-owned business in Hoboken, New Jersey owned and operated by siblings Buddy Valastro (to whom the series' title refers), Lisa Valastro (Buddy's sister), Maddalena Castano, Grace Faugno and Mary Sciarrone.

[9] The show focuses on how they make their edible art cakes and the interpersonal relationships among the various family members and other employees who work at the shop.

[51] Due to the popularity, Carlo's Bake Shop became a tourist attraction, with lines to enter the bakery often extending down the block and around the corner.

[55] In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that Cake Boss's "audience is generally not urban; in fact, one hot spot is Appalachia".

[56] On November 2, 2010, Buddy Valastro's book, Cake Boss: Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia, which is based on the series, was released.

[60] The special features Valastro traveling to a struggling bakery, Friendly Bake Shop in Frankfort, New York, and helping them reverse their fortunes, using a format similar to Kitchen Nightmares.

[62][63] In July 2010, Masters Software, Inc., of Cedar Park, Texas, obtained a preliminary injunction forbidding TLC from calling its show "Cake Boss".

The suit claims that Discovery Communications infringes on its trademark by causing confusion among customers and vendors.

[66][67] On June 11, 2012, transgender celebrity Carmen Carrera appeared in a Cake Boss episode, "Bar Mitzvah, Beads and Oh Baby!

I am a supporter of gay rights and equality, and while I regret this situation and my choice of words, I am thankful to have received this feedback and the opportunity to learn from this mistake.