The only Jale album with the singer-songwriter-drummer Alyson McLeod, the songs on Dreamcake are considered[by whom?] edgier and more emotional than those of Jale's later work.
The closing track, "Promise", written by Jennifer Pierce and Patrick Pentland of Sloan, and sung by Pierce, was released as a single.
The Chicago Reader wrote that the album "displays a precocious craft that lifts [Jale] well above one-trick-pony status." Exclaim! called Dreamcake one of the ten best Canadian-made Sub Pop records, writing that "hypnotic Halifax pop swirls between the speakers on 'Again,' while 'Mend' threads together elements of jangling twee and paisley-print psychedelia." The Chicago Tribune wrote that "with a bit less aggression than Hole and less cutesy-ness than Shonen Knife, [Jale] incorporate just enough guitar noise to counterbalance all those delightful pop hooks."
Trouser Press wrote: "A diverse collection of contemporary electric indie-pop styles (some audibly influenced by Sloan) from a palette of appealing melodies, gentle harmony singing and buzzing guitar power, the casual-sounding record articulates the longings and frustrations of mindful young women who know when to draw the line and walk away from a bad scene."
