[Review #195]
I…read morefound Cakes Nouvelle by accident. I was looking for a small dessert/treat for my daughter's birthday, & CN popped up on my Yelp search. I was initially star struck by Olga's cake artistry... as I perused through the limited pics (I believe CN started back in February 2017).
I was conflicted about ordering from a new/untested baker, but the website was simple yet detailed (descriptive captions, beautiful pics) & well-designed; in addition, Cakes Nouvelle claim its mousse cakes & desserts are made from 100% organic ingredients: no fondants (I'm not a fan of this), no preservatives (a plus in the freshness department), & no artificial colors (another bonus).
Initially tried to order a heart-shaped mirror cake for my daughter's birthday (in May) but Olga was booked. So I made the same order for my husband's birthday (3-month reservation) with the exception of colors: the blue & yellow colors of the Swedish flag.
Then 3 days prior to my delivery date, I received a Yelp message that says "I tried to contact you many times regarding your reservation. You didn't respond so I had to cancel it." WTH!?! I didn't see the message until almost the end of the day, & immediately inquired "When did you contact me? And how did you contact me? This is the 1st time I heard from you since our initial Yelp messaging back in May 2017. This is disappointing." Apparently she was calling a number that wasn't mine, Olga apologized & requested me to text her to discuss the delivery time & details: vanilla mousse cake with strawberry and mango layers inside on crispy streusel; blue-yellow (Swedish flag colors) mirror glaze; heart-shaped; & decorate with the blue crystals for delivery the following Monday at my office. Instead of a heart-shaped cake, she recommended changing it to a round one, says you "get a little more cake" (I'm not sure how much more I got since her website states both shapes have the same weight); I went along with it so I didn't have to get a last minute order from another bakery. And she no longer uses crystals because they melt, & offered to replace them with gold flakes, which I thought was strange because the cake was frozen at the time of delivery & one of her instructions were to let it thaw a little so I'm not sure how the crystals would melt.
Due to parking issues, I informed Olga that I can meet her by my office building's parking lot entrance so she didn't have to pay for parking. It was a bit tricky on the pick-up timing because of my meeting schedule. I rushed down as quickly as I could since she couldn't find an open metered spot, & I didn't want her to get ticketed as Westwood is notorious for issuing parking tickets.
I was charged full price initially so I gently reminded Olga that she offered/quoted a 10% discount for my order; in any event, I also had a 10% discount for my Yelp check-in as a back-up. She corrected/cancelled the swipe & updated the invoice. During our exchange, she provided careful instructions on the handling of the cake, storage instructions in case we weren't able to finish the cake, as well as cutting instructions to preserve its mirror glaze design. The real thing looks exactly like the images on her website. =)
My husband & daughter commented what an unusual birthday cake, & she requested one for her next birthday. If she only knew it was initially intended for her, but with a different design & shape. The mousse cake was light & airy to the point that I questioned if I was eating cake. LOL Even after a 90+ minutes of traffic & summer heat, the strawberry & mango layers were not quite thawed, it had an icy texture. I think there was a thin biscuit instead of a crispy streusel? And if it was the streusel, it wasn't crispy. My husband & daughter were big fans, my son... not-so-much. He hasn't had much sweets but might be used to a standard cake that has substance (i.e. vanilla cake or something similar). He's 21-months... what does he know? ;-) He did like it more the following day when the strawberry & mango layers were more of a jam-ish consistency, but not the mousse.
Other than the miscommunication hiccup, Olga's customer service is excellent & her work is intricate, delicate, & beautiful. The cake is tasty but not substantially satisfying as a cake, in other words, I might need to eat the whole thing vs. a typical cake slice. It is THAT airy & light, which may be a good thing, but for me, it didn't close my meal the way a cake/dessert should, I just wanted something more. If you're looking for unique & quality cakes, Cakes Nouvelle may be the answer to your question.