Update Review: First things first, I'd like to clarify that the cake and filling was indeed what I ordered. Secondly, I have to give credit where it's due- Sweets By Design totally came through when it came to taste and wow factor (minus the drip design)!! Cake was fantastic [MOIST & DELICIOUS] and I was surprised by my in-laws approval as well. No joke, they are harsh critics when it comes to desserts and to see them enjoy every bite was definitely a SLAM DUNK. I legit couldn't cut the cake fast enough!! On a side note, thank you Nicole for immediately reaching out to me regarding my disappointment. She handled the situation in a prompt and professional manner. I appreciated her genuineness and heartfelt concern about my issues. 3 stars overall but one additional star for Nicole's customer service. She truly cares about her clients. Business is booming for SBD for obvious reasons and my only warning would be the glitch in communication. Be aware that you may need to reach out and send a few reminder pokes. ---------------------------------------------------- I really wanted to like this small business, I really had high hopes. Unfortunately Sweets By Design is an absolute bust!! After a not so good first impression with SBD during my baby shower planning, I still wanted to give Nicole and her business a try. Since we were never really able to celebrate the birth of my daughter the way we wanted, my husband and I wanted to make her 6 month [[half]] bday a little bit sweeter. I decided to reach out and see if Nicole could help me with our cake. To start off, the issues with communication was just as bad as the 1st time around. I reached out to the business via Instagram on 9/26 and got a response back quickly. I informed the cake's pick up date and sent over 3 designs that I was potentially looking at. I ended up settling with the pastel, drip, macaron, & sprinkles design [see attached photo]. A quote was promised the following day [9/27] and NOTHING WAS RECEIVED. Nicole did reach out 2 days later with the pricing and I was ready to place my order and get the ball rolling. NO RESPONSE. I dm again asking for a cake flavor listing so I can finalize the order and process whatever cost that is needed. AGAIN, CRICKETS! I am forced to reach out yet again on 9/30 asking if she was going to be able to make the cake adding that important details and payment had not yet been able to be finalized. At that point I finally get a response. The entire process of working with this baker is just more stressful than it should. An email was sent to confirm cake info and the filling listed was incorrect. Then 2 days prior to pick up, I have to message Nicole again about an address as to where I need to pick up my order. She then sends another revised email. Cake- My husband was left with the job of picking up the cake since I have an infant to attend to. He comes home with a cake that is nice BUT NOT WHAT I ORDERED. The drip design was nowhere to be found. At this point, I question whether or not the cake & the filling is even correct. I am super let down by what was delivered, even after all the detailed discussion with Nicole. I have dm'd her through IG & sent her texts regarding my disappointment so we'll see how that goes. I'll update my review if/when I hear back from someone regarding this matter. read more

My friend ordered me a cake from here for my virtual baby shower and my husband picked it up as a surprise so I don't have much information in terms of communication and ordering or the process of picking up the cake but can attest to the design and flavor! My virtual baby shower was boba themed so my friend sent a picture of one of the graphics my sister made for me for the baby shower as inspiration for the boba cake. The cake (picture attached) looked just like the graphic and was perfect! I liked that she used an actual boba straw for the top and that it was very detailed and cute. Everyone who was able to see it online thought it was a perfect boba cake. For flavorings, my friend and husband chose the lemon with raspberry (I think) filling. It was one of the hottest days in the Silicon Valley (over 100 degrees) but the cake kept fine in the car and sitting out. The cake itself was moist, not too sweet and had the right amount of lemon flavoring. The raspberry part was also very good. Overall, no complaints about the texture or flavor of the cake. I'm not the hugest fan of fondant so I'm not the best judge but the overall icing was fine as well. Overall, very impressed with the style, design and execution of the cake. The flavor was also good! read more

Sweets By Design - The left boba cake is the one that was made for my baby shower! - Cupcakes Near Me

I'm writing this review Feb 17, 2024. I ordered a cake for my parents. I wasn't sure if Nicole still made cakes but she responded to my text fairly fast. Things went extremely smoothly even for someone like me who knows nothing about cakes. After I described what I wanted, she asked all the right questions needed for her to plan out a design and then a rough sketch. We agreed on a price and the cake was delivered 2 days later. I do want to point out, that she has a full time job already aside from cake making, so keep that in mind for scheduling. Overall the experience was fantastic. Cake looked amazing, and tasted great. Rich moist chocolate cake with a silky filling. Nicole if you're reading this, thank you for doing such a great job. read more

Of course when I needed another cute personalized cake I was going to come to Nicole again! You get an automated message from her when you send in an email, but she's always quick to respond! Since I've ordered from her before, I already knew what I wanted. I just had to describe how I wanted the cake to look this time. I requested for a Harry Potter koala, with the glasses, scar, and the scarf. Super cute how she put the wand on top as a little addition!! My boyfriend's from Australia so that explains the koala and he's a huge Harry Potter nerd so I thought combining the two would be perfectly fitting. Scheduled a pick up time the day before his actual birthday to surprise him at midnight. They're closed on Sundays from what I know, but she was available to make the cake for me which was pretty great. I'm never available to pick up the cake myself so my housemate went and picked it up for me. It was perfect timing that I just happened to check my email before we paid for the cake because it was the wrong animal.. it was a panda, not a koala. At first, I thought I was the one who made the mistake, but Nicole had mistakenly read the email. No worries though! With no hesitation, she offered to fix the problem and gave me what I had asked for. Although the cake did have some marks from the old parts of the panda, it still turned out fantastic! I still loved it, my boyfriend loved it, and all our friends did! I went with the vanilla buttermilk cake with a Hawaiian chocolate debosh filling and a chocolate frosting. Tasted amazing! Although Nicole did make a mistake with the cake, she fixed it as soon as she could and it still turned out pretty great. She even gave me the cake for $20 less than she had asked for to compensate and 15% on my next order. I'll definitely continue to order with her for future special occasions for sure!! She makes such amazing, cute cakes, and has fantastic customer service! I recommend her to everyone :) read more

Sweets By Design - Cupcakes Near Me

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For my sons 2nd birthday. He LOVED it and everyone thought it was delicious. Thanks Nicole! read more

Sweets By Design - Cars themed birthday party - Cupcakes Near Me

Beautiful cakes made by a true artist! My nephew asked me to get him a minion cake and I found Sweets By Design on yelp. Communication was easy and quick after the inquiry. My family was in awe of the detail on the minion cake and everyone wanted to take a picture with the cake! The actual cake was good too - not too sweet. I'll definitely be back for artisan cakes! Thank you, Nicole!!! read more

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I ordered a custom cake with cupcakes and chocolate covered apple slices for my daughter's Halloween birthday . She did and amazing job, everything was beautiful and delicious. I will be ordering again in the future. read more

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Amazing Nicole's cake she designed for my daughter's 15th birthday was absolutely gorgeous not only did she deliver it to my home she was gracious enough to have a deadline of only six days and let me tell you her service is nothing but top-notch! My daughter was so happy with the outcome her and her friends raved about it afterwards and it also tasted delicious too as well as again a beautiful cake! Thank you again and sorry for this late review also I will be using you and your services for the future looking forward to it. read more

Sweets By Design - a chocolate cake decorated with pink roses - Cupcakes Near Me

They have decent selection . The wait isn't too bad considering the area and variety .

Nicole did an amazing job creating this custom Louis Vuitton purse cake for my mother's surprise 60th birthday! The photo posted definitely does not do this cake justice. Everything, from the stitching to the hand painted monogram print, was perfect. You can tell that Nicole was meticulous about every single detail. Many of our guests complimented on the quality craftsmanship of the cake. Additionally, the cake was delicious and moist. We chose the vanilla buttermilk with dark chocolate mousse per Nicole's recommendation. Most importantly, my mother's reaction was priceless (she cried when she saw this cake). A month prior, I emailed her pictures of what I wanted, and she delivered exactly just that! Mainly, I communicated with her through emails leading up to the event. She always responded to all of my inquiries and questions promptly and professionally. In addition, she has amazing customer service skills. She was able to accommodate a later pickup time than scheduled for me since I was running late. Overall, pricing was reasonable and affordable compared to other custom cake businesses in the SJ area. I would highly recommend her quality of work for any future events. Thank you, Nicole, for making this a memorable moment for my mom! read more

Sweets By Design - Custom Louis Vuitton purse cake - Cupcakes Near Me

I don't know where to begin! I wanted to have a "white claw" cake made for my friend's birthday. I kind of had a vision but Nicole helped me pull it together more, and brought it to life! She is clearly a master at what she does. She is VERY talented and creative. The final product shows how detail-oriented she is. Nicole was very easy to communicate with during the whole planning process. The best part is the cake was delicious too! I highly recommend her and her team! read more

Sweets By Design - "White Claw" Cake (chocolate cake inside with raspberry buttercream filling) - Cupcakes Near Me

Always creating our desired designs and always exceeding our expectations. Not only the designs are amazing but also the cake itself! All our guests always love the cake and ask us where we got it from. We've been ordering all our cakes since 2 years ago for all our special events, so at least 2 to 3 times a year. read more

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Working with Nicole was an absolute pleasure. Not only did she make me the most incredible dessert table, she also helped with my wedding day-of coordination. Nicole was very responsive and listed to exactly what I wanted for our wedding. She definitely wasn't pushy and was very realistic with quantities. We got a variety of homemade cookies, foiled rock candy, and three different cakes. I wanted a unique dessert spread and Nicole definitely delivered. Everything was not only perfect, but so so delicious! We got a guava cake with marbled fondant, a half dressed lemon and buttercream cake, and a chocolate ganache cake that was "confettied". Each cake stole the show they were so stunning. Nicole helped me find cake stands, containers, and decor too which was extremely helpful. I would recommend Nicole a million times over and hope to order more cakes/desserts from her in the future read more

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We are really happy with this cake. Communication with Nicole was fast and easy. It was a short notice but among many bakeries that we contacted, Nicole responded first and agreed to take our order in time. The price is very reasonable and the cake turned out to be awesome. Our son was thrilled to see it. I would definitely recommend. read more

Sweets By Design - Our son's birthday cake - Cupcakes Near Me

Nicole was awesome. It was picture perfect cake of Roblox Theme we asked her to do for our son's 7th birthday. She made our son's birthday so special celebrating it during COVID era. Not to mention the cake was delicious - chocolate espresso with hazelnut spread. Everyone enjoyed it!!! Thank you and til next time... read more

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My daughters birthday cake was the freakin best she was so amazed and she loved it. So pretty and yummy and everybody was in love with It when it came time to sing happy birthday. Best birthday cake I've ever had hands down the prettiest too. read more

Sweets By Design - My daughters birthday cake - Cupcakes Near Me

Nicole made my daughter's 1st birthday special with an Elmo theme. She fulfilled my expectations and more. Not only did the cakes, cupcakes and cookies looked so nice, they were very tasty and not too sweet. I would definitely order from her again and highly recommend her to anyone looking to customize some sweets. Thank you Nicole!!! read more

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My husband and I ordered our wedding cake from Sweets By Design, and we couldn't be happier with what we got. The cake looked amazing and was delicious. Our florist did not provide Nicole with all of the flowers that he had promised, but she improvised and made the cake look beautiful regardless. Thank you Nicole for helping make our big day special! read more

Sweets By Design - a three tiered wedding cake - Cupcakes Near Me

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Nicole made our wedding cake, and then also made our baby shower cake. As some reviewers mention, she can be slow to respond at times because she has a day job in addition to the bakery. That said, she is a very sincere person who will follow up and will finish your project on time and in a beautiful manner if given the chance. For our wedding cake, I asked her to make something very similar to one I'd seen online and she did. It had a different flavor for each layer, thereby pleasing wedding guests young and older. I made the flavor selections based on samples during a meeting with Nicole. After this experience, we felt confident about having Nicole make our baby shower cake the next year, and she also did a beautiful job with it. We froze the leftovers and enjoyed them when our daughter turned one. I would happily hire Nicole again when the next occasion arises! read more

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Nicole makes the most gorgeous cakes I have ever seen. It's so beautiful I can't even bear to eat it and that comes from someone that usually eats food so quickly I can't take photos of it. We ordered a cake for my daughters 1st birthday (smash cake for baby and this cake for mama and dada) and I gave her a general direction of what I wanted to see and some sample photos, none of which were exactly what I wanted but somehow she made it into exactly what I wanted and more. It's more than I could have even expected in terms of gorgeousness. Truly a piece of art and Nicole has been such a pleasure to work with. Super responsive and very very reasonable prices. Love, love, love and highly recommend! (PS: I finally cut into it and both the hubby and I agree the flavor, texture and toppings are a dream. Chocolate cake was fluffy and moist, buttercream perfectly sweetened and light (not at all greasy like some, custard delicious. The merengues and macarons were heavenly!) read more

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I ordered a cake for my husbands 50th birthday party. I sent Nicole a picture of a cake I liked on Pinterest. Somehow, she made it even more beautiful than the original picture. And it was DELICIOUS too! I loved the cake so much! Be aware that she runs a small business and can be slow to respond to messages. But her work speaks for itself. She is truly talented and I would recommend her many times over. read more

Sweets By Design - 50th birthday cake by Sweets by Design - Cupcakes Near Me

Nicole is awesome! She is so talented and hardworking. Finding her on Yelp, the reviews are legit! She's a great listener and communicator, her designs are fantastic! I have already recommended my close friends and co workers to her, the prices are VERY reasonable compared to other bakeries out there. She asks for at least a week in advance for orders, delivery within the area is offered. read more

Sweets By Design - Thank you so much Nicole!! - Cupcakes Near Me

I had a vision for my mom's 60th birthday cake and Nicole was very responsive, knowledgeable and quickly caught onto what I was exactly looking for. She hand held me through every detail and answered all my questions throughout planning and was extremely thoughtful and helpful. On the day of she came to the venue to attach the flowers. My florist had concerns about the weight of succulents but Nicole assured me of her confidence level of attaching these flowers and when she put them on they were beautiful! She is the type of cake designer I want to work with, especially for someone like who is a PLANNER down to the core. She's awesome and super sweet! When she came to the venue, she knew exactly what to do and have quick advice about how she should attach flowers and everyone loved it. One thing I was a bit bummed about was the white lace- it wasn't as visible I wanted it to be. I hoped it would be more visual and larger but still a beautiful cake! read more

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We wanted to order a cake for baby shower. Like a lot of people, we were not sure about which cake design to pick, which bakery, etc. We first finalized a couple of designs and started to visit bakeries. We went to Jen's Cakes, Sweet Tooth Confections and La Patisserie. We sent price quotes to each one of them and also to Sweets By Design. Sweets By Design's prices were much more competitive than others. Also, when we went to all other bakeries, they were not so welcoming and helping. That was not the case with Sweets By Design. We met Nicole who owns this online bakery. She was very nice and helpful. She helped us with cake design, flavors, also helped us in picking party decoration theme. Later, for a very reasonable price, she offered to help us decorating our venue. We could not have asked for anything else. Cake she made was a piece of art, so beautiful !! We did have minor hickups with less number of cup cakes delivered, but that also she handled very gracefully, by offering to not charge anything of rest of cup cakes, that was a very humble gesture. We liked their service so much, that we got another chocolate cake for my wife's birthday few days later and that was super yumm too. If you looking for someone to help you with your sweets section on your party + party decorations, Nicole is the person to go !! I highly recommend her. read more

Sweets By Design - Sleeping Baby Themed Cake !! - Cupcakes Near Me

We couldn't be more happy with Nichole's Minion's cake !! It's definitely a show-stopper and attention getter, probably getting more attention than the birthday boy but he was completely fine with that :) At first we all felt a bit sad that we had to dissect this adorable little yellow creature. However, after the first bite, the guilt was gone. The Vienna Mocha flavor whit cinnamon buttercream is just beyond amazing ! (My friend tole me that the minion's chocolate hair tastes really good as well, but since he's almost bald, I didn't get to eat any.) And also I know it has been mentioned in the reviews a lot, but I have to say it again : Nicole is really talented and very very sweet !! We contacted her on such short notice and she did a fantastic job. But we did tell our friends who are interested in her cakes to order in advance and give her enough time ! read more

Sweets By Design - awwww !! - Cupcakes Near Me

This review is almost a year overdue! I hired Nicole last year to design and make my daughter, Ariana's 4th birthday cake. My daughter will soon be 5 and I will be contacting Nicole again once my daughter decides her theme. Last year, I contacted multiple bakeries and was not impressed and never called them back. It was the price, design or just their customer service that steered me away. Once I spoke with Nicole, I searched no further. I knew she was the one to hire. Not only was prompt and courteous, she was professional and her designs are unique. I told her my daughter's theme choice (My Little Pony) and favorite character (Rainbow Dash) and that I wanted the rainbow layered cake. Nicole emailed me a few sketches of her unique designs. After reviewing, I was able to make minor adjustments. Although it was just a sketch, I was happy and excited. Party day came along and we finally see the finished product. Boy was I impressed and my daughter was super happy with her cake. All our guests were fascinated with the beauty of it. I have recommended Nicole to my friends and family and will continue to do so....and I will be contacting her soon for my daughters 5th birthday cake. read more

Sweets By Design - 04/2014 ~ My daughter's 4th birthday. Nicole did an amazing job on the My Little Pony Cake! - Cupcakes Near Me

I initially began contacting bakeries in January for my baby shower this passed weekend. I selected a total of three bakeries and scheduled taste testing for all. Sweets by Design was lucky number #1 and I'm glad I scheduled with them first. After some e-mails, we scheduled the taste testing at a local Starbucks. Nicole was very nice and brought more than enough samples. There is a taste testing fee, but you get more and some to taste and take home if you'd like. Once me, my mom, and my husband tasted her creations, we knew we wanted to book her for my baby shower. I cancelled with the other bakeries and placed an order with Nicole for a cake, cupcakes, cake pop, macarons, and cookies. In my opinion, the prices are fair/reasonable. I do not think they're overpriced at all. And honestly after tasting everything she made for my baby shower, I even think her prices are a steal! Everything tasted so great and looked fantastic on my dessert table. In fact, all that was left over were two slices of cake and 3 cupcakes that we hid to take home :) I just placed another order with her for my god daughter's birthday party in a few weeks. From now on, this will be my go to bakery for cake needs. The reason I am only giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because communication in the beginning wasn't the best. Based on other reviews, she takes a little while to respond. There were occasions where I would send an e-mail and wouldn't hear back from her so would have to send a follow-up email. This is something I don't mind doing, but shouldn't have to. However, when the event date gets near, she communicates often and fast which was reassuring. Also, I placed an order for a dozen vanilla cupcake filled with strawberry buttercream, and instead received 2 dozen chocolate cupcakes with no filling. She graciously offered my a credit on my next order which more than made up for it. Overall if you want great tasting cake with fair prices, I'd recommend Nicole and Sweets by Design hands down! read more

Sweets By Design - Desserts all done by Sweets by Design excluding the candies. - Cupcakes Near Me

Nicole is very sweet and creative. We ordered a pocoyo cake for our son's 4th bday and the design was very pretty. He loved it very much and was so happy to see it. We ordered a 2 tier cake with one tier red velvet and another tier as guava but she gave us both tiers as red velvet. Not a huge deal but our guests were a bit disappointed since they were looking forward to trying the guava. The cake was also dry. Overall we were happy with the design. Was just hoping it tasted better than it looked read more

Sweets By Design - My son's pocoyo birthday cake. He loves it. - Cupcakes Near Me

Nicole is awesome! -took time to suggest ideas and hear what we wanted -always responded to questions through email, even though she must be super busy -clear about the procedure and pricing -great website to checkout -delivered the cake on her day off! -the cake looked amazing! -the cake tasted great! -EVERYONE LOVED THE CAKE! We had adults asking for a second slice! read more

Sweets By Design - Baby Mickey 1st yr birthday cake - Cupcakes Near Me

Hands down the best I've ever used!! Nicole was prompt, professional and made the cutest baby shower cake I have ever seen!! We want with a chocolate/chocolate chip and banana and vanilla bourbon and cherry cake!! Cakes were moist and delicious! Thanks a million Nichole, I highly recommend her !!!! read more

Sweets By Design - Baby shower cake from 9/12/15! Such a beautiful cake and so delicious!!! - Cupcakes Near Me

I cannot express my thanks and satisfaction for the cake Sweets by Design/Nicole did for a baby shower I helped throw for a good friend. The cake was exactly what we had hoped for and came out perfectly! The flavor was spot-on as well, and I got compliments on the actual fondant tasting good which, in my experience, is not usually the case. The cake was a beautiful focal point for the shower and it got rave reviews! Thank you again so much for making our vision a reality and for being so easy to work with. I would not hesitate for a moment to either use Sweets by Design in the future or recommend to others who want a high quality product at a fair price. Helpful Hint: this is a small operation (I think) so be patient when waiting for email responses; they WILL get back to you!! :o) read more

Sweets By Design - Underwater themed baby shower cake. So delicious and beyond adorable!! It was EXACTLY what we asked for and we couldn't have been happier! - Cupcakes Near Me

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Nicole is awesome! I provided some cake idea and asked for Vday theme birthday cake for my Valentine baby's first birthday, and she came up with lovely cake designs and everybody at the party loved them! Nicole is pretty responsive via communicating in email. I personally like to emailing since we all have to work & emails also help keeping track of things. Pricing is definitely reasonable! I highly recommend Nicole! :D read more

Sweets By Design - First birthday cake & smash cake for my Valentine baby's 1st birthday!!! - Cupcakes Near Me

I hired Nicole for my daughter's first birthday cakes (2-tier cake and a smash cake). Of the three bakers I reached out to, she was the most responsive and provided a reasonable quote. She was very easy to work with and the finished cakes were BEAUTIFUL! We received lots of positive comments from the guests on the appearance and tastiness of the vanilla buttermilk cake and chocolate buttercreme filling. Highly recommend Sweets By Design! read more

Sweets By Design - Beautiful fantasy themed cake with rice krispies treat dragon! - Cupcakes Near Me

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My review is extremely overdue. Sorry Nicole! My friend and I were planning her daughter's birthday party and we wanted an Alice in Wonderland inspired cake. Nicole came to the rescue and she did a fantastic job! The cake looked fabulous and delicious... Everyone loved it! read more

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Really happy I went to Nicole for our twin baby shower! She was very responsive when I emailed her in regards to ideas/cost. I gave her ideas of what we were looking for, and she sure did deliver! The cake was absolutely beautiful and better than I had imagined! It was delicious and she made recommendations based on what I wanted, which was very helpful. We had so many guests asking where we got the cake because they loved it. I almost didn't want to cut it because I was so in love with it! there was great communication from the start, Nicole was very helpful, and delivered the cake very fast the day of. Thank you so much Nicole!!!! read more

Sweets By Design - succulent cake - Cupcakes Near Me

This was the 2nd time I went to Nicole for a custom cake and she def didn't disappoint! She really brought my vision to life and even suggested something to make it better and I couldn't be happier. She goes through the steps of the design and informs you on how it'd be done. She has a full time job on top of this, so huge plus that she was still as responsive. Had to give a friendly reminder here and there, but again, understandable when you have another job aside from this. Not only did it look great but tasted great too! Nicole, I hope you won't shut down cause I'm gonna keep coming back for more! read more

After confirming a recent order, Sweets By Design has not returned multiple messages. Even though I placed my order well in advance, it was time sensitive and it's extremely frustrating when your messages aren't returned. I'm sure they make great pastries however I do not recommend Sweets By Design because of their lack of communication. read more

I got the pleasure of working with Nicole on my wedding cake in late September of this year! From the moment I was connected with Nicole, I was incredibly impressed. Nicole's attention to detail and follow through is amazing?? What's even more amazing is how yummy our wedding cake was! I'm still wishing I could have another piece! The cake was exactly how I envisioned it and I will cherish Nicole's great work in making our wedding cake so special! Very much looking forward to working with Nicole and Sweets By Design in the future! read more

We are so happy we chose Sweets by design for our wedding cake, not only did they make COOLEST wedding cake ever for our wedding but it was absolutely DELICIOUS! Nicole is so sweet, very creative, extremely talented, professional, always available to answer questions and respond to emails. The combination of flavors she suggested in the cake tasting were spot on. You can clearly tell she loves what she does and she puts that love into her work, making her cakes taste like heaven. All our guest raved about how amazing the cake was. Over all the experience with Sweets by Design was easy, stress free and exactly what I hoped for when planning my wedding. I would highly recommend hiring Sweets by Design for any event. read more

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Nicole created another master piece for my son's 1st Birthday Party. She has been making our cakes for the last few years, for our many birthday parties and celebrations. read more

Sweets By Design - Brody's Paw Patrol 1st Birthday!!! - Cupcakes Near Me