IT’S TIME FOR CAKE: A GUIDE TO BIG-DAY (OR ANY DAY) BAKERIES

By Gina Valencia

When it’s time to let them eat cake, wow your guests with a one-of-a-kind creation that is as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the palate. These local bakers can help you dream up that beautiful wedding cake for the big day.

Creative Cakery

2948 Clark Ave, 90815 | (562) 493-6550

creativecakery.com | @creativecakerylb

What do you do when your cake has a hole in the middle? You decorate it, of course! Credited as the original bundt cake bakery, Creative Cakery started in Long Beach over four decades ago and continues to tempt customers with wedding cake transformations by co-owners and Long Beach childhood friends Juliet Marshall and Haydee Sentianin. Customer favorite flavors include their French Vanilla and Chocolatey Chocolate Chip. Their different bundt cake sizes give customers the option to tier them either two-high or three-high, and customers can easily adorn the bundt cakes with flowers to complement their wedding aesthetic. They also have a selection of gluten free and vegan items, and they ship nationwide.

Nicole Bakes Cakes 

www.nicolebakescakes.com | @nicolebakescakes

Executive pastry chef and wedding cake designer, Nicole Redd-McIntosh has been baking for over 20 years, with masterworks ranging from dulce de leche cake with vintage piping, to rustic-style strawberry chocolate balsamic wedding cake. Recognized as this year’s “most innovative and creative” wedding cake maker in the L.A. region by California Wedding Day Bridal Magazine, Nicole is most proud to be a part of a couple’s wedding celebration. “It’s a joy to be a part of such a special day,” she said.

Bake My Day

946 Daisy Ave, Studio 6, 90813

(626) 543-0424 | Bmdchristine.com

Baking a customer’s idea to life while also having the “opportunity to showcase their skills,” are what bring the owners of Bake My Day pride and happiness. The certified home bakery, established in 2011, aims to “create an edible work of art that will make [a customer’s] special event memorable.” With 40 years of baking experience, Bake My Day designs anything from basic to custom 3D sculpted cakes. Their more popular wedding cake flavors are their piña colada signature cake and a basic white cake with strawberry mousse. “We love being a part of such a great [strong diversified] welcoming community,” co-owner Kindra Bell said.

Katella Bakery Deli & Restaurant

4470 Katella Ave, Los Alamitos | (562) 594-8611 

www.katellabakery.com | @katella_bakery

Beautifully remodeled, complete with an inspiring custom cake wall, Katella Bakery Deli and Restaurant is known for some of the best cakes and pastries around. With over 50 cake design options, multiple cake flavors, icing types, and fillings such as chocolate dobash and mango cream, Katella Bakery has a “dedicated team of artisan cake decorators” ready to make a couple’s special day “remarkable.”

Miss Priss Cupcakes and Such

4131 Norse Way, 90808 | (562) 377-6385

www.missprisscupcakes.com | @missprisscupcakesandsuch

Getting her hair tangled in the mixer beaters at age seven didn’t deter Karie Kearney from making her baking dreams come true. Karie, the founder and owner of Miss Priss, which celebrated their sweet 16 (years in business) this spring, is a proud 4th generation Long Beach girl who is thankful for the customers who have sought out her sweet treats for all celebrations, including wedding cakes. Whether classic creations embellished with flowers, or the latest trend of naked/bare cakes (frosting free), Miss Priss bakes them all.

Nonna Mercato

3722 Atlantic Ave, 90807

Nonna Mercato bakery and restaurant opened in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood in July 2022, with a commitment to offer quality sourced dishes, breads, and pastries, including elaborate wedding cakes. Founded by chef and owner, Cameron Slaugh, who leads a dedicated team of passionate culinary artists, Nonna Mercato (grandmother’s market) offers classically beautiful wedding cakes. Their more popular flavors include “lots of vanilla and chocolate, as well as cakes with fruits such as blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry.”

Rossmoor Pastries

2325 Redondo Ave, Signal Hill, 90755 | (562) 498-2253

www.rossmoorpastries.com | @rossmoorpastriess

A community staple, family-owned Rossmoor Pastries is proud to be “ruining diets since 1961.” Rossmoor is committed to baking the highest quality custom cakes and pastries for the thousands of families and corporate clients who have selected them “to be their celebration partner.” Rossmoor wedding cakes are baked with four layers of cake and three layers of filling, as opposed to the standard three cake layers and two filling layers, for a “better ratio of cake to filling.” With an extensive list of cake flavors, icing and filling selections to choose from, Rossmoor Pastries’ goal is to collaborate with clients to bake their cake “vision into a reality.”

The Pin-Up Kitchen

(562) 668-0381 | www.thepinupkitchen.com | @pinupkitchen

In the first 6 years that Amanda Drüken began baking, she’s garnered awards and celebrity attention for her amazing cake creations that are as unique as her clients. From her “3D sculpted and hyper realistic designs,” to customer favored gothic styles, as well as more traditional arrangements, Amanda has a style for any occasion and each cake is carefully created in her DTLB home studio. Granted an award by Lux Life Magazine as the Best Bespoke Cake Bakery of 2023, the single-mom and entrepreneur is most proud of her collaborations with local nonprofits, such as Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Long Beach Imperial Court.

Sugar from the Heart

4328 South St, Lakewood, 90712 | (562) 633-6300 

www.sugarfromtheheartbakeshop.com  | @sugarfromtheheartbakeshop

Nestled in a Lakewood strip mall is a little bakery that earns rave reviews. Since receiving a Hobart KitchenAid mixer from her dad as a child, Krista Lopez has followed her heart and taste buds to become owner and head baker/decorator of Sugar from the Heart Bake Shop. Featuring traditional flavors like chocolate and red velvet, as well as more unique, rotating flavors like pink champagne and blueberry bourbon, Sugar from the Heart bakes cupcakes, cookies, and pies, along with custom cakes. A popular wedding cake flavor and style is an almond ricotta with fresh raspberries and Chardonnay buttercream frosting, elegantly decorated with a simple flower. As Krista acknowledges, “If you can do what you love as your job, your job becomes what you love, which affects every aspect of your life, especially how you are in relation to those around you.”

Twice Baked Baking Company

8185 E. Wardlow Rd, 90808 | (562) 343-5715 

www.twice-baked.com | @twicebakedbakingco

With a combined century of baking experience, owners Dahlia Villegas and (her mom) Judy Karni, operate the city’s “only dedicated gluten and peanut free” bakery. Besides a plethora of pastries, breads, and pies, Twice Baked Baking Company also creates charming wedding cakes for anyone with dietary restrictions. Popular flavors include carrot, lemon, red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla. Whether a couple is looking for a rustic, simple, or elegant cake style, Twice Baked offers a varied menu of dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, soy-free, nut-free, and even sugar-free and low-carb cakes and baked items.