Just Cake Reviews

Just Cake

Capitola, CA

4.7 out of 5 rating, 31 reviews

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4.7 out of 5 rating

4.7

Very good

31 reviews

Recommended by 95% of couples

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Quality of service
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Allie Sent on 08/15/2016

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Marina Sousa, with Just Cake, was wonderful to work with! She created an elegant cake, with the same aesthetic as our invitations, included our monogram as the focal point, and worked with our florist, Fionna Floral - they are business neighbors, so it was super simple! She even created two custom grooms cakes - a surprise for my husband!
User2488220 Sent on 12/31/2015

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Marina, Michelle the gang are just amazing!

My husband and I are both Disney fans and wanted our cake to have a little extra something to it. When we suggested a "hidden Mickey" on our cake, the representative from the other big bakery in Santa Cruz recoiled and responded that their designs were standard and only augmented by size, flavors and flowers.

When we chatted with Marina, we instantly bonded over our love of good food and Disney. When I suggested that "hidden Mickey," she said it'd be no problem. She then showed some of the amazing designs she had done... and then I saw... the Haunted Mansion cake! Yep. We both fell in love with our cake maker.

Not only that, of the 4 cake bakers that our venue (Hollins House) recommended, Marina's cake tasted the best. I have never had as moist a cake. And the flavor balance was sublime.

Marina- your cake was the finishing touch on a wedding that many described as "magical". I think I had the latest cake cutting in wedding history. And they all said it was worth it.

6 months after the ceremony-- people are still talking about that wedding and that amazing cake.

These ladies aren't just bakers. They're artists.
User2479806 Sent on 12/23/2015

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Our Wedding cake was absolutely stunning ,more than we could ever dream of! Just perfect!! Everyone raved about how beautiful and delicious it was ! We were excited to see that there was some left over to enjoy since we didn't really get to at the reception :) JUST AMAZING !!

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Shirley Sent on 12/22/2015

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Thank you so much to Just Cake and team for going above and beyond to make our wedding day fabulous. We left a few design details up to Marina to use her descretion and she is truly an artist, not disappointing one bit! Our guests keep asking when we will have another Just Cake cake in our future and we already have plans to have Just Cake make our baby shower cake and we cannot wait!
Lindsay Sent on 10/13/2015

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Marina and her team created beautiful cake for our wedding this past September in Carmel that everyone is still raving about! She was very accommodating and we had a fabulous tasting session at her office in Capitola - so many delicious options to choose from! We decided on four different flavors - the meyer lemon cake with lemon mousse, lemon curd and olallieberry compote (which she made with the just the right amount of tartness that I wanted), a chocolate cake with caramel mousse, salted caramel and toasted almonds/praline crumble (so very decadent), red velvet with toasted pecans and cream cheese butter cream and finally the spiced cake with caramel cream cheese mousse and apple compote (perfect for the fall). All of the flavors were out of this world! We had tried four different vendors before we met with Marina and all of them had been so disappointing but not Marina. Her cakes were the best in taste and texture. We have been hearing quotes such as "that was not only the best wedding cake I have ever tasted, but the best dessert I have EVER had!" Marina worked in conjunction with our florist to have matching flowers to our centerpieces decorating the cake - we couldn't be happier! I am already counting down the days until we can order our anniversary cake from Marina & her team. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Maira Sent on 11/29/2014

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If you are having a Monterey wedding (or in the surrounding vicinity), look no further. My wedding cake was DELICIOUS and looked just like the pictures on the website. I was out of town bride contacting vendors via telephone, email and Just Cake accomodates to just that. We went with their Classic Cake collection. All white buttercream, choice of flavors and size. One guest described the marble cake as "heaven"...that's right, "heaven". =)
Meghan Sent on 08/03/2013

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I had seen Marina Sousa on Food Network and had learned that she had a shop in Capitola. I knew right away that I wanted her to make my wedding cake. My fiancé, my mother and myself traveled from Monterey to her shop to design our cake. Her shop is very cute, filled with samples of her cakes. Meeting with her was a very fun experience. She listened to our desires, and looked at the pictures of my dress, theme, décor and venue. She achieved the vision that we wanted for our wedding cake. She added personal touches that were important to us. While I was getting dresses for the wedding I was told that the cake arrived. I was sorry that I missed Marina, but my maid of honor took a picture of the cake and showed it to me. I was thrilled! I could not wait to see it. The cake was not only beautiful but tasted fantastic. Our guests commented that it was the best wedding cake they had ever eaten. Marina s definitely an artist and our cake was phenomenal. Our wedding day was like a fairytale and the cake just made it even more perfect.
User1261028 Sent on 07/28/2013

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Thank you so much for our beautiful wedding cake! We loved it and it looked exactly as I had envisioned it.
It was delicious and we got many compliments about it.

Best to you and your team Marina!

Regards,
Danitza and Heriberto
Allie Sent on 09/02/2012

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Working with Just Cake was a no brainier. From the moment my family stepped into their office for a first meeting, we were warmly greeted with cake samples before ever agreeing to work with them. The samples, as our actual wedding cake, was unreal. They were the phantom cake bakers and I never saw or heard from them on my wedding day and when we got to the reception site, everything had been set-up perfectly.
Kate Sent on 04/03/2012

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Marina and her team whipped up a magical cake for our wedding last September in Big Sur that everyone is still raving about! She was very accommodating and we had a fabulous tasting session at her office in Capitola - so many delicious options to choose from! We decided on a lemon/raspberry layer cake and a mocha cake - both were out of this world! We have been hearing quotes such as "that was not only the best wedding cake I have ever tasted, but the best dessert I have EVER had!" My sweet, petite relatives reportedly ate 3 pieces! Marina professionally had it delivered to our site in Big Sur for a reasonable fee, and she working in conjunction with our florist to have matching flowers to our centerpieces decorating the cake - we couldn't be happier! I am already counting down the days until we can order our anniversary cake from Marina & her team. Thank you! :)
Jennifer Sent on 08/03/2010

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When we went to meet with Marina for our tasting we were blown away by the delicous cake's we got to sample. We had gone to two other cake tasting and there was no comparion. Marina was also the only person I could find who did my favorite cake red velvet. Marina is very kind and know's her cakes. When I saw our cake for the first time it brought tears to my eyes she got the vison of my cake perfect and it tasted fantastic everyone who attended our wedding is still raving about our tasty cake.
Aaron Sent on 11/18/2009

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My wife and I were very pleased with our wedding cake from Just Cakes. Marina nailed the design style we were looking for, which was a series of patterns from our invitations. The three tiered cake was a true work of art both visually and in flavor and texture. Marina is a true artist.

Before narrowing down our final flavor choice, Marina provided several samples, and once I tasted them, I knew it was going to be a touch choice, but no wrong choices either. Every sample was delicious.

All in all, it was a great experience dealing with Just Cakes, and my wife and I can't wait for our one year anniversary cake from there.
Katie Sent on 11/04/2009

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Marina Sousa of Just Cakes made my wedding! The cakes she created could have won Food Network awards. She is by far the most talented cake guru I have ever worked with. She is creative, innovative, and most importantly, she listens to what brides want and ensures they receive a cake that exceeds all expectations. She is just that good. Oh, and she has some real Food Network awards for her cake creations.
Lynn Sent on 02/08/2009

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The cake was the thing I was looking forward to most and it lived up to my every expectation! It tasted AMAZING and was completely stunning. Marina (the owner) was really great to work with and was completely professional from beginning to end. I felt horribly because her mother died shortly before our wedding- she and her assistant, Marie, were extremely communicative and let us know what was going on so I wouldn't worry if I wasn't able to reach them during the time they took off for the funeral. I know it's a pretty random thing to put in a review but I was so impressed with how they handled what had to be at best a difficult situation I felt it worth mentioning. Point being, I always felt I was a priority and was completely thrilled with the end result.

If you are getting married anywhere on the Central Coast Just Cake is by far the BEST!
Nicole Sent on 12/12/2007

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Marina was great to work with. She is so creative. She took our ideas and made them a reality. The cake was absolutely amazing. A year and a half later we still get complements on the cake. We had two great flavors that were a complete hit. I cannot say enough good things about her and her cakes. If you truly want a first class cake, Marina is the vendor to go to!
Angela Sent on 02/16/2013

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The cake looked great and tasted great (not as moist as the cake we sampled when we had our tasting session, but still really good). Just Cake specializes in wedding cakes, and they really know what they are doing!
Brittany Sent on 07/23/2009

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Best... cake... EVER! Not only did our cake look wonderful, it was seriously the best cake I've ever had. We had layers of red velvet (my fav) and layers of chocolate. I felt that it was on the pricey side but the quality of the cake and design could not be beat. You def get what you pay for. I can't wait to enjoy our top layer! I would definitely use her again for birthdays, special occasions, etc and would highly recommend Just Cake to any bride looking for the tastiest of cakes.
Aiko Sent on 02/23/2009

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At first I was worried that because Marina is kind of a star in her playing field (she's won all kinds of awards on food network and other places) that she may dismiss us as "small time". We were on a budget and our wedding wasn't the largest. But that wasn't the case at all! Marina was so down to earth and even cut the cost a little bit to help fit within our budget. ( we actually went over but it was worth it!)
We were so impressed with her ability to design a beautiful cake that completely matched the theme on our invitation. She was the only vendor that looked at our invitation and had a design idea within seconds. (and we met with MANY vendors.)
The cake flavors were delicious too.
The only small note is that the color on the cake was a little lighter than our wedding color. Our color was a darker persimmon (almost a burnt orange) and the colored parts of the cake came out more like peach.
But all other aspects were great. Just Cake's prices are a little on the higher end but I think the quality of the product makes it worthwhile.
Liz Sent on 07/05/2008

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The cake was so yummy! So many guests said it was the best wedding cake they have ever had! I was impressed with how it looked and how it tasted! It was worth every penny!
Alison Sent on 11/18/2007

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The cake was beautiful and tasted amazing. Unfortunately the cake was supposed to be chocolate brown and it was ivory. I saw this right before I walked down the aisle.......
Jarah Sent on 09/01/2014

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I was very pleased with the wedding cake we got from Just Cake. Our tasting was enjoyable and we got a personal sketch of the ideas we had for our cake on the spot. The day of the wedding they arrived early and had everything set up on time, and our cake turned out just the way we imagined. It was also delicious! Thank you Just Cake staff! :)
Siobhan Sent on 08/18/2014

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My (now) husband and I wanted a very specific cake for which we had a picture, which was the entire inspiration of our wedding colors and theme. We tried cake at several vendors in the Monterey area and all of them said they might be able to do it, but that it required lots of Fondant, which we didn't like. Only Marina at Just Cake said she could do it without fondant and that it would still look gorgeous. We took her at her word and it was absolutely amazing!! She did above and beyond what we asked for, and it was a beautiful and delicious addition to our wedding. We could not have been happier. Highly recommend!
Sally Sent on 09/16/2009

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We really liked our cake, and it was beautiful.
Janelle Sent on 10/01/2008

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Marina is so talented, and she can help you design your own cake of imagination. She's done celebrity weddings in Los Angeles before she moved up north. I absolutely loved the creative art that made my cake a master piece!
User2574489 Sent on 04/12/2016

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This is the best tasting wedding cake, hands down. One of my top priorities for our Holman Ranch wedding in March 2016 was to have a cake that tasted amazing. We had tasted cakes from another bakery in the Carmel area, but it did not compare to Just Cake’s options - they are rich and flavorful, exactly as a wedding cake should be! We went with a Signature cake, Meyer Lemon Olallieberry, and received SO many compliments about how delicious the cake was from guests afterwards. Our florist decorated the classic white tier cake with unopened peonies cascading down and the result was beautiful. Cons - the cake (including delivery) was expensive and it took a LOT of back and forths (47 emails!) to settle on details with the bakery team. But in the end, we were very satisfied with the results and continued eating the cake during the week after our wedding (yum!). Thank you to the Just Cake team!
Amber Sent on 06/06/2009

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We chose Marina at "Just Cake" to do our Wedding cake. She was very professional, and does amazing, artful cakes. Her studio is decorated with amazing Wedding cakes she has done, and your jaw will drop when you go inside to meet with her. We tried her Red Velvet cake at the Bridal Expo in Cocoanut Grove and fell in love. IT was delicious!! In the end, we decided on Red Velvet, and the Lemon/Ollaliberry/whipped cream (2 of her best flavors!--all I can say is YUM!). She drew up a beautiful picture of what our cake would look like and I couldn't wait to see it!! She has a lot of talent and it shows, they only thing I would say is her prices are a bit high--but, given her skills and the taste of her cakes--it is money well spent!!
And, when we actually saw our cake on our wedding day--it looked phenominal!! We definetly recommend "Just Cake".
Kendall Sent on 12/07/2007

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We were lucky to work with Marina to create our lovely wedding cake. It was occasionally difficult to contact her, as she was often out of state working on other projects and would take awhile longer than I was comfortable with to call us back. However, our cake was not only gorgeous but the two flavors we selected from Marina's menu were so delicious.
Huyana Sent on 03/11/2010

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the cake was amazing!
Crystal Sent on 11/24/2008

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Our cake was expertly made and tasted fantastic. Howver, not all of our specifications were done, for example when meeting her we asked to omit flowers on the top of the cake, howver the finished cake showed up with flowers. However, the overall presentation was fantastic and was delivered in pristine condition. We asked about freezing some for the 1 year anniversary and she said not to, just contact her the next year. When we did so the next year she did not respond, so in hindsight I would not have heeded her original advice and saved some of the cake. Overall the cake was well worth the money.
Jayee Sent on 10/29/2008

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Marina's cakes taste better than others, that's for sure. She does charge a premium and that's where couples should make a concious decision - do you care enough about the cake to pay at least 25% more than you would elsewhere. If you are doing a simple design and are having a big wedding, then it may be worth thinking that through.
Kristina Sent on 12/26/2008

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First off I would like to say our cake was beautiful, and tasted great! The ladies at Just Cake created exactly what I envisioned for our cake. We had a few last minute changes, and they worked well with those.

Unfortunately we had some communication issues during the week before the wedding. I had spoken with one of the ladies at Just Cake the Tuesday before the wedding - she wanted the final count information and directions to our venue. I asked her what time the cake was going to be delivered so our coordinator would know, and she said she would get back to me. I never heard from her again that week! So I was unsure if the cake would even arrive. Our coordinator even purchased a small cake the morning of the wedding, just to make sure we had something to cut. Luckily enough, however, the cake did arrive in fine condition!

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