Cakes by Mary

A cake artist in Stäfa who works in English

Cakes by Mary is the business of Mary, a cake artist who works from her baking studio on Lake Zurich in Stäfa, at Seestrasse 24, 8712 Stäfa, in the canton of Zurich. The site's page description gives her full name as Mary Hanania. She makes original, handmade cakes and cupcakes for weddings, birthdays, company events and other occasions, and her site's tagline is "beautiful & original hand made cakes and cupcakes, a slice of inspiration".

For couples planning from abroad, the key fact is language. The site is written in English first, with a German version of each paragraph beneath it, so a couple can read everything and write to her in English from the start.

Who Mary is

The about page opens with a line that tells you a lot about her: "I'm a sports physiotherapist, pilates instructor, baker, cake artist and mum. What can I say? Life's too short to chose one." (The spelling is hers.) Cake-making is one of several jobs, which is worth knowing when thinking about availability on a busy wedding weekend.

She describes her market plainly: "I cater for middle to upper price range cakes, ranging from weddings to birthdays and company events." Her inspiration, she writes, "comes from nature and colors", and her motto is "It has to taste as amazing as it looks!" The page ends with an invitation: "Call or write to book your next edible piece of artwork."

Wedding cakes

The site does not describe a wedding package, a style list or sizes. What it does make clear is that wedding cakes are a core part of the work, named first in her own description of what she caters for, and that each cake is custom-made. The homepage description calls every composition "custom-made & unique" and lists weddings alongside birthdays, corporate events and special occasions.

The contact page adds the two practical points that matter most for a wedding. First, "All wedding cakes will be delivered." Unlike smaller orders, which can be picked up at the studio, a wedding cake is always brought to the venue. Second, deliveries go "in and around Zurich for an additional charge", so the delivery fee is extra and the area is described only in general terms.

Dietary options

The contact page states: "My creations can also be ordered as vegan or gluten-free." That is her own statement. It means a couple can ask for the wedding cake itself in a vegan or gluten-free version rather than ordering a separate cake for some guests, but anyone with a guest who has celiac disease or a serious allergy should ask how the cake is prepared in the studio.

Portfolio

The portfolio page is an Instagram feed, described as "some of our past client cake orders". The site has no written descriptions of past weddings, so a couple judging her style will do it from the pictures, and should ask for wedding examples if the feed does not show enough of them.

How to book

The contact page lists three routes: "You can contact me via WhatsApp, email or phone to discuss your next edible piece of artwork." The phone number is +41788500788, and the email address is Cakes@CakesByMary.ch. There is a "Get in Touch" section on the contact page as well. For a couple living abroad, WhatsApp and email make it easy to exchange inspiration photos and details without a phone call across time zones.

The site mentions a baking studio ("my baking studio on lake Zürich") and a kitchen based in Stäfa ("My kitchen is based in Stäfa"), but it does not say whether couples can visit it for a consultation or a tasting.

Cupcakes and the German version

Cupcakes appear in the tagline and in the homepage description ("Baker of Specialty Cakes and Cupcakes for Weddings, Birthdays, Corporate Events and Special Occasions"), so a couple can ask for cupcakes alongside the cake, for a dessert table or as a smaller second sweet. The site does not show cupcake flavors or prices.

The German version of each paragraph is a close translation of the English, which helps when Swiss family members want to read along. It says she works "in meinem Backstudio am Zürichsee in Stäfa" and her price position as "Kuchen der mittleren bis oberen Preisklasse". The site's copyright line reads ©2020.

Writing a first message

Because every wedding cake is delivered and the delivery charge is extra, the venue's location belongs in the first message, together with the date, the number of guests, any vegan or gluten-free requirement and a few inspiration photos. WhatsApp is listed as a contact route, which suits sending pictures.

What the site does not settle

The site publishes no prices. "Middle to upper price range" is the only guide, and it is her own description, so a couple should ask for a quote with their guest count and design in mind. It gives no lead time for wedding cakes and no information on tastings, tiers, maximum size or cake stands. It does not say whether Mary sets the cake up at the venue after delivery, how the delivery charge is calculated, or how far "in and around Zurich" reaches. A couple marrying outside the Zurich area should ask directly whether delivery to their venue is possible and at what cost.

Because Mary names several other jobs on the about page, a couple should also ask early how many weddings she takes on and whether their date is free.

Who it suits

Cakes by Mary suits couples marrying in and around Zurich, especially expats and international couples who want to plan the cake in English with the baker herself. It fits couples looking for an individual design drawn from nature and color rather than a catalog cake, and couples who need a vegan or gluten-free wedding cake. Delivery of every wedding cake is a real advantage for couples who cannot collect a cake themselves on the day.

The caveats are the lack of any published prices, a pricing position she places in the middle to upper range, a delivery area defined only loosely, and a baker who divides her time between cakes and other work, which makes early booking sensible.