Sweet Cupcakes - The Cake Studio

Sweet Cupcakes, which signs itself "The Cake Studio", is a cake design studio at Via Vallemaggia 95 in Locarno/Solduno, in Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. It is the business of Lorena Gil Vazquez, and the whole site is written in Italian. The strapline on every page reads "Torte e dolci decorati per ogni occasione" (decorated cakes and sweets for every occasion), and under it sits the line that shapes how you deal with the studio: "Si riceve su appuntamento", visits by appointment only.

Who is behind it

The "Chi Siamo" (about us) page tells the story briefly. The studio was born "un po' per caso, un po' per amore verso i dolci decorati, ma soprattutto per tradizione" (partly by chance, partly out of love for decorated sweets, but above all out of tradition). Lorena, who is of Mexican origin, began by making cakes for her little daughter, and that turned into what the page calls an adventure into pastry and cake design. In the page's own words she quickly became "un nome riconosciuto a livello mondiale" (a name recognized worldwide).

The same page lists what backs that up: her work has appeared in American books, she is co-author of the books "Cake Design" and "Sweet Table" published by Rizzoli, and trade magazines in Italy, England, Spain, Germany and Mexico have published her work. It also says she works with leading event agencies in Switzerland and Italy. The page closes with two lines that sum up how the studio sees itself: "Siamo un atelier, uno studio, un angolo dove i sogni diventano realtá da gustare" (we are an atelier, a studio, a corner where dreams become a reality you can taste), and "Il primo Cake Studio in Ticino" (the first cake studio in Ticino).

Press and teaching

The "Novità" page is a running list of press and courses, with short headings rather than full articles. It mentions:

• an article in the Coop newspaper for Valentine's Day
• a course at the Milan Cake Festival, where she taught how to make a wafer-paper flower
• a course in Mexico
• features in Donna Moderna and Cosmopolitan, including a Valentine's special
• a fashion cakes course and a "fashion flowers" project
• a German monthly, Cake Art, with a cake design project inside
• the "Sweet Table" book, with a bridal shower project and step-by-step instructions
• art&pastry in Lugano
• a course in Rome on wafer-paper flowers
• the role of "Cake designare ufficiale dal 2011" for the Cake Design Italian Festival, Milan and Rome editions

For a couple, the point of this list is not the prestige. It shows the studio works in sugar paste and wafer-paper flowers at a demonstration level, which matters if you want a cake decorated with handmade flowers.

Wedding cakes

The wedding section on the homepage is a single sentence. Translated: wedding cakes, with or without sugar paste, with handmade flowers or fresh flowers; to settle the details, flavors and prices, there is a consultation and tasting in the Solduno studio. In the original, "Torte Nuziale, con o senza pasta di zucchero fiori fatte a mano o fiori freschi, per definire dettagli gusti e prezzi si fa una consultazione e tasting nel mio Studio a Solduno".

So wedding cakes have no published price. The design, the flavors and the cost come out of a meeting with a tasting in Solduno. The site's menu has a "Wedding Day" page and a gallery, which are the places to look at past wedding cakes before the consultation.

Published prices for the other cakes

The homepage does publish prices for everything else, which gives a sense of the studio's price level.

Mini cakes, in cream or sugar paste:

• 10 cm diameter, 75 francs, 4 to 6 portions
• 15 cm diameter, 100 francs, 6 to 8 portions
• two-tier mini cake, 165 francs, about 12 portions

Cakes for birthdays or other events, with a minimum order:

• 10 to 12 portions, 150 francs
• 12 to 15 portions, 188 francs
• 20 portions, 250 francs
• 25 portions, 315 francs
• 30 portions and more, by consultation

These are not wedding cake prices; the page lists them for birthdays and other events. They do show how the studio prices by portion.

Cupcake and macaron towers

Two items are well suited to a wedding. A cupcake tower comes in various sizes at 6 francs per cupcake, with or without a mini cake on top (50 or 65 francs). The tower stand is rented for 50 francs with a 100 franc deposit. A macaron tower runs from 35 to 100 pieces in different sizes at 2 francs per macaron, with or without a mini cake (75 francs); the tower rental is 35 francs with a 100 franc deposit. A cupcake or macaron tower can sit next to a small wedding cake or replace it altogether.

Ordering and terms

The homepage carries an order form, "Ordina la tua Torta" (order your cake). It asks for first name, surname, email, phone, the cake flavor, the number of portions, the type of cake (wedding, birthday, baby cakes, or other) and the date of the event, and you have to accept the terms. The terms are stated right under the form: "La comanda sará valida solo dopo la conferma scritta e il versamento d' un acconto del 50%. acconto non rimborsabile." An order is valid only after written confirmation and payment of a 50% deposit, and the deposit is not refundable. Couples should factor that in before they confirm, especially if their date or guest count might change.

What a couple from abroad should know

Language. The site is in Italian, with a few words of Spanish left in the menu and the form. It does not say whether the studio works in English. Given Lorena's international teaching, it is a reasonable question to ask, but the site does not answer it.

Appointments. Every page says visits are by appointment, and the wedding process relies on a consultation and tasting in Solduno. A couple flying in should plan that visit into a trip, or ask whether any of it can happen remotely.

Getting there. The site has a "Dove siamo" (where we are) page in its menu, and the address appears on every page. The pages give no directions, parking or public transport details.

Delivery. The site does not say whether wedding cakes are delivered and set up at the venue, or which area the studio covers. For a wedding elsewhere in Ticino or beyond, ask at the consultation.

Deposit. The 50% deposit is non-refundable, as stated on the homepage.

Who it suits

Sweet Cupcakes suits a couple marrying in or near Locarno who want a designed wedding cake with handmade sugar or wafer-paper flowers or fresh flowers, and who can come to Solduno for a tasting. The published prices for mini cakes and towers make it easy to add a dessert table at a known cost. Couples who do not speak Italian should settle the language question in their first message.