I did a quick blurb on Marta’s Cakes, the new store of Marta Matute at Serendra, a day after it opened. I had never met Marta before, and she had no clue who I was. I promised myself I would return to the shop a month or so later to give them time to get settled and stock their shelves. I did the follow-up visit a couple of weeks ago. However, I must say that I visited the store several times in between and since then, as The Kid and some of her friends are absolutely smitten with Marta’s cake/cookie decorating kits.
And there lies the secret # 1 of this place… the target customers for the store are perhaps 1-13 years in age, and they just absolutely adore the cookies, the cakes, the candies, the little chairs and tables, the sprinkles, the utterly delicious smell of sugar. Marta’s has already hosted several kiddie birthday parties, with up to 24 kids, and I can see how parents would rather have the kids mess up this place than their own dining rooms! With icing galore and sprinkles all over the place, I can only imagine what clean-up must be like!
Secret # 2 is Marta herself. One of the most self-effacing, laid-back, creative bakers I have ever met, she has turned out (with her crew) a stunning 8,000+ custom cakes in her career so far. And these aren’t just any cakes. They are STUNNING CAKES. The creativity, planning and execution that goes into each cake boggles the mind. I could never ever hope to make even one of her cakes. They are practically works of art! Just have a look at the samples I was able to photograph for this post…the cakes were wonderful! I didn’t ask pricing details but I suspect they would range from PHP3,000 to 30,000+ for the most elaborate cakes. Marta happened to be there when I took these photographs, so we have been introduced to each other, and I must say she is a pleasure to speak with. A really deep burning passion for her cakes is apparent and the obvious joy she takes from her hobby turned quickly growing business, is palpable.
Secret # 3 is that Marta’s custom cakes are not only great for kids, but for adults and companies as well. I took a quick look at their albums and realize there were kiddie cakes, debut cakes, special event cakes, anniversary cakes, car brand cakes… the list was endless! And the choices were just incredible. I know, I sound like I am bowled over. And I am. Marta did a cake for my birthday and it was wonderful, and The Kid is hoping she can order a cake for her birthday as well… So you could say we are definitely fans. When I was a kid, the best cake I could hope for was a chain bakeshop cake with a plastic spiderman on it… Marta’s take on this theme would be far more impressive, I am certain.
Not only do the cakes look good, they taste terrific. I feel they have that honest to goodness childhood sweetness balanced with a nice hit of chocolate (at least my chocolate birthday cake did) that just hits all the right buttons. No fancy flavors or touches. No pretense. The cakes on sale at the shop are pretty good, but let me make this clear, this isn’t fine french pastry, this is superb birthday and party cake material with fabulous icing and decoration. At about PHP50-ish for mini cakes or cupcakes in the shop, they are well priced despite their tony location. If you haven’t visited the new shop, check it out the next time you are in Serendra. And if you are thinking of ordering a custom cake, reserve a few weeks ahead of time. The holiday season should be particularly busy I am told…
Here’s a terrible photo of The Kid working on a mini-cake…
Marta’s Cakes
martascakes@gmail.com
09178409984
48 Responses
i am excited to go there! really, when you mentioned their store some previous post ago, i said to myself that i will definitely visit this store. now, i don’t have any more excuse not to come and give them a visit.
marta’s cakes are the best. she made one for my son’s first birthay party and we loved it. it was a “barn” theme and the guests couldn’t take their eyes off the different farm animals on the cake. it was a little expensive but it was all worth it.
Very creative ang designs.
I was there last saturday after my kid and I came from my Company’s sportsfest. Marta is very accommodating. That day, they were arranging for a certain Jose Miguel’s 1st birthday party. The place was really nice – very childlike. My kid wants to have her next birthday party there. Well, maybe if not there.. one of the cakes maybe.
By the way, the cupcakes were reasonably priced too!
Will post the photos I took there in my site as soon as I get time from this mad season at work. :D
The cakes have very nice designs with subtle colors and designs…heavenly!
was able to try out one of Marta’s lovely decorated cupcakes at a bazaar at the Polo Club last year. when I visited her store at Serendra (some weeks ago) however, I was very disappointed! The cookies and minicakes on their shelves looked sad and bare. I was expecting the same yummy, moist, wonderfully decorated cupcake with heaps of yummy icing, but sadly the one i bought was a far cry from my first “Marta Experience”. I hope that was just a “soft-opening” glitch and that they’ve fixed any kinks in their system, because i REALLY REALLY enjoyed her cupcake from last year.
mm, shall i call her mm2? hehehe…her cakes look too good to eat! must take a photo first before slicing the cake. will surely visit her shop on our next trip to serendra :)
Marta’s cake is nice but did anyone check this site below?
https://thecakeartist.blogspot.com/
The owner of this site is Judy Uson. I heard she is one of the best cake artist in the Philippines. I’ve never met her but I’ve seen her artworks in many magazines and I hope to meet her someday and attend her class.
I’ve been to Judy Uson’s home/shop and she really is a fantastic artist (went with my friend who was looking for good wedding cakes) but her art is about making sugar flowers look real (and they seriously do), while marta’s art is cartoon-y (is there such a word?) which is great for kiddie parties
I’ve been at her shop a couple of times with my son and his cousin. They absolutely loved decorating the cookies! Even bought take out so they could decorate some more at home. I just needed to order sprinkles and extra icing because my son is heavy-handed with the icing.
The cakes look too cute to be eaten — I’d hate to slice it and ruin a work of art!
Never mind the cakes! I’m in love with Marta – she’s hot!
OK, OK, I’ll behave myself. Sorry to be off topic but my mind is with feeding the kids. My problem is how to get money to MM from where I am.
How about I post this comment:
“Hi MMManiacs,
My email is XXXX–XX.XXX. I need to get money to the feed the kids project. Please email me so you and I can arrange for you to receive my money by Western Union or whatever and then you can get it to MM and the kids’ project. You may keep the Tshirts or bags for yourself as a token of my appreciation for the
help. Or, maybe you would like some of San Franciso’s renowned Sour Dough Bread, or how about some Dungeness Crabs (oops, I think they just went out of season).
Whatever. Please just email me and we can work something out.
So what do you think MM? All I need is a kind soul out there in MMLand!
PS: I still think Marta is so HOT!
marta did my daughter’ss bday cake and a cake i suprised for my husband. of course, since it was just a simple cake, i didn’t need to talk to marta herself. but! even after telling them what i wanted and giving them a picture, there were still continuous follow-up regarding the design, on how to make it prettier/better looking–marta is meticulous in all her cakes. i am also a regular at her bakery in bf pque to buy her bread, muffins, cupcakes, sugar cookies. they are all great!!!
The woman is an artist and a baker!
I tried both Sonja’s cucpcakes and Marta’s last month. Tried to forget all the hype and write-ups surrounding both places and concentrate on the product. At Sonja’s I tried the Valrhona flourless chocolate and the hazelnut Valrhona tart and both were very good. Next time I want to try the lemon-y ones. At Marta’s I bought the carrot cupcake but is was sadly dry and old, quite stale-tasting, to be honest. But my friends love her chocolate and pound cake base for her lovely kiddie cakes and I have yet to try a vanilla cupcake, so I’ll be back this Christmas. What z says is true, when I was there the display case was bare and the interiors looked dismal, but the one in charge was cheery and friendly, so maybe it was just one of those freakish bad days. In any case I still want to try their other products!
This is one place we and grandkids will indeed be visiting when we get delivery of our Serendra unit come 2008.
Thanks so much for the posting. Fabulous job, the cakes! Please tell Marta and I hope they are not too sweet.
My daughter loves her cupcake decorating kits and I’m glad she opened one in Serendra! So accessible!
Maddie, yes, the kits are wonderful. Susan, these are great but they are sweet…anything with that much icing will be. ragamuffin girl, I would agree with you, go to Sonja’s for cupcakes (particularly her flourless which I liked a lot) and Marta’s for large cakes. If I am not mistaken, I believe her carrot cakes may be supplied by another baker, and my comments would echo yours. These two bakers target different markets altogether.
you know, sonja’s red velvet cupcake’s aren’t bad either. very good texture, taste, fragrance… considering i’m not a big fan of red velvet cakes.
Didn’t I tell you she was pretty and nice?! ;-) I’ve known Marta since we were kids, and she’s always been a really sweet girl. I’m happy that she’s found her passion and is doing so well in it.
Beautiful Cakes. I’ve tried the Cake Artist cake and I was happy with that. Marta’s cakes really are apt for kids. The colors are very eye-catching. She looks like a nice and charming person too.
Finally! She has a store in Serendra! Cupcakes by Sonja, look out!
Silly lolo, you are just hilarious.
You kill me everytime :-)
These are amazing works of art. Thanks, MM.
Heya! :) been there last sat! cakes are so amazing and so cute! once you’ve seen the cake, u will think twice if you will eat it or keep it. hehe :) btw, i posted some pics on my journal: https://princessdyanie.blogspot.com
Stunnning!
When my apo turns one, I hope I can get one of Martha’s cakes. Uhmmmm
Ahhh…. cake cake cake! I bet if I had my son’s bday in mla it would cost me less. Do you find that when you buy a cake for a kids party that they turn out to be too sweet? Or lacking in flavour? Seems to me that it’s hard to find the right balance though, sweet enough for the littlies but edible enough for the grownups.
I must admit those photos are really lovely, reminds of the works of a pinoy lady that I met a few weeks ago. Comes with a hefty price tag too. Suffice to say I’m sticking with my baker, she made a gorgeous gluten free choc mudcake for my son’s bday last yr.
I just saw a stand of Marta’s cakes in glorietta it’s in the ground floor near the entrance facing park square 2. The kits are selling for Php 90 each. Your choice of cookies or cupcakes. They also sell cupcakes that already have icing for Php 35 apiece. Your choice of chocolate or pound cake as base.
I love dessert. And Marta’s Cakes seem to be a great destination the next time I’m in Serendra =)
cuteeee!!! (:
helo!I am an events planner, and i admired your cakes so much. i have watched the boy and kris episode where you were featured!the cakes were fantastic!Do you ever give out classes or tutorials in baking and cake decorating?if so, how much?I am interested.More power!
Yeah i saw the boy and kris episode also where marta’s cookies featured!and the cakes and cookies look yummy!im jaz wondering if marta’s has a gluten free cake and cookies too?
Marta’s Serendra branch is absolutely a cool place to hang out with old friends… something like, ” reminiscing your childhood days”… I and my gradeschool friends had a great time there about a couple of months ago. Instead of just chatting over coffee, we just decided to have a different kind of activity. It’s perfect for friends who’ve known each other for so long and are left with nothing to talk about anymore,but still want time for bonding..
Even before i knew Marta’s shop, i have already seen her cakes in wedding magazines. I thought to myself, “these cakes are really unique and fabulous”. And then i discovered that all of them were created by,none other than, Marta herself.She’s got the freshest idea. I was most excited when i heard about the Serendra branch shop…
From what I have seen on the internet I think your cakes are fantastic. Would like to know were your business is located & how do I go about ordering.
Hi, we are in Sydney. I am just wondering if it is possible for us to order cake for my son’s 2nd birthday. I really like cakes designed from the Philippines.
i just want to ask for the exact address of your shop because i wanted to know the possible price and other details if i am going to order a cake. can you please reply asap because the cake will be for a friend’s birthday this may. thanks much.
hey..i think martascakes is great how come the cupcakes i buy yesterday from store is dry and not moist it’s my pasalubong to my mom since it’s mother’s day already but they don’t like it coz it’s dry. Hey Marta could you please check why the cupcakes i buy is dry as if it was being bake last week.
upon reading all the comments i decided 2 have the cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday orderd in marta’s cakes.i have high hopes that the cupcakes would be to my hearts contents but to my surprise the cupcake of my daughter turned out to be disastrous..they charge me 150 for the cupcakes & 20 for the box.they did not follow the color that i specified so they asked me if i can wait for an hour.after an hour i go back to their shop hoping that everything will turned out fine.the box dont have label of it’s own so they jz put a paper on it.they put it anywhere they like not even at the center.the box where they put the cake is just an ordinary box and at the bottom of it is a cut box from a milk or something.they didnt even care to wrap it with a foil.i thought they had a box with their label coz some celebreties celebrate their birthday in their place.they said they will give me discount for all the hassle and guess how much did they give me 100 pesos.i told them no na i dnt need a discount and to my surprise they didnt even issue a receipt.when i reach our house i check the cakes i saw the boxes that i paid for 20 each.there were tore portion when they remove the scotch tape they didnt remove it slow so the box is distroyed.there were icings scattered the box.i was so devastated coz i want my daughters cupcakes to be nice.
hello marta
i would like to ask if you offer 3 DAY WORKSHOP ON CAKE DECORATING CLASSES. THANKS FOR THE INFO. HOWM WOULD COST ME
THANKS MARLENE
good day!!
im a cake lover and i just want to grab those cakes in the pics.. i just want to ask if you also make cakes for 18th bday?? and how much will it approximately cost??
suuuuper thanks!! keep up your passion for cakes..Godbless
i’ve seen your store, and your cakes are really very lovely in person! :) i’m planning a party soon, do you make character ones too, kung fu panda for example? pls email me. tnx!
great job! keep on baking :)
hello mam marta
I hope you still remember me.. I used to work on your cake shop before way back 2005. Now i live here in canada w/ my wife and my kids. As of now i work as a cake decorator here at one of the most well known cake & coffee shop here in canada. I’m so glad that i’ve been a part of your cake shop even a few month’s. Thank you for everything, give my regard to sir louie and all your staff. Keep up the good work.
I think that cakes are expensive. I wish I could send my son there. :c
Hi!Ang gaganda ng cakes! When I saw the 1st picture, all I can say is WOW! Whoever made this really has a great passion for children and their art. Anyway, I’m still 6 months on the way but little by little I’m making plans for my baby girl’s christening day. You know, just so I would know and can save how much my budget can allow. hehe I really like her cake to be simple but special. So can you please email me your quotation for the cakes and please tell me as well where I can find your shop. I live in Valenzuela City by the way. Thank you.
hi…i would like to inquire if you do cakes with icing that can b laid out wth a photo…i have seen it done here in new zealand and australia
how much does this cost i mean when i buy 1 for my girl chloe it even costs more
hi i would like 2 ask how much it cost 4 a cake? and how long u do it?? tnx
janeL, mykala, etc. You have written marketmanila.com, a food blog. I am not the maker of cakes, I write about food. Please direct your questions to the intended party. thank you. MM