Artylicious Cakes

Irene is so smart, fun and an incredible baker! My daughter and I went just for her macaroons and they were fantastic! Perfect, actually. Plus she was a blast to talk with! I met her son and husband and they were awesome, too. We are so lucky to have this family in Raleigh!

The macarons were great… a bit heavy but good nonetheless… and very interesting flavors like cardamom and bubblegum flavors.

I love Artylicious cakes! I had enjoyed a couple of her cakes previously at a couple of birthday parties a friend hosted. I was looking for a decorated cake for my son’s second birthday and asked who my friend had used… her cakes were always so beautiful and delicious. She pointed me to Iriene at Artylicious. I checked out her website and sent her an email to see if she could design a cake for the birthday party.
Iriene was quick to respond and welcomed me to come in to sample some cakes. She reviewed my inspiration pictures and said she could definitely make the cake I was looking for. I stopped by her shop one day and was greeted by her immediately. We talked about the cake I wanted (a two tier cake decorated in a Thomas the Tank Engine theme). I didn’t have a specific design in mind but gave vagueish directions and left the rest to her. She quoted me a very reasonable price for the cake. It consisted of an 8″ base and a 6″ top tier. Both fully decorated with fondant and two different flavors in each level. I sampled a few of her cakes and was instantly in love. They reminded me of the cakes that I would get at Asian bakeries back in California. A light, spongy cake with a French buttercream frosting… not to sweet but so light and heavenly. I couldn’t get enough. For the larger base piece I ordered cookies n’ cream as it would be serving the majority of the party. The top tier was purely selfish… almond with a mocha buttercream. That flavor would be the most similar to the cakes I enjoyed back in California and had yet to find here.
The week before the party I checked in with Iriene and she was ready to go. She worked with me on the pickup/​delivery of the cake and reassured me that it would be exactly what I wanted. When I received the cake, it was even better than I could have imagined. My party guests raved about it, saying it was the most beautiful cake they had seen for a birthday party. When they tried it? People went back for seconds. They couldn’t decide which they liked better between the two flavors. I hoarded some of the almond/​mocha for myself. I would absolutely use Artylicious again for all of my cake and party needs, and am already planning the next occasion for when I can book her.
Oh and she does sell some cakes by the slice, as well as French macarons. All are delicious and a way to get a slice of the amazing goodies in between your parties.

Wow, the cookies and cream cake we received was tasty and amazing. It wasn’t overly too sweet and had lots of flavor. The cake itself had many layers and it was put together really well. The owner Iriene is super nice and you can tell how much work she put on it. I was sad when we finished and definitely wanted more cake!

I had the pleasure of trying one of their cookies and cream cakes the other day and I really enjoyed the experience. I think the cake itself was very well made and put together and maybe had a hint of almond in the actual cake batter. The owner Iriene is super friendly and you can tell she really wants the customer to enjoy their cakes/​deserts. After reading some of the other reviews here, and trying the cake myself, I think that Artylicious cakes are a little different in that they are not «punch you in your diabetes» sweet. The cake we had was more of a subtle sweet and was put together to be a awesome balance between both taste and presentation. I guess if you are in the mood for a icing slathered yellow cake with enough sugar to fuel a whole kindergarten class for a week then maybe hit the deli section at the local grocery store. Otherwise if you are looking for a specialty cake that is made to order this is a great spot to look into.

I tried the strawberry French macaroons today. They were delicious ! I had been trying to find some for a while, what really disappoint me was not been able to have more choices.
The place is full of beautiful cakes, maybe one day I get to try them but for now I hope they have more flavors of macaroons. Most likely I’ll go back to check :)

Stopped in one day while I was in parking lot for something else and was excited to see the door. But my excitement left me as there was no one there although the sign on the door said they would be open at this time. Came back another day and she was open but was unimpressed with what was in store. It seemed overpriced and the small selection in the case wasn’t what I was in the mood for.

Iriene did a fabulous job for my husband’s surprise birthday party — which revealed a trip to France. It was complete with the Eiffel Tower, bread, cheese, and a French waiter. Also, at the last minute (day before) I decided I needed 50 French macaroons and she provided those; no problem. Would definitely recommend Artylicious Cakes for any special cake needs!

I too had a not great experience. However, my experience with the owners was slightly different. They apologized that the cake and cupcakes were not touched and tasted awful. They told me to bring back cake and they would not refund but make me a new one. Now I don’t know about you, but if it sucked the first time, I don’t think making me another cake is going to help. Besides, what am I going to do with a cake after the birthday party? The cupcakes and cake were terrible tasting and texture was spongy and it was bland. They treated me ok, but this could be because I didn’t pursue. Never went back. Decided it was just a bummer, won’t do business with them again. Nothing I could do or say would change the experience from the party. But not doing business with them again due to bad experience and voicing it was satisfaction enough. In this day with social media, businesses survive on reputation, customer service and product. If you can’t meet expectations of the public your business will not survive. The business will seal its fate if they continue to deliver poorly. There’s a bakery in Cary, called «Sugar Buzz» (cute name) that’s worth checking out if your in that area. I’ve had some of their bakery items and they have been delicious!
BTW– I too am shocked by any good review for this bakery and the price point for what I got was outrageous!

My mother-​in-​law buys all her grand kids cakes here and they are always delicious. She told me that the shop has macaroons, so I went in yesterday to get some. It was late in the day and she only had 2 kinds, so I picked the sea salt caramel. I wanted to enjoy them after dinner and boy did I! I bought 5 and gave 2 to my husband but didn’t want too! They were perfect, crispy and chewy and the filling was amazing! Will be back soon for more!

I ordered a cake here for my birthday. I wanted a really good, rich bakery cake, something other than what I could get at the grocery store. I got an 8″ vanilla cake with pink vanilla frosting. Seems pretty hard to mess up, right? Wrong. The only talent this baker possesses is to somehow make a cake that has absolutely NO flavor whatsoever. When I say NO flavor, I don’t mean it was too sweet, or a bad texture, I mean that you put it in your mouth and it tastes like NOTHING. I am almost positive that there was no trace of sugar in this cake. I plainly ate a rosette of frosting, and it’s like whipped air. It’s useless calories. Now, when I ordered the cake, it was described as «light and not too sweet.» Being a baker myself, there is a gigantic difference between a «light» dessert and a flavorless one. This cake cost me $ 40, and while that’s reasonable for a delicious handmade cake, it’s way too much for something that doesn’t even compare to cake mix and canned frosting. As far as the decorations go, it was okay but nothing I couldn’t do myself.
So of course I took the cake back today and asked the owner and her assistant to taste it to see if something was wrong. They both had a bite and said that they thought it was perfect. The owner claims that she told me her cakes were «light and not too sweet» when I ordered it and that I should have known it would taste like this. She refused to give me my money back.
I am really disappointed with this place. Not only is the product plain nasty, but the customer service is lacking. My recommendation is to absolutely taste the cake before ordering anything and put your purchase on a credit card so that you can challenge it after the owner refuses to refund your money. Better yet, go to the grocery store and get something infinitely tastier for half the price.

The bakery I had my wedding cake made at has since gone out of business and for my anniversary I wanted to surprise my husband with a small replica of our wedding cake. I selected this bakery due to the artistic skills Iriene demonstrates with her cakes. She was able to sculpt my orchids out of fondant where as other bakeries I spoke with said they could not. I provided Iriene with photos of my original cake and she did a fabulous job! It was delicious and beautiful and I am so happy I selected this bakery. Thank you, Artylicious!

After having lunch at La Rancherita, we saw a sign for cupcakes from a bakery called Artylicious Cakes located to the rear of the shopping center. By the name, I thought it was a specialty cake shop and didn’t think they would have cupcakes and cake slices, but they do. She doesn’t keep a lot in the case, and to me, that is a good sign that they will be fresh, and they are! There’s nothing so disappointing as biting into a pretty cupcake to find that it’s stale. There are a few tables if you want to dine in as well. The owner, a friendly woman, greeted us and let us sample the cake flavors. They were really delicious, and we had trouble deciding which ones we wanted. The lemonberry cake was probably a favorite. Also, the chocolate raspberry, hazelnut mocha and black forest are all divine. Her buttercream is so tasty, smooth and silky. I really love the texture of her cakes. She also has cupcakes, cheesecake and macaroons, available, and they all look lovely. The only cake I did not like was the red velvet. The frosting is supposed to be cream cheese, but it really didn’t taste like cream cheese. The cake, while fresh, really lacked flavor. While her cakes are not overly sweet, which I like, this cake was just lacking that classic red velvet cake taste.
Her specialty is cake art, hence the name of the cakery. The owner’s fondant cake art has won awards at the NC State Fair. (The cake competition is one of my favorite exhibits at the fair.) If I needed a birthday or special occasion cake, I would definitely come here, as this is the best cakery I’ve visited in the area.

I swear the few reviews this business has on Unilocal have to be fake. Let me start off by stating that I got a few quotes from some high rated bakeries in the Raleigh/​Cary area, but that I live in Fuquay Varina. My daughter was turning 7 and I so desperately wanted her to have a beautiful and tasty cake for her special day. I always buy her a very nice cake. This year, after receiving a few quotes, I settled on Artylicious. Huge HUGE mistake.
Now, I arrived Feb 8^th at 6pm to pick up her cake. The cake wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned, as I had sent the owner, Iriene, several pictures of my ideas. However, I thought it was a pretty cake, so I had no qualms about the cake. What scared me was the fact that she had her husband and her small child behind the counter. Not only that, but her husband put his cheek to his son’s head and told him that he felt warm and asked if he was okay. I was instantly nervous about the cake. I asked Iriene if the child was sick and she replied with «No, he’s just tired.» You don’t get a fever from being tired. However, I did not want to seem picky, had already put down a deposit, so I took the cake. It was over $ 80 for the smallest cake they had.
The next day, I took it out of the fridge and drove to my mother’s house, where her smallish party was being held. As soon as I lifted the box, all I could smell was Play-​Doh. Now, I’ve always gotten my daughter a fondant cake. Always. I have NEVER smelled anything as strong as this. I was instantly turned off and lost my appetite. However, I didn’t want to disappoint my daughter, so I served the cake. Not one person ate more than a few bites before declaring it smelled like chemicals, was tasteless, and inedible.
So, of course, my daughter was extremely upset, as she is 7 and can understand disappointment and others being upset. I felt sick off and on the rest of the evening. It took 3 handwashes to get the Play-​Doh smell off of my fingers, I am not joking.
So, as soon as I got home, I contacted Iriene. I asked for a full refund. She said the only way she’d give me a refund was if I were to bring the leftover cake for her to try. I argued with her about this because I live almost an hour away and I shouldn’t have to prove to her that her cake was horrible. However, I wanted my money back in order to get my daughter something else, so I decided to make the trip up there today, because I had an email from her (and her husband) stating that as long as I brought the cake back, they would give me a FULL refund.
Once I got there, they opened up the cake, smelled it (her, her husband, and her young «baker,» who looks like a teenager) and declared that it was the fondant that smelled that way. So, I instantly stated that I’ve had several gourmet cakes and I’ve yet to smell anything that strongly from a fondant cake. Then they proceeded to cut a slice (GROSS, HELLO, THIS CAKE HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY CHILDREN!) and eat a piece of cake. They said it was edible and refused to give me my money back. Lol.
So, I argued with them and then proceeded to show them a picture that I took of my daughter’s huge slice (she wanted the pony’s head on her slice of cake) and the picture of it before and after (it had a single bite taken out of it, I made sure to document it). However, Iriene started GOING THROUGH MY PERSONAL PHOTOS! And, yet, still refused to give me a refund. So, I called the police. Yep, I sure did. I had it in email that I was promised a full refund, so I contacted the authorities.
An officer promptly showed up and he talked to me, I showed him the email, he went inside, talked to the owners, and then came out and said they will only give me a half refund. I was cold, tired, and had driven an hour, so I accepted. I went in to collect my refund. The funniest part is as we were leaving, they offered the cop a business card and he stated there was absolutely no way he would ever do business in that shop, especially after what they did to a young mother. He told me to definitely notify the BBB, which I am going to do.
I beg of you, do not do business here. There are much better establishments around that can do better work, and with better tasting cake. Not only did she have a child in her cooking area, but she only decorates her cakes, she doesn’t even bake them! A young girl and her husband bake the cakes. To end, she wouldn’t even make good on her written agreement that she would give me a full refund as long as I brought the rest of the cake with me (which was almost ¾ of the cake). The police officer spoke with both of us alone, and for about 5 minutes a piece, and he made sure to let them know he was on my side. You don’t treat customers that way, and you should stand behind your product. If your cake sucks, admit it and refund the money, make your «bakers» take a cake baking course or something. Next time, I will stick to making every cake at home.

This was my first time ordering a birthday cake from Iriene and her husband. The cake itself was very good and pretty. My boyfriend was pleasantly surprised! Everyone at the party enjoyed the cake as well. Only thing I would have done differently since it was topped in buttercream was to leave it outside for an hour before serving.
The service was very good and the owners encouraged feedback. Iriene’s husband also helped me take the cake to my car and gave me a sampling of their champagne cheesecake! Overall the experience is very good, and I’m looking forward to trying their other unique cake flavors!

We love the cupcakes and cheesecakes from Artylicious! The owner was very friendly and helpful on both occasions I’ve been in the bakery. There was a nice variety to choose from and I loved the salted caramel cupcake! The cake is light and flavorful without being too sweet.

A fantastic place to get any kind of cake… she does extremely detailed work and the cake itself is delicious. I had the pumpkin spice made into a birthday cake and it came out so good; she put fondant over the icing and cake. She can make large cakes but I asked for a small tall one and it was perfect size enough for 8 people (about the size of a small pizza). When I went in and told them I wanted to order a cake, the husband (it’s a husband wife operation) set out four types of cake for me to choose from and let me taste them all. THAT is customer service!!! Their macaroons are great (hazelnut, coffee, and she even claims she has bacon ones). They also have cupcakes, turnovers, cookies (chocolate chip and snickerdoodle on the day I went), and cheesecake.

Went back today for a second tasting. When was the last time a cookie made you stop in your tracks, look up in the sky and declare, «THAT is a cookie!» Well, that’s what happened to me when I tried their sea salt caramel macaroon cookie. You think you know macaroons? You think you’ve had a cookie THIS good? Me thinks not.
WIth a crisp outer shell, and chewy interior — the two macaroons are held together with a light filling that is not too sweet, and absolutely savory.
The palmiers are superb as well. I wish they had made the puff pastry from scratch, but Eddie explained that wasn’t possible because of the kitchen setup. I know firsthand how impossible making puff pastry is. The temperature of the dough has to be just right, and the folding. The folding. ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!! I digress. Crunchy, flaky, sugary, and perfect. That’s all I can say. Stop by and try them. They are amazing.
Like I said before, this is a hidden gem. Check it out and report what you think.

Outstanding variety in cakes for example «coconut» cake with real coconut in the cake and in the icing. Then was I thrilled to see a perfectly «footed» macaroon! Flavorful, colorful, and delightful package made to order. I gave a group a single macaroon and it was a hit with the group lunch bunch. I came back I tried the cheesecake and it was light but a hint of lemon along with a thin crust that was not to thick.
The chef is delightful and do eager to make your taste buds beg for more. It is truly a reasonably priced pastry shop that will be THE place to order a special cake for me.

Iriene Wangsawidjaja impressed me upon my arrival for her cake critique. She presented me with three mini-​cakes decorated to an extent only reserved for truly special occasions.
The first cake was a beautiful three layer cake called «Forgiven but not forgotten.» It was made from egg yolks and is an Indonesian recipe. I have to admit, an egg yolk cake did not sound appealing, but once tasted, I fell in love with it. The cake was moist and had a chocolate/​slightly mocha flavor to it. The outside of the cake was equally impressive, as it was pink fondant with The Cake Critic performing critiques at a table full of cupcakes. :)
The second cake was coffee cake. Beautifully decorated on the outside as a cup of coffee – only not in an everyday ordinary mug. This mug was a peacock, full of hand painted colorful feathers. IMPRESSIVE to say the least! Beautiful decorations, delicious cake, one which I would definitely place an order for in the future.
The last cake was a peach mango cake, a new recipe. It had raspberry jam and fresh raspberries in the middle with buttercream and the outside was decorated as a gift. This cake was interesting – not too sweet, not overly moist but the jam and fruits soaked it a bit, making it a very interesting combination of taste and texture. It was very enjoyable not only to me, but to my husband, who scarfed down the rest of the cake once I brought it home.
Ai Cakes is going places in the Raleigh area. Mark my word. Iriene will make it happen. She is a perfectionist in cake decorating and belongs with the best of the best.