Two Chicks in the Mix

Sonia Nagda
10/13/19
reviews

2.8 out of 5

Quality of Service:	2.0 out of 5
Responsiveness:	4.0 out of 5
Professionalism:	3.0 out of 5

Value for Cost:	2.0 out of 5
Flexibility:	3.0 out of 5

I am a foodie and we wanted a vegan cake. Our cake tasting with Malaka in Oakland was the first vendor meeting we had for our wedding, as Two Chicks in the Mix was one of the few bakers with *vegan options advertised* we found in the Bay Area. We tried three flavors of cake, and chose the vanilla cake with fresh strawberries as our favorite. I was actually surprised by the freshness of the strawberries and asked if this was how the wedding cake would be. Her response was “Yes! The cakes are not baked far in advance like some other bakeries, and so we can use fresh berries." I asked about several flavor options, such as adding cardamom, vanilla bean, or coconut to tie in the Indian dinner. Malaka told us that she could experiment with some options. A week later, we received an email with the summary of our choices, and… it was completely incorrect (wrong flavors, wrong head count, wrong cake size). That was the first red flag. I responded with the corrections, but expressed my doubt... Read mores to my partner, and began searching for other options. Long story short, my partner really liked Malaka (he gets attached) and we liked the idea of supporting a female POC-owned small business. So, several months later, we agreed that we would go with Two Chicks in the Mix, but wouldn’t deviate from the flavors on the menu because of my lack of trust. There was a vegan coconut cream frosting option, so we went with that and the vanilla cake and fresh strawberry filling. We also made the design very simple, as we had a personalized cake topper that we wanted to highlight. Fast forward to the wedding day. As I am getting dressed for the reception, the wedding coordinator hesitantly comes into the room with some news. The cake is leaning over badly and is about to fall over. Apparently Malaka had told her that this was her FIRST TIME making a vegan wedding cake - news to me! The only recourse was to remove the bottom two layers for serving and display the smallest top layer only, with the topper. I fully trust my coordinator, so I agree. I saw pictures of the cake, which included the wrong type of flowers and was badly sunken in. The frosting also was not smooth and the design was sloppy. When the time for cake cutting arrives, the coordinator tells me we need to do it NOW as the top layer has a giant crack in it (that she had artfully arranged in the back of the cake so no one would notice - you can see it in the attached photos). We cut the cake, fed each other a small bite (too much excitement to really taste the cake), and moved on with the evening. The coordinator sent the cake home with us, so we were able to try it the next day. When we ate the cake again, we realized that there was barely ANY strawberry in there, and the ones that were were mushy and gray - NOT FRESH as she had told me it would be. Also, the frosting had no coconut flavor (either was not coconut or could not taste it). The cake tasted… okay? But, I wondered if it was even the same cake we had at the tasting, and whether the one we had was actually vegan. I did reach out to Two Chicks in the Mix (she had also sent an email with an apology about the “leaning” cake) and was offered a small refund - I asked for 50% back but got much less. However, I can’t get back the opportunity to have a beautiful three-tier cake at my wedding. I will note that we got a couple of other non-vegan desserts (red velvet brownies and pecan pies) and we heard good things about them. Still, for the lack of professionalism in getting our order right and advertising vegan cake that was not in their repertoire, I DO NOT RECOMMEND this bakery for your wedding. It’s just too big of a risk for an important event.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cake

What is the starting price for wedding cakes with buttercream frosting (per slice, without tax)?

$ 5.00

Which of the following are included in the cost of the cake?

Top Tier of the Cake

What is the starting price for cupcakes (per cupcake, without tax)?

$ 3.00

What types of desserts do you provide?

Cakes, Cookies, Cupcakes, Dessert Buffet, Groom's Cake, Pastries

What services do you provide?

Consultations, Custom Design, Delivery, Setup, Tastings - Private

What cake items do you provide?