Forget cut flowers. Who wouldn’t love a delightfully sugar-filled and colorful cake masterpiece as the centerpiece for a family event?
Although Israelis are just warming up to the idea of event cakes, quite a few unbelievably talented cake artists have set up shop here in recent years.
It is especially fitting to go to one of the 11 Israeli cake artists on this list when you’re looking for, say, a highly detailed Torah scroll cake for your Israeli bar/bat mitzvah celebration.
But don’t stop there — as long as you’ve got some extra cash (and a unique idea) you can get a spectacular specialty cake hand-painted, airbrushed, layered high and covered in buttercream and fondant for all kinds of occasions here in Israel.
1. Olala Cakes, Givataim
Showcasing a particularly unique and attractive decorative style, Olala Cakes are nothing short of hand-painted perfection. You’ll want to make sure to snap a few shots before digging in to one of Olya Arad’s edible custom-made realistic scenes, delicate hand-drawn artwork, and all-around fun designs.
Our favorites from Olala’s online portfolio are the famous Dizengoff Square fountain and a lifelike hand-painted Russian nesting doll.
2. Designer Cakes by Mariana, Pardes Hana-Karkur
Looking for an impossibly intricate cake design that resembles anything from Star Wars paraphernalia to the scenes of the Purim megillah, to a flawlessly stunning multi-tiered modern wedding cake? Or maybe you’re just looking for a beautiful dessert table stacked with classy goodies?
Look no further than Designer Cakes by Mariana, a cake studio in Pardes Hana-Karkur started by pastry artist Mariana Ardetz.
A former architect and urban planner, Ardetz adjusted her skillset to the world of cake and never looked back. Ardetz typically asks her customers what their wildest dream would be in cake form, before delivering on the elements that she thinks will bring them the most joy in their time of celebration, whether it may be a tuxedo bar mitzvah cake or a 7-tiered wedding cake.
3. Sara Veffer Designer Cakes, Jerusalem area
The queen of sophisticated embellishments, Sara Veffer makes cakes fit for a party at the Versaille Palace. Lucky for us, though, Veffer’s cake operation is based out of Ramat Beit Shemesh.
With designs that highlight her perfect sugar-lace work, delicate hand-painting, and extra-large realistic sugar flowers, as well as fun structural occasion and novelty cakes, her classy feminine artistic touches catapult her to the top of the Israeli cake-decorating arena.
4. Caked and Baked, Tel Aviv
Bringing the trendy unicorn cake to Israel, Lee’at Gentely of Caked and Baked injects her cake designs with color and a sparkle that is hard to resist.
Specializing in super-fun decorations that fit the bill for any birthday, and especially for children’s celebrations with popular characters sculpted from fondant, Gentely is known for creating cakes that look and taste amazing.
Examples of her work include uncanny depictions of Dr. Seuss stories, My Little Pony, and Eric Carle’s Hungry Caterpillar, among many other pop-culture icons and anything else Gentely’s Tel Aviv clientele can dream up.
5. A.B. Cake, Tel Aviv
Following all the latest trends in cake decorating, Adi Barak of A.B. Cake in Tel Aviv creates event cakes that look as if they are dipped in gold, as well as back-to-basic “naked cakes” with just a thin layer of buttercream frosting, and most impressive — absolutely stunning ultra-modern elegant wedding cakes with handcrafted flowers and clean lines.
And those are just Barak’s cakes! Also offering macarons, cut-out cookies decorated in detailed royal icing, and fondant-covered cupcakes, such as the ones she turned out for an Israeli food network event, Barak is one of central Israel’s top cake artists.
6. Nugat Decorated Sweets, Givat Ada
With just as much a strong suit in creating popular cartoon characters and princesses from fondant as she has for creating ultra-modern multi-tiered wedding cakes, or for that matter filling a dessert table with delectable treats, pastry chef Inbal Yanai is a good choice for all your sweet event needs.
She created her sweets business back in 2002. Now 17 years later, Yanai is still considered one of Israel’s best cake decorators, even creating the cake served for the new IDF Chief of Staff, Aviv Kochavi, at his January 2019 swearing-in ceremony.
7. Veena Azmanov, Ra’anana
An Indian-Israeli cake artist and blogger who gives cake-decorating classes in the central Israeli city of Ra’anana, Veena Azmanov turns out some real beauties.
Having turned her hobby into a business following the birth of her daughter, Azmanov’s work includes exquisite attention to detail, a fact evident in the Hobbit birdhouse cake featured on her site, and the hand crafted sugar flowers and painting-like style gracing her cakes. She also makes fun depictions of well-known iconic pop cultural themes.
8. Sugarela, Yad Binyamin
With a logo like “making all your sweet dreams come true,” you know that pastry chef Haviva Mor of Sugarela is always up for a challenge when it comes to cake design.
Mor’s work features cakes with clean lines, be it lifelike flowers, colorful polka dots or 3D figurines of the wedding couple molded from fondant. Also worth checking out are her sweet experience workshops and cookie bouquets, which are always a welcome treat no matter the occasion.
9. Jerusalem Cake Design, Jerusalem
Known for her babka-baking workshops and her artisanal kosher marshmallows that come in such flavors as lemon meringue, earl gray and matcha green tea & black sesame, specialty cake decorator and former graphic designer Tammy Youngerwood offers fun personalized event cakes in both buttercream and fondant versions.
Ranging from straight-up fun novelty cakes such as her hamburger cake, to classy French-style macaron-studded birthday cakes, to wedding cakes dripping in delicate sugar flowers, the sky is the limit for this Jerusalem-based pastry chef, who also offers treats that are vegan and gluten-reduced.
10. Limor Zisman, Kfar Yona
Known for creating color-coordinated sweet tables comprised of cupcakes, candies, French macarons and cookies, as well as fondant-covered layer cakes featuring lots of gold, silhouette cutouts and lifelike figurines, Limor Zisman turns out serious wedding cakes, but also super-fun treats.
From a Chanel purse cake to a playful barbecue scene perfect for your Independence Day celebration, her mix of Israeli style figurines and Western cake design mean that whatever you dream up, Zisman will deliver in spectacular detail.
11. Kosher Cakery, Jerusalem
Serving the Anglo community since she opened up shop some seven years ago, American-born Devorah Altman provides a little slice of home to the local community and a sweet solution to those who want to send their loved ones studying in Israel a birthday surprise.
The Kosher Cakery creates everything from children’s birthday cakes to towering wedding cakes, and even graduation cakes. Altman’s designs range from gravity-defying fondant-covered cakes in the shape of pancakes and Canadian maple syrup, to Ninja Turtle and emoji cakes, to buttercream ruffled florals, and even decorate-your-own cupcakes gift baskets that will surely cheer up any recipient.
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