About this vendor
Since opening in 2010 in Cincinnati, Venezuelan born Ileana Saldivia’s studio, Sugar Realm has become a preeminent wedding and celebration cake design boutique. In 2018, due to her husband's job, Ileana and her family relocated to Philadelphia, and so did her Sugar Kingdom. Sugar Realm’s cakes and confections are known for their sophisticated flavors, unique designs, artistic sugar flowers, innovative techniques, and architectural compositions. The studio’s wedding cakes are regularly featured in leading bridal, lifestyle, and cake decorating magazines. In the December 2015 issue of “Cincinnati Magazine,” Sugar Realm was named “Best of the City” and featured on the cover.
Details
Cakes & Desserts
- Cake Tastings
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.031 reviews
I found Ileana and Sugar Realm from a Philly Magazine "Top Bakers" article and am so incredibly glad that I did. Between changes in our venue, wedding date, guest count, cake size ...
and delivery, Ileana was flexible and accommodating throughout the entire process! She was extremely prompt in each response and was such a pleasure to work with! Between initial consults, tastings, and all communication, Ileana is bursting with positivity, happiness, and energy and it made me so happy to have her be a part of our wedding day.
Now the cakes. WOW. All flavors we tried in our tasting were so delicious it was really hard to pick something for our cake. When we saw and tried the cake on our wedding day, it was everything we hoped for and more! The cake was so classic and elegant and was a huge highlight. Not only that, but it was so delicious! Getting time to eat as a groom is difficult, but I scarfed down as much of the cake as I could - and many of our guests did the same.
If you are ever considering hiring Ileana/Sugar Realm for any event or occasion, DO NOT HESITATE!!
Sugar Realm is the way to go for your wedding cake! Ileana not only does majestic work, but she also creates an engaging experience for you and your partner so that you are both pa...
rt of the designing process for your cake. My wife and I really feel like our cake perfectly matched the vibe of our wedding and suited us as a couple. One of the best days of wedding planning was being able to sit with Ileana in her workshop and talk about wedding cakes! And it doesn't hurt that the cakes are also absolutely delicious!!
Sugar Realm and its' owner and cake artist Ileana, is the premier fine wedding cake vendor in the tri state area hands down. Ileana's exquisite cake designs and flavors go above a...
nd beyond what any other vendor can provide. Ileana is an extremely talented cake artist who is kind, friendly and professional. Her cake studio is impeccable, as is her finished product. Her cakes are made in the European tradition, something very difficult to find in the area. Ileana makes sugar paste flowers by hand that are pure artwork! Her cakes are outstanding inside and out. Ileana takes the time to know the bride and understand her vision, she then does everything possible to bring that dream to reality. She was a true gift and blessing for our daughter's wedding. I could not be happier to have met Ileana. I am a fan for life!
Sugar Realm exceeded all of our expectations for our two (!) wedding ceremonies! Ileana was incredibly collaborative and creative, and she listened closely to my vision for each o...
f our cakes and executed our collective plan flawlessly! Her cakes are as delicious as they are beautiful, and you can't go wrong using her for your big day!
Sugar Realm created two cakes for us-- a smaller cake for our original wedding last year and a larger one for this year's reception celebration. They were absolutely gorgeous and I...
'm so grateful to have the sugar flowers preserved as a memory of our big day(s). We had the opportunity to have 3 different flavors in our cakes and they were all spectacular. Working with Sugar Realm was one of my favorite parts of our wedding!
Ileana was a joy to work with and our cake was gorgeous--truly one of the highlights of my wedding day. We had to change our original wedding plans due to COVID-19 and Ileana worke...
d with us to create a mini cake with the same design as the cake we'll do for our big celebration next year.
My husband and I couldn't decide on just one flavor, so we had chocolate and banana dulce de leche and they were both delicious. I wish there were leftovers so I could have enjoyed even more of our fabulous wedding cake!
The sugar flowers are gorgeous and I'm so excited to preserve them as a wonderful wedding memory!!
We ordered this cake for our daughter’s small family wedding. The entire design process was amazingly personal and detail oriented. Our daughter made her own design for the print a...
nd Sugar Realm transformed her ideas into an outstanding spectacular cake! But the best part were the flavors! We couldn’t stop eating this during the night and the next day...absolutely delicious!
Working with Ileana at Sugae Realm was a dream!! She is the pinnacle of professionalism and made the entire process a breeze. We needed a last minute cake for a COVID-affected wedd...
ing, and Ileana gave us the same treatment she gives all of her brides - which is 10/10 service from start to finish! Our cake was absolutely stunning, but beyond that, the flavors were fantastic! My husband ate leftovers every day in the week following our wedding - he couldn’t get enough! You will never regret using Sugar Realm for your special day!
I work in the restaurant industry, so for me, selecting the best cake and meal for my wedding was a top priority. I knew from hearing reviews from others that Sugar Realm would be ...
a strong contender for our cake. We wanted a cake with great texture and flavor, one that everyone would crave a second slice (instead of the all too common reaction of throwing most of it away after a couple bites).
After trying a couple samples, we knew Ileana's cakes were the right match. There was no need to set up a tasting with a second bakery. We went with Chandelier from her Signature line of cakes. This cake had a simple art deco inspired design that immedately drew our attention. It showed off Ileana's architectural background, tied into Cincinnati's historical past, and was a design that immediately caught our eyes. (Bonus points from a logistictal perspective - slicing a tiered rectangular or square shaped cake is much easier than a round one.) Every guest and staffmember at our venue loved the cake. Finally you know the cake was great if it still tastes wonderful a year later.
Someone asked me on our wedding day “what are you looking forward to the most?” And I said “our wedding cake” (sorry, darling!). We had orange cake with white chocolate filling and...
icing - I never knew I like orange cake until I tried Ileana’s! The cake was also very beautiful - one of our guests asked if our cake was real. Ileana also offers delicious confections - we had macaroons and marshmallows and they were SO yummy. We had a few guests with dietary restrictions and her approach was very thoughtful —delicious experiences for all guests. I am also grateful that she worked with me to preserve the sugar flowers from the cake for us to keep. So thoughtful! If you want a cake that you and your guests will talk about for months and years after your wedding, Ileana is the person for you!
Ileana is absolutely amazing and a genus! The first time we met with her was for our tasting - she had the most beautiful plates set up - and the most delicious cakes on those plat...
es. I was captured with her talent right there. Then, each time we met her she had a special treat for us. She created the most stunning wedding cake we could have asked for. The cake was stunning but also incredibly delicious - we chose a Banana Dulce De Leche cake. She makes gorgeous sugar flowers and preserved them for me to display forever in my house. Ileana also took it to another level to individualize boxes of confections for our guests with dietary restrictions - so they could enjoy dessert too! We had guests coming up to us all night saying how they felt special that they had a box with their name on it of things they could eat! Ileana is incredibly talented and thoughtful and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for the most delicious and gorgeous wedding cake.
Ileana is perfection! She listened, advised, presented ideas and executed flawlessly! Her attention to your wishes, along with her expertise, proved to be a dynamic duo! Bonus -...
not only was her creation expertly crafted, but the taste was outstanding! People are still referencing my daughter's shower cake. Of course, we then had to have Ileana create the wedding cake and, without hesitation, hit a home run! We can't thank you enough!
Ah, I cannot not say enough amazing things about Illeana! As a wedding photographer I was always in awe of her astounding designs, and when it was finally my big day, I was beyond ...
excited what she would create for me. Illeana is the sweetest, kindest woman you could ever meet, and I truly entrusted her to create a one of a kind spectacular cake for my special day. I trusted her so much that I let her have complete creative control with no input from me. When my cake arrived on my wedding day, I was absolutely FLOORED! I had the most gorgeous custom black Versace inspired wedding cake and it was the centerpiece of my wedding. Illeana sketches of her cake design are framed and hung in our kitchen now. She is nothing short of brilliant and I could not recommend her anymore highly! If you want a show stopping truly unique piece of art; Sugar Realm is where you go!
Ileana is an absolute joy to work with! The entire process was fun, organized and efficient. Her cakes are gorgeous and so delicious! I would 100% recommend Ileana to anyone who is...
planning their big day!
Illeana is a game changer for your wedding team. Creative and thoughtful, she goes above and beyond to deliver on your vision. She created beautiful illustrations for how our mesa ...
de postres (table of desserts in spanish) would come to life. I wanted a table of traditional but mini latin desserts (flan, dulce de leche, alfajores etc) vs one large cake and she envisioned what became the highlight of our wedding tent. She incorporated vibrant florals and unique details to capture our guests attention while inviting them to explore the most deliciously crafted sweets. She's also the most caring and sweet person we had the fortune of working with on our wedding team and I just wish she didn't move to PA so we could hire her for future events. You're truly lucky if you get the chance to work with her. She will exceed your expectations in every way!
Ileana is both an incredibly talented baker and artist and a wonderful person to work with. I have had the pleasure of working with her on multiple client weddings during her time ...
in Cincinnati and she exceeded expectations every single time. Ileana is incredibly creative, detail-oriented and passionated about her work. Her cakes are works of art but also taste incredible. I trust Ileana so much that when it came time to choose a bakery for my own wedding cake, I chose Sugar Realm and had Ileana keep the design a surprise. It was the most beautiful and perfect cake I could have asked for! You will not regret having Sugar Realm create the wedding cake of your dreams!
We had the absolute honor to have Ileana create our wedding cake for our Cincinnati wedding. Ileana is authentic, honest and an incredibly warm person who absolutely loves what she...
does. How she approaches wedding cakes is like no other person you will sit down with when discussing your dream wedding cake. Her attention to detail, sketches, everything is out of this world and she will help make the wedding cake process incredibly easy and seamless. Our Almond Amaretto Mousseline, Fresh berries preserve cake was soooo good. We miss you Ileana!
I dont know where to even begin...
Ileana is one of the best decisions that we made during the wedding process! Besides absolutely adoring her as a person (really, you aren’t goin...
g to find anyone sweeter), her talent is unlike anything that he ever seen before! She can turn every vision you have for your cake into a true masterpiece and showstopper for your wedding! She met with me time and time again and sketched her heart out until we came to the perfect design. Our cake was stunning and every detail that we talked about and that I dreamed of, she brought to life! It was so incredibly beautiful, so beautiful that it was published this summer!
When I look back at my wedding, my cake & confections table is still one of my favorite things & something that are friends and family still talk about to this day! We didn’t have one thing left on that dessert table by the end of the night, The only regret I have is not ordering more because everyone was swooning over it.
If you are looking for the best, look no further, you’ve found it in Ileana! I cant Say enough good things about her as a wedding vendor, artist and person. Philly, you are a very lucky city to have this gem, she is one of a kind!!
I had the pleasure of working with Ileana as both a wedding vendor and client. I was fortunate enough to meet her as she was building her business in Cincinnati. Her passion for be...
autiful cakes is just as strong now as it was when I first met her!
She approaches each cake as a work of art, listening to what the client is looking for and insuring that her creation fits seamlessly into your vision. Her cakes are not only stunning, they taste just as good! I’ve eaten a lot of wedding cake in my years of shooting weddings and I feel there’s nothing worse then a cake that’s pretty but doesn’t follow through on the taste.
Her cakes do not disappoint and her attention to detail is unparalleled. I was forturnate enough to have one of her creations as my own wedding cake last year and I have the sketch she made hanging in my house. Every time I see it, I remember her thoughtfulness and how wonderful it tasted.
I highly recommend Ileana, working with her is an absolute pleasure!
My husband and I had a specific vision when planning our wedding. We love history and all things vintage and antique. Our wedding was held at the Cincinnati Museum Center, in the...
historic Cincinnati street scene exhibit. Cobblestone streets, gas lamp posts, store fronts, and even a paddle wheel river boat set the scene. We knew our cake had to stand out, but still mesh well with our theme. After consulting with Ileana, we decided on a cake that included antique wedding quilt patterns and birds. She nailed it! I've never seen a cake like it since; it is 100% one of a kind.
Not only was it beautiful and unique, it tasted delicious! Ileana's attention to detail is unmatched. Her thoughtfulness made the process so simple and enjoyable. She made us feel like royal guests in her home during our meetings and tasting. I CANNOT recommend Ileana and her Sugar Realm enough. If you're looking for the most delicious, beautiful cakes and treats, look no further. Ileana truly is Queen of the Sugar Realm!
p.s. We celebrated our 1 year anniversary by cutting into the layer we kept. It was still as delicious and moist as the day of our wedding.
p.s.s. The love birds from the top of the cake have become a meaningful memento as we were able to keep them to display.
Ileana is second to NONE. We started our wedding cake process at a local Bridal Showcase, we tasted a number of cakes, many we "thought" were delicious and beautiful, but none wer...
e really sticking with us. In conversation with our florist, he recommended we reach out to Ileana. I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions we made. My now husband and father fell for Ileana immediately, which says a lot, when men often feel like they are being drug along to wedding vendor meetings. We left our initial meeting knowing without a doubt we were using Ileana. She made us comfortable, relaxed and she's just adorable to be around. Neither my husband or I really had a vision of what we wanted our cake to look like other than it being grand and tall. The process of developing the look came seamlessly and easy when working with Ileana. She was able to sketch thoughts from hearing our very simple and amateur ideas. My husband is an architect by trade, so this was very appealing to him. Over the course of several weeks our cake came to life on paper. I could not believe the beauty of the actual cake the night of our wedding. It was such a signature and standout piece. Not only was the cake the most beautiful cake I have ever seen, it was delicious too. You will not find a more beautiful, unique, show stopping and delicious cake. We continually have wedding guests talk about the magnificence of the cake.
As a wedding vendor in the industry, I had HIGH expectations for my Wedding Cake. Ileana not only knocked it out of the park, but provided a GRAND SLAM. She is so trustworthy and u...
nderstanding that I asked her to surprise me with my cake and had no clue what it was going to look like until the day. It was absolutely STUNNING and truly a piece of art (so much so that the top layer was actually artwork that I was able to preserve forever). She truly gets every customer and is so thoughtful and loving to everyone including vendors in the industry (not to mention the flavor combos are to die for and very unique)! <3
We love Ileana!! After a lot of pondering, I decided that I wanted a Monet-inspired wedding cake, with gold detailing reminiscent of an old frame from an art gallery. We also wante...
d a chocolate groom’s cake that was connected to the wedding cake but didn’t take away from the main cake. Ileana blew us away. Our cakes were BEAUTIFUL (I wish I could share a picture here) and I cried a little bit when they were cut. Not only was it gorgeous to look at, but it tasted amazing. Ileana even did a second cake tasting with us because I was having such a hard time deciding, and she packed up a box for me to take back to my fiancé in NYC so he could try the cakes and frostings as well. Ileana was there during our reception to make sure that everything went smoothly with cutting and serving the cake. We could not have been more pleased with how everything turned out. Ileana is so kind and professional, and our cakes were the most beautiful cakes I have ever seen. Ileana took my idea and made it come to life, and all evening I heard people talking about how beautiful the cakes were. We recommend Ileana to everyone!
I decorate cakes for a hobby so my wedding cake had to be amazing. There aren't that many cake decorators that achieve the level of quality and sophistication that Ileana does. My ...
cake was a masterpiece of light blue rolled chocolate (so much tastier than fondant) and gorgeous sugar flowers that I put in a shadow box and is one of my favorite wedding keepsakes. And to top it off the cake was delicious. The 'mouseline' in between layers it's so light and decadent and isn't overly sweet. Working with Ileana was also a blessing. She took what I wanted for my wedding and brought it to life in cake form. Her sketchbook shows her process for capturing your vision. I snuck into the reception hall before I got married so I could marvel at the masterpiece she created.
Ileana is THE BEST! She has the most amazing approach to wedding cakes. Rather than being a baker, she is a cake architect. For our first meeting, she came with the most organiz...
ed and delicious tasting I have ever seen. She was super helpful in suggesting flavors that work together and that don't while at the same time being respectful of our opinions. For the second meeting, she came with the coolest sketch book where she does drawings and idea boards for her clients. I showed her a few different pictures of things I liked and together we came up with a design that I was excited about. For the next step, she asked for me to trust her creative and professional opinion, and I am so glad she did. She put together a sketch I was obsessed with and made my cake dreams come true. I can't recommend Sugar Realm enough. You need her cakes!!
If we could give more than 5 stars we would! Ileana was fantastic to work with, she created works of art, our wedding guests were raving about her sweet table and the cake was perf...
ect. She went above and beyond to create beautiful cakes and sweets, including a groom cake that was perfect for the groom! Her attention to detail was impeccable we had no idea you could make the things she made! Thank you Ileana until next time!
Ileana did an amazing job on our wedding cake! She did a custom cake that was inspired by my dress and not only did it look amazing- it tasted to die for. She was so incredibly fri...
endly to work with! My husband lives in Dubai and during wedding planning it was always a little difficult to involve him with the time difference/ travel schedule, etc... but Ileana was so hopeful. When he was in town she even made him a little tasting so he wouldn't miss out and he would be able to be a part of the cake flavor decision. I cannot wait until our 1st anniversary so I can eat that cake again!
Ileana's work speaks for itself but beyond that she is so sweet and easy to work with to create the perfect wedding cake. I'm a wedding coordinator who recently had the pleasure o...
f working with Ileana on a project and was absolutely stunned by the gorgeous design she created with for an incredible cake. She is truly the best of the best. Highly recommended!!
Ileana is the perfect vendor. She is talented, caring, enthusiastic, and overall makes dreams come true.
I gave her a challenge. A Gothic Halloween themed wedding cake. She took...
the ideas I had and made them into the most enchanted and detailed cake I have ever seen in my entire life. What she executed was beyond what I could imagine. I was so thrilled of the outcome and look of our cake. Not only was it dramatic and a show stopper, it tasted unreal. I had tons of people come up to me and say they had more than one piece and had never tasted a cake so great. Everything was perfect. Ileana is the best and no one can touch her talent!
It's hard to know where to start with thanking the very talented Ileana Saldivia. Let me begin by saying that she somehow managed to interpret Lauren's vision and turn it into an a...
bsolute masterpiece (she actually teared up when she saw it). Her talent and mad skills are unrivaled!!
She is not just a "vendor" but a wonderfully kind woman that truly cares for her clients wants and fullfills their need for a dream cake on one of the most important days of their lives. Her attention to all the detail is amazing and that is what makes all the difference and sets her apart from all the other bakers out there.
Sensory System
Vision: it goes without saying, it was like looking at a work of art.
Auditory: To actually hear all the ooohhs and awwws and gasps of amazements from all of our guests was music to our ears. She was the talk of the town last night, and we could not have sang her praises any higher!
Gustatory: We knew immediately after our cake tasting she was the one! There is no other pastry chef that can even compete with the taste of her fabulous creations! This cake was the perfect blend of flavors, so light with a absolutley perfect crumb!!
Olfaction: A girl could gain 20 pounds just from the incredible aroma! Her cakes are worth the extra time on the treadmill :)
We sincerely hope to do business with her again, and we will certainly recommend her to everybody we know that is looking for a special celebration cake!
Without a doubt, Ileana was our favorite vendor to work with throughout the wedding planning process. We booked Sugar Realm very early on (about 2 years early!), and at that point ...
I had a very vague, general idea of what sort of look I wanted from the event as a whole. I knew what colors I wanted and I thought I knew what theme might be fitting for me and my husband. Ileana and I met a few times throughout the planning process, and the more we met, the more I realized that she had figured out what I dreamed the night would be like well before I did! She has such a wonderful 6th sense for making a very unique, one-of-a-kind cake that is still very bridal and elegant – everything I had hoped for! Our guests could not get over how incredibly beautiful it was and spent a lot of time just admiring all of the details and personal touches! There is no question that Ileana’s cakes are some of the most beautiful and creative available, but what does not translate through photographs is just how incredibly sophisticated and delicious her cakes taste! Trust me – I would not have chosen a wedding cake based on looks alone. We chose three flavors for our cake, and I could not possibly pick a favorite! However, I will share that the almond and apricot flavor was the first to disappear once our guests got word of the cake being served! As I said earlier, Ileana was the greatest pleasure to work with throughout the wedding planning process, and no one can do what she does as masterfully as she does. Trusting Ileana with my very nebulous wishlist was one of the best decisions I made for our wedding, and I am so grateful to her for all of her hard work.
Contact
Haverford, PA