Sweet Maria's — Restaurant in Waterbury

Conclusion: do not buy from Swert Maria's bakery

The so-called Black Forest cake from Sweet Maria was a major letdown. The $100 price tag for a 6-inch, heart-shaped, 2-layer cake (about 6 inches tall) was completely unwarranted. The cake itself tasted like a bland, store-bought mix - and to make matters worse, a similar Black Forest cake from Sam's Club in Newington tastes better, is moister, and has a lighter texture. The cherry filling was lackluster, likely out of can can, and applied in a disappointingly thin layer. But the real kicker was the buttercream, which was made with Crisco vegetable oil instead of actual butter - a cheap and unappetizing shortcut that's apparently so unappealing that even flies won't touch it.

When placing order, I faced so much pushback to place an order that fit my vision - it was frustrating.

I had initially envisioned a very specific 18th birthday cake design, so I took the time to send a detailed email to Sweet Maria's outlining the exact flavors, colors (black and red), designs, toppings, and shape I wanted. I was promptly contacted by a representative from the bakery, who called me just 8 minutes later. However, our conversation quickly took a turn as she informed me that they couldn't accommodate my request for a whipped cream frosting with intricate designs. She also strongly advised against using an all-black cake, citing concerns that the color would stain teeth and skin. Furthermore, she limited my options to either a 6-inch or 9-inch cake, stating that the smaller size wouldn't be able to fit the entire phrase I wanted to include. I agreed to revisit my design choices the following day.

When I called back, I proposed a modified version of my original design, taking inspiration from Sweet Maria's own use of black frosting as an accent color. However, the representative once again urged me to reconsider, reiterating the potential staining issues and insisting that it would take multiple washes to remove. My mom is a baker and never I heard such a thing! Besides it's my birthday cake, so why don't you just make what I want to order for my big day.

Despite my assurance that I was willing to accept this risk, she continued to dissuade me from using black. As I attempted to explore alternative color options, she encouraged a minimalist design featuring plain white frosting with no embellishments, aside from the written message. Feeling frustrated by the back-and-forth, I ultimately settled on a color scheme that was essentially the opposite of what I had originally envisioned, simply to avoid further conflict.

In short, my family and I are very disappointed with the service, the cake and the price. We do not recommend this place to anyone and will never...

My husband‘s parents have been going to sweet Maria‘s since they started as well as my husband who is middle-aged has been going to sweet Maria’s and no other bakery, he’s always said how great their cakes are and I’ve been having them for years and never had a problem. I just got one of my daughter‘s birthday cakes over the weekend and there was many issues from trying to order it and them, not listening to what I asked for when I even showed them pictures from their website. They forgot one of the items that I asked for because they wrote up a second slip after I had to change the cake because they couldn’t accommodate with the toppings that I wanted. When I picked up the cake this past weekend, and we cut into it at my daughter’s birthday party, IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE A “MARBLE” CAKE, THE ENTIRE 99% OF THE CAKE WAS YELLOW, There was one tiny little corner spot of one slice of the entire cake that had a dab of chocolate cake!!! I paid exactly $100 for this cake for 10 people, this is absolutely ridiculous. I want my money back or another cake, which I would love the original cake that we originally wanted. I want the OWNER to see this. I grew up baking, and my mother grew up baking, and her mother grew up baking. I’ve made so many marble cakes, I should’ve just made my own if I knew this was going to happen. This is absolutely unacceptable for a bakery of the scale and for such a well-known Bakery to do something like this. I don’t know who is doing the baking that day, but somebody should have been watching this person and needs to re-teach...

My boyfriend drove myself and the kids quite a distance from New York to this bakery. I used to live in Waterbury and truly enjoyed the fresh cream from their cakes. I used to purchase their cakes often and bring them to family events. I am quite embarrassed that I boisted about this bakery and insisted my boyfriend drive over 2 hours back and forth to retrieve a cake for my birthday. I called in to order the cake a few days in advance (multi fruit with fresh whip cream) and realized the price nearly doubled, which I thought was worth it to have another taste. We picked up the cake on a Sunday and had it after my birthday lunch. My family and I are truly disappointed in the cake. It taste like nothing from the past. Either they changed the baker or cheapened their ingredients, but the cream taste horrible (tasteless) and the fruit did not taste fresh. They added something to the fruit to make it taste too tarty/bitter. I will never return to this bakery again. They charge Manhattan prices for tasteless cakes made in an area where cost is much lower. People notice when ingredients have been changed. I once thought their cake taste just like my mom’s homemade version, but now there is no comparison, except to a cardboard box. I am compelled to write this review to warn others and not to waste your money and emotions on this Manhattan...