10 Things to know before ordering a custom cake

There are so many good reasons to order a custom-made cake. Local bakeries may be unable to provide specific cake themes, extra detail, or larger cake sizes needed for your event. Whatever the reason, custom cakes are very special. These cakes are thoughtfully designed for the person they’re meant for. Each cake is one of a kind, made by a talented cake artist.

Ordering a custom cake doesn’t need to be complicated or stressful. However, as a customer, you must provide important information and understand a few cake fundamentals before placing your order.

These 10 Things to know before ordering a custom cake will not only help the communication between you and the cake artist go smoothly, but these things will also save time and frustration while trying to answer questions you don’t know or understand about your cake order.

Please, please do yourself and the cake designer a favor:

• Order in advance: As far in advance as possible!! Two weeks before your party is the absolute minimum time to book ahead, but that is pushing it. If you really want to book a talented cake designer, book months out, as very popular times of the year get filled up fast.

A cake designer has to create the design, collaborate with the customer, submit concept sketches, create a timeline, shop for materials and ingredients, plan around other cake orders oh, and produce a work of art for you.

Cake designers are no different from anyone else. We have busy lives, families, children, house management, business operations, social media, etc.

Customer: “Are you free in May?” Me: Well, maybe! Tell me your confirmed date, and I’ll let you know if I’m free.

Customer: “Can you make me a cake to serve 50 people two days from now?” Me: Nope, not even possible.

2. Cake Design

So much goes into a well-thought-out cake design. To start, you need a “Vision for the Design”. This begins with the cake theme/direction, which also needs to reflect the occasion and personality of the attended.

• Communicate your ideas and wishes: Share inspiration photos or theme ideas to help the baker understand your wishes and expectations. The clearer you are, the easier it is to design something you’ll love. Your ideas do not need to be overthought or complicated. More often than not, 1-2 things are adequate to go on.

See how I put together this adorable Watermelon cake, my Elegant Celebration Cake with fruit, and a crowd favorite, my Jubilant Candy Striped Drip Cake.

• Color Palette: Many themes or subject content will automatically dictate the color palette. However, this does not mean you cannot request something different. The color palette is VERY important and plays a key role in the overall balance and unity of the cake design. The designer will help with this collaboration.

• Photos: If you submit a photo that you’d like duplicated, please understand that 1st-it was made by another person. 2nd-the cake designer you are collaborating with will try their best to stay close to the design, but it will have its differences. Different artist, different art. 3rd-Another cake actually should not be completely duplicated, as each cake needs to be an original design. One of a kind, as they say.

See color palettes, piping techniques, and design ideas from this creative Margarita Birthday Cake, this Palette Knife Cake, and this Blueberry Fault Line Cake.

• Drawings and sketches – submitted to the customer by the cake designer: These sketches are “representations” of the cake, which provide the customer with a visual of what the cake will look like. Naturally, the real thing may have slight differences and will be as close to the sketch as possible.

• Don’t micro-manage the cake designer: Please and thank you. They are the artist. Once everything is discussed and settled, let them do their magic.

When ordering a custom cake, understanding your cake budget is most important. This will help you know what to expect and what affects the price.

• Size and Servings: Larger cakes and multiple tiers cost more. Baker’s price by the servings and/or include separate costs for extra edible decorations.
• Design complexity: Intricate fondant work, sugar flowers, fondant cake toppers, live florals increase the cost versus simple piped buttercream.
• Flavors and fillings: Premium or multiple flavors cost more than standard options.

• Design priorities: Design what matters most-size, design, or flavor. If you want an elaborate design, choose a smaller-sized cake.
• Ask for a quote: Share your budget upfront. Most bakers can suggest ways to adjust design or flavors to fit your price range.

Custom cakes start higher than grocery store cakes because you’re paying for artistry, time, and quality ingredients.

When you order a custom cake, it’s necessary to specify the size you have in mind.

• Knowing the head count for your party: Will help determine the cake size. The cake designer will advise accordingly with this information. Cakes come in many shapes, sizes, layers, and tiers. The cake size determines the number of servings and is incorporated in the price.

Many people cannot visualize how small, large, or high a cake will be when the size, servings, and dimensions are explained. Bakers and cake designers understand this, and it’s our job to help customers know exactly what they’re getting by providing dimensions and concept design sketches.

• Cake “servings”: Is another tricky term that is often misunderstood. Servings do not only mean how many people the cake serves, but also the cut size of each cake piece. Custom cake serving sizes are cut 1″-2″ square pieces and are classically known as “wedding servings”.

This is very important to adhere to because if the cake pieces are cut larger, the cake will not serve the number of guests attending the party. There is another term called “party size servings,” but it does not apply to larger formal events. These servings are for smaller, casual events, roughly 3″ + cut servings.

Ok, Cake layers vs cake tiers are often misunderstood. Here are the differences:

• Cake Layers: Layers are horizontal cake sections within a cake tier (inside the cake).
• For example, one cake tier may have two or three layers of cake stacked with filling and/or frosting between them.

• Cake Layers add flavor variety and height to a single cake tier.
• Cake Tiers: Are stacked levels of a cake (outside structure).
• A two-tier cake: has two separate cakes (each with its own layers) stacked on top of each other, and so on.

Layers are inside, tiers are outside. Cake height also varies depending on the bakery or cake designer. It does affect the servings. The higher the cake, the more cake batter was used. Two cake layers within one cake tier at 2.5″ high will serve fewer people than a one-layer cake tier at 4″ high.

Choosing the proper cake flavor and frosting helps balance taste, occasion, and overall guest preferences. Here are some key points:

• Match the Occasion: For formal events such as weddings or retirements, choose classic cake flavors like vanilla, white cake, champagne, lemon, and almond. These light and fluffy cake flavors pair well with their light counterpart buttercream frostings, whipped cream frosting, Swiss meringue, or covered in fondant.

• Casual parties: (e.g., birthdays, family holidays, game day) Rich flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, red or yellow velvet, cookies n cream, funfetti, strawberry, with counterpart flavored buttercream frostings, ganache, or cream cheese.

• Balance flavors, frostings, and fillings: Rich cakes (e.g., chocolate, red velvet, cookies n cream) pair well with lighter frostings such as vanilla or cream cheese. Light cakes (e.g., lemon, almond, vanilla) pair well with fruit fillings and lighter flavored frostings.

• Guest preferences or needs: Consider offering one crowd favorite (vanilla or chocolate).
• Ask about dietary needs: (nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free). It’s best to avoid nuts unless specifically requested. Many people have nut allergies.
• Seasonal cake flavors: Offer pumpkin spice, honey, or carrot cake in the Fall and lemon or vanilla cake with berries in the Spring.

The terms frosting and filling are used together in cake design. Cakes are always covered in some type of frosting or ganache and have filling between multiple cake layers. Filling can mean several things.

• Frosting: Is the outer coating of a cake and the filling or part of the filling between cake layers. It provides flavor, texture, and moisture, acting as a bond between cake layers. A frosted cake coating and inside filling are necessary; otherwise, the cake would be dry and not stack well.

• Filling: Is the flavorfill layer between the cake layers. Types of fillings include frosting, fruit reduction/preserves, ganache, custards, curds, mousse, cookie crumbles, candies, etc. When people hear “cake filling,” many automatically think of fruit, like in a jelly doughnut. This is mostly not the case.

Frosting dresses the cake; filling adheres, and flavors the inside and out. There always needs to be some type of frosting and/or additional filling between more than one cake layer.

Fondant is an amazing option for cake decorating. Fondant is rolled flat to cover cakes or used to cut or mold figures for decorations. Fondant opens a whole new door into cake decorating.

• Fondant icing: Is an edible type of thick, pliable sugar icing used to cover and decorate cakes. The texture of fondant is unlike other “icings”. Like bread dough, fondant is soft, stretchy, and extremely versatile. Fondant firms up on the outer side after application, but still keeps its taste.

• Design choice: Most adults don’t like fondant, but fondant is mostly “window dressing”. It’s an edible decoration. So when you choose a design that’s best achieved with fondant, don’t think your cake won’t be great.

• The taste of marshmallow fondant versus store-bought fondant: is mostly preferred. However, making marshmallow fondant is time-consuming, hard to tint deep colors, and not easily attainable. As long as your cake designer uses a high-quality fondant brand, the fondant will taste good.

Your guests don’t have to eat the fondant on the cake if they don’t like it. They can eat the cake and frosting and push the fondant aside. Either way, your cake designer will do an awesome job creating your killer multi-tiered Star Wars Cake!

There’s not a room anywhere you can be in where there’s not someone with a food allergy. Food allergies must be taken seriously. Customers need to know what they’re getting. Here are three important things about allergies when ordering a custom cake….

• Common food allergens: Cakes often contain wheat (gluten), eggs, milk, nuts, and soy, which are among the top food allergens.
• Cross-Contamination Risks: Even if a baker avoids certain ingredients, traces may remain if the bakery also handles allergens in the same kitchen.

• Clear Communication: Always tell the baker about allergies in detail (who it’s for, severity, specific ingredients to avoid) so they can take proper precautions or guide you to safe options.

Don’t assume all bakeries or cake designers provide gluten-free, vegan, or kosher cakes. These cakes are made by specific bakeries, are made by special request, and will certainly be at a different price point.

We’ll start with Pick-up. Here it is, folks. True and gently direct.

• Make sure your car is clean: This may sound silly, but it’s important. Yes, your cake will most likely be boxed or wrapped, but your car cannot be a pig sty. Do not have dog/cat hair all over, trash-covered floorboards, old food bags, toys, junk, or projectiles that could damage the cake. Anything that can contaminate or damage the cake may do just that.

• Have space to place the cake on a flat surface: It must be flat!! A floorboard or the back of the car (with AC access) will suffice. A car seat will not work as the cake will sit at an angle and can shift off the cake board or fly off the seat in transit. Space also includes people. Do not show up with a carload of people with no room for the cake. Someone’s lap will not do…you get the point. A trunk won’t do either as it’s not air-conditioned, which leads to the next point…

• Air conditioning must be on when transporting the cake: The cake cannot be in a hot car with the windows down, in the trunk, or left in the car heating up while you run additional errands before getting it to a safe location in a cool air-conditioned environment.

Remember, once you pick up your cake, the bakery is not responsible for any accidents or mishandling. You are fully responsible for its temperature, managing weather, transport, set-up, serving, and cool storage of the remaining cake. Oh, and acts of God. Yep, don’t even try it, the bakery is not responsible.

Delivery: Here are the advantages:

• Convenience: Saves you time, effort, and relieves the stress of picking up your cake on a busy day. Also the cake size may be large and hard to set up.
• Peace of Mind: The cake arrives at the venue on schedule, so you can focus on enjoying the event instead of logistics.
• Cost: Yes, delivery costs extra, but most of the time it’s worth it.

For big events (weddings, graduation, big birthdays, tiered cakes), go with delivery. For casual gatherings (1–2-layer cakes), pickup works fine.

Additional words to the wise:

Here are some additional things to remember when ordering a custom cake:

• Understand the risk of cake flavors with nuts. Peanuts are a big concern. I would not use peanuts in a cake unless specifically requested. So many people are allergic to peanuts and nuts in general. If you’re have a larger event, stay away from nuts altogether. It is up to you to inform all your guests of the ingredients in your custom cake.
• Not all bakeries or cake designers provide gluten-free, vegan, or kosher options. Ask first before you spend time crafting your order with someone who does not provide this type of cake.
• Cake pick-up option: Be prepared for any type of weather. Exposure to your cake in the natural elements is your responsibility.
• Placement for your cake. Have a proper table, Special Utensils