We've made hundreds of custom cakes over the years. Birthday cakes, wedding cakes, retirement cakes, "my kid passed their driver's test" cakes. And after all of them, we've gotten pretty good at knowing what makes the ordering process smooth — and what turns it into a stressful last-minute scramble.
This is a practical guide for anyone thinking about ordering a custom cake from us. Written from the inside, so you know exactly what to expect.
Start Earlier Than You Think You Need To
The most common thing people say when they call us is "I know it's short notice but..." and then a date that's in two weeks. For a celebration cake — a single-tier birthday or retirement cake — three weeks is our minimum. For wedding cakes, we need six weeks minimum, and for dates between June and October we recommend booking three months out.
This isn't because we're slow. It's because custom cakes are built in layers — literally. The sponge needs to cool. The fillings need to set. The crumb coat needs to chill. And we're running a full bakery at the same time, so we can only take on a certain number of custom orders per week without compromising quality.
What to Tell Us When You Reach Out
The more you can tell us upfront, the faster we can respond with a real answer. Here's what actually helps:
- The date. This is the non-negotiable. Everything else we can work around.
- Guest count. This determines how many servings we need, which determines the size and tier structure. A 6-inch single tier serves 8–10. A 9-inch serves 16–20. A two-tier 6+8 serves 25–30. We'll ask follow-up questions once we know the scale.
- Flavor preferences. If you have ideas, tell us. If you have no idea, tell us that — "I like chocolate" is enough to start a conversation. Our most popular combinations are on the custom cakes page.
- Budget range. We're not going to judge you for asking about pricing. Knowing your range upfront saves time for both of us. Our cakes start at $65 for a 6-inch celebration cake and go up from there based on size, tiers, and design complexity.
- Design ideas. "Rustic" vs. "clean and modern" is more useful than a detailed description. Photos of things you like are even better. We don't need a full creative brief — just a direction.
What We'll Ask You
Once we hear from you, we'll typically come back with a few questions: any dietary restrictions, whether you want writing on the cake, pickup or delivery preference, and whether you'd like a tasting appointment. Tasting appointments are standard for wedding cakes and optional for larger celebration orders (over $150).
A tasting is 30 minutes at the bakery. We'll put together a small selection of flavors relevant to what you're considering. It's free, and most people find it genuinely useful — it's also a good chance to see the space and meet the baker who'll be making your cake.
The Deposit and What It Covers
We ask for a 50% deposit to reserve your date. This goes toward the total cost of the cake and is non-refundable if you cancel within two weeks of your event date. Outside that window, we'll work with you — situations change.
The deposit also locks in your date. If you're serious about a specific Saturday, the deposit is what guarantees we're not booking someone else in your slot. We won't hold a date without it.
The balance is due at pickup. For delivery orders, the balance is due 48 hours before delivery.
A Few Things We Don't Do
We don't use fondant. Our cakes are buttercream or ganache finish — this is a deliberate choice, not a limitation. Fondant is useful for highly sculpted designs, but it tastes like sugar paste and we're not interested in compromising on flavor for aesthetics.
We also don't do exact replicas of reference photos. We'll create something in the same spirit, but every cake we make is ours — not a carbon copy of something someone else made. If the reference cake is fondant-sculpted and yours will be buttercream, the result will look different. That's honest baking.
How to Actually Reach Us
The contact form on this site is the best starting point for most custom orders — you can write as much or as little detail as you want and we'll respond within a business day. For time-sensitive requests, call us directly at (765) 555-9283 during business hours.
We're genuinely excited to make something great for your event. The more specific you are about what you want, the more specific we can be about what we'll deliver.