The 411 : Custom Cake Order Know-How

Ah...novelty cakes...how everyone loves thee. A conversation piece at any party or event, it's a new form of art which is almost a must-have these days. Some are just way out there like the Bumblebee cake shown on one of the episodes of Cake Boss (go and watch it now if you haven't...a jaw dropper for me I tell you!) or an upside-down, gravity-defying wedding cake. Or it can just be a simple crowd-pleaser at a kids party.

So how do you go about getting one of these edible piece of art? And what in the name of Jedi forces made me want to share the processes and cake order etiquette with you lovely readers?

Well, the truth is of late, I've noticed custom cakers and sugar artists voicing their frustrations regarding clients or potential clients who seemed either unappreciative of their efforts or are just plain ignorant at what the effort entails while at the same time, demand for Pluto when they only want to pay for Earth.

I, for one, totally understand where they are coming from. But I would like to believe that most are unaware on custom-cake order/enquiry etiquette and don't realise there a lot of elements at work for your dream novelty cake to materialise.

So here are some general guidelines/information which would be good to take note of :)

Timeline

Why are we called custom-cakers? That's right! Because we do cakes that are made-to-order. And made-to-order cakes takes time (as with anything custom made) and are not ready-to-purchase like what they have displayed by the dozens in bakeries.

So do have some consideration when ordering cakes and respect their decision when they impose a late order charge if your order is like, say, for the day after! Generally, a minimum of 7 days is required for simple cakes or cupcakes. Most won't even consider anything less than 5 days. Simply because they are busy with other orders and have a schedule for each stage of a cake. Kinda like a working event schedule leading up to the actual event. For weddings and larger cakes, at least 3 weeks to a month of minimum notice. The longer the notice period, the better ;)

Remember to check their Facebook page or blog or website for order/enquiry policies relating to notice periods as some may differ from others. This also saves time and effort on both sides :)

Enquiry

"I want to order a cake to be delivered a few months time which must look awesome. How much?"

"Do you have a kid's cake for sometime tomorrow morning?"

...and so on and so forth. 

Ambiguous enquiries are like chatterbox kids testing the patience of overworked moms. Be specific! Do keep in mind that most custom cakers are handling everything by themselves...from orders, confirmations, baking, decorating to washing up the Mount Everest pile in the sink! 

It helps if you can give at least the date required (very important), type of event, type of cake and size (or for how many people), and theme (if any). Photo's of the kind of cake you'd want is an extra bonus :). From here, the custom caker would be able to inform you if they are available and the estimated price of your cake. It's a time saver and this ensures a smoother discussion between both parties. If the date is available, further discussions will enable the custom caker to help you in anyway they can and give you a final price. Now doesn't that sound better?

Oh. Another thing...do be a little understanding if they don't reply/respond to your enquiries right away as they might be in the middle of baking/decorating/running errands/cleaning up after a sick child/etc.

Price

When a custom caker gives you the final price of your cake, the first thing you must NEVER do is to bark at the price. It shows that you really don't appreciate the time and effort that will be spent in creating your edible masterpiece (and quite insulting to the custom caker). Even the most simplest looking cake takes a lot of loving patience and attention to detail so these do come at a price. 

Cake flavours like Red Velvet, Carrot Walnut and anything with cheese in it are normally categorised as premium cakes. These would also affect your cake pricing. 

Same goes with Sugar Flowers on cakes - these are really time consuming and custom cakers always have to make extras just in case any of it falls apart/breaks (eek! nightmare!).

Cakes that require carving (no matter how simple it looks) to a certain shape is also more time consuming as more attention is required with unique shapes.

Be prepared to pay at least a couple to a few hundred for a novelty cake (2D and 3D fondant). Wedding cakes/Special events cake costs more as they generally involve more work. Most would post a detailed or a rough estimation of their cakes so do browse through it before sending an enquiry to see if you can afford it :)

And never, ever compare pricing with cake prices that you saw at a commercial bakery or at a hypermarket. They have an army of machines and manpower to produce large volumes of cakes daily using commercial ingredients, hence the cheaper price. We have a pair of hands and longer hours.

Discount

Would you ask an artist for a discount for their creations? 'Nuff said.

But then again, I want to elaborate that if the custom caker decides to be generous and offer you a discount instead of you asking for one...don't step on their toes and ask for ridiculous add-ons...like a spinning wheel or billowing smoke. It's just plain rude.

If you are really on a tight budget, let the custom caker know your budget  and they will try and help you come up with a solution :) This should be informed at the 'Enquiry' stage.

Information

Read EVERYTHING regarding price, size, delivery, policies, etc. on the custom caker's Facebook Page (usually found in 'About' or 'Notes' or both) or blogshop or website before sending your enquiry. There's a reason why we display these information :) It'll also help to give you a gauge on the pricing of your cake while you shop around before making up your mind on which custom caker to settle for.

Engineered Cakes

These are cakes that require anything moving, wired and/or electrical (moving roller coasters, spinning toppers, blowing smoke, etc.) Very few local custom cakers here have mastered this and of course, definitely more expensive because of the extra work involved.

Common Courtesy

Appreciate the fact that the custom caker is giving their time to entertain your enquiries when you are window shopping for a quote. So it's only polite to thank them once you've received the final price/quote and thank them again for their time if they are not selected once you've made up your mind. They would appreciate this immensely! A little courtesy goes a long way :)



At the end of the day, the goal is to have some sort of a camaraderie between client and custom caker so that you'll get to have a wonderful cake and the custom caker would have loved making it with everything they've got! And what I've shared with you are just facts and not meant to demean or point fingers at anyone :)

One of my favourite cake decorators - Sharon Wee of Sharon Wee Creations explains this best so do read it here.

Hope what I've shared helps! ;)