Custom cakes: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering custom cakes
You design and bake custom cakes for birthdays and celebrations, choosing flavors, fillings and decorations with each client. Clients want a cake that looks like the design they approved, tastes fresh and arrives intact.
What customers ask
- Can you make the design in this photo?
- Do you offer gluten free or dairy free options?
- Which fillings contain nuts or fresh cream?
- How do you transport the cake safely?
- How far ahead do you need the order?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask for the date, the number of guests, the flavors, the size and the design idea
- Bring a portfolio of similar cakes and a flavor tasting kit the client can try
- Share a written design sheet with the size, layers, fillings, decoration and the proof stage
- Put in the quote the size, flavors, fillings, decoration, delivery and setup, and the deposit terms
- Label every filling with its main allergens and confirm the list with the client
- Give the client a storage and serving guide for the cake
- Confirm the pickup or delivery window in writing
What to put on your profile
- Post photos of custom cakes in a range of styles and sizes
- List the flavors and fillings you offer and the allergens in each
- Show your design process from sketch to finished cake
- Describe your dietary options and how you keep them separate
- Add your permits and food handler certification status, described accurately
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer a smaller cake or cupcakes for the next party
- Suggest a matching dessert table for the event
- Recommend a cake for the client's next anniversary
- Share a guide on storing and serving the cake
Licenses and permits
Food businesses commonly need a health permit or a food handler card from the local office that oversees food safety. Home bakeries often face their own rules on what can be sold and how it is labeled, so check the rules where you bake before taking orders.
Questions
Do I need a permit to sell custom cakes from my home?
Food businesses commonly need a health permit or a food handler card from the local office that oversees food safety. Ask that office what applies to home baking and selling, including labeling.
How do I handle a client who wants a design I cannot make?
Tell the client honestly and offer a design you can make well. Do not take an order for a design you cannot deliver.
What if a cake is damaged in transit?
Photograph the damage, call the client at once and offer a repair or a replacement as your policy says. Keep the packing method on record for next time.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
More food and drink guides for pros
Start here
About this guide
Get custom cakes requests
Customers pick you by name. Signup is free, and you pay only for leads you accept.
Join as a pro