Step by Step Guide to Picking & Designing the Perfect Cake

It's that special someones Birthday, and you want to get them the perfect cake to suit their personality and taste.  With the millions of images out there, where do you start? A little thought can help your Cake Maker give you the perfect cake at the right price. 

1. Allow Plenty of Time
Like all good things, cake making takes time. If you contact your cake maker the day before, or on the day of their birthday, you will only be able to get what is available or worse, nothing at all.  If you want seven tiers, a sculpted car or a cow, your cake maker will need to purchase materials to build a frame, or wait for a cutter or topper to arrive in the mail.
For a simple cake allow at least a week, for something more complicated we may need several weeks.

2. Think about your budget
It is a good idea to share how much you want to spend with your cake maker from the start.  They can then advise what is available for you in your price bracket, for the size of cake that you need.  Be aware like many professions we charge by the hour. A hugely detailed cake can take many hours, and has to be charged accordingly.  Just like taking your car to the garage, we also have overheads, insurance, power and more to pay for.  Your cake maker wants to give you the best experience, so that you recommend us to others.  Revealing your budget from the outset, allows us to give you the best cake that we can for that amount. Also to remember, often the most beautiful things in life are simple. 

3. The flavour
Have a think about the favourite flavour of the receiver, and also any no-no's like nuts or other allergens.  By far the best selling flavours are the classics, chocolate, lemon, vanilla, banana and carrot. If you want a sculpted cake, stick to a firmer flavour like chocolate or lemon, as banana and carrot cakes can be too soft to sculpt with. 

4. How many serves do you need?
How many people are coming to your party? Would you like some leftover? If yes, make sure that you are not eating cake for breakfast for the next month! Also to consider is not going too small. If a hundred guests are attending, a small single tier cake will not give everyone a piece. 

5. How many tiers?
If you are serving up to 20 people, you probably only need a single tier cake. As you increase the number of tiers, the complexity of the cake will increase, and so will the cost. These days most people want tall cakes, as they look better.  For 6 inch high cakes we stack two cakes on top of each other to get the effect.  If you like the look of tall tier cakes, be sure to tell your cake maker that is what you want as a standard size cake is 3-4 inches.

6. The search!
Now we get to the exciting bit, the actual design.  We always recommend using google or pinterest to search for images to share with your cakemaker. Pictures always give a better idea than words.  If you only like certain aspects of a cake, we can take bits and pieces and piece them together to give the perfect design. If you hate fondant, use buttercream in your search terms.

7. The personality of the receiver
Have a think about their personality. Do they love bright colours? The colour of a cake is good place to start when you are not sure of a design. 

Are they fun, sophisticated, a lover of nature? Do they have any hobbies? What else do they do in their spare time? eg. Party girl, Art, Gardening, Golf, etc. All of these types of words will bring up lots of designs for you to look at and consider.

If it's for a child, what do they love right now? Common popular themes are superheroes, unicorns, animals, favourite TV Shows. 

8. Words and numbers
For young children, its popular to have their name somewhere and a number.  For adults a meaningful phrase can be thoughtful. Try not to make the words too long, as they can take over and detract from the design. For an art inspired cakes, words and number are often best left out.  Custom designed toppers can be a beautiful addition. Do allow several weeks in front for these.  Most will need to be mailed and often take some time. 

9. The Big Day!
On the big day there can be so many things to do. For the small addition of delivery, do think about having your cake maker deliver. Especially if the cake is large, expensive, or you have young children to look after.  Then you can concentrate on enjoying the celebration. Happy planning!