Bespoke Cake
Price Guide

What a Bespoke Cake Costs

Most cake makers will not put prices on a website, which is why you are probably reading this after a lot of dead ends. The reason is genuine: a bespoke cake is priced on size and detail, so there is no single number. But that is not a reason to tell you nothing.

These are real starting points, not teaser prices.

There are three levels of finish. Simple and decorated cakes are set prices at these sizes. Showstoppers are priced individually, and the figure below is the starting point.

• Simple. A clean, beautifully finished cake. No modelling.
• Decorated. Piped buttercream, sprinkles, colour work and a topper.
• Showstopper. Hand modelled figures and sculpted scenes. These are starting prices, because every showstopper is different. Paulina looks at the design, works out how long it will take her and what the materials cost, and prices it from there. One cake might take four hours, another six.

Larger tiered and wedding cakes are quoted individually, because the number of portions and the hours of detail both change what is possible.

Notice she needs: 48 hours for a simple cake, 72 hours for a decorated cake or a two tier, 96 hours for a showstopper.

Delivery is charged separately based on distance. Collection is free.

Order Without Waiting for a Quote

These six are set prices. Pick the size and the finish, tell Paulina the colours, the flavour and the date, and that is the price. No quote, no back and forth.

Anything beyond these, a showstopper, a larger tiered cake or a wedding cake, is designed and quoted for you.

What Actually Drives the Price

Two cakes the same size can differ by a hundred pounds, and it is worth understanding why before you brief anyone.

• Size, meaning portions. The single biggest factor. A cake for forty costs roughly twice a cake for twenty because it is roughly twice the cake.
• Hours of decoration. Hand piping, modelled figures, sugar flowers and sculpted shapes are all measured in hours of one person's time. This is where most of the variation lives.
• Fondant versus buttercream. Fondant takes longer to finish sharply, so it usually costs more than a buttercream design of the same size.
• Tiers. Each tier adds structure, baking, filling and finishing, so tiers add more than their size alone suggests.
• Ingredients. Fresh flowers, gold leaf, good chocolate and fresh fruit cost what they cost.
• Notice. Rush orders are not always possible and take priority over other work when they are.

How to Get More for Your Budget

There is almost always a way to get the look you want for less, and any decent cake maker would rather tell you that than lose the order.

• Say your budget up front. It is not a weakness, it is the fastest route to a good design. Paulina will tell you what it buys and where it is best spent.
• Buttercream over fondant. Textured buttercream is very much in favour and costs less to finish than sharp fondant.
• Fewer tiers, more cupcakes. A smaller centrepiece cake with matching cupcakes feeds the same room for noticeably less than a large tiered cake.
• Fresh flowers over sugar flowers. Sugar flowers are made by hand and take hours. Fresh ones cost a fraction and look just as good in photographs.
• Concentrate the detail. One heavily decorated tier with two simple ones costs less than three detailed tiers and reads just as well.
• Avoid peak dates where you can. Summer Saturdays and December book out first.

Why Cheaper Quotes Are Sometimes Cheaper

If a quote comes back dramatically under everything else, it is worth asking what is being made and what is being bought. Wholesale sponge decorated to look bespoke is a real thing and it is much cheaper to produce.

That is not always the wrong choice. If you need a cake to look right on a table for an hour, it may be perfectly fine. But if you want it to taste like something, the difference is not marketing.

Getting a Real Quote

Send Paulina four things and you will get an accurate price rather than a range: the date, roughly how many people you are feeding, the occasion, and any picture that is close to what you have in mind. Dietary requirements too if there are any.

She replies personally with a design and a full price including delivery, before you commit to anything.

Tap a price to see what it actually buys.

Simple cakes from £60

One tier, smooth or textured buttercream, a message or a few flowers. No modelled figures.

Decorated cakes from £85

One tier with piped work, drips, hand painting or a modelled topper.

Showstoppers from £110

Hours of hand modelling. Figures, scenes and hand painted detail, built to a theme.

Two tier from £130

Two tiers, the smallest wedding cake she makes and a favourite for milestone birthdays.

Common Questions

How much does a bespoke birthday cake cost?
A simple 6 inch cake is £60 and a simple 10 inch is £110. Add piped decoration and the same sizes are £85 and £150. A showstopper with hand modelled figures runs from £110 to £170. Size sets the floor, hours of decoration set the rest.

How much is a bespoke wedding cake?
A two tier 6 inch and 8 inch cake is £130 simple and £190 decorated. Larger wedding cakes are quoted individually, because the number of portions and the hours of detail both change. The two biggest factors are how many guests you are feeding and how long the decoration takes.

Why do custom cakes cost more than supermarket cakes?
Because one person spends hours making it rather than a production line spending minutes. The sponge is baked to order, the fillings are made rather than bought, and the design is created for your occasion. You are buying someone's time and proper ingredients.

Do you charge for delivery?
Yes, based on distance from the kitchen. Collection is free and always welcome. Delivery is quoted with your cake price so there are no surprises later.

How much deposit do you need?
A £50 deposit secures your date and your delivery slot. The balance is due before the cake is collected or delivered.

Can you work to a fixed budget?
Yes, and it is the easiest way to work. Tell Paulina the number and the occasion and she will design something that fits it, rather than quoting for something you then have to cut back.