Party Pros: 9 Questions to Ask Cake Bakers

Your cake should be a fusion of personal style and the most luscious ingredients imaginable. To ensure a perfect match, ask these key questions when meeting with potential cake bakers/designers:

1. Custom Creation?
Will the designer do a custom cake, or are there set styles to choose from? Look at photos and actual cakes, if possible. Be sure to bring pictures, fabric swatches, and other resources if you have a custom style in mind.

2. Flavorful Fillings?
What ingredients are used: fresh fruits or purees, Italian buttercream, farm-fresh butter? This may or may not be crucial to you, but the better the ingredients, the better a cake will taste! It could also cost more, though. Ask for a list of cake flavors and fillings.

3. Prepared To-Go?
How far in advance are cakes prepared? The closer to the day of your party the better.

4. Tag-Team?
Is there a baker and a designer, or does one person do the entire cake, from batter to sugar flowers? How many people work with the designer? You'll get an idea of the time it takes the shop to create a cake. Whether it's a single person or a team of people, however, should have no bearing on quality.

5. Accepting Requests?
How open (and able) is the designer to modifying opulent styles to something similar but within your budget?

6. On Overload?
How many cakes does the shop do per weekend? This will also tell you how much time the shop puts into each cake.

7. Going Rate?
Are cakes priced by the slice? Are different flavors or fillings different prices? Will there be extra labor costs if the cake is one-of-a-kind or complex? Make sure to get a price list.

8. Delivery Fee?
Does he or she deliver? How much does it cost? If the cake is large, delicate, or at all complicated, delivery is well worth it.

9. License to Bake?
Is the baker licensed by the state health department? (It might sound like a silly question, but it's very important and worth asking!)

 

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