Must know tips when ordering your kids party cake!

Choosing a custom cake

While nothing beats a birthday cake lovingly made by mum or dad, many busy parents are happy to hand over to the professionals.  A custom cake is an investment but well worth it. A spectacular cake that captures the spirit of the party and the guest of honour will not only be the centrepiece of the event, it is likely to be the thing your child remembers about the party as the years go by or that will feature in the photos when they cut the cake.

So, what are the things to consider when making this important decision? Genevieve from Cake Chemistry by Genevieve in Sydney shares her expert tips here!

Budget

Before the design ideas start flowing and emails go back and forth, it’s important to decide how much you want to spend.  This is likely to be influenced by the significance of the occasion and the scale of the celebration. Or, you might want something extra special just because!

A custom cake will generally cost more than a design you choose directly from the decorator’s website/portfolio. The additional cost of a custom cake is due to the time taken to communicate about and to design the cake.  If a custom cake isn’t in your budget, most cake decorators also have a range of pre-designed cakes which are less expensive if no alterations or additional communication is required.

 

Other factors that impact cake cost are:

The number and size of serves you require

  • -There are price differences with additional tiers. This is because the process of creating each individual tier and then assembling the cake correctly to ensure it remains stable is time consuming and time is generally the main influence on cost.
  • -Price differences for different width single tiers may be less significant depending upon the cake design as the time taken to create say an 8 inch diameter cake vs a 10 inch diameter cake of the same design is similar in many cases.

The style of cake e.g.:

  • -Fondant cake
  • -Semi naked cake
  • -Naked cake
  • -Buttercream cake
  • -Sculpted (3D) cake

The price differences are in part due to the cost of ingredients but are mainly due to the time taken to construct each different cake style.

For example, a single tier fondant cake needs to be baked, ganache or buttercream prepared, the cake trimmed and filled with ganache or buttercream then covered in a perfectly smoothed coat of ganache/buttercream.

Any sculpting required is done before this process. Once the cakes are covered in fondant, they are smoothed and edges worked on. Then decorations which may themselves have taken many hours to create, are applied. This is the process that may take from hours to days (generally days!).

 

The type of decorations also influences the cost:

  • -Handmade decorations (e.g. sugar flowers, fondant characters )
  • -Pre made toppers (e.g. plastic figurines, ‘Happy Birthday’ )
  • -Fresh flowers
  • -Hand panted cake
  • -Stencilled cake
  • -Hand piping
  • -Drips
  • -Meringues, macarons, fresh fruit, candy
  • -Edible gold or silver leaf

 

Cake flavour also influences the final price:

  • -Cost of ingredients
  • -Time to prepare

 

Other things to consider when choosing a cake

Some design factors to consider are:

  • -Party theme. There are thousands of themes but most decorators are up with the main trends and themes pretty quickly
  • Colour scheme of the party
  • Flavour/s
  • -Cake style (see above…fondant, semi naked etc…)
  • Age range. For example, kids tend not to want fruitcake and may prefer a buttercream cake to a fondant cake.
  • Weather. A buttercream cake for an outside party in the middle of summer may not be a great idea.
  • -What the guest of honour wants of course!
  • Allergies and food intolerances. Always let your cake decorator know before selecting flavour/s.

 

Choosing a cake decorator:

  • -It’s easy to get a feel for the kind of designer you like just by flicking through a stylish party or cake magazine.
  • -Choosing a decorator often comes down to location but may also be influenced by whether they deliver.
  • -Word of mouth. Friends and family may be able to recommend someone who has made them an amazing, delicious cake!
  • -Does the decorator also do coordinated cookies, cupcakes etc?

 

Other tips:

Make sure you provide your decorator with some ideas, images and any other items of inspiration where possible. A few images of cakes you like will always be very helpful. A copy of the party invitation, tableware etc may also help create a cake that fits perfectly with your style and theme.

When you initially contact a cake decorator for availability and a quote, be as specific as possible. “Could you make a cake for my daughter’s birthday and how much will it cost?” is difficult to accurately answer. As already discussed, there are many different types of cakes with different prices ranges and most decorators will need to know the date to check availability.

 

Satisfaction guaranteed!!

Feel assured that the greatest reward for a cake decorator is seeing the reaction of a client to their cake. We’re always after a big WOW!! We are almost all perfectionists and a little bit obsessive about smooth sides, sharp edges and precise detail. Your cake will be amazing!!

 

Thanks Cake Chemistry by Genevieve for sharing these must know tips when ordering your kids party cake. As you can see, her work is stunning  – so if you’re looking for a Sydney based cake decorator for your kids party – ensure you contact Genevieve!

 

Want to create Custom and Personalised Cakes & Desserts?

Personalised items have become a huge trend in celebrations…from kids parties to weddings! Personalised favour bags, personalised stationery and personalised cakes! That is where Custom Icing can help you – they create custom edible icing to be used on cakes, cookies, cupcakes and more!

They’ve recently created a new tool on their website where you can easily create your own custom image to be ordered and used on your kids party cake or cupcake!

Simply go to the “Design your own” part of their website, upload your image, choose the size you need…and voila! It is THAT easy!

Here are some I created using this tool to make cupcake toppers and a cake topper:

 

In both these examples I used the “Design your own” feature – uploaded an image and chose the size!

Some people love the idea of having a photo of the birthday child on their cake and this can also easily be done using this tool on the Custom Icing website:

 

 

 

I actually found the tool really easy to use and I know many of you will too! You can easily crop your image or zoom in to the area of the photo you want for the edible image!

 

So next time you want to add a really personalised touch to your kids party cake or other desserts, try out this Design Your Own tool on the Custom Icing website to create personalised edible icing images whether it is using a photo of your child or an image to match their party theme!:

 

 

Head to the Custom Icing website to explore this tool or see their larger range of other edible icing image products for your kids party or other celebrations!

 

Baby Shower Cakes & Styling

Baby Showers are such an exciting party to plan for – the anticipation of a new baby is such a joy to celebrate and it is a great opportunity to spoil the mum to be!

If you’re planning a baby shower – then this blog post will help inspire you showcasing some gorgeous baby shower cakes, desserts and dessert tables – you will see the way various baby showers and colour schemes can influence your baby shower planning!

In a future post I’ll be sharing a range of baby shower party supplies to work in with a range of various baby shower themes!

Enjoy the selection and remember – all of these vendors can be found on the Directory pages so make sure you have a browse there for the best in party vendors in Australia !

 

Baby Shower Desserts and Cakes:

baby shower cookies

Baby shower cookies – Frosted by Nicci (Melb)

 

 

 

baby shower cookies

Baby shower cookies – Velvetier (Qld)

 

 

baby shower cookies

Baby shower cookies – Baked by Belle

 

 

baby shower cookies

Baby shower cookies – Savvy Cakes by Lena (Sydney)

 

baby shower cookies

Baby shower bee cookies – Miss Confetti (Sydney)

 

 

baby shower cloud cookies

Baby shower cookies – Sweetest Jubilee (Melbourne)

 

baby shower cookies

Baby shower cookies – Petite Cookies (Melbourne)

 

 

macarons

Baby shower macarons – Arelio Sweetbox

 

baby shower cupcakes

Baby shower cupcakes – Copper and Cocoa

 

 

baby shower cupcakes

Baby shower cupcakes – Bites by D (Perth)

 

 

SWEETCHEEKS COOKIES AND CAKES

Baby shower cookies – Sweetcheeks cookies and cakes

 

 

baby shower cupcakes

Baby shower cupcakes – JK cake designs

 

 

Now for some truly stunning Baby shower cakes and as you will notice you can go with either a more baby themed cake or a more general cake in beautiful colours:

 

 

baby shower cakes

Baby shower cake – Chloe Kerr Cakes (Wollongong NSW)

 

(Qld)

Baby shower cake -Baked Cakes and Cupcakery

 

 

baby shower cake

Baby shower cake – Bites by D (Perth)

 

 

baby shower cake

Baby shower cake – I Luv Cake (Brisbane)

 

 

 

baby shower cakes

Baby shower cakes – Frosted by Nicci (Melb)

 

 

baby shower cake

Baby shower cake – Sweetest Jubilee (Melboure)

 

baby shower cake

Baby shower cake – Nik Nak’s Sweetest Treats (Perth)

 

 

 

baby shower cake

Baby shower cake – Sweetcheeks Cookies and Cakes (Melbourne)

 

 

baby shower cakes

Baby shower cake – JK Cake Designs (Sydney)

 

baby shower cake

Baby shower cake – Savvy Cakes by Lena (Sydney)

 

baby shower cake

Baby shower cake – Treats for Evie (Melbourne)

 

Baby Shower Dessert Tables:

For more baby shower party and theme inspiration, these gorgeous baby shower dessert tables will have you swooning and perhaps make you slightly clucky!

As you will see – so many various themes and colour schemes can work for a baby shower! There need not be a specific theme as such if you want to base the baby shower decor more around a certain look (eg modern, rustic, vintage) or colour scheme!: 

 

 

baby shower

Baby shower – Kiss With Style

 

 

baby shower

Baby shower dessert table – Sugar Monk

 

baby shower

Baby shower – Opulenticity Party & Buffet stylinh

 

 

baby shower

Baby shower – Sugar Monk (Sydney)

 

 

baby shower

Baby shower – Kiss With Style

 

 

BAby shower

Baby shower – Cake, Desserts and styling by My Petite Sweets

 

baby shower

Baby shower – Sweet Finesse Event Styling

 

baby shower

Beach baby shower – Styling and desserts by Nik Nak Sweetest Treats (Perth)

 

baby shower

Baby shower – Decor by Yael Wedding and Events. Bespoke paper creations by Paper Face Party

 

baby shower

Baby shower – Sugar Coated Candy and Dessert Buffets

 

baby shower

Baby shower for Sugar Coated Mama by Sweet and Styled

 

Such gorgeous baby shower styling and baby shower cakes and desserts  – wouldn’t you agree?

Watch out for next weeks post sharing baby shower party supplies, invitations and decorations and visit the Directory to discover a range of party vendors you can use when planning a baby shower!

Happy celebrating!

xx

 

tanya