Cake design: Where to start

Whether it’s a small birthday celebration, or a big wedding reception, every party deserves a special cake, but it can be overwhelming when you realize just how many design possibilities there are. Do you go with that fun new cake trend you saw on social media? Do you opt for a timeless design that will always be in style? Or do you go fully customized and craft a design that reflects a fun party theme or personality? There is no shortage of options available to you, but here are some things to consider when answering these questions.

Custom vs Basic

Our cake pricing includes what we call “basic” designs. These are designs that don’t require special tools, materials, or lots of extra time to achieve, so the cost is baked in to the cake pricing up front. These designs can work for any type of party - birthdays, baby showers, weddings, etc. Just because they are “basic” doesn’t mean they’re boring! You can always opt to add writing, which is complementary, or add a cake topper or flowers that you will provide yourselves. See below for some examples of basic cake designs.

Design Levels

If you want something more customized, there is still a huge range of design levels and price points to think about. If you’re trying to stick within a budget, consider the amount of extra time and materials it will take to achieve the design you’re going for. For example, these two 9” cakes are both custom floral designs, but the cake on the left has flowers just on the front vs covering the entire cake. The cake on the right used more buttercream, and took more time to complete, making it the more costly design choice.

Here is another clear example of design levels. The two 6” cakes below are both Harry Potter themed. The cake on the left uses multiple shades of buttercream, edible gold leaf, gold sprinkles, has 2 handmade chocolate toppers, and has more detail in general. A cake like that would take about 2 hours of extra time to decorate compared to the cake on the right, which is a more minimalist style.

Ask the experts

There are countless ways to make a cake design “custom”, so if you’re starting from scratch, it often helps to let us know what budget you are working with and we can suggest a design level that will fit within your budget and also keep with your theme or desired aesthetic. I have made hundreds of cakes in my time as a professional baker, both custom and simple in design, so if you’re in need of some guidance, you’ve come to the right place. All you have to do is ask!

Design Resources

Pinterest. It is often the first place I visit when someone asks for a specific theme or style of cake design. Need ideas for a Barbie themed cake? Pinterest. Want inspiration for a boho botanical wedding cake? Pinterest. It is also great for saving and sharing multiple inspiration images - make a Pinterest board and share that with us. Just be careful of the ever growing number of AI generated images on there. If it looks too good to be true, a computer probably “baked” it.

Instagram. This is usually my second search for design inspiration. You can search hashtags or phrases for specific styles or themes. My favorite way to use Instagram is searching for profiles of fellow cake makers and scrolling through their pages to find fresh inspiration that might not be trending online just yet.

The Blue House Bakeshop galleries. I have a pretty good memory of cakes that I’ve made, but it never hurts to look back through my own photo galleries to remember past cake designs. Customers can reference my past work to get inspiration for new designs, or have me replicate a design they already love.

Ready to start designing? Send us an inquiry for your next event.