What you bake
Cake Business Website Template: Free vs Paid
A clear look at what a cake business website template costs and what to check before you commit.
On this page
- What a template actually gives you
- The real cost of a free template
- What to check before you pay for a template
- What to put on your cake website template
- How to set up orders and deposits
- A worked example: what the website costs you
- Mistakes that cost you money
- How to test your template before launch
- How Brevl fits
What to remember
- Free templates cost you time, not money.
- Check if the template takes a cut of your sales.
- You need a way to take card payments and cash.
- Your web address should be yours.
- A template is not a shop until it takes orders.
Choosing a cake business website template can feel like a small decision at first glance. It decides how you take orders, how you get paid, and how much of each sale you keep. If you get it wrong, you may spend many evenings fixing a page instead of baking cakes.
What a template actually gives you
A template gives you a page layout that you fill with your own cake photos and prices. Some templates include a contact form, a simple order form, or a way to take payment on the page. The template is only the frame, so your cakes and service are what bring people back.
Before you pick a template, think about how you want to sell your cakes each week. Do you want orders a week ahead, a deposit, or market sales with later pickup? Your answers change what you need from a template and from your daily order flow. A simple contact form may be enough for a few weekly cakes, but more sales need order tracking.
The real cost of a free template
A free template can be a fine start when you are testing your first cake orders. But free may mean ads, a web address you do not own, or a limit on products. You may also find a cut of your sales, so free is just a different trade.
To see what $0 really gets you, read free website for baking business before you commit. That page walks through the limits and the hidden costs that you may face later.
What to check before you pay for a template
Check the monthly fee
Know the exact amount and what happens if you stop paying.
Check if they take a cut of sales
A percentage cut can cost more than a flat fee as you grow.
Check if you can use your own web address
Your address should be yours, not a long link you do not control.
Check how you take payment
You want card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus cash and apps.
Check if it works on your phone
You will update orders and photos from your phone. Make sure it is easy.
Check if you can move your orders later
You should be able to take your products, photos, and customer list with you.
What to put on your cake website template
Your template should show a small photo gallery of the cakes you have actually made. Add a price list or clear starting prices so your customers know what to expect. Include an order form, a pickup or delivery area, and a contact page that works.
A short food safety statement helps customers trust your home kitchen and your ordering process. Keep the first page simple, because most customers will arrive from social media on a phone. Put your best cake photo near the top and make the order button easy to find.
How to set up orders and deposits
Your template should make the order path clear from the first cake photo to payment. Ask for the date, serving size, flavor, pickup or delivery area, and any allergy notes. A deposit protects your ingredients and your time before you buy supplies for a custom order.
Test the order form with a friend before you share the link with paying customers. See how long it takes and remove any question that does not help you bake. If it takes more than a minute, simplify it because every extra step loses orders.
A worked example: what the website costs you
Say you sell 15 cakes a month at $40 each, which gives you $600 in sales. Brevl costs $20 a month flat, so the template fee is 3.3% of those sales. There is no commission, but you still have ingredients, labor, and other overhead costs to subtract.
Suppose your ingredients cost $8 per cake, your labor is $15 per cake, and other overhead is $3 per cake. For 15 cakes, your ingredients are $120, labor is $225, and other overhead is $45. Add the $20 template fee and your total costs are $410 against $600 in sales. Your margin after ingredients, labor, other overhead, and the template fee is $190 for the month.
These are example inputs, so use your own ingredient, labor, and overhead numbers in the same formula. If your template took a cut of each sale, that cut would grow with every cake you sell.
Mistakes that cost you money
The first mistake is paying for a template that takes a cut of every sale. You may not notice it on a $40 cake, but you will notice it on a $400 wedding order. The second mistake is using a web address you do not own, because you lose links if you move. The third mistake is choosing a template that only works well on a desktop computer.
You can also read all about baking website for a closer look at cost, orders, and your first sale.
How to test your template before launch
Before you share the link, place a test order on your own phone and on a computer. Check the photos, the prices, the order form, and the payment step from start to finish. Ask a friend to try it without help, then watch where they pause or ask questions.
Write down the questions customers ask during the test and fix the page before launch. If a step confuses you, it will confuse a customer who is ordering a birthday cake. Keep a backup of your product list and photos so you can move later if needed.
How Brevl fits
Brevl is a shop you can customize with your own photos and colors for a flat $20 a month. It takes no cut of your sales, and you take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account. You can also accept Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash, and we help move your old shop. We help you set up, and it includes recipes with real costing, ingredient inventory, a weekly planner, and phone access.
Common questions
Do I need a website to sell cakes from home?
No, you can start with social media and a phone number, but a website makes you look established. It keeps your orders in one place and lets you take deposits and card payments. If you sell at markets or take custom orders, a simple site saves you time.
What should a cake business website template include?
It should include a photo gallery, a price list or starting prices, and an order form. It should also show your pickup or delivery area, a contact page, and a food safety statement. Keep it simple and easy to read on a phone, because most customers will use one.
Is a free website template good enough for a cake business?
It can be for your first few orders, but free templates often have limits on products. They may have ads, a web address you do not own, or a cut of your sales. If you sell cakes regularly, a flat monthly fee is usually easier to plan for.
How do I take payments on my cake website?
Use a payment processor that works with your template and with your own business account. Brevl lets you take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. Always take a deposit for custom orders, because it protects your ingredients and your time.
Can I use my own web address with a template?
It depends on the template, because some free templates give you a long address you do not control. You want a template that lets you connect your own web domain, such as yourcakename.com. That way your links stay yours if you move to a new template company later.
What if I want to change templates later?
Check before you commit that you can export your products, your photos, and your customer list. Some templates lock your data in, so ask what happens to it if you leave. Brevl moves your old shop over for you, including your products, photos, reviews, and dates.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Check your state cottage food rules before you sell.