What you bake
Cake Business Website: Cost, Deposit, and First Order
A plain guide to what your cake site needs, what it costs, and how a deposit turns a message into an order.
On this page
What to remember
- Show real cake photos, sizes, servings, and a starting price.
- Ask for the event date before you ask for flavor.
- Take a deposit before you hold the date.
- Put pickup, delivery, and lead time on every cake page.
- Count the monthly website fee in your cake price.
Your cake business website has one job: turn a text message into a paid order. A customer should see the cake, pick a size, check your date, and pay a deposit without asking you five questions. Build that path first, then make it pretty, and use the home baking business website guide if you are still choosing where to sell.
What should a cake business website include?
Give her the facts in the order she needs them: date, guest count, budget. Put the date field first on your order form, then servings, flavor, and pickup or delivery. Your cake photos are the proof, so show cakes you actually made in daylight on a clean table.
Home page
One clear button to start an order. Put your lead time and pickup area above the button.
Cake gallery
Real photos of cakes you made. Add the size, servings, and starting price under each photo.
Order form
Ask for the event date, servings, flavor, and pickup or delivery. Add a phone number and a photo upload.
Deposit and price
Show the starting price, what the deposit covers, and when the balance is due.
Policies
Write your lead time, change cutoff, allergen note, and pickup or delivery rules in plain words.
What does a cake business website cost?
Brevl is one flat $20 a month with 0% commission. There is a 14 day free trial. You get a shop with your photos, your colors, and your own web address, and it works on a computer and a phone.
You take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. The $20 is the only Brevl fee. If you want to see what a $0 site really gives you, read free website for baking business before you build.
If you already sell on another site, Brevl sets it up with you and moves your products, photos, reviews, and dates. You do not have to rebuild your shop from scratch.
How do you take cake orders and deposits?
A cake order needs a date hold, not just a promise. Ask for the date and servings first, quote from your cost, and take a deposit before you buy ingredients. Send one confirmation with the date, pickup time, and balance due.
Set your lead time
Pick the number of days you need for a custom cake. Put it on the order form and say no to dates inside it.
Ask for the date and servings
These two answers decide your size, price, and whether you can take the order.
Quote from your cost
Use your ingredient cost, your time, and the monthly website fee. Do not quote from what a friend charges.
Take a deposit
Hold the date only after the deposit clears. Say clearly what the deposit covers and when the balance is due.
Send one confirmation
Put the date, size, flavor, pickup or delivery, balance, and your phone number in one message.
The deposit is the moment the order becomes real. Do not buy specialty ingredients or block the date until the deposit clears. If you use Zelle or Cash App, check the payment before you reply yes.
Worked example: one cake, one month, real margin
Use your own ingredient cost and hourly rate in this shape. The example uses round numbers to show why the monthly fee needs volume.
For example, a cake sells for $120. Ingredients are $24. Your labor is four hours at $18 an hour, or $72. The website fee is $20 a month. On one cake, total cost is $116 and margin is $4. On ten cakes, the fee is $2 per cake, total cost is $98, and margin is $22 per cake.
The lesson is not to sell ten cakes. The lesson is to know your number before you set a price. If one cake leaves $4, a small change in ingredients or hours can wipe it out.
Check your cake price before you publish
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What mistakes cost you money before you commit?
The costly mistakes show up before the first order. They are usually a missing deposit, a hidden price, or a fee you forgot to count.
Before you pay for any cake business website, check four things. Can you use your own web address. Can you take a deposit without chasing an email. Can you change a price on your phone. Can you move your photos and orders if you leave. If the answer is no to two or more, keep looking.
If you add cookies or brownies to your cake orders, check shipping baked goods for business before you promise mail delivery. A cake site can sell more than cake, but only if the packing and the price work.
Common questions
Do I need a cake business website to start selling?
No. You can take your first orders through texts and a social page. A website helps when you want one link that shows sizes, prices, and your open dates. It also takes the deposit without a long message thread. Start with the orders you can handle.
What should I ask on a cake order form?
Ask for the event date, servings, flavor, and pickup or delivery. Add a phone number and a photo upload for a design idea. Keep the form short enough to finish on a phone. The date and servings are the two answers you need to quote.
How much deposit should I take for a cake?
Choose a deposit that covers your ingredients and holds the date. You can use a fixed amount or a share of the total. Write the rule on your site and say when it is refundable. A deposit is not a tip. It is your protection if the order changes.
Can I take card payments on my cake business website?
Yes. Brevl lets you take cards through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. Brevl charges one flat $20 a month and takes 0% of your sales. Your card account stays in your name.
What if I sell only two or three cakes a month?
A flat $20 a month is easy to plan. At three cakes, the fee is $6.67 per cake. At ten cakes, it is $2 per cake. Count that number in your price. If the fee feels high, raise your cake price or sell one more cake.
General information for US home bakers, not legal or tax advice. Check your state rules and talk to a tax professional about your sales.