Getting started
Cake Launch Menu: 6 Cakes, Costs, and Prices
A short list of cakes to sell first, with the costs and prices that keep your launch profitable.
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What to remember
- Six cakes is enough to start.
- Cost every cake before you name a price.
- Price for ingredients, labor, and overhead.
- Keep the menu short so you can deliver.
You do not need twenty cakes to open your shop. A tight cake launch menu helps you bake faster, buy less, and answer buyer questions with confidence. If you are still planning the whole business, start with our guide to getting started with your cake business. It also gives you room to test your prices before you add more items.
How many cakes should you launch with?
Six is a strong number for a first menu. It gives buyers enough choice without turning your kitchen into a full time bakery. You can bake the same cake twice in one afternoon and still have variety on the menu.
Start with flavors you can make without looking at the recipe. When you are fast and consistent, your margins stay healthy and your stress stays low. Add new cakes only after your first month of orders.
A short menu also protects your weekends. When you bake the same six cakes, you can buy ingredients in bulk and split batches across two days. You learn the timing, the yield, and the quirks of each recipe. That knowledge is what keeps a launch calm when three orders land on the same Friday.
What should a cake launch menu include?
Every item needs a name, a size, a price, and a short description. The name should be easy to say and easy to remember. The size matters because a 6 inch cake and an 8 inch cake are different products with different costs.
Write what the buyer gets, not just what you bake. For example, vanilla buttercream with strawberry filling tells them the flavor and the texture. Keep the wording plain so nobody has to ask what an item is before they order.
Think about your buyer when you write the menu. A mom ordering a birthday cake wants to know the size, the flavor, and the price before she messages you. A clear menu answers those three things in seconds. If she has to ask what a cake includes, you will spend your evening answering messages instead of baking.
Naming your cakes is part of the menu. A good name is short, easy to spell, and easy to say out loud. If you need ideas, our guide to cake name ideas for birthday has options that sell.
Avoid names that need a long explanation. The faster a buyer can picture the cake, the faster they order it.
Pick six cakes you bake well
Choose flavors you can make without stress. These are the ones you will bake again and again in your first month.
Cost each cake fully
Add ingredients, your labor, and a share of overhead. Use a pricing calculator or a notebook, but do not skip any part.
Set a price with margin
Aim for a price that covers all three costs and leaves you a profit. Round to a number that is easy to say.
Write clear menu lines
List the name, size, flavor, and price. Keep it short enough to read on a phone screen.
Take orders and get paid
Share your menu where your buyers already are. Take payment up front so you are not chasing money later.
How do you price each cake on the menu?
Pricing is where most new bakers lose money. Start with the full cost of one cake, not just the ingredients. Add the cost of your boxes, boards, and labels. Add your time at a fair hourly rate.
Add a slice of your monthly costs like insurance and your shop fees. Then add profit. If you skip any of these, you are subsidizing the order with your own unpaid work.
Your labor is not free. Even if you bake at home, your hours have value. Pick an hourly rate you would accept at a job, then use it for every cake.
If a cake takes longer than you expected, the price should reflect that. A pricing calculator helps because it remembers your ingredient prices and updates when they change.
Overhead is the quiet cost that eats margins. It includes your insurance, your shop fees, your packaging, and the power you use. Brevl costs $20 a month with no cut of your sales, so that is a fixed number you can plan around.
Insurance for a home cake business can run $300 to $600 a year according to our insurance guide. Divide those yearly costs by the number of cakes you sell each month so every order carries its share. A cake shop business plan helps you fill in these numbers before you print a menu.
For example, say one cake uses $12 of ingredients and 2 hours of labor at $15 an hour. Add $20 a month for Brevl and $25 a month for insurance, spread over 10 cakes. Your cost is $12 plus $30 plus $4.50, or $46.50. Sell it for $60 and you keep $13.50 after ingredients, labor, and overhead.
What mistakes cost new bakers money?
The first mistake is offering too many cakes. Every extra item means more shopping, more baking, and more ways to run out of supplies. The second mistake is guessing at prices. If you do not know your cost, you cannot know if a custom order is worth taking.
The third mistake is taking orders without a deposit. A buyer who has not paid anything is more likely to cancel last minute. The fourth mistake is ignoring your state rules.
Check what your state allows before you sell, and keep your labels honest. Our guide to cake business starting walks through the first costs and the paperwork.
Before you commit to a menu, check your kitchen capacity. Count your pans, your mixer bowls, and your fridge space. If you can only fit two cakes in the fridge, do not promise four for the same Saturday. Walk through one full bake day in your head and make sure the menu fits your real life.
How do you take orders for your launch menu?
You do not need a fancy system to start. A simple page with your six cakes, prices, and an order button is enough. The key is that buyers can see the menu, pick a date, and pay in one place.
Brevl gives you a shop you can customize with your own photos and web address. You take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. It works on your phone, so you can update the menu while a cake cools.
Keep your menu in one place and share that link everywhere. When you post a cake photo, the link in your bio should go straight to the menu. That way a buyer can go from seeing the cake to paying for it without a single message. It also keeps your prices consistent because everyone sees the same page.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
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- Cake Business Starting: 6 Steps and First Costs
- Cake Shop Business Plan: 5 Numbers to Fill In First
- Insurance for Cake Business at Home
Common questions
How many cakes should be on a launch menu?
Six is a good number for a new menu. It gives buyers enough variety to find something they like while keeping your baking, shopping, and pricing simple. You can always add more cakes later once you see which ones sell fastest and which ones slow you down.
Should I offer custom cakes right away?
Wait until you have a steady routine. Custom orders take more messages, more back and forth, and more room for mistakes. Sell your set menu first, then add custom work when you have the time and the confidence to handle it well.
How do I price a cake I have never sold?
Add your ingredient cost, your labor, and a fair share of your monthly overhead. Then add profit so the order is worth your time. If the final price feels too high for your buyers, shrink the cake or simplify the recipe before you cut your own pay.
Do I need a website to launch?
No. You can start with a clear menu photo and a simple order form. A shop page helps because it takes orders and card payments in one place, but you can begin today with the tools you already have on your phone.
General information, not legal or tax advice.