Selling and marketing
Cakes Order Form: 9 Fields, Deposit, and Pickup Date
A nine field order form that sets the deposit and pickup date before you bake.
On this page
- What should a cakes order form ask first?
- Which fields protect your price?
- How do you set a deposit and pickup date?
- What should you ask about delivery?
- How do you screen a rush order?
- What do you do after the form comes back?
- What does a filled order look like?
- Which mistakes cost you money?
- How do you send the form and get paid?
You do not need a long form to take a cake order. A cakes order form works best when it asks only what changes the bake, the price, or the pickup. The rest can wait until you reply.
What to remember
- Ask for the date before you ask for the flavor.
- A 50% deposit holds the date and covers your ingredients.
- Put the price on the form so you do not quote from memory.
- Keep the form short enough to fill in on a phone.
What should a cakes order form ask first?
Start with the three things that change your work: the cake, the date, and the pickup time. A flavor and size tell you what to buy. The date tells you whether you can say yes. The pickup time tells you when your day ends.
Put the pickup date near the top of the form, before flavor and design. If the date is full, you can stop before you spend time on a quote. A backup date gives you a second chance to say yes.
Start with the cake
Ask for flavor, size, and the message on top. These three change your ingredients and your time.
Lock the date
Ask for the pickup date and a backup date. A cake order without a date is a maybe, not a sale.
Ask about allergies
Ask about nuts, dairy, gluten, and eggs in one short question. Do not promise a safe cake until you check your kitchen.
Set the deposit
Ask for a 50% deposit to hold the date. Say clearly that the balance is due at pickup.
Add pickup details
Ask for a phone number and the name of the person picking up. Send the address after the deposit.
Say what happens next
Tell the customer you will reply within one business day to confirm. Do not take the order until you both agree on the price.
Which fields protect your price?
Add fields for servings, tiers, decorations, delivery, and rush timing. These are the details that turn a $60 cake into a $120 cake, or into a loss. Ask for a photo if the customer wants a design you have not made before.
Ask for servings and tiers because they change batter, filling, and time. Add decorations and a photo if the design is new. Delivery and rush timing belong on the form too.
Then cost the order before you send a price. The guide on how to price cakes shows the math.
How do you set a deposit and pickup date?
Ask for a 50% deposit when you confirm the order. Say the balance is due at pickup, and put both amounts on the form. A date without a deposit is not a booking. If the customer needs delivery, add the delivery window and the address to the same form.
Put the deposit amount, the balance, and the due point on the form. Hold the date when the deposit clears, and send the address after it clears. If the customer needs delivery, add the delivery window and the address to the same form.
What should you ask about delivery?
Ask for the delivery address and a delivery window before you quote. Delivery changes your price because it adds work to the order. If the form leaves delivery blank, you cannot cost the order.
Put delivery on the form next to pickup. A pickup order and a delivery order are not the same job. The price you send must match the job on the form.
How do you screen a rush order?
Ask for the date first, then ask whether the order is a rush. Rush timing changes your work and your price. Do not say yes until you cost the order and check your baking day.
If the rush date does not fit, offer the backup date or say no. A rush order that breaks your day can cost more than the sale. Write the rush answer on the order before you reply.
What do you do after the form comes back?
Reply within one business day and confirm the details in plain words. Cost the ingredients, the labor, and the overhead before you send a price. Do not take the order until you both agree on the price and the deposit.
Check the date
Compare the pickup date and the backup date with your baking day. If the date is full, say so before you quote.
Cost the order
Write the ingredients, the labor, and the overhead on the order. Use the same guide to check the math.
Send the price
Put the price, the 50% deposit, and the balance on the form. Ask for the deposit before you buy anything.
Hold the date
Hold the date when the deposit clears. Send the address and the pickup details after it clears.
What does a filled order look like?
For example, if this is your only order that month, a two tier birthday cake uses $18 in ingredients and $45 in labor at your hourly rate. The overhead is $20 for Brevl, so the full cost is $83. At a $120 price, the margin after all three is $37. A 50% deposit is $60, and the balance at pickup is $60.
Which mistakes cost you money?
The costly mistakes are easy to spot. You take an order without a deposit. You forget to ask about allergies. You quote a price before you cost the ingredients and your time.
A vague pickup time can move your whole baking day. An allergy answer you did not check can cost you trust. A price without a cost can turn a sale into a loss.
You let the date stay open without a deposit. Each one can cost you a sale or a whole baking day. The guide on selling cakes from home covers the first checks before you take money.
How do you send the form and get paid?
Keep the form on your phone so you can send it from the school pickup line or the grocery store. A link is easier than a long text, but a pasted list works too. Ask the customer to send the deposit before you buy anything.
Brevl gives you a shop with your photos and your own web address for $20 a month, with 0% of your sales. You can take cards through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. The 14 day trial is free. You can start with a cake order form template free and change the fields to match your cakes.
Try the free cake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
Common questions
What is the most important field on a cakes order form?
The pickup date and time. Without a firm date, you cannot plan your baking day or hold the slot. Put the date near the top, ask for a backup date, and do not confirm the order until the deposit clears.
Should I ask for a deposit before I bake?
Yes. A 50% deposit holds the date and covers your ingredients. Ask for it when you confirm the order, and say the balance is due at pickup. If the customer will not pay a deposit, do not block out the time.
How do I handle allergy questions?
Ask one clear question about nuts, dairy, gluten, and eggs. Write the answer on the order. Do not promise a safe cake for an allergy until you check your kitchen, your tools, and your ingredients. If you cannot keep the cake separate, say no.
Can I take cake orders by text?
Yes, if you keep the same questions in one message. Send a short form link or paste the nine fields into the text. Ask for the date, flavor, size, message, allergies, deposit, and phone number. Save the reply so you have a record.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Check your state cottage food rules before you sell.