The fastest way to get more custom cake orders is to make your work easy to find, easy to trust, and easy to order, then give the people who already bought from you a reason to come back. Most home bakers chase brand-new customers when their next ten orders are sitting in their phone contacts and their last six buyers. Here's where custom cake orders actually come from, in rough order of how much work each takes.
The short version: Your best sources of custom cake orders are repeat customers and referrals, then a portfolio people can actually see (Instagram and a real order page), then the event channels where people are already looking for cakes (weddings, birthdays, corporate, holidays). Post your work, make ordering a one-tap link instead of a DM thread, ask happy customers to refer a friend, and show up where people search for "custom cakes near me." Do those and the orders come without paid ads.
However you take custom orders, a Homegrown storefront ($10/month, 0% commission) handles quotes, deposits, and payments from one link.
A buyer who loved their birthday cake is far more likely to order again than a stranger is to order once. Repeat orders and referrals are the cheapest custom cake orders you'll ever get, and most bakers leave them on the table.
After every order, do two small things. Send a quick thank-you and tell them you'd love to make their next one ("birthdays, showers, just-because, I'm your baker"). And ask for a referral in plain words: "If you know anyone who needs a cake, send them my way." People are happy to refer a baker they liked, but only if you ask.
Keep a simple list of past customers with the occasion and date. A quick "your daughter's birthday is coming up, want me to save the date?" a few weeks out turns into a booked order more often than you'd think.
Custom cakes sell on looks, so your portfolio is your storefront. You don't need a fancy website. You need clear photos in one place people can find.
Instagram is where most cake buyers look first. Post finished cakes in good light, show a few in-progress shots so people trust the work is yours, and put a real order link in your bio instead of "DM to order." Every extra step between "I want that cake" and "I placed the order" loses you orders. The basics of an Instagram business profile are enough to start.
Photos matter more than captions. If you only fix one thing, shoot your cakes near a window in daylight against a plain background.
The most common reason a custom cake order falls through is the back-and-forth. A customer asks for a price, you're mid-bake, you answer hours later, they've moved on. Every DM thread is a chance to lose the order.
Give people a single link where they can see your options, pick a size and date, read your price, and put down a deposit, all without waiting on you. That turns a "how much for a cake?" comment into a booked order while they're still excited. Homegrown does this for $10/month at 0% commission (you keep everything but standard card processing). Start a free trial and set up a custom-cake order page in about 15 minutes. For more on the ordering setup itself, see the best platform for custom cake orders.
When you do quote, quote in writing with the date, price, and deposit so nothing gets lost. Our guide on how to send quotes and invoices for custom food orders has wording you can copy.
Most custom cake orders are tied to an event, so the orders cluster around occasions. A few channels are worth your time:
You don't need all of these. Pick the one closest to the cakes you already make and get known for it.
When someone Googles "custom cakes near me," you want to show up. A free Google Business Profile with your photos, area, and a link to your order page is the single highest-return thing most bakers skip. Add a few keywords people actually type ("custom birthday cakes [your town]") to your profile and Instagram bio so the right people find you.
Start with repeat customers and referrals, since they're the easiest to win. Then make your work easy to see (Instagram plus a real order link), make ordering one tap instead of a DM thread, and show up where people search for cakes locally.
Post your finished cakes consistently, ask every happy customer for a referral, keep a list of past buyers and reach out before their next occasion, and set up a free Google Business Profile so you appear in "custom cakes near me" searches.
Events: birthdays, weddings and showers, corporate celebrations, and holidays. Birthdays and corporate orders repeat year after year, which is why keeping a past-customer list is worth the few minutes it takes.
Put a real order link in your bio so people can pick a size and date, see your price, and pay a deposit without waiting on a reply. The fewer steps between interest and a booked order, the more orders you keep.
Open pre-orders a few weeks early for big spikes like Valentine's, Mother's Day, and December, and cap how many you'll take per date so you don't overbook and burn out.
More custom cake orders come from working your existing customers, showing your work clearly, and removing the friction between "I want that" and "it's booked," not from spending on ads. Post your cakes, make ordering a one-tap link, ask for referrals, and show up in local search. Set up a Homegrown order page so the next person who sees your work can book a cake on the spot.
*This guide is general business information, not legal or financial advice. Last updated: June 2026.*
