Frequently Asked Questions

Whether you choose to purchase your wedding cake from Piece Of Cake Desserts or not, this list of frequently asked questions (or at least a few of them) will assist you in selecting the best wedding cake for your special day.

How far in advance should we order our wedding cake?

Piece of Cake is already fully booked for my wedding date... where should I go?

Should I use a licensed bakery or someone that makes wedding cakes from their home?

How much cake should we order?

Do all bakers use the same sizes for cakes?

How does serving alcohol affect how much cake we order?

How many cake companies should we visit for cake tastings?

Is it true that all of your competitors hate puppies, babies, and the elderly?

Do most bakeries require a deposit?

Can we use Fresh Flowers directly on my cake?

Should we freeze our top tier and eat it in a year?

Can a wedding cake be color matched to the rest of the wedding decorations?

Any advice on ornaments& cake toppers?

I've heard that Piece of Cake is actually what Willis was talkin' bout, is that true?

Why are wedding cakes so much more expensive than cakes that you buy at the bakery?

We have a limited budget, and I'm not sure if we can get the cake we want.

Can we save money by getting a fake cake and serving sheet cakes

What types of decorations are available?

I have heard that fondant tastes terrible, is that true?

We want to have an outdoor reception. How will this affect our cake choices?

Can we get more than one flavor of cake, or does it all have to be the same?

We saw a cake in a wedding magazine that we love. Can you copy it?

Will you recreate ANY cake?

Are your cakes "baked with love"?

Q: How far in advance should we order our wedding cake?

A: Call the bakeries or cake decorators in your area to check for date availability. If the date is open, that will give you the opportunity to make an appointment to and check out the designs, taste some cake and evaluate their skill level. Depending on the decorator, you may need to call as far as 6 months to a year ahead to reserve your date. At POC we usually book up popular dates 4-6 months in advance, but during certain times of the year we only need a couple of weeks notice.

Q: We really wanted to use Piece of Cake for our wedding cake but your web site says you are booked. Do you have any suggestions for other bakeries?

A: Unfortunately for popular dates we sometimes get booked up 4-6 months in advance, but we would be happy to help you find another awesome baker! Give us a call. Don't feel weird calling us to ask about suggestions for another bakery. Even though we may be fully booked for your wedding weekend, we still want to make certain that you have a great wedding cake for your special day... fortunately we aren't the only awesome cake shop in the Phoenix Metro area. We've been making wedding cakes in the valley for a over a decade and we know who rocks and we know who doesn't, and we would be happy to point you in the right direction.

Q: What's the difference between a licensed bakery and someone that makes wedding cakes from their home?

A: Although it is illegal in Maricopa County to sell food products that are prepared in a home kitchen, the majority of the AZ wedding cake specialty companies that you find online are actually unlicensed. It is important to note this because some reception sites won't allow cakes from an unlicensed cake provider in their facility due to the fact that unlicensed cake companies are unable to acquire liability insurance. Since unlicensed cake companies are illegal in AZ, they are also uninspected by any government agency and are not held to any standards of food preparation cleanliness.

When you choose any wedding vendor, you should choose a company that gives you peace of mind (it's a big day and you have a lot going on). The fact is, that if you conduct your cake tasting at a Starbuck's and hand over a deposit check, the only way you have to find this person again is likely a cell phone number.

Unfortunately, we get "emergency wedding cake" calls and emails every single month from brides who have had their cake person "disappear" or "quit doing wedding cakes" a week or 2 before their wedding date. Make certain that you do your homework before selecting any wedding cake provider (or any wedding vendor for that matter).

We recommend that all brides search the Restaurant Ratings on the Maricopa County web site and make certain that the baker you are considering is licensed and inspected.

Q: How much cake should we order?

A: In general, you should see how many guests will be at the reception and order a cake for about 90% of that number. However, there are many other factors that might affect how many servings you'll need, including how many flavors of cake you choose to have, whether you'll be serving alcohol at the reception, whether your friends and family are big cake-eaters or not, and whether the wedding cake will be the only dessert. You should discuss these factors with your baker to decide on a final figure.

Q: Do all bakers use the same sizes for cakes?

A: Umm... no. Frankly this is where a lot of couples can get a bit hosed if they don't do some research. To some cake shops, a 3 tier cake that consists of a 12" round, 9" round, and a 6" round, feeds 100 guests. Based on our serving chart, those same cakes feed just 84 guests.

Yep, you read that right. You can order the exact same size cake from 2 different companies and one will charge you for 84 servings and the other will charge you for 100 servings. If the 100 serving place is $3.50 a serving and Piece of Cake charges $4.00 serving... then we are more expensive right? Not so much. (84 servings x $4 = $336, 100 servings x$3.50 = $350). And now you know how a $4.00 per serving cake can be less expensive than a $3.50 per serving cake.

Don't get me wrong, the bakers that say that configuration feeds 100 guests aren't trying to screw anyone, they are just using the industry standard Wilton serving chart to calculate their servings... most bakers use it. We just prefer to give a little more and let you pay for a little less. My tip: Always ask what sizes your cake layers will be so that you can accurately compare 2 or more companies wedding cake pricing.

Q: How does serving alcohol affect how much cake we order?

A: During our cake tastings this question always comes up so I thought I would address it here (albeit a year or so late). To answer this question I usually ask the following question of the bride & groom; "Think about a time when you have had a few drinks in you, did you feel like eating cake or did you feel like eating Taco Bell?" Oddly enough nobody has ever said "cake". You can usually knock off another 5-10% from your wedding cake servings count if you are serving alcohol.

Q: How many cake companies should we visit for cake tastings?

A: You probably think that since we are a cake company, that I'm going to tell you that you should only meet with us, right? Well you'd be wrong. We suggest you attend tastings with 2 or 3 licensed cake shops before making your decision. After all, the best way to feel supremely confident about a decision is to know that you have explored your options and that you know what else is out there (hey, you're not marrying the only guy you ever dated right?). Only then can you make an informed decision about the coolest cake you will ever buy. Besides... we don't want you to choose Piece of Cake because we're the only place you went, we want you to choose us because, after weighing the options, you decide that you'd have to be nuts not to work with us.

Q: Is it true that all of your competitors hate puppies, babies, and the elderly?

A: I don't know about ALL of our competitors, but I'm pretty sure that most of them do.

Q: Do most bakeries require a deposit?

A: Most do. We require either a 25% or 50% deposit with the final payment 2 weeks prior to the wedding.

Q: Can we use Fresh Flowers directly on my cake?

A: Absolutely. Fresh flowers are a wonderful accent on a wedding cake, however you do need to be careful. Fresh Flowers to go on a cake have possibly been treated with insecticides and pesticides (besides the chemicals used to preserve them longer before they reach your florist). Some flowers and greenery might be harmful if ingested so select carefully. Typically a baker that knows what they are doing will tape off the ends of flowers to avoid any drippage and make certain that your cake stays safe while you get the look that you want.

Q: Do people really eat the top tier of their wedding cake after it has been frozen for a year?

A: Sure... usually crazy people... and I don't mean the "good" crazy. Most sane folks throw away something that has been in the freezer for more than a few months. Can you imagine busting out a bag of tater tots that have been in your freezer for 12 months to celebrate a special occasion (I've done it, it's not as cool as it sounds). But since it is tradition to eat the top tier on your 1st anniversary, and POC would never rob you of tradition, we actually create a replica of the top tier of your wedding cake on your 1st, 5th, 10th, 25th, and 50th wedding anniversaries for all of our wedding cakes for 100 or more guests. 11 months or so after the wedding, just give us a call and we will arrange a time for you to stop into the shop and pick up your fresh cake.

Q: Can a wedding cake be color matched to the rest of the wedding decorations?

A: Definitely. If you expect a cake decorator to come close to the colors you are using in the wedding you should provide them a swatch of fabric at least 2 inches square. You can also incorporate real ribbon into the wedding cake design which will allow you to match your colors perfectly.

Q: Any advice on ornaments & cake toppers?

A. When picking an ornament for your cake, consider the weight. Icing and cake are soft so very heavy ornaments must have some extra support in the cake. If you do select a heavy ornament and it should fall from the top, it can do damage to tiers as gravity pulls it downward. Most importantly, let your cake decorator know what you have selected as a cake topper to make sure there are no problems. I always tell brides that I can put a bowling ball on top of a cake as long as I know it is going to be there... it's when I don't know that could pose a challenge.

Q: I've heard that Piece of Cake is actually what Willis was talkin' bout, is that true?

A: Only some of the time.

Q: Why are wedding cakes so much more expensive than cakes that you buy at the bakery?

A: Wedding cakes are much more labor-intensive than, for instance, a regular birthday cake. The difference lies in the fact that many of the decorations on a wedding cake have to be made ahead of time, and the cake itself takes much longer to assemble due to the fact that they're just bigger! They're built with a system of supports and separators that prevent them from collapsing, and it takes time to put it all together. The cost of the ingredients, while more for some types of cake than others, is usually not the deciding factor in the cost of a wedding cake. Rather, the type of decoration and the time involved in assembling the cake itself is what determines the final cost. You are also paying for the expertise of the baker/decorator, and this is one time that you often "get what you pay for."

Q: We have a limited budget, and I'm not sure if we can get the cake we want for what we can afford to spend.

A: Don't be afraid to bring up your budget with your baker or other vendors. We would rather have someone tell us how much they've been planning on spending up front, rather than find out after we've gone through the design process that the cake we've worked out is beyond what they were looking to spend. We find that most people who come to talk to us have a reasonable idea of how much a cake will be, but the cost of some types of decorations can add up. It's better to talk about your budget right away if it's a big issue, so that we can work with it while designing the cake.

Q: If we get a fake cake for display and serve sheet cakes is it cheaper than having a real entire wedding cake?

A: Nope. A small number of decorators actually do charge less for this but for the life of me I cannot figure out why, neither can most other bakers that we know. Let me explain why... Let's say you want to serve 160 people and you want a 4 tier cake. If the whole wedding cake were real, here is the ultrasimplified breakdown of the steps the baker takes. 1. the baker buys the ingredients for your 4 tiers, 2. bakes them up, 3. decorates them.

If the display cake is fake and you have sheet cakes to feed the 160 guests, here are the steps they now need to take. 1. Buy the 4 tiers of styrofoam for the fake tiers (which could cost $20 - $40 for all four) , 2. buy the ingredients for the 160 servings, 3. Decorate the styrofoam layers, 4. Bake the sheet cakes, 5. Decorate the sheet cakes (usually done with simple decorations)

In short the baker actually spends more money on ingredients (due to the styrofoam layers) and decorates 6 cakes instead of 4 if they go with the "display cake & sheets cakes" method.

Q: How come people tell you to stay a kid for as long as you can, yet the moment you do anything childish or immature they tell you to grow up.

A: If you find out the answer to this one... drop me an email at kevin@pieceofcakedesserts.com

Q: What types of decorations are available?

A: The possibilities are nearly endless these days, but you have to know the difference between the various types of icings and what you can do with them.

--Buttercreams come in a number of formulations, some being sweeter than others. If you're having an outdoor reception on a hot day, this might not be your best bet, since it doesn't respond well to heat.

--Rolled fondant is a sugar-clay type of icing, and it gives the cake a smooth, porcelain-like look. It's more expensive than buttercreams, but you can do more with it in terms of modeling decorations.

Q: I have heard that fondant tastes terrible, is that true?

A: Unfortunately fondant gets a bad rap because the one brand of fondant that is most readily available nationwide tastes... well... like feet. It's kind of like eating brussels sprouts and then deciding "I hate vegetables", when really you have only tried the worst of the bunch. There are some great homemade and commercially available fondants on the market, so if you like a design that will look better in fondant don't be afraid to have your baker whip some fondant out so you can decide for yourself.

Q: We want to have an outdoor reception. How will this affect our cake choices?

A: Since heat is the mortal enemy of buttercream, an outdoor reception will limit your choices, sometimes severely. Depending on the weather, you may have to go with fondant as a covering for your cake, since buttercreams will melt and slide off the cake if it's too hot. You may also have to avoid fillings that are perishable, depending on how long the cake will be sitting out in the heat. If it's at all possible, you could arrange to keep the cake in an air-conditioned area until it's time to cut it, and this might open up your options a little.
Another consideration is wind. If your buttercream cake is sitting outside at any time of year and the wind starts stirring up dirt... you are probably going to have dirt & twig pieces embedded into your cake. With fondant a lot of that stuff will bounce off leaving your cake looking pretty for photos. We recommend fondant for all outdoor receptions because of this reason.

Q: Can we get more than one flavor of cake, or does it all have to be the same?

A: Check with your baker to be certain, many times they charge extra for different flavors on different tiers. At POC,we can do different flavors of cake on separate tiers with no extra charge. If you do choose to have more than two flavors you may want to order a larger cake than you would normally, because people tend to go back for seconds if there are more than two flavors... especially if the cake is really good.

Q: We saw a cake in a wedding magazine that we love. Would it be possible for a baker to copy it?

A: It's very possible, depending on the baker. Over half of the wedding cakes we make are inspired by something a bride saw in a magazine. Be aware that many of the cakes shown in magazines are very labor-intensive. When you get a price quote from a baker for the design that you want, it may be substantially more than you were planning on budgeting for the cake. If that's the case, you should work with your baker to imitate the elements of your cake that you love, but eliminate some of the other details. Also, keep in mind that since cakes are decorated by hand, each person's style will be slightly different. We can mimic designs pretty well, but there will always be the imprint of our style on the cake.
Also make sure you are realistic when you choose a baker. Look closely at their photos for bumpy fondant or craterous buttercream. Just because you think they are nice and they are cheap doesn't mean they can pull off the design you are requesting and make it awesome.

Q: Will you recreate ANY cake?

A: At POC, we won't recreate ANY cake, but we will recreate most designs. The only exception is that we will not copy the well known "signature" design of another Arizona decorator. i.e. Tammie Coe's signature design is the cake with striped and draped fondant... if you want that cake, you should give her a call. We have too much respect for the other local professionals in our industry. That being said... Tammie Coe is the only decorator I can think of who has a true signature design that is well known, but if more come up we will happily show them the same respect.

Q: I've noticed that some cake companies say that their cakes are "baked with love" but your site says nothing about baking with love. What up with that?

A: Admittedly I haven't a freaking clue what "baking with love" even means... it actually kinda freaks me out. I can however assure you that we abide by the rules set forth in the Maricopa County Food Code, and I can say with supreme confidence that the code is firmly against serving food that has been the recipient of any "act of love". Hopefully that answers your question.