Free cake order form template

A good form stops the classic mistakes: the wrong date, the wrong spelling on the cake, or a missed allergy. Here is what ours includes. You can switch sections on or off.

Work out your prices first with our cake pricing calculator, then add your price list to the form.

Here's how a typical order might look. All names are made up. Switch on Show the filled-in example above to see it on the form.

The UK number above uses the Ofcom drama range, so it's safe for examples.

Keep terms short and clear. Customers should see them before they pay. Adapt these to your business:

• Deposit: "A deposit of £[X] secures your date. The balance is due [3] days before collection."
• Cancellations: "If you cancel more than [14] days before collection, we refund your deposit minus any costs already spent. Within [14] days, the deposit isn't refunded."
• Changes: "Design changes are possible up to [7] days before collection. Changes may change the price."
• Collection: "Please collect at the agreed time. We'll keep the cake for [2] hours."
• Storage: "Keep the cake cool and out of direct sunlight. Remove non-edible items, such as wires and dowels, before serving."
• Allergens: "Our kitchen handles all 14 major allergens. We take care, but can't promise any cake is free from traces."
• Photos: "We may share a photo of your cake on social media. Tick here if you'd rather we didn't."

About non-refundable deposits. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, unfair terms in consumer contracts can't be enforced. A deposit that roughly matches your real loss, such as ingredients bought or a date you turned others away for, is easier to defend than a large fixed sum.

About cancelling custom cakes. People who order online or by phone usually get 14 days to cancel. That right doesn't apply to goods made to the customer's specifications or clearly personalised, such as a cake with a name on it (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28). Your own terms still decide what happens to the deposit.

Under UK food law you must give customers allergen information for the 14 allergens. For cakes made to order, the rules are:

• Made after the customer orders. The cake isn't "prepacked for direct sale", so it doesn't need a full ingredients label. You must still give allergen information, which can be written or spoken. Putting it on the order form, and again on a note with the cake, is good practice.
• Ordered online or by phone. Allergen information must be available before the customer buys and when the cake is handed over.
• Boxed before anyone orders, such as cupcakes on a market stall. These are PPDS and need a full label under Natasha's Law. Use our allergen label maker.

See our guide to the 14 allergens for the full list.

To go online, press Make my online cake order form. We open a free order form page with your business name and starter cake questions (what they'd like, size, message on the cake). Add your own questions as text, number or single-choice answers, and set how many days' notice you need. Customers pick a date, answer your questions and send the order to your WhatsApp. Payment happens outside the page, for example by bank transfer or a payment link.

When orders grow, Menuthere's cake website for home bakers gives you an order dashboard on the Free plan, with 50 orders a month and 0% commission. Lite (US$17 a month, billed in US dollars) adds pre-orders for a set collection date and card payments through your own Stripe account. Menuthere doesn't take deposits or part-payments at checkout, so for a deposit send a Stripe payment link. Read how to collect a deposit for a custom order.

New to selling cakes? Start with our guide to starting a cake business from home. It covers council registration, hygiene and insurance.