Frequently Asked Questions
HOW MUCH DO YOUR CAKES COST? Prices vary depending on size, detail, intricacy & complexity of your design. We often run in-store specials and holiday promotions for our Grab & Go cakes, so those generally start at $55 each. For custom cakes, we have a $100 minimum, which generally start at serving about 12-10 people
YOUR CAKES LOOK GOOD, BUT DO THEY TASTE GOOD TOO? So glad you asked! YES! Our cakes are made using only high quality ingredients including real butter, milk, flour, sugar, eggs and fresh fruit. We also outsource and use locally grown ingredients when available. We also have trained CULINARY PASTRY CHEFS on our team who are constantly testing and trying new flavor combinations to ensure innovation and originality! Also, NO FROZEN STUFF HERE! This ain't no COSTCO or grocery store frozen cake shop! So, YES! They do taste as good as they look
DO YOU DELIVER? Yes, we deliver within 3hrs of our bakery (we service Maryland, DC., Virginia, Pennsylvania). *Minimum order for delivery is $100. Price of delivery is based on location. You can CONTACT US, with details regarding your event and we can send you a quote
HOW MUCH ARE CAKE TASTINGS, AND WHAT DO THEY ENTAIL? We charge $25 per couple for tastings, but when you book your order with us, the $25 gets applied toward your order. We recommend that you bring in any pictures, invitations, etc., that may help us come up with something perfect for your event. You can choose 3-4 flavors for your tasting, and we also send you home with some cupcakes for your friends & family to help you decide on flavors.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO GET BACK TO ME? We will review your submission and get back to you within 48 hours. For faster service, you can give us a call M-Sat from 11AM-7PM at 443-939-5894. Remember, we are closed on Sundays.
HOW EARLY SHOULD I PLACE MY ORDER? A cake order should be placed as soon as you have finalized all the details of your event (colors, theme, design, amount of servings, etc.). Since we are usually booked a few weeks (or sometimes months) in advance, we do encourage early ordering. (2-4 weeks advance notice is recommended, but we’re be happy to fit you in whenever our schedule permits.)
2-4 WEEKS!? ARE YOU CRAZY!? Trust us, we are IN BUSINESS to help serve as many customers as humanly possible. HOWEVER, 1. We ARE HUMANS, and there are only so many hours in the day. 2. We specialize in over-the-top EDIBLE ART! So generally speaking, people who book with us are usually planning parties/events well ahead of time! (NOT at the last minute.)
We love you, and would be HONORED to create a cake for you. But don't be mad at us if you wait until the last minute, or want a "SIMPLE CAKE", because we're booked. We take all the orders we can fit into our production schedule. If we're booked, it just simply means other people DID NOT wait until the last minute. ALSO, we have 15 flavors of cupcakes available DAILY for you to walk in and purchase for last minute orders!
BOOKING After we discuss the details of your event and decide on a cake that you like, if you are interested in booking and would like to proceed, we would require a non-refundable 50% deposit to secure your date. The remaining balance CAN be paid on day of your event unless its a delivery. The deposit are NON-REFUNDABLE!
DO YOU SELL SHEET CAKES, READY-MADE CAKES OR “BASIC”/SIMPLE CAKES? Sheet cakes are ONLY offered as is (meaning no substitutions to design in DecoPac Catalog outside of color) they are $50 for a 1/2 sheet single layer... We also have Grab & Go cakes daily in our retail store case, which we can personalize with a greeting only WHY? Well, we pride ourselves on creating one-of-a-kind works of art, so NO, we do not offer custom “basic” cakes because that's just not our style.
We work closely with you to make sure each “show stopping” cake is unique and reflects the recipient’s personality and sense of style. We create custom “centerpiece” cakes. Not basic cakes.
We are a CUSTOM CAKE BAKERY, However we have grab-and-go cakes available for your last minute request.
DO YOU MAKE GLUTEN-FREE OR DIETARY CAKES? Yes, we offer a Gluten-Free Fudge, and we are working on creating additional gluten-free flavors. Unfortunately, at this time we do not offer sugar free desserts simply because we have not found recipes that we think are as amazing as our regular cakes. Sorry, but maybe some time in the future
DO YOU SHIP YOUR CAKES? Unfortunately, we do NOT ship cakes. We DO, however ship our CAKE IN A JAR, cake push-ups and cookies! And they make GREAT gifts! Please LINK them to the order form pages for each of those items.
HOW CAN I PLACE A ORDER? There are 3 ways to order! You can stop by our bakery, call us, email us at Either way, we'll need ALL the details regarding your event in order to provide you with a quote. (Date, time, theme, colors, flavors, amount of servings needed, and any ideas or pictures you have for reference.)
DO YOU HAVE A RETAIL STORE WHERE I CAN WALK IN AND PURCHASE CUPCAKES OR VIEW YOUR WORK? YES! We are open daily from 11am-7pm and CLOSED on Sundays. We have fresh baked cupcakes and offer about 15 daily flavors! However, if it’s pictures you want to see, we have almost ALL of our work featured here and online via Instagram @cynfulcakez (Be sure to link them to your ONLINE GALLERY PAGE) You can also follow us on Facebook to see some of our most recent work!
DONATION REQUEST? We are happy to be a SWEET part of the community! You will catch Cakes By Cynthia at many local charity event in town (and throughout out neighboring cities), so trust that we are donating a SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT of our products for great causes! It’s also our pleasure to help charitable organizations whenever we can. *Due to the overwhelming amount of donation requests we receive on a daily basis, we ask that all requests be submitted via email to info@cakesbycynthia.net. Please include a letter explaining what charity you represent, what the cupcakes will be used for, and your non-profit tax ID number. Please understand that we are unable to fulfill ALL requests, but we do the best that we can.
IS A DEPOSIT REQUIRED TO PLACE AN ORDER? Yes. We require a non-refundable 50% deposit to book your order.
WHY IS IT NON-REFUNDABLE? Because remember when we told you we BOOK UP often?.. Well there would be NO WAY for us to go back and get all of the customers we said NO to, to backfill YOUR SPOT if you decide to cancel your order. Your deposit ensures availability FOR YOU and we manage our entire team and production schedule based on YOUR ORDER once you book it.
WHAT IS YOUR REFUND/ CANCELLATION POLICY? A non-refundable deposit of 50% is due upon order placement. Balance is due in full day of your event. If an order is not picked up or if delivery is denied, the client forfeited all monies paid. We will make every attempt to contact you in the event of a missed pickup or denied delivery. If a cancellation is made less than one week prior to your event, deposits are nonrefundable *Please undersstand that when you book an order, we decline other orders. If you cancel, that could result in thousands of dollars lost, just to accommodate your order (obviously, whether you cancel or not).
WHAT FORMS OF PAYMENTS DO YOU ACCEPT? We accept all credit cards and cash only. We can accept payments over phone for your convenience. However, we can email you an invoice for you to pay online as well.
IN THE EVENT OF CANCELLATION:
1. All requests for cancellation must be made in writing.
2. If a cancellation is received, your deposit will not be refundable.
3. If a cancellation is received less than one week prior to the promised delivery/pickup date, deposit will not be refundable.
We hope that we've answered all your questions! If we've missed anything, drop us a line here! If you're ready to book, click here and tell us all about your event! Either way, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for even CONSIDERING Cakes By Cynthia!