The cake is the centrepiece of every birthday party. It's the photo that ends up on the family WhatsApp group, the moment everyone sings together, and the thing your child remembers years later.
But cakes can also be the most confusing — and surprisingly expensive — part of the whole party. Here's how to get it right, whether you're spending £30 or £300.
Work out what you actually need
Before you talk to a cake maker, you need three numbers: how many people are eating (usually 1.5× the child count to cover adults), how many slices you want per person (one, unless you're serving cake as dessert), and your budget.
A 20-portion celebration cake in the UK typically runs £60–£120 from a local independent baker. A fully custom themed cake with sugarcraft figures can be £150–£300+. A supermarket celebration cake is £15–£30 and genuinely fine.
Choose your flavour profile
Kids have preferences. Ask your child first. The safest crowd-pleasers are classic Victoria sponge with raspberry jam and buttercream, chocolate sponge with chocolate buttercream, and vanilla cake with vanilla frosting.
Avoid nuts, strong citrus, or anything too adult (no coffee, no alcohol, no dark chocolate ganache at age 5). Always check allergies when you invite — bakers can accommodate with notice.
Theme or no theme?
A themed cake is lovely but not essential. A beautifully decorated "non-themed" cake with the child's favourite colours, their name piped on top, and maybe a cake topper from Amazon looks just as magical — and costs half as much.
If you want a full theme (unicorn, dinosaur, Bluey, Paw Patrol, football), book 3–4 weeks ahead and be specific in your brief. Share reference images. Good cake makers will send sketches before they start.
Traybake, tiered, or sculpted?
A traybake (rectangular, one layer) serves 12–20 and is the cheapest, easiest option — perfect for school-age parties. A two-tier round cake looks properly celebratory and photographs beautifully. Sculpted cakes (a castle, a character, a football) are showstoppers but start at £150 and take a full day to make.
Cupcakes and dessert tables
Cupcake towers are a brilliant middle ground: individual portions, easy to serve, no slicing panic. Budget £2.50–£4 per decorated cupcake from a local baker. A dessert table mixing a small centrepiece cake with cupcakes, cake pops and macarons is visually stunning for photos.
Supermarket vs independent bakers
Supermarket cakes are reliable, affordable and hassle-free. Independent bakers are more personal, more creative, and often not much more expensive for a simple design. A decorated 20-portion cake from a local baker is usually £60–£90.
The best independent cake makers book up 4–6 weeks ahead in the UK, so don't leave it to the last minute.
Order with confidence
On Jollee, every cake maker is reviewed by real parents with photos of the cakes they ordered. Filter by location, budget and style, see what actually arrived at past parties, and message the baker directly to discuss your brief. Most suppliers reply within hours.