How Much Does a Custom Cake Cost in Melbourne? (2026 Price Guide)

Updated October 2026. Prices are in Australian dollars and are the real starting prices at Bakeology Studios in Burwood East, Melbourne.

"How much does a custom cake cost?" is the first thing almost everyone asks us, and it is a fair question. Custom cakes in Melbourne can run anywhere from about $150 to well over $1,000, and the gap comes down to four things: size, design detail, how it is finished, and how it gets to you. This guide walks through each one with our actual pricing so you can budget properly before you enquire.

Custom cake prices in Melbourne at a glance

Here is what a single-tier custom cake starts from at Bakeology Studios. These are the cake prices only. Design work, figurines and toppers are quoted on top.

Size	Serves (dessert portions)	Starting price
5-inch round	10–15	from $165
6-inch round (most popular)	15–25	from $220
7-inch round	25–35	from $260
8-inch round	45–55	from $350
8-inch tall	55–60	from $395
6-inch heart	10–15	from $200
8-inch heart	18–20	from $230
Two tier	45–60	from $450
Three tier	80+	from $800
Wedding cakes	varies	from $450

Cut into coffee portions (smaller slices) a cake goes roughly twice as far, which is why a 6-inch is our most popular size for a birthday of 15 to 25 people.

What actually drives the price of a custom cake

1. Size and servings

Size is the base of every quote. A 6-inch cake is not just a little more sponge than a 5-inch; it is more buttercream, more filling, more time trimming and stacking, and a larger board and box. The jump from a single tier to two tiers is bigger again because tiered cakes need internal supports (dowels) and a second full build, which is why two-tier cakes start from $450 rather than double a 6-inch.

Our rule of thumb for choosing a size: count your guests, then decide whether you are serving cake as dessert (bigger slices) or with coffee later in the evening (smaller slices). If you are somewhere in between, size up. Leftover cake keeps for three days in the fridge; running out does not.

2. Design complexity

This is where two 6-inch cakes can end up $100 apart. A soft-toned buttercream cake with a simple piped border sits at the starting price. Hand-piped Lambeth-style vintage detail, sculpted florals, painted textures or a full character theme take hours longer, and the quote reflects that time. Our vintage cakes, with their layered shell piping, ruffles and bows, are a good example of design that is worth budgeting an extra $30 to $80 for.

3. Figurines, toppers and add-ons

Anything that is not cake or buttercream is priced separately so you only pay for what you want. At Bakeology, the common ones are:

• Fresh florals: $40
• Small handmade figurine: $35 · large figurine: $40
• Acrylic keepsake topper with your wording: $35
• Edible printed image: $30
• Matching bows: $15 · fresh cherries: $15
• Premium fillings (raspberry compote, fresh strawberry, cookies and cream, Biscoff, salted caramel, chocolate ganache): $15 to $30 depending on cake size

A piped inscription ("Happy 30th Sarah") is always free.

4. Delivery or pickup

Pickup from our Burwood East studio is free, seven days a week from 7am to 10pm. Delivery is free within 10 km of the studio, which covers Burwood, Box Hill, Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Blackburn, Forest Hill, Vermont and Nunawading. Beyond that, delivery is charged in 10 km bands starting at $30, calculated at checkout. A minimum order of $90 applies to delivery. Doncaster and Ringwood sit near the edge of the free radius; see custom cakes in Doncaster and Ringwood, or the delivery guide for every band.

Real examples from our studio

To make this concrete, here are three cakes from our online range and what they cost as pictured.

etta, soft draped florals in sage. As a 5-inch she starts at $165; as a 6-inch she is $215. She is the cake we point to when someone asks what "entry level" looks like at Bakeology, and she is anything but plain. She leads our floral cakes edit.

lola, vintage ruffles, satin bows and glossy cherries. From $235. The extra sits in the piping: every ruffle and shell on lola is piped by hand, layer over layer.

peter, a garden-path kids cake with a mischievous bunny and carrots. From $295, because the figurine and the painted scene are the whole point of him. See more from the kids birthday cake collection.

How Bakeology prices compare with other Melbourne cake makers

Melbourne custom cake pricing broadly falls into three bands. Supermarket and franchise bakery cakes sit around $40 to $120 and are decorated from a set catalogue. Boutique studios like ours generally start between $150 and $250 for a 6-inch and go up with detail. High-end wedding and event cake designers commonly start tiered cakes at $600 to $900 and charge $10 to $15 per serve. We sit in the boutique band on purpose: every cake is made to order in a small studio by one decorator, from scratch, and priced so the detail is affordable rather than a luxury.

How to keep the cost down without a plain cake

1. Choose from the online range. Cakes in our shop are pre-designed, so the price is fixed and there is no design fee. You can still pick the size, flavour, filling, colours and inscription.
2. Go one size smaller and serve coffee portions. A 6-inch cut for coffee comfortably serves 30.
3. Let buttercream do the work. Piped texture and colour cost less than fondant figurines, and taste better.
4. Pick up. Pickup is free and we will give you our car-transport tips when you collect.
5. Order early. There is no rush fee at Bakeology, but the two-day minimum for shop cakes and two to four weeks for custom designs means early orders get first pick of the date.

How the custom quote process works

Fill in the custom cake enquiry form with your date, guest count and a couple of inspiration images. Sithumi replies personally with a firm price in writing. Nothing is charged until you approve the quote, and a deposit then secures your date. For weddings, we recommend enquiring 12 to 18 months ahead; our wedding cakes Melbourne page has the detail on tiers, tastings and delivery to venues.

Custom cake cost FAQs

How much is a birthday cake for 20 people in Melbourne?

At Bakeology, a 6-inch custom cake serving 15 to 25 starts from $220. With a premium filling and an acrylic topper you would be looking at roughly $270 to $285.

Why are custom cakes more expensive than supermarket cakes?

Time and ingredients. A custom 6-inch takes a full afternoon to bake, fill, crumb-coat, chill, cover and decorate by hand, using real butter, free-range eggs and fillings made from scratch. Supermarket cakes are produced in volume from pre-made components.

Is there a design or consultation fee?

No. Quotes are free. Design work is only added to the price when it involves significant extra hours (sculpting, hand painting, multiple figurines) and it is always itemised in your quote.

Do prices include GST?

Yes. Every price on this site and in our quotes includes GST.

Do you offer eggless, gluten-free or vegan cakes?

Not at the moment. Please mention any dietary requirements when you enquire and we will let you know what we can and cannot do before you commit.

Still unsure what your idea would cost? Send it through the enquiry form or browse birthday cakes Melbourne for a sense of what each price band looks like. For flavour choices, see our flavours, and for pickup, delivery and lead times, the FAQ has the lot.