HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a cake maker in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Cake makers need no licence, but they are food businesses. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the order must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a cake maker in five steps

  1. Tell them every allergyNuts, gluten, eggs, milk — the cake maker must give allergen information.
  2. Check registrationHome bakers who sell cakes must be registered with their council.
  3. Agree design and servingsSize, tiers, flavours and decoration, with a sketch or photo.
  4. Fix collection or deliveryTime, place and who carries it.
  5. Ask how to store itFridge or cool room, and how long it keeps.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No register or licence applies to cake makers as such in any UK nation, and no cookery qualification is required by law. What does apply is food law: a cake maker is a food business, so the checks below are about registration, allergens and hygiene, not a trade card.

Ask the cake maker which council they are registered with and for a recent reference from a host.

Food business registration and hygiene rating for the cake maker

Food businesses of every size, home kitchens, vans and market stalls among them, have to register with the local authority; in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that is due at least 28 days before trading starts. In Scotland a cake maker registers with the local authority too, with advice from Food Standards Scotland. Council food safety officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland score each food business from 0 to 5 under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. Displaying the sticker is a legal duty in Wales and Northern Ireland, and optional in England. The cake maker is rated like any other registered food business; a 5 means very good hygiene, and anything under 3 needs explaining.

Ask the cake maker for the name of the council it is registered with, then check with that council if in doubt. Ask the cake maker for their rating and the inspection date, and look it up on the Food Standards Agency ratings site. gov.uk →

Allergen information from the cake maker

A registered food business must declare the 14 allergens in food law whenever they are in a dish: celery, gluten-containing cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphites and tree nuts. For food served loose at your event, the cake maker can give it in writing or by a clear notice saying how to ask.

Send the guests' allergies in writing and ask the cake maker for an allergen list for every dish or item. gov.uk →

Made to order, and cancellation

A cake maker business is a trader, and what it bakes to your design counts as goods made to your specifications. Regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes those out of the 14-day cancellation right, so the cake maker's own terms on deposits, changes and cancellation are the ones that bind.

Get the cake maker's design, servings, price and cancellation terms in one written confirmation before you pay a deposit. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A cake sold to you as food is zero-rated (0%). If the cake maker supplies it as part of catering at your event, for example serving it to guests, it is standard-rated instead, and so are chocolate-covered biscuits and similar confectionery. Cake makers with more than £90,000 of taxable turnover must register for VAT, and a registered one shows it separately on the invoice.

Ask whether the cake is sold as food or as part of a catered service, and check the VAT line on the quote matches the answer. gov.uk →

“Are you registered with the council as a food business?”

A good answer: Yes, with the council named — home cake makers included.

“What allergens are in this cake, including decorations?”

A good answer: A full list from the cake maker, covering sponge, filling, icing and toppers.

“Can you make it free from an allergen, and keep it separate?”

A good answer: An honest answer about the cake maker's kitchen and cross-contact.

“How many servings will this size give?”

A good answer: A serving count for the size and cut.

“Can I see cakes like this you have made?”

A good answer: Photos of the cake maker's own past cakes in a similar style.

“Do you deliver and set up?”

A good answer: Yes or no, with a price and time.

“How should I store it, and how long will it keep?”

A good answer: Clear advice for the fillings used.

Getting the quote right

  • The design, size, tiers, flavours and number of servings
  • Decorations — sugar flowers, toppers, edible prints — itemised
  • Collection or delivery and setup, with the time
  • Allergens, in writing
  • Deposit, final payment date and cancellation terms
  • The cake maker's VAT number, if registered, and the rate it charges on the cake
  • Who actually attends to deliver and set up the cake, and whether they are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • The cake maker cannot name the council it is registered with
  • No allergen information for decorations and fillings
  • No written design or servings
  • Photos that are clearly not their own work
LOW
£70
TYPICAL
£90
HIGH
£150

What a cake maker costs: £70–£150 per cake

Cake makers price per cake by servings, tiers and decoration; delivery, stands and sugar flowers are usually added. Cake Maker price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Cake makers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. ConsultationThe cake maker agrees flavours, design, servings and allergies.
  2. Order confirmedDesign, price, date and terms in writing, deposit paid.
  3. Bake and decorateBaked close to the date in a registered kitchen.
  4. Collection or deliveryBoxed and handed over, or delivered and set up.
  5. Storage adviceHow to keep it and when to eat it by.

Servings
How many portions a cake cuts into — finger or dessert size.
Fondant
Rolled sugar icing giving a smooth finish.
Buttercream
Butter and sugar icing, softer than fondant.
Ganache
Chocolate and cream used to fill or cover.
Sugar flowers
Hand-made flowers of sugar paste; time-consuming and priced extra.
Cake board
The board the cake sits on.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check the cake on collectionDesign, size and message against the order before you leave.
Store it as advisedFresh cream and some fillings need the fridge.
Keep the orderYour record of what the cake maker agreed to make.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours on the cake maker helps the next customer. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: they are asked to put it right before your review is published.

STEP 1Put it to the cake maker in writingWrite down what went wrong — the wrong design, fewer servings, an allergen not declared — and what would put it right, then send it by email or message. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (section 49) the cake maker owed you reasonable care and skill, and if an event cannot be repeated the remedy is money off, which can be the full fee.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the cake maker below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Food safety, or a trader who will not engageIf you suspect food poisoning, see a doctor and report the cake maker to the food safety team at the council where it is registered. For anything else, no regulator oversees cake makers. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about cake makers to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the cake maker will not returnA claim against a cake maker can go to court without a solicitor: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a cake maker: questions people ask

No licence applies to cake makers as such. A cake maker must be registered with the local authority as a food business; selling alcohol, or serving hot food between 11pm and 5am at an unlicensed place in England and Wales, is a licensable activity on top.

Get the score and inspection date from the cake maker, and confirm it online with the Food Standards Agency. Businesses registered at home show only part of the postcode.

£70 to £150 per cake, typically around £90. For the factors behind the range, open the cake maker price guide; for real prices, search your area above.

Yes. Selling food as a business from home still means registering with the local authority.

The cake maker's terms decide it: cakes made to your specification are outside the 14-day cancellation right.

All 14 the law names, including in decorations — nuts, gluten, eggs, milk and sesame are common.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Wedding Cake MakerHow to hire: Cupcake MakerHow to hire: CatererHow to hire: Buffet CateringHow to hire: Party PlannerHow to hire: Candy Cart HireHow to hire: Chocolate Fountain HireHow to hire: Balloon DecorationAll 701 hiring guides →

Cake makers near you

Cake makers in LondonCake makers in ManchesterCake makers in BirminghamCake makers in GlasgowCake makers in BelfastAll cake makers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — food business registration
  2. Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — allergen guidance for food businesses
  3. Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
  4. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. nidirect — small claims process
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. Food products (VAT Notice 701/14) — 3.4 Bakery products: cakes, including wedding and birthday cakes, are zero-rated
  12. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register