A small cake can create a surprisingly big debate. Bento cakes are attractive, easy to carry and feel like an affordable way to buy something handmade. But if you run a cake business, the question isn’t simply whether they look lovely. Can you make them profitably?
This came to mind after a recent post from Mandy Black, a prolific wedding cake artist and CakeFlix Pro member. Mandy said she was getting far more from local small cake fairs than from wedding fayres. That caught my attention. Wedding cakes may bring in more per order, but a fayre can take a whole day, with preparation and follow-up on either side. At a local cake fair, people can see your work, buy something there and then, and remember you when they need a celebration cake.
Mother’s Day Bento Collection tutorial by Mish Pattinson
Paul’s work has shifted too. Many people know him for his big, ambitious cakes, but more recently he has been making cookies and smaller cut cakes. His Luxury Coconut Brownies went down particularly well at his Honesty Box. That doesn’t mean large cakes have had their day. It does raise the question of whether some cake makers are overlooking products people can buy without a consultation, a long lead time or a major occasion.
The small cake trap
Here’s where bento cakes can catch you out. The customer sees a small cake and understandably expects a smaller price. But if you offer a bespoke design, you still need to answer the enquiry, agree the details, bake, decorate, box the cake and arrange collection or delivery. If every order has a different flavour and design, you could end up doing much of the work of a larger celebration cake for considerably less money.
One option is to offer a small range of set designs and flavours, with limited personalisation such as a written message or icing colour. You can then repeat the same sizes, shapes and methods across several orders. That could reduce your time per cake and improve what you earn for each hour worked.
Paul’s Lambeth Bento Wedding Cake tutorial and Mish Pattinson’s Mother’s Day Bento Collection are both interesting example. It combines a main cake with smaller designs and includes a Pro lesson on costs and a suggested selling price. I like that it treats the cake as a product to plan and price, rather than assuming a beautiful photograph will turn into profit.
Compare the working day, not just the selling price
If you’re considering smaller cakes, try a simple test. Record the ingredient and packaging costs for a batch, then time everything from mixing to placing the last cake in its box. Include washing up, customer messages and time spent selling at a fair. Work out what you earned for those hours, then do the same for a larger bespoke order. If you want a useful starting point, Business Gateway’s pricing guidance can help you think through the costs behind your selling price.
The answer may surprise you either way. Four bento cakes are not automatically more profitable than one large cake. Equally, a large cake with intricate decoration, delivery and a lengthy consultation may earn less per hour than you expected.
There’s room for both. A showpiece cake can demonstrate your skills and attract wonderful commissions. A smaller, repeatable range can reach customers who aren’t planning a wedding but would happily buy a treat this weekend. The trick is to know which products suit your customers, your working week and the income you need.
Mandy’s experience is a useful reminder to test where people actually buy, rather than assume the biggest orders offer the best return. I’d love to hear what other cake makers are seeing. Are local fairs and smaller cakes working well for you, or do bespoke celebration cakes still give you the best return for your time?
So, are bento cakes worth trying?
If you haven’t sold bento cakes before, a small trial could be worthwhile. Choose a few designs, make them in batches and track both the sales and the hours involved. You might find they add a useful income stream. You might also find that your wedding cakes need a higher price to reflect the time and rising ingredient costs.
Either result gives you something valuable: real figures to help you decide what to make more of.
