What is custom pastry production?
Custom pastry production is made-to-order work for a named customer and date: celebration cakes, entremets, dessert tables, macaron towers or branded pastries. Unlike stock production, the quantity, design and deadline are fixed by the customer, so planning starts from the pickup time and works backwards.
The seven stages
| Stage | What happens | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Inquiry | Servings, flavours, design, allergies, date | Order form |
| 2. Quote | Ingredients, decorating hours, packaging, margin | Quote with validity date |
| 3. Deposit | Date held once deposit is paid | Deposit policy, receipt |
| 4. Schedule | Back-plan bake, cool, fill, chill, decorate | Production schedule |
| 5. Bake & assemble | Sponges, inserts, mousses, laminated items | Batch record |
| 6. Decorate & QC | Check against order: inscription, colours, allergens | QC checklist |
| 7. Pickup | Balance taken, handover, care instructions | Collection record |
Back-planning from the pickup time
For a Saturday 11:00 pickup of a two-tier cake: decorate Friday afternoon to Saturday morning, fill and crumb-coat Friday morning, bake and cool sponges Thursday, make fillings and decorations Wednesday to Thursday. Protect this time in the daily plan so it is not taken by shelf production.
Capacity rules that prevent late orders
- Set a maximum number of custom orders per day by decorator hours, not just oven space.
- Add a cut-off (for example 72 hours) for design changes.
- Keep allergen-free orders on a separate, documented process.
- Review tomorrow’s custom orders before approving stock quantities.
Tools: cake order form · wedding cake order form · deposit policy · production schedule · cake pricing calculator. Software: custom cake order software.