Frequently Asked Questions

ORDERING

  • Online though our website: Simply select from our available options and place the order following the advanced notice guidelines provided on each page.

    • You can choose to pickup from store or have the cake delivered in London with extra fee.

    • Please note that we tend to be very busy towards the weekend, which limits our capacity for last-minute bookings. In some weeks, we may not accept last-minute orders at all.

    • For birthday and occasions cakes, at least 5-7 working days in advance, depending on the cake selection.

    • For wedding cakes, at least 8 weeks in advance.

    Shorter notice: Please confirm last-minute orders with our team by filling in the contact form or over the phone.

  • No, we do not make fully customised cakes except for large event and company | corporate orders.

CAKE PICKUP AND LONDON DELIVERY

  • Em Cakes sore is located in Hampstead, North West London. This is also your cake pickup location.

    Address: 332 West End Lane, NW6 1LN

  • At our Store: Tuesday - Saturday, at Em Cakes, 332 West End Lane, NW6 1LN (Sundays and Mondays are closed)

    • Time slot is our target. If anything unexpected affects it, we’ll inform you as soon as we know.

  • Yes, we offer birthday, occasions and wedding cakes delivery in London. You can have the cake delivered to your home or a venue.

    Delivery is available with a fee starting from £18.50. The postcodes we deliver to include:

    London:

    • NW Postcodes: NW1, NW2, NW3, NW4, NW5, NW6, NW7, NW8, NW9, NW10, NW11

    • W Postcodes: W1, W2, W3, W4, W6, W8, W9, W10, W11, W12, W14, WC

    • N Postcodes: N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9, N10, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N16, N17, N18, N19, N20, N21, N22

    • SW Postcodes: SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5, SW6, SW7, SW8, SW9, SW10, SW11

    • E Postcodes: E1, E2, E3, E5, EC, E1W, E8, E9, E14

    • SE Postcode: SE1, SE11

    Outside London:‍

    • EN Postcodes: EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4, EN5, EN6

    • HA Postcode: HA5, HA6

    • WD Postcodes: WD3, WD6, WD17, WD18, WD19, WD23, WD24

    • KT Postcodes: KT1, KT2, KT3, KT4, KT5, KT6, KT7, KT8

    • TW Postcodes: TW1, TW7, TW8, TW9, TW10, TW11

    Proof of delivery: Upon delivery, we will take photo proof of delivery as confirmation that the order has been received and fulfilled for our records.

    After delivery, we cannot accept responsibility for any damage resulting from improper handling or storage of the cake.

    If your postcode is not listed above, please select the pickup option.

CAKE INGREDIENTS AND ALLERGENS

  • Our bakes are made in a kitchen where gluten, milk, eggs, soya, sesame, nuts and sulphites are present. Some ingredients may also be produced in facilities that handle peanuts. As a result, we are unable to guarantee that our products are completely free from these allergens.

    • Cake Ingredients: All our cakes are made in small batches with simple, pure ingredients — no artificial preservatives!

      Please note: This ingredient list covers the cakes and frosting made in our kitchen. It does not include small amounts of toppings used for decorative finishing, which may vary by design.

      Vanilla

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, fresh lemon juice , Vanilla extract

      Chocolate 

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, Baking soda, Vanilla extract, Cocoa powder

      Chocolate Hazelnut

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, Baking soda, Vanilla extract, Cocoa powder, Cocoa Hazelnut (Nutella) Spread, Fresh roasted hazelnuts

      Chocolate Ganache

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, Baking soda, Vanilla extract, Cocoa powder, Fresh Double cream, Dark chocolate, White chocolate

      Strawberry Cream

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, Vanilla extract, fresh lemon juice , fresh strawberries,  strawberry purée, pectin

      Lemon Raspberry

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, Fresh lemon juice, Fresh lemon zest, pure lemon extract, fresh raspberries, raspberry puree, pectin

      Chocolate Oreo

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, Baking soda, Vanilla extract, Cocoa powder, Oreo toppings

      Vanilla, Strawberry Jam

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, Vanilla extract, Fresh lemon juice, Strawberry jam (contain: fresh strawberries, sugar, pectin)

      Chocolate Salted Caramel

      Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Vegetable oil, Sugar, Free-range Eggs, Plain Flour, Whole Milk, Baking powder, Baking soda, Vanilla extract, Cocoa powder, Fresh double cream, Salt 

      Carrot Walnut

      Ingredients: Fresh carrot, Walnuts,  Vegetable oil, Free-range whole egg, Plain flour, Sugar, Salt, Cinnamon powder, Baking powder, Baking soda, Walnuts, cream cheese (milk), Vanilla extract, Icing sugar

      Coconut Passion Fruit

      Ingredients: Unsalted butter, Sugar, Free-range whole eggs, Plain flour, Vegetable oil, Baking powder, Whole milk, Fresh lemon juice, Coconut extract, Desiccated coconut, Fresh Passion fruit, Corn flour, Pectin

      Pistachio Raspberry

      Ingredients: Unsalted butter, Sugar, Free-range whole eggs, Plain flour, Vegetable oil, Baking powder, Whole milk, Fresh lemon juice, Fresh roasted pistachios, Pistachio extract, Fresh raspberries, Pectin

      Red Velvet Cream Cheese

      Ingredients: Unsalted butter, Sugar, Free-range whole eggs, Plain flour, Vegetable oil, Baking powder, Baking soda, Whole milk, red food colouring, Vinegar, Cream cheese (Milk), Icing sugar, Vanilla extract

    • No, we do not currently offer cakes with dietary requirement. Customers are advised that some of the cakes and flour confectionery may contain eggs, gluten, milk, colours, flavourings and may have traces of nuts.

    • All cakes are made in an environment where gluten and nuts are present, so there is NO guarantee they are risk free. Our products are not suitable for ones with allergies.

  • No.

BUTTERCREAM CAKE DESIGN

  • We make sponge cakes and use buttercream as frosting.

    Sponge: Our cake sponges have moist texture and buttery taste.

    Icing: We use Swiss meringue buttercream which is light, fluffy and mildly sweet.

  • Yes, we can make minor adjustments to colours, piping styles, ribbons and decorative details to match your celebration or event theme while staying true to our signature buttercream cake style.

  • We use 2 types of flowers:

    • Fresh flowers and edible pressed flowers subject to designs. You are able to see this on each product page.

    • Regarding cakes including birthday, and wedding cakes decorated with fresh flowers, all flowers are subject to availability, so no exact flowers type is guaranteed.

    • Should you wish to match the exact flowers decoration, you would need to send us flowers used by your florists before the delivery date so we will use that accordingly.

  • No.

cAKE STORAGE aND TRANSPORT

  • In a car.

    • Please make sure you place the cake box flat on the floor in the front, instead of the car seats.

    Hot weather:

    • If it is hot, make sure your car’s air conditioning is on at least 30’ before arriving at pickup and during the transport. It is best to get some ice packs ready to put around the cake box.

    Once you’re home or at the venue, keep the cake refrigerated in the cake box and bring it to room temperature before serving (typically 1-2 hours out of the fridge).

    We don’t recommend driving with a cake for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if it is hot).

    • Cakes are to be stored in the cake box, in the fridge in and then taken out to come to room temperature for serving. Typically 1-2 hours before serving.

    • We recommend serving your cake within 48 hours of receiving for optimal freshness!

    • It will be the same as any other whole cakes. Once you’re home or at the venue, keep the cake refrigerated in the cake box and bring it to room temperature before serving (typically 1-2 hours out of the fridge).

    • You or the cake recipient at the venue will also see the handling/storage instructions to be followed on the cake box.

WEDDING CAKES oRDERING

  • Place your cake order on the website: pre-order online via our wedding cake page.

    • You can place the wedding cake order for Hampstead store collection or delivery in London.

    • You will see available options for cake size, flavour as well as pickup or delivery options during checkout. The online order process is simple and straightforward. Once order is placed, all your order details are confirmed and automatically sent to your email.

  • Yes, however, this is optional. Should you wish to have cake tasting prior to booking the wedding cake, simply book the cake tasting box online via:

  • We offer wedding cake delivery in London. Cake can be delivered to your home or venue address. You will be able to book delivery during online checkout.

    • One To Three Tiered Cakes: our cake will be securely packaged in a cake box, just like any other cake. Upon delivery by our courier, it's your responsibility to handle the storage and set up of the cake. If the cake cutting is scheduled for later, the cake should be stored in a cool environment at your venue, such as a cold room or fridge, until 1-2 hours before cutting time.

    • Four Tiered Or Larger Cakes: Depending on the complexity of the design, setup may be required. If needed, we'll complete the decorations on-site. If the cake cutting is scheduled for later, the cake should be stored in a cool environment at your venue, such as a cold room or fridge, until 1-2 hours before cutting time.

    • For All Sizes: You're responsible for coordinating with your venue regarding the expected delivery, storage, and handling of the cake. Instructions for storage and handling of the cake can be found on the cake box.

      London:

      • NW Postcodes: NW1, NW2, NW3, NW4, NW5, NW6, NW7, NW8, NW9, NW10, NW11

      • W Postcodes: W1, W2, W3, W4, W6, W8, W9, W10, W11, W12, W14, WC

      • N Postcodes: N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9, N10, N11, N12, N13, N14, N15, N16, N17, N18, N19, N20, N21, N22

      • SW Postcodes: SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5, SW6, SW7, SW8, SW9, SW10, SW11

      • E Postcodes: E1, E2, E3, E5, EC, E1W, E8, E9, E14

      • SE Postcode: SE1, SE11

      Outside London:‍

      • EN Postcodes: EN1, EN2, EN3, EN4, EN5, EN6

      • HA Postcode: HA5, HA6

      • WD Postcodes: WD3, WD6, WD17, WD18, WD19, WD23, WD24

      • KT Postcodes: KT1, KT2, KT3, KT4, KT5, KT6, KT7, KT8

      • TW Postcodes: TW1, TW7, TW8, TW9, TW10, TW11

      Proof of delivery: Upon delivery, we will take photo proof of delivery as confirmation that the order has been received and fulfilled for our records. After delivery, we cannot accept responsibility for any damage resulting from improper handling or storage of the cake.

      If your postcode is not listed above, please select the pickup option.

  • Yes, if it a tiered cake.

    • For two and more tiered cakes, you have option to have mixed flavours. This can be selected in the flavour option (mixed flavours), and you can specify the flavours for each tier after during checkout.

  • No, all cakes do not come with a stand. You would need to source the stand yourself. Should you need advice on the size, please contact us.

    • If your wedding is on Sunday or Monday, you can book the cake pickup or delivery date to be Saturday afternoon and have the cake storage arranged accordingly.

    • However, we do not recommend this if the design has fresh flowers on it as flowers will likely wilt.

CORPORATE AND EVENT CAKES

CHANGES AND CANCELLATION

    • We can accept changes for the design and logistics if able to, with a minimum of 3 working days notice.

    • Changes to cake flavours needs 5 working days notice.

    Via the contact form in our contact page in advance.

  • By filling in the contact form with sufficient notice following our T&Cs.

oTHERS

  • Em Cakes specialises in handcrafted buttercream cakes, including wedding cakes, birthday cakes, vintage cakes, cupcakes and bespoke cakes for large events.

    Every cake is handmade in Hampstead for celebrations across London.

  • We use buttercream.

    Fondant is rarely used, and only for some decorations (mainly for kids cakes

  • Our cakes are delivered by our specialist cake couriers to ensure safe transport across London. Because cakes are fragile and transported carefully with limited deliveries per route, delivery fees are higher than standard parcel services.

  • Yes, we can colour the icing inside to be pink or blue, just let us know after placing your order. Many of the cakes you see on our website, particularly ones with neutral colour theme are suitable for gender reveal event. Alternatively, you can place the order for our signature gender reveal cake here and cupcakes here.

  • Yes, Em Cakes specialises in handmade vintage buttercream cakes with elegant piping, Lambeth-style details and timeless designs for weddings, birthdays and celebrations across London. Our vintage cakes are available for collection from Hampstead or delivery across London.