Ordering a custom cake at Walt Disney World

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I had long heard how beautiful and delicious the celebration cakes created at Walt Disney World are, but until recently, had never ordered one of the special confections. My son celebrated his birthday at Walt Disney World a few weeks ago and I decided to surprise him with a custom cake. Because our family was staying at the Caribbean Beach hotel, our order was handled by the Boardwalk Bakery.

Custom cakes have to be ordered at least 48 hours in advance in most cases, and it is recommended that orders not be placed more than three weeks ahead of time. I began the process by calling the cake hotline at 407-827-2253, which connected me to cast member who was eager to help me design a cake that would wow my son.

First, I had to determine the size of the cake. With just our immediate family of four partaking, it didn’t have to be big. Guests, however, can choose from a 6-inch round cake (serves 5), an 8-inch round cake (serves 8), a 10-inch cake (serves16), quarter sheet cake (serves 10-12), half sheet cake (serves 50) and full sheet cake (serves 100). I was advised that the chef would need an 8-inch cake for the design I was considering.

Cake flavors vary by location, though we were not looking for anything exotic for an 11-year-old boy. I ordered a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream filling.

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And then the really fun part began — designing the look of the cake. The cast member suggested that I send her photos of what I might like, and she could find out if the chef could replicate it and give me a price quote. I was prepared for her request because I had Googled Walt Disney World custom cakes the night before and spent a happy hour gazing at the amazing desserts.

Many of the Disney World cakes that feature characters are created by printing a two-dimensional image that is then either laid flat or propped upright on the top. This is great if you want to include a photo of the recipient. But I really wanted the characters on my son’s cake to be three-dimensional, which meant I had two choices: bring my own figures to place on the cake or choose a character shaped in solid white chocolate. I chose a white chocolate Stitch, which would have a matching scroll-like piece for the Happy Birthday message.

To achieve the bright, tropical colors and accents associated with Lilo and Stitch, I decided to have the cake covered in a smooth blue fondant, rather than the typical buttercream icing or whipped frosting. My son had never tasted fondant, so I wasn’t sure if he would like it, but I knew it would enhance the appearance. (For the record: The fondant wasn’t his favorite, but it didn’t detract from his love of the cake. He tried it and then focused on eating the inside, which also had the buttercream filling.)

In my online perusal of Disney World’s cakes, I found that some of the most amazing are sculpted “Mad Hatter” cakes. These are quite expensive, but you can get the basic look without the over-the-top price and multiple layers because Disney chefs are willing to use elements from the cakes and incorporate them in other designs. That’s how I found the look I wanted for my son’s Stitch cake. I asked that the surfboards and flat flowers be created in red and yellow, rather than the pink and orange I saw on a girl’s cake. The chef also duplicated the fondant roping at the base of the cake.

So, what did the cake of my son’s dreams cost? It was $32 for the basic 8-inch custom cake; $30 for the fondant covering the cake and the cutout surfboards and flowers; and $30 for the white chocolate Stitch figure for a total of $92 plus tax. It was by far the most expensive cake I’ve ever ordered or eaten since my wedding day, but it also was *exactly* what I envisioned.

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Having never ordered a custom cake at Disney World, I was unsure if the cake would look like what I pictured, especially when I was asking for modifications. I honestly can say the cake exceeded my expectations, and my son was thrilled. Truly, if you can dream it, they can do it.

Here are a few tips if you choose to order a custom cake at Walt Disney World:

** The more detail you can provide the better the chances you will be happy with the finished cake. Photos and even sketches can help chefs bring your creation to life. Spend some time looking at Disney World cakes online, taking screenshots that you can email with your order.

** Disney underestimates the number of guests each cake will feed. Our 8-inch cake supposedly would be enough for eight people. We easily had enough for 14-16 people, and those were normal size pieces, not small ones. So, if you are deciding between two sizes, the smaller might work for you. We were able to refrigerate our leftover cake, and it tasted fresh for many days.

** If a custom cake is not in your budget, Walt Disney World offers many other options, including cakes that are available upon request at most table-service restaurants.

** The Disney Food Blog has answers to many frequently asked cake questions.

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12 Replies to “Ordering a custom cake at Walt Disney World”

  1. I worked with the grand Floridian to get a two tiered, 8 in and 6 in cakes as a 25th anniversary cake surprise for my wife. They made beautiful flowers and the cake looked and tasted great. I was quoted $250 which I thought was expensive but agreed since it was a special order . At the hotel I was charged $314. When I asked about this there was an automatic 18% gratuity charged along with a delivery charge . I think this should have been disclosed during the ordering process. Beware.

  2. Was wondering if they could make a cake with a Star Wars theme?

    KRISTIN: I would bet they can! (But please call and ask to make sure.)

  3. I ordered several cakes and special treats for my granddaughters 16 th birthday trip. Every restaurant had my order. Each was more wonderful than the next. I never had any problems I also ordered a zebra cake to welcome her at kidani village and it was deliciious! My favorite was the beautiful mini wedding cake of belles gown with tiny miniature roses that were edible all over it, it was magnificent!,,,,, at be our guest! Thanks Disney!!! Thanks cake hotline staff!

  4. I ordered a cake for my sister’s 50th birthday celebration dinner, which we had at Whispering Canyon Café. I called several weeks in advance and was able to chat back and forth with the cake staff at the Contemporary Resort (who do the cakes for Wilderness Lodge). I got exactly what I wanted and it was so cute. My sister was surprised and thrilled. It was similarly-priced to the cake in the blog, a little cheaper since it didn’t have the white chocolate figure, but it was totally worth it for a one-time special event!

  5. I ordered a Tinker Bell cake from Boardwalk Bakery in 2012 and it was awesome. (For my Mother-n-laws 60th birthday.)

    Light blue fondant, hand painted Tinker bell and flowers. We also had the same type of banner as your cake.

    I say do it, the cake was a hit!!!

  6. Wow that is a lot of money for a small cake. While it is cute, it does not impress me. I have seen much better from my friends who do this as a “side job” out of there own home kitchen. Sorry!

  7. Very nice……BUT YOU SPENT ALMOST $100 FOR AN 8″ ROUND CAKE….OMG !!!!! Was he able to eat the choc Stich or did you put it in ur curio with the china statues…..jk !! Its nice to do something like this once in a while , hope the birthday was a blast !!

  8. I ordered two cakes this year for a joint birthday trip that we were doing, I made sure that i ordered the cake 2 weeks before the date and confirmed just before I left for Florida. No issues at all with the cakes being at dinner on the correct nite, The interaction was wonderful I was able to draw out exactly what I wanted and I sent a PDF via e-mail. I had two mini tiered cakes on was And Aurora Dress theme in blue and the other was a Nightmare before Christmas Theme in Purple With a Bat on the top.Tthey looked fabulous and tasted even better, even the Cast members at Boatwrights were taking pictures with their cameras as to how nice they were.

  9. Wow how awesome is that! Thanks so much for sharing this! I have pinned it for future reference since we celebrate all our birthdays at Disney {as passholders}!
    Thanks again!

  10. We had the same thing happen to us. First, it took forever for someone to even answer the phone at the cake hotline. I finally did, and ordered the cake. This was 3 days before my son’s birthday. During dinner that night, I was also told they had no record of me ordering a cake. If I ever decide to go that route again, I will call every day and make sure I speak to someone to remind them they have a cake to make. Very frustrating and disappointing.

  11. I have twice ordered special cakes at WDW. The first was for daughter’s 30th birthday plus running her 3rd half-marathon, and it had to be gluten-free. I first called Private Dining, and then was able to communicate via email with Chef Brian at the Contemporary since we were staying at Bay Lake Tower. The cake was delivered to our room on the date that I had specified. It was gorgeous, paying homage to both the race by using the Princess 1/2 Marathon logo, and a “birthday theme” with a message and flowers. The cake was chocolate and covered with fondant – only problem is that it was extremely sweet! The back-and-forth communication via email w/ Chef Brian was great, and I was able to order exactly what I wanted. The second cake was for another daughter’s “bridal bash” girl’s weekend – we dined at Be Our Guest and ordered the cake from Private Dining for Magic Kingdom. The cake was absolutely beautiful with stunning flowers all over the top – the only drawback was that the flowers were gum paste, and, although realistic and very pretty, the flowers were pretty much inedible. All in all, the cakes exceeded my expectations in design, and tasted good.

  12. We tried this a few years ago for our daughter’s birthday. I ordered the cake about 2 weeks before we left for Disney. During our meal that night, I got up to speak with the waitress (since it was a surprise) and there was no record of my order on our dining reservation. I was very disappointed, but our waitress was wonderful and made something special for our daughter.