13 Things To Know Before Ordering A Custom Cake At Costco

If you've been thinking about ordering a custom cake from Costco, the process is probably a little different than you'd expect. There's no human interaction involved in the process, and most locations don't have a form to fill out online. So we can understand why you may need a little guidance in the process. The bakery has a simple cake-ordering process that's worked well for years. so most locations haven't found a reason to change it. However, there are some things you need to know to get started.

Costco cake is so good that some people wish the store would sell pieces of its cake in the Food Court, and others use it as their wedding cake. However, to get this cake for your next event, there's a process you need to follow. We've looked closely at every aspect of the ordering process to help you know what to do and how to get the best Costco cake experience possible.

If you want to order a custom cake from Costco, the most important thing to know is that the majority of locations do not have an online order option. So, you have to do your ordering the old fashioned way: in person. However, you won't be interacting with a human to order because the bakers are busy back in the bakery baking.

To order a custom cake from Costco, you'll need to physically go into the store and look for the cake order kiosk. Most will have photos showing you examples of the different decoration options. Once you're there, you will need to pick up a form and fill it out with your specific orders for the cake. You might want to bring a pen with you, too. Once the form is filled, drop it through the slot in the box. Dropping it into a box and leaving can feel like you're sending your order off to the abyss, but don't worry; the process works, and you will get your cake.

If your location has an online pre-order option, it's likely going to be under a heading on your website named something like "Cake & Deli Orders." However, if you're ordering a custom Costco cake in the U.K., Australia, or New Zealand, those have managed to catch up with the times and offer online order forms. Simply pick the options you want, your personal information, pickup location, date, and time, and submit. 

Planning ahead is imperative if you want to get your cake on time. Most forms tell you how much time you need to order ahead, but there are some other considerations, too.

Your form will include a pickup date and a pickup time. Usually, it will also include an idea of what the bakery's normal turn-around time on cakes is. Usually, the bakery will want at least 24 hours of advanced notice. However, some require 48 hours' notice, especially for larger cakes like sheet cakes. You will also need to consider how busy the bakery might be. For example, if it's around graduation time, the store may be getting more cake orders than usual. So, even if you've been able to get a 24-hour turn-around on your cakes previously, you might find that there's a special season when the bakery needs 48 hours. So, it's best to plan at least 48 hours ahead, just in case. However, if you're scrambling at the last minute, some stores have pre-made ones for sale, and customers on social media have reported being able to get a quick special message written on it while they shopped.

If you're ordering a cake by dropping the order form in the box, you may feel weird not including a payment. But don't worry; you don't need to be dropping a check in the box along with your order. Instead, you'll pay when you pick up the cake.

Costco makes ordering custom cakes easy by only having two flavors. That may not sound exciting, but customers seem to really enjoy the available flavors, and it eliminates having a daunting number of options.

In the U.S., your choices are either a white cake or a chocolate cake. The white cake has white icing and a vanilla cheesecake mousse filling. Meanwhile, the chocolate cake has chocolate icing and a chocolate mousse filling. While some people on social media have reported being successful in getting the bakery to swap one filling type for the other, this certainly isn't the norm. Strawberry was once a filling option, and a few people on social media have reported being able to get it or strawberry cheesecake as a filling, but you're at the mercy of your bakers who are more likely to say no, especially if they weren't working in the bakery when that was an option.

However, if you're ordering a Costco cake outside the U.S., you've got a few extra filling options. In the U.K., Australia, or New Zealand, you can also opt for a raspberry filling. The U.K. also has the option of a filling that's raspberry with chocolate or raspberry with vanilla.

The designs available for your custom cake are limited. Most kiosks offer an in-store visual to let you see what each type looks like. And you can choose which one you want on the order form.

Some of the standard decorations seem to be roses, candles, the Costco bear, a rainbow, an American flag, balloons, a baby shower design, and a cross. However, other locations have a lot of extra designs, like a smiling sun, clown, princess crown, dinosaur, caterpillar, a beach, a carriage, a few floral options, and some sports options. There's also a scored option, which is a great choice for making cutting easy since it's scored (with icing) into 48 pieces. Plus, each piece comes with its own floral design so that everyone gets plenty of frosting on their slice. There also may be some seasonal ones pictured on the kiosk as being available, like ones for graduation and Easter.

Some customers on social media have reported asking for two different decorations to be combined. One that looks especially cute is combining the teddy bear design with the balloon design. Others have reported good results asking for a combination of a floral design and the cross design. So, a little creativity may be possible. However, don't expect a custom order to be fulfilled if your request is outside what is normally offered, or you may receive a blank cake. 

Many Costco cake forms specifically ask what color you want for writing and for certain decorations. However, not all do, so you might need to leave a special note on the form if it matters which color should go on the cake. While the color may not seem like a big deal, there are a few considerations.

First of all, you'll want to keep in mind that some frosting colors are bitter and can affect the overall flavor of your cake. The bitter colors are red and any colors that include red, like purple and pink. So, for example, you might think twice about getting red roses and go with a tastier frosting instead.

You may also be able to switch out colors within the design. For example, if your kid's favorite color is blue and you choose the balloons design, you might write a note out to the side that you want all the balloons to be blue. While not every location honors special requests, one that simple shouldn't be that big of a deal. However, if you're using a form that doesn't have a separate area for writing what color you want for the writing, be sure to put your special request over to the side in an area where they won't mistake the color for something that you want written on the cake.

If you're having a party and want to serve more than just cake, you may be able to knock out a catered food order at the same time as your cake order. While it's not available at every location, we've noticed that some locations offer appetizer and dessert tray options as an add on or a separate form you can fill at the cake kiosk.

One option we've seen listed on the cake order form is a variety cookie tray. The one we saw had 60 total cookies available and came to less than $0.40 per cookie, which is an amazing deal. It was heavy on Costco's most beloved bakery cookie, the chocolate chunk cookie, representing 24 of the cookies. Then, double nut and oatmeal cookies made up the rest of the order (18 each).

We've also seen Costco party platter add-ons advertised on the cake order kiosk. These may include options like a meat and cheese platter, shrimp platter, or croissant sandwich platter. While they cost around $50 each (twice as much as the sheet cake), they do serve 16 to 20 people. It might require a separate form, but you might as well get all your party food needs taken care of at once. 

As we've mentioned before, there are times of the year, like graduation, that are super busy. But holidays are another consideration as well.

Costco is completely closed on several holidays. So, you'll need to plan to order your cake 48 hours ahead of the holiday and not plan on picking up your cake on any of the days the store will be closed. At the beginning of the year, the store is closed for New Year's Day. It's also closed for Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. The end-of-the-year holidays when the store is closed include Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Keep in mind that some of those times of the year may be busier in the bakery, too, like Easter and Christmas. So, plan accordingly and don't drop off last-minute orders, allowing at least 48 hours to ensure that the bakery has enough time to finish your order.

Ordering a Costco cake requires a membership card. Sure, there are a few ways to shop at Costco without a membership, like when buying liquor in some locations or at the pharmacy. However, cakes are definitely a members-only perk.

Generally, Costco checks membership cards at the door. So, you'll likely not even be able to get into the warehouse if you don't have a membership. Even if you managed to get in the door without a card, the fact that you have to be a member to order a cake is made clear on the cake order form. While you don't have to add your membership number, the form asks you to provide your member name. Then, most bakeries ask for a membership card to verify that you are who you say you are when you pick up the cake. Plus, you'll need to provide it during checkout and payment. Further, you may be asked for a photo ID if your membership card doesn't include a photo. So, Costco is pretty serious about only letting members have access to tasty treats like its custom cakes.

There tend to be two main cake size options for Costco custom cakes. The pricing is dependent on which size you choose, not which decorations you choose, since there's no extra charge for decorating the cake.

If you're serving fewer people, the round cake is probably the best option. The round cakes are 10 inches in diameter. Cut into regular wedge-shaped slices, the round cake will serve 16 people. In 2024, the cost is around $15.99 for the smaller round cake. This price is certainly cheaper than specialty non-bakery cakes that Costco sells, which can run pretty high, like the $160 Cake Bake Shop carrot cake.

To serve more guests (or to have leftovers for days), you'll probably want the half-sheet cake size. Cut into reasonable-sized squares, the half-sheet cake will serve about 48 people. At around $29.99, they're a much better deal per slice.

If you're not thrilled with the decoration options or have some special topper requests, it's possible to decorate the cake yourself. This option is easiest if you manage to find a pre-made, undecorated cake in the bakery case. However, if that's not an option, just fill out the order form to indicate whether you want a white or chocolate cake, and leave all the rest of the decoration information blank. Although, it might be helpful to make a note on the form that you want a plain cake so that you don't get a confused phone call later from the bakery.

There are lots of options for decorating a Costco cake yourself. If you want to get fancy, you could make extra frosting to decorate it yourself. However, there are other simpler options like themed figurines, Wilton Sparkle Gel or Betty Crocker Metallic Writing Gel for writing messages on the cake, Satin Ice Cake Drip for a dripping effect over the edges of the cake, or fun sprinkles. Another option is to order MeganJDesigns Edible Printer Paper Supreme Icing Sheets to make a customized design for the cake. There are also lots of ways to upgrade a plain Costco bakery cake to turn it into a festive holiday cake. So, you don't have to limit the idea of self-customizing cakes just to birthdays.

While we've seen some people on the web swearing that you can return a custom Costco cake, Costco's return policy on custom cakes isn't quite as lenient as the one on its ordinary food products. After all, what are the chances that Costco can resell a birthday cake that says "Happy Birthday, Bertie" in the next couple of days unless they scrape off the writing?

Costco's custom cakes are special order kiosk items, which fall under a different return policy than regular food. Costco notes that custom products cannot be returned or refunded, with the exception of warranty repairs/replacements or failure to meet expectations. So, that doesn't mean that there's no option to return your cake, but that the option is limited to whether the bakery made a mistake or not. Thus, it's not a bad idea to take a photo of your order form with your phone before you drop it in the box at the cake-ordering kiosk. Under this return policy, if you asked for "Happy Birthday, Bertie," and the bakery accidentally wrote, "Happy Birthday, Birthie," then you can get your cake replaced because it was their customization mistake. If you just decide you don't want the cake, that doesn't merit a return. But who doesn't want cake? And even if you don't want it today, you can freeze it for later.

Freezing your Costco cake is the best way to store it if you're not going to eat it right away. Because Costco cakes freeze well, it's a good option whether you plan to serve it in the upcoming days or if you have some left over from an event and want to save it for later.

There is a correct way to freeze cake, and if it has frosting decorations like Costco cakes do, you have to be extra cautious. The first step is to put the cake into the freezer without any covering for an hour to allow the frosting to harden in shape. That way, your covering won't ruin the design. Once the frosting is set, you'll need to wrap the cake in two tight layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil. This method of using plastic wrap in a double layer prevents moisture. Meanwhile, the foil layer helps insulate the cake and ultimately avoid freezer burn.

Properly wrapped, you can store the cake in the freezer for weeks or months. Although, two months or less is ideal. Keep in mind that you'll need to plan ahead for defrosting the cake because it will need to thaw slowly in the fridge overnight for best results.

If you like the taste of Costco cakes and want a wedding cake on a budget, ordering a Costco cake for your wedding can be a good choice. Many people have done it and have been happy with the results.

Decorations like white roses make an elegant option for turning a regular Costco cake into a wedding cake. Even if your location doesn't offer a specific wedding cake option, customers on social media reveal that they have used both the round and the sheet cake as options, with guests raving about the cake because it tastes so good. Some customers order a small, traditional tiered cake from outside the bakery to use for photos and then use Costco sheet cakes to feed their guests. 

Keep in mind that if you are looking for a tiered wedding cake, you're not going to find one in the Costco bakery. However, some Costco customers have repurposed Costco cakes to make a tiered wedding cake by doubling, cutting, stacking, re-icing, and re-decorating them for far less than an ordinary wedding cake.