Frequently Asked Questions

So, you have a celebration coming up and you want a cake. YAY! Cake is awesome! Now comes the fun bit of choosing the details.

When you first contact Sweet Treats by Jules, the first things I need to know are:

Date of your event. Generally, I require at least 2 weeks notice to create a cake, as a minimum. However, if there is an event next week that you need something for – give me a call, you may be lucky and I may have a space available for you.

How many people are you expecting (a rough guide is fine at this stage)

Are you having the cake as the main dessert or will smaller slices of cake work for each person? This is referred to as either ‘dessert’ or ‘coffee’ sized serves (have a read through cake sizes below)

What sort of event is it – eg a wedding, birthday, baby shower or a work celebration. This gives me an idea of the direction in which to create.

Do you have any ideas in mind of what you would like, or is your mind a blank canvas and you feel like a rabbit staring into the headlights?! I love getting pictures that you have found on google, pinterest or a magazine as your inspiration. Please be aware that I will never copy a cake completely from an image that you give me. Not only does every cake artist work differently, there will always be a slight change from colours on a screen to real life which may end up in disappointment on your side.

If you just have a colour scheme or theme in mind, then I am more than happy to go away and have a great time designing a cake for you. Creating a cake for you is creating a piece of art, which is as individual as you the customer. My aim is great customer service, and that starts right from the very beginning when you first contact me.

Fondant vs Buttercream vs Ganache
‘Eh?’ I hear you cry?!? Yep, these are cakey words that don’t mean a lot to some people.
Essentially, they are what the cake is covered in, the outside. Yes, they are all sugary deliciousness, but they actually taste very different, and take different amounts of time to create, and therefore have a different starting price point. Due to this, it is one of the details that I need to know in order to give you a quote.

Fondant
This is the smooth, shiny ‘neat’ look that you often see for wedding and celebration cakes. It has a more formal look to it, and from my perspective, I can create a lot more intricate looks with a fondant cake than a buttercream cake. It is a roll out icing that dries slightly hard (though not rock hard like Ye Olde Worlde Christmas cakes!) and underneath it has a layer of beautifully rich chocolate ganache (melted chocolate). It is this layer that allows such delicate smooth cakes, or fantastically detailed carved cakes to be created – of course I can create this in any colour…

A fondant covered cake, including a layer of rich chocolate ganache can be customised from $180 for a simple 6″ cake.

Buttercream
This is the swirly heap of deliciousness that you find on top of a cupcake. It comes in every colour and flavor you can imagine! It is also generally what I put inside my cakes as the filling. This can be a more speedy process to decorate with (although not always) and as such will be reflected in the price. Please be aware though that not all effects can be created in buttercream, and sometimes it may be advised that fondant would be a preferred alternative for a particular design. Buttercream is excellent for creating rustic and textured finishes, and is always a hit with the kids!

Simple designs for a 6″ buttercream covered cake start at $140.

Ganache
This is a mouthwatering combination of cream and chocolate, melted together to give a rich smooth clean look. If you are wanting to avoid buttercream, but want a clean look and don’t like fondant, then maybe ganache is the way to go. It can be coloured to pretty much any colour, just as fondant can.

When I have a basic idea of what you would like, I will be able to create a quote for you. This may just be a guide price at the beginning, until all details are finalised. With cakes, which can sometimes seem expensive, the cost comes from the details – the hours spent making figurines, or individual sugar petals, cutting out individual letters for names, or handpainting images onto fondant. It is these details which you are paying for – an individual piece of work which is beautiful, exactly as you imagined (if not better) and best of all – is delicious to eat!!! Details cost money, and details are what makes your cake memorable, a work of art, and the centre piece of your event. I aim to make cakes which leave your guests wanting more, and wanting to know how clever you were to have designed and found such a delicious cake.

If you find it easier to talk me through your ideas, please phone me!! It is so nice to talk to a customer and get a real sense of what they are picturing and the vibe for the event. Please understand though, that every cake I make is individual, and as such I am unable to provide a quote straight away on the phone.

Once you have decided that you would like to go ahead, you will be sent a confirmation email, which will have all the specific details of your cake order. Please check through the details carefully, especially the date required, flavours and name spellings if required!! It is at this point that you are required to pay a 50% deposit to secure your date and order. Please be aware that dates can book out months in advance, so it is important to pay the deposit promptly. Deposits can be paid by a bank deposit or by Paypal.

Please feel free to contact me if you have things that you may want to add or change to your order, but please be aware that any changes made within 5 days of delivery may not be possible or may include a surcharge.

Please refer to the Serving Size Tables to see the difference between coffee and dessert size slices, and see how many people each cake size can serve.

Sweet Treats by Jules cakes are made to a minimum of 4” tall. You can ask for taller cakes if you are after more impact. These are called double barreled cakes, as they are essentially two cakes of the same width stacked on top of each other.

The layers of cakes you see that have different sized cakes stacked on one another are called tiers. So you may be asking for a single tier, a two tier, a 5 tier…..

The smallest stand alone cake that is made is a 6inch cake (yes, cakers still use inches!!). This serves approximately 12 people for larger dessert size serves and 24 smaller coffee sized serves. Smaller 4”and 5” cakes are only available if part of multiple tiers or special event offers (make sure you’ve signed up to the newsletter to hear about these!)

Each tier, or the single tier cakes, are made up of 4 mouthwatering layers of cake goodness, with three layers of filling in between, usually buttercream. Multi tiered cakes can be different flavours.

I have the following flavours as standard as these are my most popular, but if you have another idea that you would like to tantalise your taste buds then let me know!

If you are ordering a multi-tiered cake, then feel free to have different flavours for each different tier.

Cake: Chocolate Mudcake, Caramel Mudcake, Vanilla, Lemon, Strawberry, Coconut, Red Velvet

Filling (usually buttercream) : chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, lemon, coconut, caramel, salted caramel, mocha, cream cheese

Please refer to the separate info here – cake size and serving guide

Unless otherwise arranged, the cake is usually collected from the Sweet Treats by Jules in Cleveland. If required, delivery can be arranged to your home or a venue, and the cost of this will be determined by the distance and time needed to do this and any setup that is required. Delivery starts from $20. It is possible to have the cake the day before the event in many cases if this takes the stress away from you.

The cake will come in a box which will afford it some protection, however please be advised that driving like a nanna is recommended on the way home!!! This is especially true if there are a lot of delicate details on your cake or it is a tiered cake. Usually, if it is more than 2 tiers, or if you are ordering your wedding cake, I will deliver and set the cake up on site. If you have a buttercream cake and it is summertime or warm, the cake CANNOT be left in the car with out the AC running. As the name suggests, it is butter and there is a likely chance that it will melt in your car (such a waste!!!).

The cake is best positioned either on the floor of the passenger side, or in your boot. Ideally, we are looking for a flat surface for it to sit on. Unfortunately ,Sweet Treats by Jules cannot take any responsibility for damage to the cake once it has left the premises. If something does happen to it though, if I am able to, I can come out and try to repair to the best of my ability given the condition of the cake and the time available. This will incur a charge. Remember, customer service is my thing – if I can try to make things better, I will!

You will be given a list of ingredients with your cake, which will also have on it guidance for storage and eating.

Buttercream cakes should be kept in the fridge, but will need to come to room temperature prior to serving. Fondant cakes should be left out of the fridge as the fondant will sweat when it comes out (and sweat is never good, no matter where it is!). The crazy humidity in Brisbane can mean that even fondant can start to melt.  Fondant cakes will need to be kept in an air-conditioned / cool room.

If at any time, for any reason you are not happy with the cake, then PLEASE talk to me! Please phone me, rather than trying to get to me through social media, as phoning is so much more direct and quicker. If I can help, I will! I cannot fix that which I don’t know about. In order to be able to understand and resolve the issue, I will need to have the cake back. I will not give out refunds if you did not like the cake, but ate it anyway! Again, I can’t fix what I can’t see.