Frequent Questions: Do you take cake orders via email?  Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate orders via email, however, we do accept orders over the phone, and of course,  in person.   How far in advance should I place a birthday cake order?  Any special occasion cakes with basic designs or a photo should be ordered the week of your occasion, up until the day before. Can I make changes to my birthday cake once the order has been placed?  Changes and cancellations can be made up until 24 hours before the cake is to be picked up. How far ahead should I make my wedding cake appointment?  We suggest you call to book your appointment a few weeks before you would like to come in, and plan to come in about 4 to 6 months before your occasion.  What do I need to bring with me to my cake consultation?  Occasion date, approximate number of guests, where the party will be held and directions to your venue, and any other ideas or details you would like included in your cake design such as color swatches, invitations, details from your wedding dress, etc.  Is there a fee for a consultation? Consultations, which include refreshments and cake samples, are free of charge with your order. What is the price range for specialty and wedding cakes? Any specialty cake is priced per person; basic butter cream cakes start at $6.00 per person and go up from there. A good rule of thumb is to look at cakes that are featured in any magazines or publications; they are usually priced in the $10.00 to $15.00 range per person. The more elaborate, intricate, and time consuming the cake is, the greater price range you will be looking at. I’m a bride on a budget. Can I afford one of your cakes? There are a few tricks of the trade to get a beautiful cake without spending a ton of money. Say for instance, you are having 200 guests. We can make you a 3 tier cake that would feed 125 people, and give you  a ‘back up’ sheet cake on the side that will be cut in the kitchen so that your guests won’t even know, as opposed to getting a 5 tier cake that would actually serve 200 guests. Basically what this means is if this cake was priced at $10 per person, instead of paying $2,000 you would be paying $1,250 plus the cost of the sheet cake (an additional $150) therefore saving $600. As long as you don’t mind seeing a smaller cake, this is a great way to get a more detailed cake while staying within your budget. Do you make “fake” or Styrofoam layers? Some customers have asked if we could use Styrofoam as opposed to cake to ‘pump up’ the height of their cake. We typically do not do this, just because of the simple fact that the same amount of work, time, and detail is put into your cake whether it is cake or Styrofoam. Can you send me a brochure or additional photos of cakes you’ve done in the past? We typically suggest either looking at our website or stopping in to either take a look at our in store catalogs, which are updated on a weekly basis, and looking at our wedding cake models on display around the store and front window which are changed monthly. Do you accept apprentices and interns? Yes, however it is a demanding position which requires professionalism and a fair amount of artistic/culinary skills. Therefore, you must submit a resume as well as come in to meet with us personally to fill out a formal application and discuss what you are interested in learning. Some culinary experience is required. Do you teach decorating or baking classes? At the current time, due to a vigorous schedule, we do not offer baking or decorating classes. However, we occasionally do demonstrations at Culinary Institutions or at Baking trade shows (which will be announced on the website ahead of time). We also plan on starting to teach in the future, so check back on our website for updates! What’s the best way to contact us? The fastest and easiest way to contact us is via telephone or to come in. My catering halls’ package includes a cake, but I’m considering a custom cake from Carlo’s Bakery. How should I handle this? The first misconception about cakes that are included in a wedding package is how much they really cost. Ask your venue how much they are willing to credit you per person for a wedding cake. You would be shocked at the response you’ll get.  If you’re having 100 guests and they’re allowing you $1 per person, you are getting $100 total… you can barely buy enough devil dogs for 100 people with $100! You must remember that you get what you pay for. Think about making a 3 tiered cake for $100 and delivering it. My recommendation is to make sure you taste what’s included in your package before hand so that you can determine if it’s what you’d really like to have.  You have to stop and ask yourself what your package is really including. Do you ship cakes? We can usually deliver within a 5 hour driving radius from Hoboken, NJ. We use a state of the art refrigerated box truck and handle all shipping ourselves. Depending on how far your venue is from the bakery, there will be a delivery charge. Unfortunately we do not ship cakes on planes or via courier. Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop & Café "it’s Love at first bite” Since 1910"