Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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What products does Pretty Baked offer?

A custom letter cake by Pretty Baked, decorated with fresh flowers, macarons, and candies. Pretty Baked specializes in personalized letter and number cakes for all occasions. We create beautiful custom cakes shaped as any letter A–Z, any number, and even special shapes like hearts. Each cake is freshly made to order and adorned with elegant decorations – from French macarons and dipped strawberries to candies and fresh flowers – making it a show-stopping centerpiece for your event. We offer multiple sizes (mini, standard, and large “party size”) and even DIY (undecorated) cake options if you’d like to add your own creative touches. No matter the style, every Pretty Baked cake is handcrafted with quality ingredients and lots of love.

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What makes Pretty Baked’s letter and number cakes special?

Our signature letter/number cakes are not your typical cakes – they’re macaron cakes made with almond flour. Unlike some monogram cakes that use cookie dough or sheet cake cutouts, we bake airy almond-based macaron shells and layer them with light, fluffy frosting. This gives our cakes a delicately crisp outside, a soft chewy texture inside, and just the right amount of sweetness. They’re also naturally gluten-free due to the almond flour base. Each cake is then custom-decorated one-of-a-kind – we never make the same design twice. You’ll see toppings like our homemade mini macarons, buttercream florals, candies, fruit, or theme-specific decor, all arranged artfully. The result is a dessert that not only looks stunning on Instagram but also tastes as amazing as it looks!

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How do I place an order with Pretty Baked?

It’s easy – you can order a Pretty Baked cake directly through our website or by contacting us. For standard letter and number cakes, simply visit our online shop, choose your cake size, letter/number, and flavors, then select a pickup/delivery date at checkout. For larger events or special design requests, you can use our “Get a Quote” form or reach out by phone – just provide the details of your event and our team will get in touch to finalize your custom order. We do require lead time of about 3–5 days for orders in most cases. Because we often book up on weekends, it’s recommended to order 1–2 weeks in advance for best availability. If you need a last-minute cake, contact us – we may be able to accommodate a rush order for an additional $35 rush fee if our schedule permits. Payment can be made securely online when you place the order. Once your order is confirmed, all you have to do is look forward to enjoying your Pretty Baked creation!

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Where is Pretty Baked located? Do you have a storefront?

Pretty Baked is based in Cypress, Texas, in the Northwest Houston area. We operate as a made-to-order bakery, which means we do not have a traditional brick-and-mortar storefront that you can visit for walk-in purchases. Instead, all orders are placed in advance online or by phone, and then you can either schedule a pickup or have it delivered locally. Our kitchen location in the Cypress/Houston area is where we craft each cake fresh. Customers in Houston and surrounding suburbs love the convenience of our online ordering and personal pickup/delivery system – it allows us to focus on quality and customization for every single order. (Fun fact: Pretty Baked was established in 2019 by our owner, Molley Nguyen, and has quickly become a local favorite for custom treats in Cypress!)

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Does Pretty Baked offer delivery or shipping?

Yes – we offer local delivery across the Houston, TX area, and we also offer customer pickups, but we do not ship our cakes via mail. We personally deliver in the greater Houston region, including areas like Cypress, Katy, and other nearby communities. Our local delivery ensures your cake arrives safely and promptly; we’ll coordinate a delivery time that works for you. Alternatively, you may opt to pick up your cake from our Houston/Cypress location by appointment – whatever is most convenient. Shipping is not available for our cakes, for a couple of reasons: first, the delicate macaron-based cakes don’t travel well in long transit, and second, Texas Cottage Food law prohibits us from shipping home-baked goods out of state (online orders must be handed off directly to customers). This is why we limit our service to the local area – it guarantees you receive a fresh, intact cake every time. So while you can’t order our cakes nationwide, our Houston-area customers can enjoy quick local delivery or easy pickup.

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How much do Pretty Baked cakes cost?

Our cakes range in price depending on size and design, with options to fit different budgets. As of now, a mini letter/number cake (ideal for small gatherings) is priced around $50 (often on sale for about $45) for a single character. The standard letter or number cake (our most popular size) is about $90 at regular price (currently on sale for around $75) for one letter/number. For big celebrations, we offer a large “Big” letter or number cake which is priced at $180 per character – this larger size is great for parties and can feed a crowd (approximately 20 guests per letter). These prices are per letter/number; if you need multiple letters (for example, a monogram or age like “30”), you would order each as a separate item. The price includes our standard beautiful decorations on top. Keep in mind that adding extra features or custom requests could affect the cost slightly, which we would discuss with you beforehand. We strive to keep our pricing transparent – you can see all current prices on our [Shop page] when you place an order, and there are no surprise fees except an optional rush-order fee if you need a cake on very short notice.

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Can I customize the cake’s design, colors, or theme?

A number-shaped cake customized for a graduation theme, with school colors, edible graduation toppers, macarons, and chocolate-dipped strawberries.
Absolutely! Every Pretty Baked cake is fully customizable to match your vision. In fact, creating unique themed designs is what we do best – no two cakes we make are ever the same. When you place your order, you’ll be able to specify your desired colors, message, and any special theme or inspiration in the “Decorating Instructions” section. Whether it’s a favorite color scheme, a sports or character theme, or an elegant floral design, we will decorate the cake accordingly. We can pipe personalized messages or numbers, use icing in your event’s colors, and top the cake with thematic decorations. Our signature toppings include things like macarons, candies, chocolate-covered strawberries, flowers, and more, and we’ll select these to complement your theme (for example, a graduation cake might feature school-color frosting, a fondant graduation cap, and “Congrats” wording, as shown above). If you have specific small toppers or items you want to include, just let us know – we’ll do our best to incorporate your request. Our goal is to bring your dream cake to life, so feel free to get creative with your ideas. Customers consistently tell us that we nailed their vision and that the cake was the highlight of the party!

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What sizes are available, and how many people do the cakes serve?

We offer three main cake sizes for our letter and number cakes, and each serves a different number of people:

• Mini Letter/Number Cake: Approximately 8 inches by 6 inches in size, ideal for more intimate celebrations. A mini cake serves about 6–8 people (perfect for a small birthday dinner or gift).

• Standard Letter/Number Cake: About 12 inches by 8 inches, this is our regular size cake. It yields roughly 10–12 servings, making it great for mid-sized gatherings or family parties.

• “Big” Letter/Number Cake (Party Size): A large format around 18 inches by 12 inches, which can feed approximately 20 guests per letter on average. This is great for big celebrations or if you have a lot of guests to impress! (We also offer an optional third layer add-on for even more servings, as noted in some of our promotions.)

Do note that serving counts can vary a bit depending on how large you cut the portions – but these estimates are a good guideline. If you’re unsure what size you need, feel free to ask us for advice based on your event. And remember, if you have a very large party, you could also order multiple letters/numbers or additional mini cakes to ensure everyone gets a bite of something sweet.

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Do you offer any DIY or undecorated cake options?

Yes! We know some of our customers love to get creative, so we do offer “DIY” undecorated versions of our cakes. These are essentially our delicious letter/number cakes provided with minimal or no decorative toppings, so you can personalize them yourself at home. For example, you can order an Undecorated Mini Letter/Number Cake, which comes baked and filled with frosting between the layers, but left plain on top for you to decorate. This is a fun option if you want to add your own custom candies, toppers, or message – or if you have little ones who’d enjoy decorating their own birthday cake. We provide the blank canvas, and you do the rest! The DIY cakes are the same high quality as our regular cakes; the only difference is you get to be the artist for the finishing touches. You’ll find these undecorated options listed in our online shop (marked as “DIY” or “Undecorated” with a slightly lower price). Many customers have had a blast customizing their own Pretty Baked cakes with this option.

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Are Pretty Baked’s cakes gluten-free?

Our signature letter and number cakes are naturally gluten-free in terms of ingredients – we use almond flour (ground almonds) instead of wheat flour in our macaron-style cake layers. This means the cake itself does not contain gluten, which is great news for those who avoid wheat. However, we want to be transparent: our kitchen is not a certified gluten-free facility, since we do bake other items that may use regular flour and we handle ingredients like cookies or candies that might contain gluten. We do take care to prevent cross-contact, but we cannot guarantee 100% gluten-free for extremely sensitive celiac customers due to the shared environment. For the majority of gluten-sensitive individuals, our cakes are a wonderful option because the primary recipe has no wheat. In short: there’s no wheat flour in the cake itself (it’s all almond-based), but if you have a severe gluten allergy, please use your judgment and feel free to ask us for more details. We care about your safety and will happily answer any specific questions on ingredients.

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Do you offer vegan or dairy-free cakes?

At this time, we do not offer vegan or dairy-free versions of our cakes. All Pretty Baked cakes are made with traditional ingredients that include eggs and dairy (such as butter or cream in our frosting), so they are not suitable for a vegan diet. We firmly believe these classic ingredients are key to achieving the best flavor and texture in our cakes, which is why they’re part of our recipes. That said, we understand the demand for vegan desserts is growing. While currently we don’t have a vegan option, it’s something we continually evaluate for the future as we experiment with new recipes. If you have a mild dairy sensitivity, note that our cakes do contain butter/cream, etc., and at this time we don’t provide a dairy-free substitution. We want every customer to enjoy our treats at their best, so for now we recommend our products only to those who are able to consume standard ingredients. Keep an eye on us though – any new dietary-friendly offerings will be announced if we develop a recipe that meets our quality standards.

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Are Pretty Baked cakes nut-free? What if I have a nut allergy?

Our cakes are not nut-free. In fact, almond (a tree nut) is a core ingredient in our letter/number cakes – the macaron shells are made with almond flour. So if you have an allergy to almonds or tree nuts, unfortunately our signature product is not safe for you. We do not currently offer a substitute for the almond flour base, so all of our cakes will contain nut allergens. Additionally, our kitchen sometimes uses other nuts (or nut-based candies) as decorative elements, and there is a possibility of cross-contact with peanuts or other nuts since we handle them in the facility. We label our products with an allergy warning that they “may contain nuts” for that reason. If you or your intended recipient has a nut allergy, we advise against our letter cakes for their safety. We take allergies very seriously and would rather turn down an order than put someone at risk. Always feel free to discuss your allergy concerns with us – but as a rule, those with nut allergies should avoid our cakes due to the almond content. Your health and safety come first.

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How should I store my Pretty Baked cake, and how long will it stay fresh?

Our cakes are best enjoyed fresh on the day of pickup or delivery, but you can definitely store them for a short time with proper care. If you’re not serving the cake immediately, we recommend keeping it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a few hours. For longer storage, especially in our Houston climate, it’s best to refrigerate the cake to maintain freshness. When stored properly in the fridge, a freshly baked cake will stay good for about up to 5 days without significant quality loss. (Be aware that the macaron shells may soften slightly over a couple of days, and the flavors are most vibrant the sooner you enjoy it.) Before serving, if the cake has been refrigerated, let it sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes – this helps soften the frosting and brings out the best texture and taste.

One important note: If your cake has fresh fruit on it or a whipped cream-based frosting, do not leave it out at room temp for more than a couple of hours for food safety reasons. Cakes with perishable toppings (like berries or custard/cream) should be kept chilled when not being served, and any leftovers with those ingredients shouldn’t sit out overnight. In general, treat our cakes as you would any fine bakery cake: keep them cool if storing, and ideally enjoy them within a day or two for peak freshness. But if you must hold it a few days, the fridge is your friend and will preserve the yumminess for about 3–5 days nicely. (And pro tip: many customers tell us the cake is still delicious even after a couple of days in the fridge – if there’s any left, that is!)

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What is Pretty Baked’s cancellation or refund policy?

Due to the custom, made-to-order nature of our cakes, we have a fairly strict cancellation and refund policy. When you place an order, we immediately begin scheduling and often turn away other orders to reserve your spot. If you need to cancel, you must do so at least 5 days (120 hours) before your pickup/delivery date – in that case we can transfer any payment you’ve made as a credit toward a future order within 3 months. However, any payments are non-refundable as cash; we only offer the credit transfer for timely cancellations. For any cancellations or date changes requested less than 5 days in advance, or for our “short notice” rush orders, we unfortunately cannot offer refunds or credits. This is because we’ve likely already begun work (or turned down other business) for your cake.

Once your cake is made and picked up or delivered, it is considered “accepted” – at that point, we do not offer refunds or exchanges. We always strive to meet your design and quality expectations (and we’ll fix any clear mistakes on our part if noted at pickup), but due to the handcrafted nature of our products, we can’t issue refunds for subjective things like a specific shade of color or minor design differences. We also can’t refund for taste/texture after the cake has been enjoyed; flavor is subjective, but we use our proven recipes and quality ingredients every time.

That said, we do want you to be happy. If you notice a serious issue upon receiving the cake (for example, we wrote the wrong name or the cake is not what was ordered), you have the option to decline the cake at pickup/delivery – in this rare case, we would take the cake back and provide you a store credit refund (minus a 25% cancellation fee). This policy is essentially “if you don’t take it, we’ll refund via credit; if you take it, we assume you accepted it as is.” We do not ever offer partial refunds if you decide to keep the cake. Please also note, once a cake leaves our shop and is in your hands, we can’t be responsible for any damage that happens in transport or afterwards (so drive carefully and keep it cool!). In summary: no refunds after a cake is accepted, and cancellations must be well in advance for a credit. We stand by the quality of our cakes and find that nearly all customers are delighted, but these policies help protect our small business from last-minute losses. If you have any questions about this policy, we’re happy to clarify before you order.

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Is Pretty Baked a licensed bakery? Are your products made safely and legally?

Yes – Pretty Baked is a fully legal, licensed home-based bakery, and we adhere to all Texas Cottage Food laws and food safety regulations. We operate under Texas’s Cottage Food guidelines, which means our business is registered and allowed to bake from a home kitchen, as long as we follow the state’s rules (such as only selling direct to consumers within Texas, labeling allergens, etc.). We have met all the requirements to run our home bakery, and even though home bakeries in Texas are exempt from regular health department inspections, we take cleanliness and food safety extremely seriously. Our kitchen is kept impeccably clean and sanitized, and we (and any helpers) have food handler certifications to ensure we’re using proper food-handling techniques.

Every product you purchase from Pretty Baked will come with proper labeling that includes allergen information and the required Cottage Food notice. For example, our labels state that “This food is made in a home kitchen and is not inspected by the Department of State Health Services or a local health department.” This is a requirement by law and simply informs you of the production environment. Rest assured, home kitchen does not mean lower quality – in fact, it often means extra care and attention to each item. We have liability insurance and a registered LLC, so our business is legitimate and prepared. In short, you can have full confidence that our cakes are made safely, legally, and with the utmost care. We love what we do, and we follow all the rules so we can keep bringing you amazing treats in a safe manner.

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Do Pretty Baked’s cakes contain any cannabis or CBD?

No – despite our playful name, there is no cannabis, THC, CBD, or any marijuana ingredient in our cakes or any product. “Pretty Baked” is just a fun name we chose to reflect our beautiful baked goods. All of our ingredients are standard bakery ingredients (flour, sugar, eggs, butter, etc., plus fruits, nuts, and candies for decoration) – nothing psychoactive or cannabis-derived is used. Our bakery is focused on family-friendly celebration cakes and desserts, not edibles of that sort. So, you can be completely assured that our cakes will not get anyone “baked” except in the sugar rush sense! They are 100% legal treats suitable for all ages. We occasionally get a chuckle or question about the name, but it’s all about cakes here, no tricks. Enjoy with peace of mind that the only indulgence in our product is the sweet, dessert kind.