How do I place an order?
You can email your requirements including cake design, flavour, quantities and date required to info@gourmetcupcakes.co.uk and we will email you back with availability. Alternatively you can all our shop on 01245 283986. Please note, all cakes are made fresh to order! We do not have cakes ready prepared for sale at our shop, therefore we usually need notice to produce orders. How much notice depends on what else we have booked in for that day, so basically early booking is advisable to avoid disappointment! You can reserve dates in advance, which we recommend you do for special occasions, by leaving a deposit or just paying for your order in full if you prefer. Our minimum order for cupcakes is 24 in total, with a minimum of 12 of a single sponge flavour. Orders should be in multiples of 12 thereafter.**Please bear in mind that our decorations are all handmade by us too and some are very labour intensive! Be sure to give notice if you want something special or want to reserve a date for an event.**
What payment methods do you accept?
For customers coming into our shop we can take both cash and card payments. If you are paying for your order in advance, we can also take card payments over the phone. For large orders or wedding payments, you can also pay by sending a cheque providing there is enough time for it to clear in advance of your event. Courses are all booked using our online booking system which takes payments via paypal – please note you do not need a Paypal account to book a course, just choose the option to pay with any card instead. We take most cards, but not American Express.
How far in advance do I need to order?
This is a tricky question! Some dates are already fully booked a year in advance for large weddings and other events, so our recommendation is that you simply place your order as soon as you can for your own peace of mind and to avoid disappointment because once the day is gone, it’s gone! For wedding orders we take a £75 deposit to secure the day for you with the balance being paid a month before the big day. Smaller orders are all payable in advance at the time of ordering.
Where do you deliver?
For weddings and large orders we deliver personally around most counties in Southern England. We also offer a dedicated courier service around Essex and London and other parts of the South East. Please email with your event date and venue postcode to check all delivery availability and to enable us to give you a quote.
What size are your cupcakes?
Standard cupcakes are quite a bit bigger than your old skool ‘fairy’ cakes, measuring around 7cm across and about 7cm high when decorated. Mini cupcakes measure around 4cm across and 4cm high when decorated.
How long do cupcakes keep?
In the rare occurance that Gourmet Cupcakes are not gobbled up right away, you can keep them in their box and they’ll be good for at least a couple of days. Transfer them to an airtight container and you’ll get a day or two more (but possibly risk the cases peeling away!) We don’t use preservatives that would exist in shop bought cupcakes so really you should expect them to last as long as a home baked cake.
How is it best to store my cakes?
We have a tendency nowadays to want to put everything in the fridge. However, unless your cupcakes contain cream cheese or fresh cream icing, they are best enjoyed at room temperature. Not too hot and not too cold. Be sure not to put fondant iced cupcakes or cupcakes with fondant decorations in the fridge as this will, rather bizarrely, melt them! Also, the cold fridge will make our amazingly smooth buttercream go horrible and hard…
What is the minimum order?
The minimum order for standard orders is 24 cupcakes, with a minimum order therin of 12 cupcakes per flavour.
Do you hire out cupcake stands?
Yes, we have superior quality stands available for hire for weddings and large events. We build these stands to the perfect size to fit your number of cupcakes. Our largest stand holds 100 cupcakes but venues are happy to store and set up extra cakes if your order size is larger than this. We are also happy to set up our cakes on your own stand. Please see our Stand Hire page for more details.
I like a particular cake, but I want a different decoration, can I change it?
Of course! Feel free to mix and match our decorations. We can also change the colours of the decorations or the icing for you too. Just ask us to give you a quote for any bespoke requirements being sure to provide as much information as possible. Prices depend on how long it will take to make the cakes and decorations.
Can I have a different coloured cake case?
Absolutely. Just let us know when you order if you would like to change the colour of your cake cases. You can see our massive range of cases here. We can also coordinate the decorations for you too.
I want to order a large number of cupcakes for my wedding, can I try before I buy?
It’d be silly not too! Just tell us what you’re thinking. See our Samples page for more details.
Do your cakes contain nuts?
Sometimes, and coconuts too. There may be nuts in our kitchens from time to time so we cannot guarantee totally nut free for those with a very sensitive allergy.
I want to make cupcakes like yours! How do I do that?
We hold a variety of day long cake decorating and baking courses in Chelmsford in Essex. During these courses we will show you everything you need to know to create wonderful professional looking cakes of your own.
Course Terms & Conditions
1. Attendees wishing to amend the date of their course must do so with a minimum of 28 days notice before their original course date, and will incur and admin fee of £10 per person per amendment. Booking amendments are not reserved or confirmed until this admin fee is received.
2. When you buy a place on a course, this is held and reserved for you and thus prevents anybody else from booking that space. Therefore, in the event of cancellations and no-shows where we will be left with an unfilled course space, no refunds will be given under any circumstances. Cancellations requiring attendance on another date maybe possible however, and this would be via another cancellation or last minute space if a place on a course is free the following day. Please note this cannot be guaranteed as courses usually fill up in advance. You can monitor any last minute spare places on the website and get in touch no sooner than the day before to book on. If the course you booked stops running before you are able to attend via a cancellation, you may choose another course to the same or lesser value, or a higher value and pay the difference, and no refunds will be given under these circumstances. Cancellations for any courses which involve baking in advance of the class will be subject to a charge of £20 each time a rescheduled date is required.
3. We are unable to accept responsibility for adverse weather or traffic conditions, or any other circumstances, personal or otherwise, which may affect your ability to attend a course. If you are unable to attend your course for any reason, you may use the normal cancellation and rescheduling policy laid out above should you wish to attend on another date. Late comers may join the class at the point at which they arrive however we are unable to repeat content missed or restructure the class as result of lateness.
4. If for unforeseeable reasons we have to postpone or cancel a course, you will be offered the choice of a full refund or to book one of the other dates available. This may be the same course on another date, or another course to the same value. If you wish to change to another course of a higher value, the difference in price will be due. We are unable to accept responsibility for any peripheral costs surrounding this i.e. travel, hotels or childcare, and no compensation will be paid in full or in part for cancelled or postponed courses.
5. On attending the course you agree not to photograph the contents of our shop. This includes, but is not limited to: cake decorations, marketing materials, Creative Baking Supplies shop products and cakes. You may photograph your own cakes at the end of the course, however out of consideration for other course attendees we would ask that you refrain from photographing other peoples work. Filming during the course is not permitted.
6. All content on all of our websites, Facebook, and other social media platforms is the intellectual property of The Gourmet Cupcake Company & The Gourmet Cake Company Limited. By attending a course you agree not to replicate website content for your own commercial purposes. The content of our courses is intended for your own cake making and enjoyment however you agree not to replicate the cakes and techniques you learn on a course for the purposes of teaching the same or similar class, either yourself or on behalf of another business.
7. We reserve the right to refuse admission to our shop or eject attendees from a course should the staff deem that the attendee presents a risk to the business or is a disruption to or prevents the enjoyment of the rest of the class.
8. Only one discount or promotion may be redeemed at any one time for any single course booking and we reserve the right to withdraw offers at any time.
9. Any courses booked over the telephone, via email, or in person at our shop whether new bookings or gift voucher redemptions are also all subject to the above terms and conditions.
Course Voucher Terms & Conditions
1. Gift vouchers are non refundable and non transferrable.
2. All courses redeemed using vouchers must take place before the expiry date on the voucher. Out of date vouchers will not be honoured or refunded. All gift vouchers are valid for 12 months form the date of purchase and courses must be booked and attended within this time.
3. To book a course via a gift voucher you must request a booking form either by phone on 01245 283986 or via email at info@gourmetcupcakes.co.uk. A list of courses and dates can be viewed at www.gourmetcupcakes.co.uk/courses.
NB Voucher redemptions cannot be made via the website booking system.
4. Please note, course dates are not held or booked until your completed booking form is received, and in the meantime are available online to be booked by other people.
5. Vouchers are purchased for a specific amount and may be redeemed against any of our courses. If the course you wish to attend is of a higher value than your voucher, you may attend and pay the difference however, if the course you choose is of a lesser value than your voucher, we regret no refund can be made.
6. We reserve the right to remove and add news courses to and from our schedule without prior warning.
7. Course attendees that have booked via gift voucher redemptions will be eligible to take advantage of our loyalty discount schemes.
8. Please note our standard terms and conditions at www.gourmetcupcakes.co.uk/FAQ which apply to all voucher sales and recipient redemptions.