Hey there, Kamper! Happy New Year! 🎉
Have you ever come across pictures of these cute custom-made cakes on the Internet? You may think it's hard to make one, but it's not!
Here's how to order your own custom cake for special days!
1- Types of cake
Before getting into the ordering bit, it's good to know what type of cake you signed up for. From small tiny cakes to large whole cakes, there are different types of cakes you can order.
a. Dosirak cake / bottle cake
도시락케이크 / 보틀 케이크
These are small cakes that fit into boxes, namely dosirak (packaged meal) box sizes or bottle boxes. If you want to celebrate a special day but you're under budget, dosirak cakes or bottle cakes may be your apt choice.
Many dosirak cakes come in certain designs and ask for you to come up with letters to fill the space, often with letter limits.
Dosirak cakes are usually the cheapest types of customized cake if you are looking for a legitimate cake, the price range falling between 15,000 won and 25,000 won. Some with eloquent designs may be pricier.
b. Half cakes
하프케이크 (aka. 반쪽 케이크)
Now this is a creative twist to the large round cake you typically imagine. This is a cake in a shape of a literally half of a cake, a fashionable way to make cakes. "Half cakes" are not found in all custom cake shops and can be found only in certain ones, so you will need to search for those that offer half ones.
But here's a shortcut to facilitate your search.
Disclaimer, half cakes may not be as large as the typical whole cake, but the price may not be that low.
c. Whole cake
홀케이크
Did you save up to make the most of the day and want a full package deal of nicely customized whole cakes? You can get the most creative with the design since they are large and allow space for your imagination to run. They come in various sizes, from small tart-sized ones to massive ones in multiple layers. To determine your choice, you'll have to dig into different shops to land on your final decision.
d. Others 🧁
If you feel like all of the above are over the top and would rather stick to a small, serene celebration, you can always search for cupcakes or macarons with messages. Happy Birthday cupcakes can be found here and there, and if you don't insist on opting for the "lettering" options, you can find them in different shapes of cute animals or decorations.
Cupcakes, usually bought in a set, cost somewhere between 4,000 won and 8,000 won per cupcake. You can choose the number of cupcakes to your content.
2- How to order custom cakes
Before anything, cakes come in different sizes and designs — meaning you should look up as many shops as you can before ordering! You may type in "케이크" on search bars on Instagram or the Naver Map app and start your search from there, as the algorithm will automatically give you different recommendations.
Take the location, design and the price into consideration to carefully evaluate your favorite choice.
2-a. Naver Map App
If you found the cakeshop through the Naver Map app, you will most likely be asked to complete your reservation through the app. You can choose the type of cake you want, the date you'd like to pick it up on-site and the time. Lastly, if you opt for a lettering option, you can follow the guideline left by the owner. In my case, I left it in the memo space (요청사항 칸) after successfully booking an order. In this case, you can pay straight through the bank account or card linked to your Naver account.
2-b. Kakaotalk Channel
