Specialty food makers & markets
Books and taxes for custom cake studios.
Wedding cake deposits, tasting consultations, rush order fees, and tiered designs that cost more than a standard cake. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $4,600. Two wedding deposits for fall dates came in this month, so I held them out of your earned income until those cakes are actually delivered.
- Wedding cake final paymentCake sales
- Tasting consultation feeConsultation fees
- Cake supply wholesalerIngredients and cake supplies
- Fondant and gum paste orderDecorating supplies
- Delivery van fuelDelivery and setup
Why your books are different
A custom cake studio's books go wrong around design and timing.
You are not baking one recipe at one price. Every cake is a different design with a different cost, weddings are booked and paid for months apart, and a rush order changes your math entirely. When the books do not track that, you cannot tell which cakes are actually worth the hours.
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1
Wedding deposits get counted as income too early
A cake booked for a September wedding might pay a deposit in February. Counted as February income, the books say you earned money for a cake you have not baked yet.
What we doKeeps deposits separate from earned income until the cake is delivered, so income lands in the month the work actually happened. -
2
Design complexity is not tied to what a cake actually cost
A simple two-tier cake and an elaborate five-tier sculpted design get baked in the same kitchen, but if ingredient and time cost are not tracked by order, you cannot tell which designs are actually profitable.
What we doTies ingredient and supply purchases to the orders they were bought for, so you can see cost against price for each design tier. -
3
Rush fees get blended into the regular cake price
A cake ordered on short notice usually carries a rush fee to cover the scramble, but if it is not tracked separately, you cannot tell whether rush orders are actually worth taking.
What we doKeeps rush order fees in their own line so you can see what they add against the extra strain they cause. -
4
Tasting consultations look like free marketing instead of a cost center
Sample cakes made for tastings use real ingredients and hours, but many studios never charge for them or never track the cost, so free tastings quietly eat into margin.
What we doTracks tasting costs and any consultation fees so you can see whether tastings are paying for themselves.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a custom cake studio.
Set up once for how you book and what you buy. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Cake salesFinal payments for wedding, birthday, and custom order cakes.
- Booking depositsDeposits taken to hold a date, kept apart until the cake is delivered.
- Consultation feesTasting or design consultation charges, where you charge for them.
- Rush order feesExtra charges for orders taken on short notice.
Money out
- Ingredients and cake suppliesFlour, butter, eggs, and specialty ingredients for each order.
- Decorating suppliesFondant, gum paste, edible decorations, and food coloring.
- Tasting samplesIngredients used for consultation tastings, tracked apart from paid orders.
- Delivery and setupVehicle fuel, mileage, and cake stands for on-site setup.
- Booking and payment feesWhat Square, Stripe, or a booking site kept before you got paid.
- Studio and equipment costsMixers, pans, and a rented or licensed kitchen space.
What we watch for you
- Margin per design tier
What each cake size or complexity earns after supplies. Shows which designs are worth taking on.
- Booked deposits
What is held for future orders, so you know what is real income and what is still owed work.
- Rush order share
How much of your income comes from rush fees, useful for deciding how many to accept.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things cake studio owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
It counts as income the year the cake is actually delivered, not the year you got paid. I am holding it as a deposit until then.
Based on the ingredients and supplies logged to that order, the margin is thinner than your simpler tiers. Whether the price should change is your call, but now you can see the real number.
Home kitchen cake rules vary a lot by state, some allow it under a cottage food exemption and some require a licensed kitchen for wedding cakes. That call is above my pay grade, but I keep whatever fees you have tracked either way.
The tax side
The tax side of a custom cake studio.
Most of what matters here is timing and cost tracking, since deposits, per-order ingredients, and home kitchen rules all shape what the return should actually say.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Deposits and income timingA deposit for a future wedding or event usually is not income until the cake is delivered. Booking it too early can overstate the year's earnings.
- Cost of goods sold by orderIngredients and decorating supplies for each cake count as cost of goods once that cake is sold, not when they are bought.
- Home kitchen rulesSelling cakes from a home kitchen usually falls under state cottage food or home bakery rules, which vary by state and by product. Gus flags this so you can confirm what applies to you.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed. It comes out right only when deposits and per-order costs are tracked cleanly.
Deductions custom cake studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Flour, butter, and eggs
- Fondant and gum paste
- Cake boards and boxes
- Cake stands for delivery
- Booking site fees
- Delivery vehicle mileage
- Mixer and pan repairs
- Food coloring and decorations
- Studio or kitchen rental
- Tasting sample ingredients
- Business liability insurance
- Portfolio photography
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A custom cake year, kept every month.
Wedding season and holiday orders carry most of the calendar, and deposits arrive months before the cake does. Gus keeps the timing straight through all of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so tax time does not surprise you while bookings are still slow.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your business return is filed and signed, right as wedding season bookings pick up.
- July
Peak season check
Where you stand mid-wedding-season, what you will owe, and how this year's bookings compare to last year's.
- October
Before the holiday order rush
Holiday cake orders start coming in. Gus looks at supply needs and equipment worth buying before the year's last busy stretch.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for custom cake studios. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions custom cake studio owners ask first.
How does Gus handle wedding deposits I take months in advance?
He keeps them separate from earned income until the cake is actually delivered, so the year's numbers reflect when the work happened, not when the deposit landed.
Can Gus tell me if my pricing covers my ingredient cost?
He ties ingredient and supply purchases to the orders they were for, so you can see the real margin on a design and decide if the price needs to change.
Do I need a licensed kitchen to sell wedding cakes?
It depends on your state. Some allow home kitchen sales under a cottage food exemption, others require a licensed commercial kitchen for cakes sold at events. That is worth confirming with your state's rules.
I charge a rush fee for short-notice orders. Does that need its own category?
Yes, it is worth tracking separately so you can see whether rush orders are actually paying for the extra strain they cause.
My books are behind from a busy wedding season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have and he sorts deposits, ingredient costs, and fees. Most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in specialty food makers & markets
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever