FAQ
Important notice
COVID-19 postponements and cancellation policy
This applies to orders placed on or after Thursday 5th November 2020 until further notice
Although our shop and bakery in Bishop’s Stortford is closed for now due to the coronavirus outbreak, you can still order your special occasion cakes through this site.
Due to the uncertainty at this time because of Covid-19, we have put in place this special postponements and cancellation policy to enable you to feel confident in booking your special occasion cake with Karen’s Cakes. Our aim is to be as flexible as possible whilst still being realistic about the future and how it may affect your plans. If you have any further questions of worries please do not hesitate to contact us via the contact page on this website.
Postponements
If the government increase restrictions again and we are no longer able to fulfil your order that is required during the new period we are happy to postpone until a later date of your choosing or carry the amount paid over to a different order, again at a later date. This is subject to availability and the usual notice period of booking lead times. Should we be unable to complete your order for the new date for any reason, we will refund you in full.
Cancellations
If the period of closure is extended by the government and your cake is required during the new period meaning we will be unable to fulfil your order and you wish to cancel rather than postpone, we will refund you in full less a £7.50 administration cost.
Postponements and Cancellations due to self isolation
If you are in a period of self isolation or ill due to Coronavirus when your cake is required we are happy to either postpone or refund in full (*subject to the notice given) whichever is your preferred option.
*If your order has been started, as a gesture of goodwill we would give a partial refund to reflect the ingredients and overheads costs only.
If we are in the same situation i.e. in a period of self isolation and can not fulfil your order, again we are happy to postpone or refund in full.
Contactless collection system
- On arrival please ring the bell on the right hand side of the shop door and have a copy of your order or ID ready to show us so we know which order you are collecting (please allow a little time for us to come out as we are working on orders so may be able to come immediately). If for some reason we do not hear you, please call the shop on 01279 508909, once the answer phone message has played, say you are outside waiting.
- We will show you your order from the other side of the window so you can confirm you are happy it is correct once you have seen it. Please stay there and wait for us to complete the next stage.
- We will then unlock the door and secure it open. Once we have stood back please take your order from the table just inside the door.
- All the other storage recommendations are as described in your order confirmation order email. (If you did not receive these please check your spam folder and if they are not there just let us know and we can send them to you again).
- All that is left to do then is enjoy the contents!
Collecting and cake storage
(Please note if you have ordered a wedding cake and have paid the additional charge for delivery then although you do not need to worry about the collection information you may find the keeping and storage advice of interest).
When will my cake be ready for collection?
On the date you have ordered it for from 9.30am and we close at 5pm Wednesday to Friday, 9.30 to 1.00pm Saturday. For cupcakes and cakes that are with cupcakes they will be ready from the option time you have selected when you placed your order. Saturday late collection is 11.30am to 1.00pm. Please book a pick up time for social distancing reasons.
Where do I park to collect my cake?
There are double yellow lines outside our shop which means you CAN stop to collect your cake especially if it is large and heavy. You have paid in full, so the collection process is easy, just quote the name the cake is booked in and what it is when you arrive. Please DO NOT STOP on the zig-zags line of the zebra crossing by our shop entrance as this is illegal and could result in an instant fine of approximately £100 and a minimum of 3 points on your licence. It is also a criminal offence to park on the pavement, so we respectfully ask that you do not do this either. Our address is 7a, Northgate End, Bishop’s Stortford, HERTS, CM23 2ET.
Due to building works currently taking place on the Northgate End car, the nearest to us now is The Causeway car park next to Waitrose.
Where should I put the cake to transport it home?
We advise either in the boot or a foot well, (not with the heater on cold days and if possible with air-conditioning on if it is hot outside) not on a seat which is often not flat and the cake could fly off if you have to break in an emergency. If the cake is not too large then on a passengers lap is ok but we do not recommend this for heavy cakes or long journeys.
How long will my cake keep?
As a guide, the cake will be at its best for up to 4 days from collection for iced cakes, 5 days for buttercream and drip cakes and cupcakes up to 3 days. We also advise that you order your cake for collection as near to the date you intend on eating it as possible so that you are enjoying it at its freshest. All of our cakes are baked to order, so any surplus that you want to keep for longer can be frozen. If your cake or cupcakes are to be used a few of days after collection, please let us know and we will bake and decorate the cake or cupcakes as close to this date as we can so your cake is as fresh as it can be when you eat it.
Where should I keep my cake?
For iced cakes, room temperature is fine but keep away from direct sun light or radiators that are on. We do not recommend keeping it in a fridge or somewhere too cold prior to your event as it will make the icing go wet and sticky once it comes back to room temperature. We do not recommend leaving your cake in a car on hot or cold days for long periods or a garage or out-building where there may be insects or vermin present unbeknown to you.
For semi-naked, buttercreamed and drip cakes, on hot days keeping the cake in a fridge is recommended if possible. To enjoy the cake at its best, allow it to come back to room temperature before eating.
For cupcakes, the shelve life can be extended by placing any remaining cupcakes into an airtight container or freezing.
Remaining iced, semi-naked, buttercream and drip cakes
Once the cake is cut any leftover can be stored wrapped in cling film and in the fridge to extend the life for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively, to extend the life further, all our cakes are freshly baked to order so they can be frozen. We recommend doing this as soon after cutting as possible.
Can you make cakes suitable for people with food allergies?
Gluten/wheat free cakes
We offer a gluten/wheat free Belgian chocolate cake in all sizes and cupcakes and gluten/wheat free Victoria sponge cake in limited sizes.
We have strict procedures to make every effort that there are no traces of gluten or wheat in the fully decorated cake. However, we do obviously have products that contain gluten and wheat on the premises, so if you have a severe allergic reaction to minute traces of these products we are unable to guarantee they are completely free from them. (For more details please contact us).
Dairy free
We offer dairy free vanilla cake in limited sizes. We do also make cakes containing dairy but we have very strict protocols to prevent cross contamination. (For more details please contact us).
Nut allergies Update June 2021
With regard to nut allergies – we have taken the very hard decision to no longer accept cake orders for nut free cakes. It is becoming increasingly difficult to source nut free products for us to use coupled with our own production issues. As we can no longer be confident enough to stop cross contamination, we feel it is best not to offer this service any more.
Other allergies
Unfortunately we cannot cater for any other allergies at this time.
Should require a more comprehensive breakdown of the ingredients contained within our cakes please contact us directly.
Ordering and collecting a wedding cake
To ensure your cake is at its best we advise that you collect no more than 3 days before your wedding day. All of our cakes are securely boxed ready for transportation. Please see above for transportation and storage details.
Delivery of wedding cakes
Deliveries will be during normal working hours and direct to the wedding reception venue. We do not deliver to private addresses unless the wedding reception is to be held there and are quoted for on an individual basis. Please note deliveries on a Sunday or Monday are quoted on an individual basis and are subject to availability.
Please advise us of your expected arrival time at the venue on the day of the wedding (‘Any Bishops Stortford town centre restaurant’ – include restaurant name) together with contact name and number of the person co-ordinating for you at the venue on the ‘order notes’ section of the checkout page when placing your order.
Our delivery area is within 50 minutes (a round trip of 1 hour 40 minutes) drive from our Bishops Stortford shop.
Where possible we will deliver and display the cake, however in some very rare circumstances this may not be possible, for example when the ceremony takes place in the same room as the reception. If this is the case, please liaise with your reception venue that they will be happy to accept delivery and take responsibility for displaying the cake.
For venues not shown on our list and fitting the above criteria please ask us to give you a personal quote.
Can the glittered decorations on my cake be eaten ?
The glitter we use is non edible/food contact safe glitter.
Although it is not recommended this type of glitter should consumed in volume, if small quantities do come into contact with your cake this is fine. However any decorations themselves covered in the glitter are not edible and we recommend that you remove these before serving your cake.
Cake topper range
Although these are all hand crafted from icing they are unsuitable for consumption as the icing used has to set extremely hard and would be unpleasant to eat.
Portion guide
This is an approximate guide to the number of portions you can get from our standard depth cakes. For designs that state a ‘deep’ cake increased the number of portions by approximately 15% and extra deep by 50%. For further information please contact us.
Vanilla Genoese/Chocolate Devil cake /Belgian chocolate cake
12cm – up to 10 portions, 15cm– up to 16 portions, 20cm– up to 30 portions, 22cm – up to 40, 25cm– up to 50 portions, 30cm– up to 70 portions
Rich fruit
15cm – up to 25 portions, 20cm– up to 40 portions, 25cm– up to 60 portions, 30cm– up to 90 portions
