Custom Cake Boxes
Every other food carton can be sized with a little room to spare. A cake cannot, because the surface that must not be touched is soft, and the moment the box moves the icing meets the wall. Cake packaging is a problem of holding something still without touching it.
Get a price for Cake Boxes
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- 4styles in this range, each with its own page and price
- 100unit minimum on every style, printed or plain
- 4markets quoted in the delivery currency
- ±1mmcutting tolerance on folding board, checked on a sample
4 styles in this range
Styles we make in this range
Every one below is written up, priced and dielined. Tap a style to see how it is built.
01See the build →Cake Pop Boxes
A cake pop is a dense ball of cake on a paper stick, usually coated in something that sets hard and chips.
02See the build →Cake Slice Boxes
A wedge of cake is cut on two sides and iced on the third.
03See the build →Cupcake Boxes
Cupcakes do not break in transit.
04See the build →Kraft Cupcake Boxes
Kraft is the default for home bakers and small bakeries because it looks made rather than manufactured.
Side by side
Which cake boxes style fits
| Style | Board | Build | Minimum | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cake Pop Boxes | Grease-resistant food-grade; rigid base above six pops | Single sleeves, window boxes, punched platform boxes, bouquet builds | 100 boxes | Open → |
| Cake Slice Boxes | Grease-resistant food-grade; base a grade heavier than the walls | Wedge carton with lid; base insert with a shallow recess | 100 boxes | Open → |
| Cupcake Boxes | Grease-resistant food-grade; heavier base on 6 and 12 | See the page | 100 boxes | Open → |
| Kraft Cupcake Boxes | Grease-resistant kraft; heavier base on 6 and 12 | See the page | 100 boxes | Open → |
Height clearance is the first number
Measure the cake at its tallest point — the peak of a swirl, the top of a candle holder, the tip of a decoration — and add clearance above it. A box sized to the sponge and not to the decoration will smear the top of every cake it carries.
Then check the lid deflection. A wide flat lid on a tall box will bow downwards in the middle when the box is carried, and on a 250 mm box that bow can be several millimeters. Score reinforcement or a slightly heavier lid board stops it.
Buttercream is the least forgiving. A ganache or fondant finish tolerates a light touch; buttercream records it permanently.
Stopping the cake sliding without gripping it
Cupcakes are the case where the insert matters most. Without wells they rotate, and a rotated cupcake with a swirl has already touched its neighbour.
| Cake board under the cake | Standard; the cake is fixed to the board, the board sits in the box |
|---|---|
| Base insert with a recess | Locates the board so it cannot slide sideways |
| Cupcake insert | Individual wells; the only reliable way to move cupcakes |
| Wedge insert | For slices, holding the point of the wedge upright |
| Cake pop holder | Punched card that holds sticks vertical and spaced |
Board, grease and refrigeration
Buttercream and ganache are fat, and fat wicks into uncoated board and shows through. Grease-resistant food-grade board is the baseline for anything iced.
Refrigeration adds a second problem: a chilled box in a warm kitchen sweats, and damp board loses a large share of its strength. If cakes are stored cold and carried warm, specify a heavier board than the weight alone suggests.
Windows on a decorated product
For counter sales a clear lid wins. For anything carried any distance, a printed box with an accurate photograph and no window travels better.
- The decoration is the purchase, so seeing it matters more here than almost anywhere.
- A filmed window fogs on anything boxed warm or moved from a fridge.
- An open window on a food product exposes it, which many buyers will not accept.
- A clear lid on a shallow box shows everything and costs more than a window.
Carrying it, which is where cakes are actually lost
A cake box is carried flat by one person walking, often to a car, sometimes on a lap. That journey is where cakes are damaged, not in the shop.
A base that will not sag is worth more than a stronger lid. Two board grades up on the base alone, or a double-thickness bottom, changes the failure rate on anything above about a kilogram — the same base reasoning as our bakery box builds.
Across the range
What every cake boxes job runs on
Boards
- Natural kraft
- White SBS
- E and B flute
- Wrapped grayboard
- Food-grade board
- Recycled content
Chosen from what goes in the box and how far it travels. Our notes on recyclable and compostable stocks say which claims each board can carry.
Finishes
- Matte
- Gloss
- Soft-touch
- Foil
- Emboss
- Spot UV
- Kraft
- Textured
Each one is a decision about light on a shelf — the specialty finishes range shows them on real boxes.
Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, fonts outlined
- 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area
- CMYK; a spot color where a match must hold
- Proof on the dieline before press
Files not set up that way are fine — see the guide to preparing print files.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Build your Cake Boxes in 3D
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a board and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about cake boxes? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
How much headroom should I leave above the cake?
Enough that a bowed lid still cannot reach the decoration. Measure the tallest point and allow for lid deflection on wide boxes.
Do cupcakes really need an insert?
Yes, if they move at all. Without wells they rotate and the swirls touch.
Will the box survive the fridge?
Grease-resistant board handles the fat. Condensation is the bigger issue — specify heavier board if boxes go cold then warm.
Window or no window?
Clear lid for counter sales, no window for anything carried far. Filmed windows fog when a cake comes out of the cold.
What is the minimum order?
100 boxes, any build.
Why does the base sag on a large cake box?
Weight over an unsupported span. Two board grades up on the base alone, or a double-thickness bottom, fixes it.
How much headroom should I leave above the cake?
Enough that a bowed lid still cannot reach the decoration. Measure the tallest point and allow for lid deflection on wide boxes.
Do cupcakes really need an insert?
Yes, if they move at all. Without wells they rotate and the swirls touch.
Will the box survive the fridge?
Grease-resistant board handles the fat. Condensation is the bigger issue — specify heavier board if boxes go cold then warm.
Window or no window?
Clear lid for counter sales, no window for anything carried far. Filmed windows fog when a cake comes out of the cold.
Keep browsing
