# Custom Cakes at Safeway: How to Order One or Bake Your Own

Source: https://www.safeway.com/shopping-guides/flowers-cards-occasion/custom-cakes-at-safeway-how-to-order-one-or-bake-your-own-kp81d1
Updated: 2026-11-02

You can [order a custom cake](https://www.safeway.com/order/custom-cakes.html) from our bakery online and pick it up at your store, or bake one at home with the recipes below. We decorate cakes for birthdays, graduations and holidays, and we keep ready-to-go cakes in our bakery case when you need one today.

Here is how ordering works, how many people each sheet size feeds, and how to bake a cake with ingredients from our baking aisle.

## How to Order a Custom Cake From Our Bakery

On our custom cake page, you can browse [photo cakes](https://www.safeway.com/order/custom-cakes/photo-cakes-more.html), [designer cakes](https://www.safeway.com/order/custom-cakes/designer-cakes.html), [sports cakes](https://www.safeway.com/order/custom-cakes/sports-cakes.html), [cupcakes and cupcake cakes](https://www.safeway.com/order/custom-cakes/cupcakes.html) and [message cookies](https://www.safeway.com/order/custom-cakes/message-cookies.html), along with seasonal designs that change through the year.

Ordering runs through [Order Ahead](https://www.safeway.com/orderahead.html). Pick a cake, choose your store and a pickup time, then collect it at our bakery. Order Ahead also covers cupcake cakes, cupcake trays, cookie trays, party trays and platters, fruit and veggie trays and balloons, so one order can cover the whole party.

Many bakery items list a prep time when you order, and several call for 24 hours. Plan to order at least a day ahead, and earlier for busy weekends, graduation season and holidays. You can also ask at the bakery counter in your store.

## How Big a Cake Do You Need?

Sheet cakes come in fractions of a full sheet. These counts assume typical 2-inch party squares.

| Size | Serves about | Good for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ⅛ sheet | 12 | A small family birthday or a team at work |
| ¼ sheet | 20 to 24 | A kids' party or a classroom |
| ½ sheet | 40 to 48 | A graduation or a big family gathering |
| Full sheet | 80 to 96 | Reunions, office parties and large events |
| Cupcakes | 1 per guest, plus a few extra | Parties where guests grab and go |

Each cake on our order page lists its servings, so go by that number when you order.

## Tips for Ordering a Party Cake

Count your guests first. Type the message on the order form exactly as it should appear and double-check the spelling of every name. For a photo cake, use a clear, well-lit photo. Pick a pickup time with some buffer before the party, and keep the cake level in the car on the way home.

## Need a Cake Today?

When you need a cake the same day, check our bakery case for ready-to-go options. We carry decorated quarter sheet and eighth sheet cakes, petite 5-inch cakes, cupcakes in 12-count packs, cake slices and 8-inch ice cream cakes. Stock varies by store.

## Easy Cake Recipes to Make at Home

Most boxes of cake mix in our baking aisle make a 9x13-inch cake or about 24 cupcakes, so check the box for yours.

### Better Box-Mix Cake

This common baker's trick swaps a few everyday ingredients into a box of cake mix.

**Ingredients**

- 1 box cake mix
- Whole milk, the same amount as the water on the box
- Melted butter, the same amount as the oil on the box
- Eggs, 1 more egg than the box calls for
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

**Steps**

1. Heat the oven to the temperature on the box and prepare the pan size it calls for.
2. Use whole milk in place of the water and melted butter in place of the oil, using the same amounts the box calls for.
3. Add 1 more egg than the box calls for, plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and mix the batter as directed on the box.
4. Bake at the temperature on the box and start checking 5 minutes early; it is done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
5. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then cool completely before frosting.

[**Pillsbury Moist Supreme Cake Mix Premium Devils Food**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.960073548.html)

[**Duncan Hines Signature Perfectly Moist Spice Cake Mix - 15.25 Oz**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/pd/duncan-hines-signature-perfectly-moist-spice-cake-mix-15-25-oz/960303369)

[**Opn Nat Cake Mix White Gluten Free**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.971397364.html)


### Vanilla Buttercream

One batch of this frosting covers a 9x13-inch cake or 24 cupcakes.

**Ingredients**

- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- A pinch of salt

**Steps**

1. Beat the softened butter in a bowl for 2 to 3 minutes until pale.
2. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time on low speed.
3. Add the vanilla extract, salt and 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream.
4. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy, adding the last tablespoon of milk if the frosting is stiff.
5. For a chocolate version, beat in ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 extra tablespoon milk.

To tint the vanilla frosting, add gel food color a drop at a time. Gel colors tint without thinning the frosting.

[**Lucerne Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter Quarters**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.138250170.html)

[**Signature SELECT Powdered Sugar Confectioners**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.117300001.html)

[**Signature SELECT Extract Pure Vanilla - 2 Fl. Oz.**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.114010022.html)

[**HERSHEYS Cocoa Natural Unsweetened**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.113400083.html)


### Pull-Apart Cupcake Cake

Guests pull off a cupcake each from this party cake, so there is nothing to slice.

**Ingredients**

- 24 cupcakes from one box mix
- One batch vanilla buttercream or two 16-ounce tubs of frosting
- Sprinkles
- Gel food color for the message

**Steps**

1. Bake 24 cupcakes from one box of cake mix and let them cool completely.
2. Arrange the cupcakes touching on a large board or tray in a shape such as a circle, a heart, a number or a letter.
3. Set aside a little frosting for the message, then spread the rest across the tops so the gaps disappear and it reads as one cake.
4. Decorate the frosted top with sprinkles.
5. Tint the reserved frosting with gel food color, spoon it into a zip-top bag with one corner snipped, and write a message on top.

[**Betty Crocker Frosting Rich & Creamy Vanilla**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.113050071.html)

[**Betty Crocker Frosting Rich & Creamy Milk Chocolate**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.113050069.html)

[**Betty Crocker Frosting Whipped Butter Cream**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.113050070.html)

[**Betty Crocker Frosting Rich & Creamy Cream Cheese**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.113050022.html)


## Make a Store-Bought Cake Your Own

Start with a plain cake from our bakery case and dress it up at home. Add fresh berries, sprinkles, candles or a piped message to make it your own.

[**Cake Mate Decorating Decors Sprinkles Rainbow Mix**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.960041426.html)

[**Betty Crocker Decorating Decors Sprinkles Rainbow Nonpareil**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.113500313.html)

[**Betty Crocker Decorating Decors Sprinkles Chocolate**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.960041421.html)

[**Cake Mate Decorating Decors Sugar Crystals Blue**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.960041422.html)

[**Betty Crocker Gel Food Colors Classic**](https://www.safeway.com/shop/product-details.113500612.html)


If you are planning for a holiday table, take a look at [our holiday desserts guide](https://www.safeway.com/shopping-guides/how-to-cook/holiday/holiday-desserts-complete-sweet-endings-entertaining-guide-6f15qc).

## Common Questions About Custom Cakes

### How far ahead should I order a custom cake from Safeway?

Many bakery items list a prep time when you order, and several say 24 hours. Order at least a day ahead, and earlier for busy weekends, graduation season and holidays. You can also ask at the bakery counter in your store.

### Can I order a cake online and pick it up in store?

Yes, you can order on [our custom cake page](https://www.safeway.com/order/custom-cakes.html) through Order Ahead. Pick a cake, choose your store and a pickup time, then collect it at our bakery. You can also add cupcake cakes, cupcake trays, cookie trays, party trays and platters, fruit and veggie trays and balloons to the same order.

### Can you put a photo on a cake?

Yes, you can browse and order photo cakes on our custom cake page. Use a clear, well-lit photo, and double-check your message and name spellings when you order.

### How many people does a quarter sheet cake feed?

Cut into typical 2-inch party squares, a ¼ sheet cake feeds about 20 to 24 people. An ⅛ sheet serves about 12, a ½ sheet serves about 40 to 48, and a full sheet serves about 80 to 96. Each cake on our order page lists its servings, so go by that.

### How far ahead can I bake a cake?

Cake layers wrapped tightly in plastic keep for 1 day at room temperature or about 2 months in the freezer, and you can frost them once thawed.

### Does a frosted cake need to go in the fridge?

A buttercream cake keeps covered at cool room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Cakes with cream cheese frosting, whipped cream or fresh fruit go in the fridge. For a bakery cake, follow the label.

### Why didn't my cake rise?

Cakes that do not rise are often down to old [baking soda and baking powder](https://www.safeway.com/shopping-guides/condiments-spice-and-bake/baking-ingredients/baking-soda-and-powder/the-difference-between-baking-soda-and-baking-powder-fnlnw5), an oven that runs cool, or opening the oven door too early. Wait until 5 minutes before the end of the bake time on the box to check the cake.