Register with FSSAI first
Baking for sale is a food business, even from a home kitchen. You need FSSAI registration or a licence. From 1 April 2026, basic registration covers food businesses with turnover up to ₹1.5 crore a year. Above that, up to ₹50 crore, you need a state licence. FSSAI says small businesses now get instant registration with no pre-inspection. Registrations also no longer need renewal.
Keep a home kitchen food-safe
Your kitchen is now a food business, so run it like one. Keep a clean counter and separate tools just for orders. Store butter, cream and eggs in the fridge, and check dates before every bake. Tie your hair back and wash your hands often. Keep pets out while you work. A buyer who sees a clean kitchen in your videos trusts the cake before tasting it.
Egg, eggless and allergens
Buyers often ask one thing first - is it eggless? FSSAI's labelling rules count egg as non-vegetarian, while milk does not count. So a packed cake with egg takes the brown triangle mark. An eggless cake with no other animal items takes the green dot. If egg is the only non-veg item, you may say so beside the symbol. Also name allergens such as milk, eggs, nuts and wheat.
Show the details on your menu
When packed food is sold online, FSSAI's rules say the label details must reach the buyer before the sale. Batch number and dates are the exception. So put the ingredients, veg or non-veg mark, allergens and weight on each cake's page. Say how long the cake keeps and whether it needs a fridge. That answers questions before they reach your phone.
Pricing a cake: a made-up example
| Cost item | 1 kg chocolate cake |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | ₹380 |
| Cake box, board and candles | ₹70 |
| Gas and electricity | ₹30 |
| Your time, 3 hours | ₹300 |
| Delivery within your city | ₹80 |
| Total cost | ₹860 |
Setting your price
The figures above are made up, so use your own. Two lines are easy to forget - your own time and the box. Once you have the total cost, add your profit on top. Charge extra for fondant, custom toppers or rush orders, since they take more time. Keep a small menu of set sizes and flavours, so your pricing stays simple. Review your prices every few months, because butter, chocolate and cream can all get dearer. A price that worked last year may now leave you baking for nothing.
Delivery that keeps cakes whole
Fresh cream cakes do not like heat or potholes. Deliver them within your own city, by yourself or through a local rider. Use a sturdy box on a flat surface, and keep the cake cool until it leaves. Take orders a day or two ahead, so you are never baking in a rush. Cookies, brownies and dry cakes can go further by courier, if packed well.
Taking orders online
WhatsApp works for your first few orders, but it gets messy in busy weeks. A simple store shows your menu, prices and delivery areas in one place. On The Storemate you can mark which pincodes you deliver to and take UPI, cards and COD. Take payment upfront for custom cakes, so a cancelled order does not cost you the ingredients. Share a few photos of past cakes with each size, so buyers know what to expect.