Questions, answered

Every listing on CAKELANKA is reviewed by hand before it goes live, and profiles show reviews in full, including the middling ones. Beyond that: ask for a photo of a cake they made last week, time how long their first WhatsApp reply takes, and get the price in writing with what it includes.

They are left by customers and shown unedited. Read them for specific detail rather than for the star count — a review that mentions the baker rang before delivery, or fixed a misspelled name without fuss, tells you far more than five stars and no words.

Yes. Eggless is widely available and you can filter the directory by speciality. For a serious allergy, say so explicitly and ask the baker directly how they handle cross-contamination in a home kitchen — do not assume.

All 9 provinces and all 25 districts. Coverage is deepest around Colombo and the larger towns and thinner in districts like Monaragala, Mullaitivu and Mannar, simply because fewer bakers there are listed online yet.

Almost always the recipient’s district. Heat and time on the road are the two things most likely to spoil a finished cake — buttercream softens, fondant sweats, decorations shift. A baker an hour away beats a better-known one four hours away.

It varies by baker and distance: modest within a town, and rising quickly the further the cake has to travel. Always get the delivery charge to your exact address confirmed in writing before you agree to the order.

Ask the baker to record a short video at handover. Many bakers offer this as standard, and you can filter the directory to only those bakers. It is the single most useful thing to request if you are ordering from overseas.

Usually, yes. Give the property name as well as the address and ask the baker to call on arrival, since hotel deliveries normally have to go through reception rather than straight to the room.

Sign in, then complete the "Become a Baker" form with your location, contact details, specialities and pricing. We review every application by hand, and once approved your page is live and customers can message you directly.

Nothing. There is no listing fee, no subscription and no commission on orders. Customers contact you on WhatsApp and you keep the full amount you charge.

You will see the reason on your dashboard. The most common causes are incomplete contact details or photos too unclear to represent your work. Fix what is mentioned and the listing goes back in the queue.

Yes, any time, from your dashboard — including prices, photos and specialities. Editing an approved listing does not take it offline.

You do not order through us. CAKELANKA is a directory: you find a baker, open their profile, and message them directly on WhatsApp using the button on their page. The price you agree with the baker is what you pay them — we never sit in the middle of the transaction.

No. Listing is free for bakers and using the directory is free for customers. We take no commission and never handle payment, which is why a baker on CAKELANKA can quote you the same price they would quote a neighbour.

Two to three days for a simple buttercream cake, four to seven for fondant or a custom design, and two to four weeks for a tiered or wedding cake. Double that around Christmas, Sinhala and Tamil new year, and full-moon Poya days, when good bakers book out early.

Sometimes, but you will be choosing from whoever happens to be free rather than whoever is best. Home bakers bake to order and do not hold stock. If the date matters, give notice.

The recipient’s name and mobile number, the full address plus a landmark, the delivery date and a time window, the exact wording you want on the cake, the size in kilograms, and any allergy or eggless requirement. If it is a surprise, say so and give your own number for confirmation calls.

Most home bakers cannot take a foreign card. The smoothest route is to send money to a relative in Sri Lanka as you normally would and have them transfer to the baker — a transfer screenshot is usually accepted as confirmation. Direct transfer from a remittance service also works; confirm the account name matches the business before sending anything.

A deposit is normal and reasonable. Paying the full amount before you have written confirmation of the date, address, cake description and total is not. Get that message first.

Message whenever suits you, but say where you are in the first message. A baker who knows you are in Melbourne or London will call your family at a sensible local hour rather than the middle of your night.