A Wholesale Pastry Timeline: How to Plan Orders for Events and Cafés
There’s a quiet kind of magic in pastry-making. The kind that fills a room with the smell of butter and sugar melting together, or makes people pause before taking that first bite. Behind that magic, though, is planning, especially when you’re ordering pastries for an event or your café.
Two Bakers understands that rhythm better than anyone. Once a cosy café in Singapore known for handmade pastries, we now work behind the scenes, crafting pastries in bulk for cafés, events, and corporate clients. While we no longer serve walk-ins, we have freed up our kitchen to focus on one thing: helping others serve the kind of pastries that people remember.
Timing Is the Real Secret Ingredient
If you’ve ever watched croissant dough being folded, you’ll know that good things need time. Planning pastry orders works the same way. Rushing it rarely ends well.
Whether you’re prepping for a wedding dessert bar, a new café launch, or a company gathering, giving yourself time means your supplier can plan ingredients, schedule production, and get everything just right. Think of it as teamwork, featuring your ideas and their oven.
And the result? Pastries that arrive looking and tasting exactly as you imagined.
Your Step-by-Step Pastry Planning Guide
3 to 6 Months Before: Let the Ideas Bake
Start early. This is the fun part: the dreaming stage. Decide what kind of pastries fit your event or menu. Mini eclairs? Fruit tarts? Maybe something with local twists like pandan cream puffs or yuzu cheesecakes.
It’s also when you talk to your supplier. Ask about seasonal flavours, ingredient sourcing, or what’s trending among cafés and event planners. If possible, book a tasting. It’s much easier to make confident decisions when you’ve seen (and tasted) the options.
Giving this much notice also lets your pastry partner plan ingredient orders because things like fresh berries or specialty chocolate can take time to source, especially during busy months.
1 to 2 Months Before: Lock It In
Now that you know what you want, it’s time to get practical. Finalise quantities, packaging details, and delivery schedules if your pastries need custom finishes like monogrammed toppers, gold leaf accents, or colour-themed icing. Let your supplier know now.
This is also the stage where café owners usually coordinate marketing. Photoshoots, menu testing, or social media teasers all benefit from having the actual pastries on hand.
And here’s a small but useful tip: always ask how each pastry should be stored. Some items stay flaky at room temperature, while others need refrigeration to stay perfect.
2 to 3 Weeks Before: The Calm Before the Rush
This is the home stretch. It’s time to confirm everything.
Double-check dates, quantities, and the delivery address. If your event runs over several days, see if your supplier can schedule split deliveries. That way, your pastries arrive fresh daily instead of all at once.
It’s also a good moment to plan your display setup. Think trays, tablecloths, labels, or dessert stands. A well-styled table can make even the simplest pastry look luxurious.
If you’re running a café, this week is all about prep, like getting your staff ready for storage, plating, and serving.
Event Week: Showtime
You’ve planned, prepped, and confirmed. Now it’s time to let it all come together. Make sure someone’s available to receive and check the deliveries. Have storage space cleared and temperature settings ready.
When the pastries arrive, unwrap one or two just to admire them; the buttery scent, the shine of the glaze, the soft crumble when you cut through. It’s the payoff for all that planning.
And if you’re styling a buffet or café counter, play around with levels and colours. A mix of heights and textures makes everything look more inviting.
Common Pastry Planning Slip-Ups
Even seasoned planners make small mistakes that can cause big stress later. Here are a few to avoid:
Ordering Too Late: Especially around festive seasons when production slots fill fast.
Skipping the Storage Plan: Some pastries don’t do well in the chiller, while others wilt in warm air.
Forgetting Packaging: A perfect tart can shift during delivery if the box isn’t fitted properly.
Not Confirming Delivery Times: Pastries should arrive when someone’s around to receive and refrigerate them quickly.
A short checklist can save hours of last-minute panic.
Why a Good Supplier Changes Everything
The right pastry partner doesn’t just bake; they think with you. They know which items travel well, what quantities work for your crowd, and how to maintain freshness through delivery.
They’ve seen the hiccups that happen behind events and help you avoid them quietly, long before they become problems. That’s the difference between a basic supplier and one who truly cares about what ends up on your guests’ plates.
Read: Sourcing Pastries for Events, Gifting or Retail? Read This First
Seasonal Advice from the Kitchen
For Festive Periods: Book 2 months ahead. Things like berries, cream, and chocolate become high-demand items.
For Weddings: Align with your decorator early, especially if pastries will match floral colours or table themes.
For Cafés: Rotate menus every few months. It keeps your offerings fresh and exciting.
For Corporate Events: Order extras for sampling or photo use. There’s always someone who’ll ask for “just one more.”
Wrapping It Up Sweetly
Every tray of pastries tells a story, and it is one that begins long before the first bite. Planning ahead means you give your supplier time to craft pastries that truly represent your event or business.
Two Bakers, now focused exclusively on wholesale and corporate pastry production, brings that same craftsmanship from our café days into every bulk order. Our goal? To make your event, café, or client meeting just a little more memorable, one flaky layer at a time.
So if you’ve got an idea brewing, don’t wait. Get in touch with Two Bakers and start planning your next pastry lineup today, because the best spreads are the ones that rise with time.