How to Buy a Costco Cake: Ordering, Pickup, and Secret Tips

• Written by Jul, 14 2025
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It almost sounds too easy: You’re craving a giant, decadent, frosting-packed cake and you imagine just strolling into Costco, picking one up, and heading right back out—maybe after grabbing a bag of rotisserie chickens and a family pack of socks. But does it work that way, really? Can you literally just pop in and grab a Costco cake on the spot? Or do you need secret codes, the wisdom of ten grandmothers, or at least a week’s notice?

Costco cakes inspire almost cult-level devotion. These aren’t just any supermarket cakes. They’re enormous (serving up to 48 people), low-priced, and frankly pretty addictive, which explains why you see them at birthday parties, graduation shindigs, and office celebrations. But there’s confusion swirling around the whole “pick up a cake” scenario—especially if you’re new to the warehouse way of life or showing up last minute hoping for a miracle.

How the Costco Cake Situation Actually Works

First thing’s first: Costco Australia doesn’t operate exactly like Costco in the US when it comes to cakes, but the basics are similar. The traditional, iconic Costco bakery cake is the half-sheet cake, usually available in flavors like vanilla with vanilla cheesecake mousse or chocolate with chocolate mousse. They’re famous for their thick layer of frosting, classic piping, and simple yet cheerful decorations. These cakes are budget-friendly. In 2025, the typical price for one in Australia hovers around $35–$40, and that’s for a cake that can feed a room full of humans and maybe even the neighbor’s dog (don’t actually feed your cake to the dog, though!).

But here’s the catch: You can’t always just walk in and grab one off the shelf. While you might get lucky and find a couple in the refrigerated case, especially around big holidays or weekends, the smart play is to order your cake ahead of time. Walk-in availability is the exception, not the rule—think of those as the bakery’s extra stock or a leftover from an uncollected order, not a dependable supply.

When you roll your trolley down the bakery aisle, what you see stocked in those gleaming chillers are more often cheesecakes, tarts, and their addictive tiramisu. The big-deal sheet cakes—with designs like balloons, roses, or even occasional cartoon characters—are typically made to order. Each store only bakes as many cakes as it has orders for, plus a handful more if they expect a rush, or if the baker woke up feeling unusually optimistic. So, if you bank on just turning up and scoring a cake, you’re playing a risky game. Especially on weekends or before major holidays, those cakes can sell out within the hour or not appear at all except for pre-ordered pickups.

Here’s a fun bit—Costco’s pre-pandemic sales of bakery sheet cakes topped 6 million per year across the US and Australia. That’s a lot of candles and a lot of buttercream. Cake-loving families—and local offices who really want to treat the team—have caught on fast: It pays to order ahead. The custom order form isn’t fancy; it’s usually a paper slip you fill out at the bakery counter. You pick your flavor, size, filling, decoration, and message. Make your special request at least 48 hours in advance to keep everyone smiling.

But let’s say you do want to take your chances. It’s Tuesday morning, far from anyone’s birthday, and you wander in—could you just find a cake ready to go? Possibly, if the bakery made extras. It never hurts to ask a bakery staffer what’s hiding in the back fridge. Sometimes, cakes set aside from cancelled orders can find new homes with lucky shoppers. But this is not a guarantee—think Powerball, not ATM.

If you really want to feel like an insider, here’s how the process generally goes in most Australian locations:

• Find the cake order form at the bakery counter (yep, it’s usually just a clipboard and a stack of forms).
• Choose your options: chocolate or vanilla sponge; fillings like cheesecake mousse or chocolate mousse; decoration; and your personalized message.
• Drop the filled form in the box (usually on the counter)—the bakery staff will handle it from there.
• If you forget or run short on time, try ringing your local warehouse, but note that some Aussie stores still require the order to be made in-person—so send a friend if you must.
• Return on your chosen pickup day (usually two or three days after you order) and collect at the bakery counter, skipping every planning-stressed shopper trying their luck with walk-ins.

Costco cake pro tip: Those basic cake decorations are free, and the flavor options include “half-and-half” cakes in some stores if you can’t decide. Grab an extra tub of frosting for $5–$7 if you’re into more over-the-top decorations—these tubs, also sold over the counter, have their own fan club.

Insider Tips for the Best Costco Cake Experience

Alright, what if you really want a Costco cake but forgot to order ahead? Here’s the playbook. First, check the fridge—some locations stock a handful of generic cakes on weekends. If the fridge looks barren, don’t despair yet. Approach the bakery counter (with your best polite-but-desperate face) and ask about extra or abandoned orders. Staff can sometimes work magic or offer cupcake packs if there’s absolutely nothing left.

If you need a cake shaped like a truck, dinosaur, or unicorn? Pump the brakes—Costco sticks to simple shapes: rectangles, rounds, and maybe some fun themes like flowers or balloons. You can’t upload a baby photo or get fondant figurines, but for most milestones, their existing templates cover the bases—birthday, graduation, even “congrats on the new job” if you like kitsch. But—you are welcome to take the plainest cake and redecorate at home with your own piping bags and store-bought toppers. Some parents even scrape off and replace the frosting for their own creations!

Ever wondered why Costco cakes cost so much less than boutique bakery ones? Large-scale baking is their magic trick. Check this out:

It’s not just price, either. Costco sheet cakes are fat slabs of cake, not layers perched on cardboard. They’re heavy, moist, and surprisingly transport-proof—a must when you’re hauling desserts across Melbourne traffic for your best mate’s 40th.

But there’s a less obvious tip: Freezing. Can’t eat all the cake at once? These cakes freeze like a dream. Slice it up, wrap it in cling film, chuck it in the freezer and—weeks later—it’ll still be ready for a spontaneous craving. Just thaw overnight in the fridge. Who needs a birthday excuse?

Let’s talk about flavor. People tend to assume a big-budget cake means tasteless sponge, but Costco’s cakes are actually… pretty popular. The chocolate version tastes like proper mud cake, and the mousse filling saves it from the dreaded supermarket sugar-bomb. Vanilla lovers swear by the cheesecake mousse as well. And honestly, no one over the age of six ever finishes the roses—but everyone grabs a bite of the fluffy icing border. For a flavor upgrade, try layering fresh berries or a drizzle of salted caramel right before serving. The neutral flavor profile is the ideal blank canvas for your creativity.

And yes, you need a Costco membership to buy their cakes. Guests can tag along, but only members can place orders and pay. If you’re headed to a party and want to wow folks, ask a mate with a card to do the honors. Some offices do a joint membership just to secure cakes for every milestone worth celebrating.

When to Order, What to Avoid, and Other Cake Logistics

Planning ahead is sanity-saving here. You’re looking at a 2-to-3-day lead time for custom cakes—and closer to 4 days for holidays near Christmas and Easter. For the rare unicorns who find a same-day cake at midday, just remember: at big stores (Docklands, anyone?), competition can get fierce. There’s no limit on how many you can buy, so on holidays, bulk buyers have been known to clean out supply early.

How about dietary restrictions? The classics aren’t gluten-free or vegan, and there aren’t any specialty options for keto or dairy-free in Australia (at least as of July 2025). For now, the official Costco cakes have nuts in the facility, too. There is chatter about alternative cakes in the future, as the US got a keto-friendlier version, but here in Melbourne, it’s classic or nothing. Play it safe for guests with food sensitivities.

Another pro move: Pick up your cake close to party kickoff time. Those fridge shelves have plenty of cakes jostling around, so if you wait too long to collect on a busy weekend, someone could accidentally grab the wrong one. Double-check the label, especially if you’ve got a common surname (“Smith’s cake saga” has probably ruined a few birthdays already). Bring your order slip with you for speedy collection and peace of mind.

Transporting a Costco cake is an adventure—it’s heavy enough to need both hands. If you’ve got a sedan, it’ll ride best flat in the boot or wedged on a non-slip mat on the back seat. Don’t leave it in the sun; buttercream sweats in the heat, especially here in summer. Pro-tip: wedge some cold packs around the box if your trip is longer than twenty minutes. Melted cake makes nobody happy.

Now, the fun trivia—Costco’s famous cakes have hosted some wild events: weddings, baby showers, even a “divorce party” (true story from a Sydney store, where the happy exes customized the message). There are Reddit threads devoted to “pimping out” Costco cakes on a budget, with tips for adding edible glitter and DIY themes. Some folks even use these cakes as the base for multi-tiered birthday stunners, stacking them with dowels and extra mousse for an at-home event that looks triple the price.

Here’s a quick step-by-step if you’re planning to order a Costco cake in Australia:

1. Visit your local store (or send a member).
2. Grab the order form at the bakery counter.
3. Choose your design, flavor, filling, and message.
4. Drop off the form 2–3 days before your event.
5. Pick up your cake on the date written on your order; don’t forget your member card and pickup slip.

And if you’re in the mood for a challenge, try slicing a sheet cake for 48 people and not letting one piece topple. The bakery staff swear by the “grid method”: cut the cake into four sections, then slice each down into rows and columns. Results? Even slices and plenty of leftovers.

There’s a reason the question “Can you just pick up a Costco cake?” floats around every Facebook parenting group and office chat. And the answer isn’t a simple yes or no—it’s more like, sometimes, if you’re lucky, and definitely if you plan ahead. Otherwise, you might leave with only a cheesecake (which, honestly, is not the worst fallback in the world).