Stop guessing how many gingerbread houses you'll sell in December. Know exactly what to bake.
Forecast holiday demand, schedule production weeks in advance, and never run out of cinnamon on December 15th again.
Forecast your November-December orders by October 15th. Schedule production in 90 minutes instead of 3 Sunday-night spreadsheet sessions. Know your ingredient needs 2 weeks early so you never run out.
You're in October. Christmas orders are trickling in. By November, they'll be pouring in. You're staring at your order book and you have no idea how many batches of shortbread to prep, whether you'll have enough butter, or when to start the fruitcakes that need 6 weeks to age. Most bakeries wing it. They overbake, waste ingredients, miss orders, or burn out their staff in the final two weeks. Holiday bakery production planning software exists to stop that. But most of it is built for restaurants or factories — not for you, a baker who needs to know exactly how much dough to mix on December 1st so nothing goes stale and nothing runs out.
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Sound Familiar?
“"I don't know how many cookies to bake until the orders come in, and then it's too late to source ingredients."”
It's November 10th. You've got 47 custom orders on the books, but they're scattered across three email threads, a spreadsheet, and sticky notes on your mixer. You don't know if that's a normal year or a crazy year. So you guess. You order 50 lbs of flour. By December 5th, you've used 120 lbs and you're calling suppliers begging for emergency delivery. Or you order 200 lbs and half of it goes stale. You're leaving money on the table either way.
“"My team doesn't know what to prep each morning because the production schedule lives in my head."”
You're the only one who knows that the Johnsons' 3-tier wedding cake (December 22nd) needs a crumb coat on the 20th, the gingerbread delivery (December 18th) needs to start on the 15th, and the macarons (December 23rd) can't be made until the 22nd because they'll go soft. Your head baker texts you at 6 AM asking what to start. You're answering texts instead of sleeping. If you call in sick one day, nothing gets made in the right order. Your staff feels lost. You feel indispensable and exhausted.
“"I run out of vanilla extract on December 22nd because I didn't track how much I was using."”
You're mid-batch on a 48-cupcake order. You reach for the vanilla. Empty. It's a Saturday. Suppliers are closed. You're texting three other bakers asking to borrow vanilla. You're furious at yourself because you know you've been using vanilla for 40 custom orders since October, but you never tracked it. You don't know your actual ingredient consumption. So you either overstock everything in November (money sitting in your walk-in) or you run out (orders delayed, customers upset, reputation damaged).
“"I have no idea if my holiday pricing is covering my costs. I'm probably giving away profit."”
December 26th. Tax season is coming. You pull together all your holiday orders and try to calculate profit. You priced a lot of custom work 'by feel' — you know a 3-tier wedding cake should cost around $300, so you quoted $320 on three different cakes with different fillings, different fondant work, different delivery distances. You have no idea if you made $50 or $150 on each one. You're guessing your holiday profit margin is 35%, but it could be 20% and you wouldn't know until January. That means you might have just worked 80-hour weeks for less money than you thought.
“"I can't say yes or no to a last-minute order because I don't know if I have capacity."”
December 15th. A customer calls asking for 200 cookies by December 20th. You want the order. But you have no idea if you can fit it in. You'd have to mentally calculate: How many batches is that? How long per batch? What else is scheduled? You're stalling the customer ('Let me call you back') while you panic-check your calendar and your ingredient inventory in your head. Half the time you say no to orders you could have done. Half the time you say yes and then scramble. You're leaving money on the table and stressing yourself out.
Know your holiday demand, your production schedule, and your ingredient needs — all in one place.
By October 15th, you've entered your historical holiday sales data. BakeOnyx shows you that you sold 340 cookies, 28 cakes, and 156 macarons last December. You forecast a 15% growth this year. That's 391 cookies, 32 cakes, 179 macarons. You see exactly how much butter, flour, vanilla, and chocolate you need to order. You build a production schedule that starts gingerbread on November 15th, fruitcakes on October 20th, and holiday cookies on November 1st. Your team logs in each morning, sees what to prep, and knows which orders are due when. You price a last-minute order in 60 seconds because you know your exact ingredient costs and your available capacity. December feels calm instead of chaotic.
- ✓Forecast holiday demand based on your actual sales history — see exactly how many batches you'll need to bake
- ✓Schedule production weeks in advance — know when to start fruitcakes, when to pipe macarons, when to bake cookies so nothing goes stale
- ✓Track ingredient consumption across all orders — never run out of vanilla, butter, or chocolate mid-season
- ✓Price custom orders in 60 seconds — know your exact cost per item and your profit margin on the spot
- ✓Give your team a daily bake list — they log in, see what's due today, and know exactly what to prep without calling you
How It Works
Enter your historical holiday sales data (takes 10 minutes)
You log into BakeOnyx in early October. You go to 'Forecasting' and enter last year's December sales: 340 cookies, 28 cakes, 179 macarons. You tell BakeOnyx you expect 15% growth this year. The system calculates your forecast: 391 cookies, 32 cakes, 206 macarons. You see it on the dashboard. That's your target.
Build your production schedule by working backward from delivery dates
You go to 'Production Schedule.' You select 'Gingerbread' and enter the delivery window (December 5-20). BakeOnyx knows gingerbread needs 2 days to set. It shows you that you need to start baking on December 3rd to hit all December 5th deliveries. You set your production start date to November 15th to build a buffer. You do the same for fruitcakes (start October 20th, they need 6 weeks), cookies (start November 1st), and macarons (start November 15th, they dry out after 3 days). You see your entire production calendar in one view.
Calculate ingredient needs and set reorder alerts
BakeOnyx links your production schedule to your recipes. You have a 'Holiday Cookie Dough' recipe that makes 48 cookies and uses 240g butter. Your forecast says you're making 391 cookies — that's 8 batches, so 1,920g butter. Multiply by all your recipes (shortbread, gingerbread, sugar cookies, chocolate chunk) and BakeOnyx tells you: 'You need 8,400g butter for November-December.' You have 2,000g on hand. You need to order 6,400g. BakeOnyx sets an alert: 'Reorder butter by October 25th to have it by November 1st.' You click 'Order' and it goes to your supplier.
Share the daily bake list with your team every morning
It's November 15th. Your head baker logs into BakeOnyx at 5:30 AM. They see 'Today's Bake List': 3 batches of gingerbread dough (proofing starts at 6 AM, baking at 8 AM), 2 batches of holiday cookies (mixing at 7 AM), 1 batch of macarons (piping at 9 AM). The list shows which orders these are for, when they're due, and which customer needs them. No phone call. No confusion. They start mixing.
Price a last-minute order in 60 seconds by checking capacity and costs
December 15th. A customer calls asking for 200 cookies by December 20th. You open BakeOnyx. You go to 'Capacity Check' and see that you have 12 hours of available oven time on December 18-19. 200 cookies = 4 batches = 4 hours of baking. You have capacity. You go to 'Recipe Cost' for 'Holiday Cookie Dough' and see it costs $0.87 per cookie in ingredients. You add 40% for labor, overhead, and profit. That's $1.22 per cookie. 200 cookies = $244. You quote $250. The customer says yes. You confirm the order in BakeOnyx and it appears on your team's bake list for December 18th. Done.
Start your holiday production plan in October, not panic in December.
Get a free trial of BakeOnyx. Forecast your November-December demand, build your production schedule, and know your ingredient needs — no credit card required.
Before & After BakeOnyx
Planning your November-December production in October
Before
You open a spreadsheet. You stare at last year's December sales: 340 cookies, 28 cakes, 179 macarons. You're not sure if that's normal or a fluke. You guess that this year will be similar, maybe 10% higher. You try to figure out a production schedule but you don't know how long each item takes or when to start. You estimate: start cookies November 1st, fruitcakes October 15th, macarons November 10th. You're not confident. You don't know how much butter, flour, or vanilla you'll need. You send a vague email to your supplier saying 'I might need more stuff in November.' You close the spreadsheet. You're stressed because you know you're flying blind.
After
You log into BakeOnyx in early October. You enter last year's December sales. BakeOnyx shows you that's a 12% increase from November last year — so it's a seasonal spike, not a fluke. You set a 15% growth target. BakeOnyx calculates your forecast: 391 cookies, 32 cakes, 206 macarons. You click 'Build Production Schedule.' You tell BakeOnyx that gingerbread needs 2 days to set, fruitcakes need 6 weeks, and macarons dry out after 3 days. BakeOnyx maps out your entire production calendar: start fruitcakes October 20th, gingerbread November 15th, cookies November 1st, macarons November 20th. You see it all on one timeline. You click 'Calculate Ingredient Needs.' BakeOnyx tells you exactly how much butter (8,400g), flour (22 lbs), vanilla (480ml), and chocolate (12 lbs) you need. You send one email to your supplier with exact quantities and delivery dates. You're done in 45 minutes. You feel in control.
Managing your team's daily bake schedule during the holiday rush
Before
It's November 15th. You're at the bakery at 4:30 AM. Your head baker arrives at 5 AM. They ask, 'What are we making today?' You think: We have 12 orders due this week. Some need two days of work. Some are one-day orders. You mentally calculate: 'Start the two 3-tier cakes, do the gingerbread dough, prep the macarons.' Your baker starts mixing. At 10 AM, they ask if they should start the shortbread. You say yes. At 2 PM, they ask if they should pipe the macarons or frost the cakes. You say macarons. At 4 PM, they're piping macarons but two cakes still need frosting and they're due tomorrow. You realize you miscalculated. You stay late. Your baker stays late. Everyone's frustrated. This happens 3 times a week in November and December.
After
It's November 15th. Your head baker logs into BakeOnyx at 4:45 AM on their phone. They see 'Today's Bake List': (1) 2 batches gingerbread dough — proofing 6 AM, baking 8 AM. Due December 5-8. (2) 1 batch holiday cookie dough — mixing 7 AM, baking 9 AM. Due December 10-15. (3) Crumb coat two 3-tier cakes — start 11 AM. Due December 20 (final frost tomorrow). (4) Prep macarons — piping 2 PM. Due December 18. The list shows which orders, which customers, and the exact sequence. Your baker knows what to do without asking. They start at 5 AM and work through the list. At 2 PM, they're exactly on schedule. At 4 PM, the crumb coats are done and the macarons are piped. Everything due tomorrow is ready. Your baker texts you: 'All set for tomorrow.' You sleep. This happens every day. Your team feels competent. You feel like a real business owner, not a firefighter.
Pricing a custom order when you don't know your ingredient costs
Before
December 10th. A customer calls asking for a 3-tier wedding cake with fondant, fresh berries, and gold leaf. Due December 22nd. They ask the price. You think: A 3-tier cake usually costs around $280. But this one has extra work (fondant, berries, gold leaf). You add $50. You quote $330. The customer says yes. You hang up and realize: You don't actually know if you made $100 profit or $50 profit on that cake. You used 2 lbs of cake batter, 3 lbs of frosting, 1 lb of fondant, berries, and gold leaf. You have no idea what that costs. You guess it's $100 in ingredients. Maybe it's $150. You'll find out at tax time. You've quoted 12 cakes in December this way. You're nervous about your profit margin.
After
December 10th. A customer calls asking for a 3-tier wedding cake with fondant, fresh berries, and gold leaf. Due December 22nd. You open BakeOnyx. You go to 'Recipe Cost' and search '3-tier cake.' BakeOnyx shows: 'Vanilla cake batter (4 lbs) = $12.40. Buttercream frosting (3 lbs) = $18.60. Fondant (1 lb) = $8.50. Fresh berries = $15. Gold leaf = $3. Total ingredient cost = $57.50.' You add your labor rate: 4 hours at $25/hour = $100. Total cost = $157.50. You want 55% profit margin. Price = $350. You quote $350. The customer says yes. You know you made $192.50 profit on that cake. You do this for 12 cakes in December. You know exactly how much money you made. At tax time, there are no surprises.
Running out of a critical ingredient mid-season
Before
December 22nd. You're mid-batch on a 48-cupcake order. You reach for the vanilla extract. Empty. You have 18 more orders to fill before December 24th. Vanilla is in 14 of them. It's Saturday. Suppliers are closed until Monday. You call three other bakers asking to borrow vanilla. One has some. You drive 20 minutes to pick up a bottle. You're furious at yourself because you've been using vanilla for 6 weeks straight and never tracked it. You don't know how much you used. You don't know when to reorder. You lose 2 hours of production time. You're stressed. You never want this to happen again.
After
October 15th. You enter your historical vanilla usage into BakeOnyx. You used 480ml in November-December last year. You forecast 15% growth. That's 552ml this year. You have 120ml on hand. BakeOnyx sets an alert: 'Reorder vanilla by October 25th. You need 432ml to arrive by November 1st.' You click 'Order.' The vanilla arrives on October 31st. Throughout November and December, BakeOnyx tracks your vanilla usage against your forecast. By December 15th, you've used 480ml and you have 72ml left. Your forecast says you need 72ml more to finish out December. BakeOnyx alerts you: 'You're on track. No additional order needed.' December 22nd arrives. You're mid-batch. You reach for vanilla. You have exactly enough. You never run out. You never panic. You never lose production time.
What Changes for You
Order ingredients 2 weeks early instead of scrambling for emergency deliveries
You know your November-December ingredient needs by October 15th. You order butter, flour, vanilla, chocolate, and cream cheese on your normal schedule — not at panic prices. You save $400-800 on emergency supplier fees and overnight shipping. You never run out of critical ingredients mid-season. Your suppliers love you because you're ordering in bulk, not asking for favors.
Cut your production planning time from 3 Sunday-night sessions to 90 minutes in October
Instead of spending 3 hours every Sunday in November staring at a spreadsheet trying to figure out what to bake this week, you spend 90 minutes in October building your entire production calendar. You see it all at once. You adjust once. You're done. Your Sundays are yours again. Your family gets you back for 10 weeks instead of losing you to holiday stress.
Give your team a clear daily schedule so you stop getting 6 AM texts asking what to make
Your head baker logs in each morning and sees exactly what to bake, in what order, and when it's due. No guessing. No calling you. No standing around waiting for instructions. Your team feels confident. You feel like you have a real business, not a one-person operation. If someone calls in sick, the schedule is still there — you can bring in a backup baker who knows what to do.
Know your holiday profit margin on every order — stop guessing if you're making 20% or 40%
You price every order based on actual ingredient costs plus your labor rate. A 3-tier wedding cake with fondant costs $18 in ingredients. You add $60 in labor (3 hours at $20/hour). Your total cost is $78. You quote $180. Your profit is $102, or 56%. You know it. You can do this for 30 orders in December and know exactly how much money you made. No more tax-season surprises. No more wondering if you worked for minimum wage.
Say yes to last-minute orders because you know your capacity in 30 seconds
A customer calls asking for 150 cookies by December 20th. You check BakeOnyx. You have 8 hours of available oven time that week. 150 cookies = 3 batches = 3 hours. You have capacity. You say yes. You quote a price based on your actual costs. You confirm the order. It goes on your team's bake list. You just turned a maybe into a yes — and into $180 in profit. You do this 3-4 times in December because you're not guessing anymore. That's an extra $500-700 in revenue you would have left on the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Start your holiday production plan in October, not panic in December.
Get a free trial of BakeOnyx. Forecast your November-December demand, build your production schedule, and know your ingredient needs — no credit card required.
Free 14-day trial. No credit card required. Plans from $29/month.