Mastering Design Patterns in Java: Cake Ordering System Project

In this blog, I want to share a small but educational Java project I built called the Cake Ordering System. This project demonstrates the power of Design Patterns in organizing code and building scalable, maintainable applications. Project Overview The Cake System allows users to order different types of cakes and add extra toppings. It uses multiple design patterns to manage orders, display dashboards, and extend functionality without modifying existing code. Design Patterns Used Factory Pattern: Handles the creation of different cake types like Apple Cake, Cheese Cake, and Chocolate Cake. This allows easy addition of new cake types in the future. Decorator Pattern: Enables adding toppings such as Chocolate Chips, Cream, or Skittles to cakes without altering the original cake classes. Observer Pattern: Notifies customer and manager dashboards when a new order is placed. The manager dashboard keeps a summary of sold cakes, while the customer dashboard shows individual orders. Singleton Pattern: Ensures only one instance of the Cake Ordering System exists, providing centralized control of all orders. How It Works Users can select a type of cake from the factory, add optional toppings through decorators, and place an order. The Singleton Cake Ordering System handles the order and automatically updates the customer and manager dashboards. The customer dashboard shows each order, while the manager dashboard provides a summary of all sold cakes. Key Takeaways Design Patterns simplify code maintenance and extension. Factory and Decorator patterns make the system flexible and scalable. Observer pattern allows real-time updates to dashboards without tight coupling. Singleton ensures a single point of control for order management. This project helped me better understand how to structure Java applications using proven design patterns and is a great example to showcase on my portfolio.