Here is something I'm just realizing with an order this week...

Okay regular customer (love her, no problems!) orders a cake. Can't decide if to have two separate cakes for the kiddos or one combined.

Started out two seperate. I charged $5/serving for a total of 30 servings between the cakes.

Then she decided to combine into one cake, same number of servings....same price because price per serving was the same.

However last minute they decided they messed up and wanted the two separate cakes again. Its okay, I don't mind that from my regulars once in awhile. However when I looked at it again I was like "Whoa ok now I need another box...extra boards...a few extra dried fondant pieces...." and while I did charge an extra $10 to make the last minute switch...I realized that my pricing did not work because the two cakes, although the same servings as the single cake, were more work, more fondant pieces, and more boards/boxes.

However if I had sold the cakes to SEPARATE customers, it would have been $5/serving no matter what.

I guess I'm trying to figure out if I should have charged an extra fee to sell the two cakes to the same customer? Because I realized once we separated the cakes, I didn't really charge any extra other than the $10 (which was NOT going to be an original charge)...but I did take on extra work..wrapping an extra board, making a few extra pieces, and doing more work icing and fondant-covering since it was two cakes instead of one.

Does my question make sense?

You answered your own question. If it were two separate customers the price is still the same, $5/serving. No, you wouldn't charge extra.

I guess that's right...I guess it just seemed weird that when she switched down to one cake...the price remained the same...and then switched back to two cakes...it just didn't seem like I figured right or something. Hm. Especially as the TWO cakes are more work than the one cake, for the same price.

so instead of 1 large round cake they wanted 2 smaller round cakes? Or they wanted the 2 smaller cakes combined as in stacked so now it's a tiered cake?


I am one of the weirdos that charges extra for more than 1 cake if it's a regular round/square. mostly this comes up with wedding cake orders. I charge $1.00/serv. for regular 4" high round and square cakes, if they want 2 or more (say for satellites or centerpiece cakes) I charge $1.50/serv. Mostly i charge extra because there is more time and effort involved w/ making sure the 2 cakes are exactlly the same height and are decorated identically.


however, with all of that said..................I would charge my per serv. price for each of the cakes and then let them know "I forgot to give you the price for the additional pieces required since it's 2 separate cakes"

The cake boards and that should equal out won't they? I mean a big cake box, costs more than 1 small one, maybe even the same as 2 small ones? Same with the boards.........at least that's the case for me. An 8" cardboard is .35 and a 14" is $.85

Definitely call her back and tell her you just forgot to add in the extra figures or whatever the "extra" cake requires, so the per/serv. charge will be the same regardless, but there will be an extra fee for the extra things you have to implement on the other cake.

Well I charged her an extra $10 when she switched it back up which is fine...but her ORIGINAL order was the two cakes...so I charged the $5/serving...then switched to one...I kept the price the same...so that's why when she switched it back to two, I realized I had to do some extra work as compared to the single cake.

Basically the current two cakes are each a single layer 9" with a half ball on the top of each and a few fondant pieces....the ONE cake would have been a double layer 9" with the single half ball on top and fondant pieces. (Actually the original price quoted for two was for two 8" topped by the half ball...but since she's a regular and since she kept waffling, I made the 9" so it would work for either one or two cakes.)

No biggie...I just think maybe I should have thought it through a bit better...especially because if TWO customers would have purchased these cakes....I would have charged extra because they would have been priced too low for a single order. But both from the same customer, both together the price was fine.

in this situation, especially being a regular customer........just itemize it on the invoice like 2 separate cake orders, and then show a "discounted amount" on the invoice and if there is a spot to put a reason put "good customer" or something to kiss up LOL

That way she won't expect it in the future!

I don't get why you would charge her extra, cause it switched to 2 cakes? If it came out the same as if it had been 2 seperate clients, whats the difference? I'm assuming your pricing is based off covering all your expenses, wether there are a little more or a little less. Isn't it all a break even in the long run?

I am confused. With the original order, it was 2 cakes, correct, for x price. Then they switched to 1 cake but you still charged x, you didn't come down in price because it was only 1 larger cake, correct? Then they went back to 2 cakes for x, correct. I am not seeing where there is a problem, unless when they decided on 1 cake, you gave them a lower price and when they switched again, you left the lower price in place.

Yes Kitgrl its confusing.

But you have all the right to wonder about it.

I love your posts, even the confusing ones. =)

Its okay..as I finished up the weekend's cakes (early, in case the power goes out during our windy storm) I realized I undercharged a little for several cakes. Oh well!

Ahhh all done. Now for cleanup. Bleh.

AND hopefully my toddler gets potty trained over the weekend because next week is a heavy cake week with no time to change diapers! haha.

You wouldn't charge more because your per serving price should accommodate any "extras" already. If you save on a box or board because they decide to do a 2 layer cake with the same amount of servings as a 2 separate cakes then you just come out a little ahead on your box/board expenses. Your $10 fee for the change should also accommodate the extra fondant pieces you needed too.

Tiered cakes are a different ballgame, but for a single cake from me, the price per serving goes down a bit as the cake gets larger as it's the same amount of work and all, just like you found. So for 10 servings you are paying $4 each, for 100 servings you are paying $3 each (and shades of gray in between). Under this system, YES it would cost more for two 10 serving cakes than one 20 serving cake regardless of how many customers it was going to.