you know, after all this running around, i forgot to think about price. i really don't know what to charge. it's a simple cake, but at the last minute and a lot of hurrying and running around! anyone have some suggestions?
You need to get a price Matrix and add all of your cost to it and then this way you would be able to figure out what to charge for your cakes..
not knowing where you live most cakes just cake and frosting is going to be at least 15.00 that is not counting anything that is added to the cake... not knowing what size this cake is going to be or what is on it .. its a bit hard to give you a price.. No less then $25 but again not knowing what is on it cant for sures give you a price..
You said 3 tiers right Diane? What size are they going to be? Give us the size & that might help us help you better~
well I am no expert. But from what I read (now keep in mind I am in the States) a wedding cake run from 1.25 - 3.00 per slice.. Depending on how much decoration you add and also what kind of icing and filling they request. Hope this helps!!
well I am no expert. But from what I read (now keep in mind I am in the States) a wedding cake run from 1.25 - 3.00 per slice.. Depending on how much decoration you add and also what kind of icing and filling they request. Hope this helps!!
Cakes can go well over 5.00 a slice depeding on detail and what has been used to frost the cake. I know I have seen the starting price for fondant at 5. It all just depends.
psstt... Just a thought
If we had to charge for our insanity.. 
Don't think I would ever get orders!! It comes with the territory.
Some good days some bad.. Right now I am still new and really don't have my matrix down I only charge 25 - 35 a cake.. And I don't think I am making any money yet 
.. I have alot to learn.. But I am having fun 
I guess it pays for that much
Right now I am still new and really don't have my matrix down I only charge 25 - 35 a cake..
That is really cheap if your doing it as a wedding cake... What do you mean you dont have your Matrix down??? Make it so it works for you ... Make one is a excel spread sheet that is what I did and I love mine the other ones that are out there are too much work and too confussing....
What is the sizes of the wedding cakes that your going to be doing??? Also what are you putting on theM ...?? But they are right slices go for any where from $1.25 - $6.00 a slice...
oh no this for just sheet cakes..sorry forgot we were talking about wedding cakes. LOL
Pssstt.. Am I in the lead? 
hehe just kidding can't wait for the results!
Briansbaker~ you made me laugh on that one!!
I took my pics of my FD cake to my cake shop. They said that cake would sell for $500!!! I was so excited but at the same time I really didn't want to do another one!!! The size was 12",14",16" BIG!! I've since then made it smaller for the real wedding. I'm going w/ 8", 12" 16". Now I am only charging $250 for this because it is for family friends. BUT if it were for strangers... I would charge at least $425!!!!!
Diane, I would charge the same amount the other person was going to charge. BUT if it's not enough I would charge a few for such short notice. Your helping them out & they know that. They will probably be happy w/ any price at this point. Just try to make a profit out of it ok!! I'm sure you won't be on here very much before Sat. SO GOOD LUCK!!!!!! I'll say a prayer for you!!!
ya know, if you are a professional cake baker/decorator I think you should charge the running price, but not pro, no pro at decorating, not a licensed baker, makes all the difference, or should in the price. See I think people most people on here, especially TC, Cali, briansbaker, ladycakes, (they are always helping others) their skills are way better then mine so if we all were to make the same exact cake everything the same, they should charge much more then me. I think its the skill and time that should be taken under consideration. Then again I know you shouldn't underestimate yourself, but when it comes to charging a price I worry too... I am sure lots of us can understand diane's dilemma. I'm still confused myself
Diane, I think it was said before to call local bakeries there and see what they would charge and take a little bit off...just a little of the average cost. I think you would be safe, especially since its a last minute thing and they came to you!
See I think people most people on here, especially TC, Cali, briansbaker, ladycakes, (they are always helping others) their skills are way better then mine so if we all were to make the same exact cake everything the same, they should charge much more then me.
That is where most people are wrong... I am no better then you ... YOU cant compare you self to anyone but your self.. YOUR worth just as much for a cake as I would charge for a cake.. Just be cause we help you guys and are able to answer your questions dont mean were any better then anyone else... NOW I am not going to be able to charge the prices that Nick Lodge or Collett Petters or one of them are able to charge but I dont know why if I charge $500 for a wedding cake why your not able to charge the same price for one..
okay guys, since i'm in a different time zone, i stayed on here as long as i could before my eyes were starting to close. well, i asked the lady how much she was going to pay, and she said $120. WHAT!!! 
the size of the cake is, 10", 12", and "14. there is no fancy decorations, but come on now. i'm wondering who it was that was suppose to make this cake? well, this is my history, i started baking cakes in 1995. i quit for several years, then got back into it a few years ago. i may not be a collette peters, but every customer i've had always has high reviews! i already had four cakes due this saturday, two i haven't even started yet!
i didn't have any of the materials. well, i was debating and searching to see what others charged for a simple 3 tiered cake. after all that searching i decided to charge $200. now tell me, and be honest, is that a fair price?? 
i don't want to cheat my customers, but i also don't want to cheat myself.
sounds like maybe the one who was going to do it was a friend. I think you do great enough to charge that. I personally would fall to the ground if I got 120 for a cake.... but thats just me.
I am brand new to all of this and I have never heard of a Matrix. I have been using Quicken on my computer to keep up with costs/profits. But I am still having a hard time figuring out how much to charge for a cake. I feel like I am undercharging ALOT. Can someone explain this Matrix to me???
oh, i should also mention that there is also a grooms cake!!!
Two hundered for a Grooms Cake & a Wedding Cake and she is yelling about $200 I think I would tell her to find someone else at this point in time.. That is really cheap for both...
Ladycakes-- Can you tell me more about this price matrix? I feel like most of the time I am guess on what to charge. I would really appreciate it.
There is a few floating around that others have made and they are just too large for me and too much information.... What I did was I went in to Excel and made a spreed sheet I listed all of my ingredients and what it cost me and then broke them down to how much in that item.. Ie eggs 18 $2.45 means one egg cost me .14 cents so I would put in my matrix that I am using 3 if its just one cake mix and it would give me a cost for .42 cents for the eggs and so on then you take and deside are you going to charge 1.5% or what ever more for your markup So if my math is right in my head.. LOL its going to be .70 cents at 1.5% for the eggs in your mark up... and you just keep going on and on with what ever your putting in to your cakes your icing your boxes your flowers your images your transfers ect.. and in the end your going to come up with lets just say... a 9X13 cake with flowers its going to cost at the 1.5% mark up $25.00 But it only cost you say $15.00 to make .. Now these numbers are not right I did not put it in to the Matrix to get a true total but you can see what I am talking about ..
Diane... She is under paying you!! Don't go for it!! I would charge at least $300 for the wedding cake & around $175 for the groom's cake depending on what your going to do w/ decorations. Like basketweave.. that takes more time. From what you tell us you have plenty of orders! You don't need her business! I wouldn't do this wedding for a price like $250 no way! Your doing this as a favor so she should want to pay you anything!! Don't go for it!!
Also... you are a decorator & artist!! You should get paid what you are worth! You have been doing cakes a long time & you know a lot about them SO you are a pro!! Don't give them cakes out free girl!!! You deserve the right price!!! And
Here Here TC you go girl!!!!!!
ya know, I can truly understand what you are saying ladycake, but if you and I were to do the same exact cake, and had a bride pick which one she would want, and we were charging the same, she is going to pick the best one for her money..thats what I am saying. I respect you and cali, and diane, and all here, but skill does have a lot to do with it dont you think? I would take your roses and anyone elses over mine let me tell ya.. and I would pick anyone elses cakes before my own, even if I didnt know which one was mine...
I forgot to add, that Dianes skills are fantastic as you know, and she deserves more then 200 for two cakes.... she is an awesome decorator!
Oh I guess I could have edited the last message... DUH~~~~
Flavyurdfun,
You have a point BUT.. when someone comes to you for a cake... do you show them other peoples pictures? 
No way! When they come to you they come either because someone recommended you or they have seen your cakes. Right~ SO... I say you charge just as much as anyone else is. Your a decorator & you deserve just as much as anyone else is getting paid. 
Ok... I'm off the soap box!!
ya know, I can truly understand what you are saying ladycake, but if you and I were to do the same exact cake, and had a bride pick which one she would want, and we were charging the same, she is going to pick the best one for her money..thats what I am saying. I respect you and cali, and diane, and all here, but skill does have a lot to do with it dont you think? I would take your roses and anyone elses over mine let me tell ya.. and I would pick anyone elses cakes before my own, even if I didnt know which one was mine...
This is the last I am going to say on this Your too hard on yourself... LOL ..
I know what your saying but I also know that your trying to compare apples to oranges and you cant do that ... My skills Cali's skills any of the ones that you named were all there at one point in our life.. And you dont know for a fact that if we were to both do the same cake that she would pick mine... You really dont ... Your too hard on yourself ... You are who you are and you cant compeat with anyone but yourself...
I made a Photo area on my web site JUST so I could go back in years and be able to see how I have grown in cake decorarating... And if you were to go in and look at something I did today and then go back 7 years your going to say NO that is not the same decorator... LOL
I can say the same thing to you .. That if Collette Petters and I were to do a cake the same cake (that is not going to happen) but lets say... Anyone would pick her cake over mine ... But you dont know that for a fact there may be something in my cake that makes it special... Calif4dawn and I have a great friend that is in the UK and she has been doing cake 30 plus years she has many years on us.. BUT you know what ... When we were doing our Retreat Last year and she was teaching her stuff Dawn and I both did it and they looked just as good.. So do you see where I am going with this ... QUITE being so hard on your self...
Work on it play with it and take any and all classes your able to .. Do the DOS or the Retreats when they pop up that is how you learn...
Do you think that Christine that is our friends name do you think she dont still to this day take classes to better her self I can speck for Christine she dose and if anyone that is in the UK that is on this site you know who I am talking about....
I am sure that Collette Petters still takes classes some where ... She may not admit it to someone like you and I but I am sure she does...
Flavyurdfun,
You have a point BUT.. when someone comes to you for a cake... do you show them other peoples pictures?
No way! When they come to you they come either because someone recommended you or they have seen your cakes. Right~ SO... I say you charge just as much as anyone else is. Your a decorator & you deserve just as much as anyone else is getting paid. Ok... I'm off the soap box!!
ALL I have to say is Thank you tcturtleshell... LOL
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