I'm stressing I dont know how much to charge and I'm usually so cheap but this lady want a cake for 300 very simple wedding cake with a few calla lilly. the design is simple but she wants Red Velvet cake and carrot cake with cream cheese icing. BC for outside of cake. the cake is going to be 6,8,10,12 with (2) 18x12 sheet cakes in the back. I don't know what to charge because its premium flavors. I was thinking like $380 but Its kinda cheap, her wedding is in 3 weeks... PLEASE HELP

WHAT WOULD YOU CHARGE??

$750-$900. That's $2.50 or $3.00 per serving. PLUS whatever you would charge for premium flavors and any extras she is wanting.

Do NOT think of this as a $900 cake. This is cake to feed 300 PEOPLE!!!!!! It is not an unreasonable price.

So ..... what do you charge for cake for 300? The same thing you charge for cake for 50 .... times 6!

She can't walk into KFC with $300, tell them she needs to feed 300 people, and expect them to lower their price. She comes up with the money REQUIRED to feed 300 people or she needs to (a) shop somewhere else (b) reduce the size of her party.

If she can't afford to pay for it .... she can't afford to have the party.

P.S. Don't be fooled by her phrasing of "very simple cake". That's a phrase used to try to get something for nothing. ("Oh nothing special ... just a simple 5-tier cake with a monkey's bank playing on the top and a live volcano on the side. But don't go to a LOT of effort .... just a simple thing!")

A cake for 300 people is NOT a simple cake. It's a cake for 300 PEOPLE and it takes a lot of time, work, effort, equipmetn and supplies.

LOL! IF she went to McDonald's she'll be able to feed 300 with $300 dollars.... LMAO... WOW 750 i would feel horrible charging that much. Im good but I dont have my own business so I guess I feel like thats alot, now anyway... I'm thinking $500, you gave me some confidence. Thanks so much but

$900.

like indydebi said, dont think of it as a $900 cake, think of it as dessert for 300 people. i agree, extremely reasonable.

...ESPECIALLY if you dont have a commercial kitchen with several ovens, multiple sets of pans and huge KA mixers and refrigeration. just imagine yourself going for a straight 36 hours or so on a cake that big with very little resources. i would know. thats how long it took me to do a wedding for 250 this spring, out of my home.

I am cheap and charge about $1.50/serving for a cake with buttercream and mmf. So that would work out to $450. With red velvet/carrot and cream cheese icing I would up the price to at least $550.

You could easily get away with $600, I doubt she would find a better deal elsewhere!

Kepp it comin' ladies! I'm very interested!

I have the same problem as you...not charging enough. However, I had my first wedding cake a couple months ago and did charge her $2.00/serving...however, she truly did want something simple and just regular flavors. I would definitely not charge under $2/serving for the cake though. Good luck to you - will look forward to seeing the pics of it!

Okay now I'm thinking $550 - $600 cause its last minute and she wont find anyone to do her flavors for 300 at that price. Here is a picture of her easy cake. I was thinking since I'll have 2 sheet cakes and I'm not delivering the cake I could charge less. shes keeps saying I want a small cake 6,8,10,12 but If I charge $500 maybe I'll do a 8,10,12,14... Thanks for all your help. You quys are making me bolder.

good!! its gonna be a beautiful cake! so your bride is picking it up? she's brave!!

I have the same problem...not charging enough. I actually have a similar order where they are wanting a small 3 tier but 2 sheet cakes. So here is a question...do you still charge the same $2.00 or whatever a slice for the sheet cakes with no design?

And to respond...if you are going to make those "simple" cala lilies yourself that is going to consume much time as well! Do you charge a deposit for your pillars etc. ? Especially being that you are not delivering, who is doing the set up? I would hate for someone to mess up your creation!

Her aunt is a caterer and shes catering the wedding. So her aunt is taking the cake for me its like 1 1/2 hrs away, That makes me nervous, What about the boarders and the top separator part. But I know it'll be okay, HOPE THEY HAVE THE AC on the entire ride

Ok. I'm trying to figure how this works. I'm new to the whole pricing thing too. Do most people NOT count the top layer (since it's usually saved for the anniversay)? Going by the Wilton guide, an 8, 10, and 12 inch cake serves
118 (at $3.00 per serv that's $354) Aren't the sheet cakes a flat price? How much would you charge for those? You don't charge per serv. on the sheets do you? I agree that the cake is worth $750-900, I just don't understand the math, how do you come up with $900? What am I missing?

Thanks!

aviles2005 - I have learned when someone tells me that it is a simple cake, either:
1. then do not know what goes into making the cake they think is simple, 2. they are just wanting it to be really cheap.

Do not under-estimate the value of your own worth! I looked at your photos and you know what you are doing with cakes. Charge appropriately! I would not do this for her for less than $900. If she baulks at this, let her go get quotes, at this late date!!!, from other bakers and she what prices they give her, lol. If someone came to me 3 weeks before the wedding asking for specialty flavors with creamcheese icing, it would be priced at $2250.00, know your worth , because you ARE worhty!

All my cakes are priced per serving. Yes, sheet cakes too for the rare occasion someone can talk me into doing one. Generally I have a no sheet cakes rule. I actually charge more for shapes other than round, so a sheet cake, being square would actually cost more! If a bride orders at least 150 servings, then I will add a kitchen cake to the order (not a sheet), but the kitchen cake is the base price.

And IMO a "simple" cake many times is much harder to do. Those perfectly smooth sides with no decoration are not simple. The less decoration on a cake the harder it is, not the simpler. Give me a design with all kinds of stuff on it! Hides stuff.

Cake for 300 = my base price of $2.60 per serving = $780. Plus a $20 equipment fee. Plus $4 each per calla. And I'd buy the callas at this late date.

Around here fresh callas from the florist are $7 per stem. Brides love it that I only charge $4 per stem.

leahs - and by base price, that means not specialty flavors such as red velvet & carrot right?

I'm in agreement with everyone else here. I charge $2.95 per slice for basic buttercream, $.25 more per slice for speciality favors and additional per item pricing for the gumpaste flowers. So you're about $960 just for the cake. There is no way a cake for 300 is going to be simple just because the sides are plain. Baking and icing that many layers is time consuming. You'll haveto take extra care with the smoothing which probably takes more time than if there are a bunch of embellishments. And a suggestion, if you're not going to deliver it, take a couple of pictures of the cake before it leaves your home. Just in case. Good luck

DebyTLC,
I do not charge extra for premium flavors. I've costed out my recipes, and they just don't cost any more to make. I don't offer Red Velvet. I also don't charge extra for fillings. I'm going to put something in between the layers of cake and the flavored fillings cost me literally about a nickel more per cake.

I do charge extra for any embellishments on the cake, an equipment fee and a delivery fee.

So far (and I haven't sold many cakes) I have just charged the same per serving for all cakes, be it tiered, sheet, small birthday or wedding. Its just easier for me. If I had a bride that created a lot of work for me, I would probably have to look at charging a little more for the extra work. So far I haven't had to make a cake for 300, that's a lot!

You ladies are AWSOME!!!!!!! I love you guys and I love this site. I cant wait to get more work experience and start charging confidently. Your all helping on my confidence level. Thanks so much for the help. You've all helped so much. I quoted her 900 and I'll let you know when she replies to my offer. If she tries to go to a bakery I know she wont be able to the flavors she wants at that price. I did also advise her of regualr flavors if that wasnt in her budget, So if I post again about what to charge for non premium cake for 300 dont hate me! LOL . Thanks so much. I'll be in touched

if you quoted her 3 per serving, then for a non premium flavor and icing , i would suggest rock bottom 2.50 a serving. maybe even 2.75 because its STILL the work. maybe a little less in ingredients for you, BUT its STILL dessert for THREE HUNDRED PEOPLE.

i just found this post...sorry to resurrect it!

i'm now in the same boat...only the wedding date is december...but it's my first wedding cake and she wants it to serve 250-300 ppl.

YIKES!

i don't even know where to go from here...i have 6,8,10,14" round pans....what combination works/looks right...if the cake tortes are 1.5" each, and there's two tortes /layer (making a 3 or 3.5" layer), how many layers do i need?! im using alice's cake matrix, but it's still difficult to figure out...

amateur here....sorry!