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what does everyone charge for their cakes

post #1 of 32
8/5/05 at 9:32am
Thread Starter 
such as a shaped cake?
just curious. everytime i make one for one of my kids, my family go on and on about how i should make them and sell them. but they seriously take hours & hours & i can't imagine that i could charge enough money to make it worth it. just wondering what some people charge.
thx
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post #2 of 32
8/5/05 at 11:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by midwestmom

such as a shaped cake?
just curious. everytime i make one for one of my kids, my family go on and on about how i should make them and sell them. but they seriously take hours & hours & i can't imagine that i could charge enough money to make it worth it. just wondering what some people charge.
thx



It all depends where you live..... Call specialty stores to see how much they charge for theirs and then base yours accordingly.... Don't call supermarkets because they are too cheap and they don't do the same work you do....

You could start as a base price for shaped cakes like $30.00 and go up from there... The more complicated and the longer it takes you, then you add to the base price.
Its always about cake!!
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Its always about cake!!
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post #3 of 32
8/6/05 at 9:35am
start with what a plain sheet cake covered in fondant with no decoration is $2-3 a serving! the more the decoration, the more it costs. I charge no difference for the shape of the pan, sheet or heart - what ever as long as it is flat; however, if I have to CARVE the cake into a shape, now we are talking costs. A flat carve (no 3-D) for a 1/2 sheet size I add $10-15 to the total. If it is a 3-D shaped carving, it is $20 bucks per layer for 1/2 sheet size. My 3-D cakes easily go for over $100+.
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Learn to Think & Think to Learn!
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post #4 of 32
8/7/05 at 7:30pm
Thread Starter 
Just had my daughter's party today and everyone loved my cakes. Everyone goes on and on about how I should try selling them. I tell them that I really don't think it'd be worth it. I don't think anyone here would be willing to pay enough money to make it worth my while. It takes at least four hrs. to decorate one of the shaped cakes. And that doesn't include the cost of the pans and ingredients. They go on and on and it really irritates me. I just like making them for my kids.
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post #5 of 32
8/7/05 at 8:29pm
I feel the same way. I love making them for friends and family.....but for what you get paid and the time that goes into it....and the mess. I was told to charge $5 an hour plus your expenses. But some take me too long to charge that.I don't know if I'm too slow or everyone else is that much faster. I love the way it makes me feel when everyone loves the cakes....I don't know if the $ really matters!
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post #6 of 32
8/7/05 at 9:01pm
I'm having the same problem with pricing. Everybody tells me I should sell my cakes but it takes a long time to do. Although I have sold a few. I basically take the abount of people they want to feed and charge about $2.50 per person. I made a cake on time to feed 35 people and I charged $65 and when they saw the cake they gave me $90. I've been doing cakes mainly for family and friends and If I'm invited to the party I bring the cake as my gift. Everybody loves them.
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post #7 of 32
8/7/05 at 9:18pm
Jackie has a forum for cake decorating business questions. I was able to get a price matrix from there. You might find that very helpful.
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post #8 of 32
8/8/05 at 11:30pm
Ok, so this lady contacted me about making a cake. I told her that I would charge her $2.50 a serving. It was the 3-D Pooh cake ON TOP of another cake...8". She freaked...she said OMG that is like $75.00. She said there was some other lady who has a base of $35.00 and goes from there...yeah "goes from there." NOT just $35.00. I e-mailed her back and said that I hoped she got a good cake from the lady, and tried to explain why I charge what I do. Um hello...most of us spend like 4+ hours on each cake let alone paying for supplies, and I would need to buy the 3-D cake pan....which is kind of spendy....anyway, she wrote back in all CAPS kind of rude about it. Am I charging too much....I told her that I needed to make it worth my while...otherwise why would I waste my time on strangers. I love making cakes, but I am not going to make one for free or cheap for someone I don't know! Thanks for the vent fest!
Mom of Kiza 8, and my twin bubs...Dylen and Luke 6!
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Mom of Kiza 8, and my twin bubs...Dylen and Luke 6!
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post #9 of 32
8/8/05 at 11:49pm
Thread Starter 
i agree farney. i just don't see how i could sell my cakes & it actually be worth it. plus the mess factor. i mean making 4 batches of icing and then mixing up no less than 10 different colors, putting them all in bags and wow, that's lots of mess to clean up. that's like ten different bowls with lids & spoons and i always forget about the mess until i'm knee deep in it icon_smile.gificon_smile.gif it takes me 4+ hrs. to really decorate them too.
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post #10 of 32
8/8/05 at 11:54pm
Hi everyone!!
I am so glad ya'll are discussing this....
I have been asked to make a Slot machine cake and I would have to buy the over the hill pan. The cake by itself would only feed about 12 people I guess, depending on how big they cut the pieces. The guy said he only needed it to feed 6 or 7 people, do you think $35-$40 is too high(That would be about $5 a slice)? It seems like a slot machine would have quite some detail, and if i have to purchase the pan, I feel like this price is fair (in order for me to make a little from it)

What do ya'll think?

Thank you!
(Midwestmom, I hope you don't mind me asking a question within your post!!)
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post #11 of 32
8/9/05 at 12:11am
I asked my question from an older post...no biggy! I don't think that is too much. I would charge a base of like $30.00 or $35.00. Since you have to buy a cake pan you can charge a bit more...but not too much because you are keeping the pan and can re-use. But, You should get paid what you deserve. That is why I brought this up again. It seems people love my cake, but when they contact me for pricing....they always go elsewhere after I tell them how much I charge. But I try to explain to them that I make unique cakes that aren't the same ole' sheet cakes from the stores. With all the work we put into it....they wouldn't understand till they make a cake themselves. I was really mad because I spent like 2 hours researching different ideas on cakes for this lady because she didn't really know what she wanted...then I told her the prices she freaked! Ugh....it is a 3-D cake on top of another!
Mom of Kiza 8, and my twin bubs...Dylen and Luke 6!
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Mom of Kiza 8, and my twin bubs...Dylen and Luke 6!
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post #12 of 32
8/9/05 at 12:14am
I have to agree with everyone's comments here. I too make cakes as gifts for my friends birthdays, showers, etc. I've gotten paid $100 for my military cakes which are two 11x17 put together. Most often my friends are upset because they want to pay me for my cakes, but I just tell them no. My husband tells them that when I make my cakes for family and friends it is out of love...which is why my cakes take so long to make. I put my heart and soul into making great cakes and that means taking a long time to do. icon_smile.gif

I've only charged a few people for birthday cakes and then I only charged $20 for them...they freaked and tried to give me more. Then I get told I am way too cheap and really need to up the price.
Lisa G. Morales
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Lisa G. Morales
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post #13 of 32
8/9/05 at 12:17am
THANKS FARNEY!!!!
Yeah, I didn't know if that was too much since I would get to keep the pan...but I didn't want to give the guy a heart attack if I said that much. LOL

Plus, like someone else said, this cake would have LOTS of colors, so I would have to make lots of different icing shades and then I would be washing tons o' bags and tips and it just seems like a lot of time would be involved. Not difficult...just lots of time. icon_smile.gif

Thanks for replying so quickly!!
(I thought this was originally your post, then noticed it was Midwestmom's, so I went back and changed the name to hers...I get confused sometimes. LOL)
I hope you don't think I'm a dingwong!!!

Leslie
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post #14 of 32
8/9/05 at 12:22am
i feel that my wife doesnt charge enough. she charges any where from 5-10 dollars a cake. she feels that shes not good enough and doesnt want ppl to feel that she is over charging.i think shes nuts and she puts alot of work into her cakes. plus shes still learning. and has learned alot from this site alone.
im littlebubbieschocolates helper
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im littlebubbieschocolates helper
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post #15 of 32
8/9/05 at 12:23am
Well, if they want a great tasting, well decorated cake, they should be willing to pay more for them. If they want a cardboard cake with no taste and hardly any icing, let them go to the grocery store....(I am not trying to diss the decorator's in grocery stores, cause they have rules to follow...but most of the cakes are tasteless and unimaginative) And to be honest, I find the grocery store cake prices to be outrageous!!! (for what you get)
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