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Price For Centerpiece Cakes?

post #1 of 15
2/5/09 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
How much do you charge for centerpiece cakes? I just received my first inquiry, and it seems like it will be much more work than a tiered cake. Do you charge the same or more per serving for centerpiece cakes?
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post #2 of 15
2/5/09 at 3:54pm
Same $ per serving, but remember a 6" round cake (I require this size for centerpiece cakes) serves 14 per the Wilton chart. Just because their will be 8 or 10 people seated at the table HAS NO BEARING on the cost.

So for a buttercream cake, $3 per serving X 14 = $42 + a few dollars for the board and a big delivery fee depending on how many of them there are. If there's fondant anything, the price goes up.

And I love dong centerpiece cakes. I don't think they're more work, although they can be a storage issue.
Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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post #3 of 15
2/5/09 at 4:37pm
what leahs said. The cake is priced based on how many servings it's DESIGNED to serve ... not on how many pieces the bride plans to cut from it.

The reason they SOUND expensive is because the bride is buying 2 or 3 times the cake she needs. 6" serves 12-14 and there are only 8 people at the table. 8" serves 24 and there are ony 8 people at the table.
Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
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Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
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post #4 of 15
2/5/09 at 7:51pm
Yep, what the they said...but hey, you gotta love a bride who wants to over buy just cuz its the new wedding trend icon_smile.gif
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post #5 of 15
2/6/09 at 5:01am
There is a definite storage issue and transporting them can be a chore in itself. Make sure to charge accordingly.
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post #6 of 15
2/6/09 at 8:33am
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone for the responses! We're looking at six to eight centerpiece cakes. The bride is having 60 guests with 6 or 8 tables. Thank goodness it's a small order for my first time doing centerpiece cakes. Storage and delivery won't be a problem this time. However, if I have to do more than 12 cakes in the future, finding room in my Suburban for that many cakes will be interesting. As suggested, I will add in a decent delivery/setup fee for this one.

Does the bride usually provide the stands for centerpiece cakes? I don't have several small stands and prefer not to make that type of investment since I don't get many requests for centerpiece cakes.
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post #7 of 15
2/6/09 at 8:57am
I would suggest that the bride go to a party rental store to rent the stands for the cakes. Or if you want you rent then charge the bride, either way i wouldn't invest in a ton of stands i would be looking to rent them somewhere.
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post #8 of 15
2/6/09 at 9:11am
Since these are small cakes, you could suggest something like a wine or martini glass for the stands. It would be alittle difficult cutting, they'd have to remove it to cut of course. But I've seen a lot of cute stands using glasses in the design. Those would not be that expensive, as wine glasses can be found for around $10 for 12 glasses. Martin glasses could be as little as $10 for 4 glasses.
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post #9 of 15
2/6/09 at 9:14am
I did this...NEVER AGAIN.....I charged $30 for 6 inch...so much trouble transporting and set up...sooo much time...NEVER AGAIN!!!!! icon_evil.gif
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post #10 of 15
2/6/09 at 9:36am
Have the bride rent the stands if she wants them. You don't want to rent them for her and then have her not return them and they you get stuck with the restocking fee. I charge the same as I do for regular cakes for the centerpiece cakes and an added delivery/set up fee. They aren't hard... they just get tedious.
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post #11 of 15
2/6/09 at 11:24am
I did centerpiece cakes for DD's wedding (20 of them.) We set them on four upside down wine glasses that the caterer provided. Pretty and puts them at the correct height to still be a centerpiece.
Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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post #12 of 15
3/17/10 at 1:34pm
I'm glad I saw this post during my search. I'm heading into the same thing for the first time. A small 2-tier b&g cake for photos, and 15 centerpiece cakes. 10 guests per table, and she's thinking an 8" cake. I'm going to explain the choice of the 6" to her.

My question, if the op doesn't mind my piggybacking; how exactly are centerpiece cakes cut? In other words, does one of the guests wield a knife and serve guests at their table? (I'd hope some gentleman doesn't fancy himself Crocodile Dundee with a machete!) Or does the waitstaff visit each table and cut for them?

Tia!
If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. ~Author Unknown
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If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. ~Author Unknown
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post #13 of 15
3/17/10 at 1:39pm
swede, here is a link to 2 blog entries I did on centerpiece cakes: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/centerpiece%20cake

I address the knife thing .... if the bride expects the guests to cut their own, she needs to factor in the cost of buying a nice knife for each table AND making sure someone knows how to properly cut a cake.
Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
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Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
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post #14 of 15
3/17/10 at 1:53pm
Thanks, indydebi! Great blog! I was thinking those same things.
If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. ~Author Unknown
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If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. ~Author Unknown
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post #15 of 15
11/8/12 at 11:15am

Fantastic blog post, indideby!  Thanks so much.  I just recently got my first centerpiece cake inquiry. Great information!

The great thing about cake is it doesn't feel like work. You forget about work. Kids, adults, they all get the same look in their eye when they're decorating cakes... That's the magic right there. ~ Duff Goldman

Black/White
(1 photos)
Children's Birthday Cakes
(4 photos)
 
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The great thing about cake is it doesn't feel like work. You forget about work. Kids, adults, they all get the same look in their eye when they're decorating cakes... That's the magic right there. ~ Duff Goldman

Black/White
(1 photos)
Children's Birthday Cakes
(4 photos)
 
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