Stefi....who is being snippy? I'm not seeing it. And like Mike said, if you want to see him "SNIP", go check out the mix thread! I personally find him helarious, but apparently I am the only person in the fan club!

Hmmm, I wouldn't do it...tell them you're not licensed and it just your hobby. I've been asked several times to do wedding cakes and I turned them down. First of all, I'm not licensed and if I ever turn this into a business then....it won't be my hobby anymore and I won't have FUN!!

I haven't read the whole thread, but aside from the stress of making a wedding cake (yikes! the thought of it scares me to death LOL : D ) if you get caught selling cakes without a license you can get big fines...

Good luck!

There is not a snippy answer in this whole thread. Everyone has been on good behavior.

I agree to everyone here too...I've read the thread from the beginning and I don't think anyone was being snippy. In fact I learn from each one...I'm a hobby baker too. I normally bake goodies for family and very close friends in the office. And those friends are the only ones that ask me to bake them a cake...other than that, I don't have time for lavish cakes. If I want to see one, I just go here in CC or watch Cake Boss.

Here's the CC dictionary:

Snippy- adj 1.Not giving the answer the OP wanted 2.Not taking the time to write a novel in response to a question the requires a short answer

Mean- adj 1. Not giving the answer the OP wanted 2.Posting an opinion that is different from another poster's.

Rude- adj 1. Not giving the answer the OP wanted 2.Giving constructive advice when the previous poster just wanted permission to do whatever it was they wanted to do in the first place.

Hmmmm snippy? I don't think so....

Sarcastic, yes. "Why" you may ask? Well, I'm not so concerned about the whole issue of "how much to charge", but rather the fact that yet another thread has been made about this. Seriously, I feel that this is getting redundant.

Back to the OP's question. I'm sorry to sound harsh, but you sound like THE customers who write to Cake Artists, Cake Decorators, the CLAN (Cake Lovers Association Network- I made this one up ) asking for a price on a birthday cake. Just that- a birthday cake. No servings, flavors, decorations or theme mentioned- I wish there was a "one birthday cake fits all", but there isn't.
Sooo... I ask, what are the specifications?

The ability to be concise is very important. Our lecture has specified this (non cake lecturer). I have been earbashed about this.

Answer to OP: You don't. For the love of God, don't. It will go from a small cake, to a large cake, and then the size requirements will double, you will be feeding 200 outside in the middle of summer.

Seriously though: it's a gift. I'm not a plumber, I may unclog someones sink but I can't charge for it.

I would first suggest finding out if you are allowed to do it. I am a hobby baker and there are places I am not allowed to bring my cakes. So call the reception site first. Then figure out the legalities, such as are you allowed to accept money in exchange for the cake (even if it is just your out-of-pocket costs) or if you want/need a separate insurance policy/binder for the event. If you are able/allowed to ~ and still want to ~ do it, I would start by figuring out how much the cake will cost you to do, considering the flavors, fillings, frostings and decorations (fondant, gumpaste?), etc. Consider ALL factors and decide what your time is worth. You can check web sites of bakers in your area to see what a comparable cake would cost.

If you search the forum topics for pricing questions, you will see that this comes up a lot. Maybe some of those discussions can help you, too. Just please note that sometimes it does get a little heated because the person posting the question is putting it out there for legal bakers to see and comment on. And they have all sorts of money laid out in insurance, licenses, etc., so it would naturally bother them to a degree that someone would underprice them (among other reasons, too ). I am not saying you should not ask the question, because I believe everyone can ask what they want on this free site; but I just mention it so that you don't get upset/affected by some of the comments you may see posted.

Anyway, good luck with your research and I wish you the best!

Jamie you rock....that's the way to have a friend's back!

I'm a hobby baker and I charge according to what it's worth to ME. If It's a cake I really want to do and I have the time and guts I do it. And I use the profit to buy new cake gadgets and books.

We only have one bakery that do real custom cakes and the next cake I'm doing they would charge 520 USD. I'm charging 200 - just because I'm dying to do a cake like this. I have a very well paid day time job so If I need extra money I just work a few extra hours. The cakes I make I do for fun and pleasure and I only do the ones I really want to do. And I only do cakes where I get more or less free hands on how to decorate them - otherwise I'm not interested.

Thank you for all of the advice. I didn't take any of the posts "snippy". I'm happy for the honest reply. License/Insurrance is nothing that I had thought about and I'm glad someone brought it to my attention. I am not going to do this cake for that reason. These are the honest answers I look for when browsing CC.

As for the professional bakers out there, I am not looking to undermine your prices, or take food off of your table. Like I said, this is a hobby for me (maybe someday, I'll switch careers) and I was just looking for an opportunity to practice and make cake. The opportunity does not arise very often.

Costumeczar, the possibility of a troll entered my mind the other day as well when there were suddently a lot of very new people appearing out of nowhere in a pricing thread.

And since this topic has basically turned negative, I will lock this thread.