i made these bee cupcakes for a friend and the labor was a gift for all the free help she has done for me with my kids and while i was pregnant

i figured for the 24 cupcakes it cost be about $25 for all the ingredients box and board to make the cake mix, buttercream, fondant, cookies with sprinkled sugar on top, honey in the center.

it took about 3 hours to make the bees.

and then add in the time to go shopping, mixing cake and cookies, cutting cookies, baking, mixing buttercream, icing cupcakes. putting sugar on the cookies took almost 30 minutes alone. then the time to put it all together. not to mention to get a bottle of yellow colored sugar i had to drive 20 miles one way to the bake shop.

i know it cost money to run the over and mixer, the water and soap to wash all the bowls and pans i used. and paper towels and stuff. I know there is more cost to cakes that what people realize but i feel bad when i give a quote and people look at me like im crazy.

I put just the ingredients, box and board into the cakeboss software. and added 7 1/2 hours at $9 hr to the cake boss software and it said to charge $78. does that sound accurate?

i realize ive been way under charging and at times im spending my own money to make a cake cause i dont charge enough. but people in this area just wont pay since there is a grocery store and walmart on every corner.

also what would you charge for the tinkerbell cake? that was a 6 inch 2 layer, strawberry cake covered with purple fondant and gumpaste flowers, leafs and branches, the topper was a candle that cost $4.49 at the bake shop and i had to drive up there just for the topper since she asked me to do this cake 2 days before she wanted it. do any of you charge rush charges for cakes booked between a certain amount of days?

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2285368/honey-bee-honey-comb-cupcakes

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2286224/tinkerbell-cake

Your cupcakes work out to be $3.25 each. Reasonably priced I think. Considering the cookies, fondant bees and added honey. Very fair. I love Cake boss Software. I have it too.

The 6" 2 layer fondant covered cake. I would charge $4.00 per serving. So about $48.00. If you charged $3.50 per serving it would still come out to $42.00. Both reasonable prices I think.

People don't realize the work involved in each creation. I also think the Cake Boss Software clearly spells it out, fairly too.

Hope that helps.

Beautiful job on the cake and cupcakes! I love it.