can any body help me how to price fondant cakes? I have been making cakes from home just for fun and have now starting making them often for friends and family and think i need to start charging for them how do i know how much is too much or not enough ? help pleas. here are some examples of cakes i ave made and sold but i think i am not pricing them right

ABefore you charge for your cakes you'll need to contact your county health dept and register for a license under California's new cottage food law. In the meantime, you can work out pricing by adding up your ingredient costs, labor costs (number of hours required to complete the order multiplied by your hourly wage), and overhead costs (license fees, insurance, etc.), then researching what market prices are in your area and adding a markup to meet those prices.

some of us might offer you much more information-- including critiques --than you requested so be advised and be prepared

i think your work is beautiful.and i think that when baking strictly for loved ones you should price in line with the local bakeries that do the same type of work. unless you are 'gifting' part of it. but it's a good idea to always write up an invoice with the pricing and the discount so everyone is clear right up front.

best of luck to you!!!

Love the turkey, that is awesome !!!

I think that your cakes look beautiful! Knowing how much work goes into them I'd say charge more.

Lovely cakes.  Each was very suitable for sale as a custom cake.

January 1, 2013 marks the date that the new Cottage Food Act becomes effective in the State of California.  Here is a link for more information:

http://www.ccdeh.com/document/doc_view/1015-ab-1616-frequently-asked-questions-updated-2012-11-01

I strongly suggest you read the following articles.  They are both from the site of a company that produces software (10% discount to CakeCentral members) to help you price and sell custom cakes.   You can search for reviews on CakeCentral; all reviews have been excellent.

How to Price Cakes:

http://www.cakeboss.com/PricingGuideline.aspx

Top Cake Business Mistakes

http://www.cakeboss.com/TopMistakes.aspx

Happy New Year!

thank you all so, very much for all your help. Every single one of you gave me great advise and answered my questions. Thank you