Howdy,

This is my first post but I've been reading and reading and reading and getting sooo many tips here from you all, so thanks already :)

This is my first fondant cake, first time for all of it, modelling, using fondant, etc, and I couldn't have done it without the advice from here...

So I know how long it took me. I'm just wondering how long it SHOULD take me to make, figures and all... I actually made the figures twice, once for practice. Each figure took approx. 5 hours from start to finish. Second time round was probably three hours. And I ended up making FOUR cakes:

1. Test cake for the recipe

2. Make cake and decorate - party cancelled due to rain (outdoor venue), ate cake

3. Made third cake - cooling on counter, went to pee, came back, kids had attacked it (they're v. small, though not small enough not to find a step and reach the counter)

4. Fourth time lucky and I got to decorate this one...

I've been asked to make a similar cake with diff characters, and I already know what price I want to charge. I estimate it took me maybe 10 hours total to make the figures, and then another six hours to bake, ganache and fondant. Is this ridiculously long? How long would it take you all to do similar?

[And yes, I know my ribbon edge shouldn't be at the front, and I dented the board fondant too, but otherwise was incredibly happy with cake! It was a gift for a friend's son)

Thanks!

Kx

Kazbur, 1st of all welcome to CC, you will soon be like the rest of us... addicted.

2nd of all I must say your cake is well done.  Very clean, you definitely have the talent to create wonderful works of arts.

How long it will take you is not the same as how long it will take anybody else.  I don't feel there is any hard rule for it either.  Practice makes perfect and time also has a way of dictating just how long you will play with it.

We all progress at different speeds.

I enjoy having lots of time to work on my projects, but my customers don't really know the difference.  REalax and enjoy the hobby.  You will get better at it.

Happy Caking.

Hi Auntginn,

Thanks for the reply! I'm already addicted :)

I'm just wondering if I'm likely to get faster. With two children, ages 1 & 3,  a large dog, a part-time job, a house to run with a husband who works away, my time is really limited, ha!

Also, while it will probably take me 20 hours+ to do a cake like this (I didn't count first time, because I was learning absolutely everything from scratch), I was going to charge my hours at 10 - so when I'm costing a cake, I just want some rough idea of the number of hours I should calculate - is 10 fair, or if I were more experienced, would it be much less?

I'm not actually charging very much for time, and I guess I'll figure out as I go along how long it should really take, but if anybody has any kind of rough guide to time, would really appreciate it!

Thanks :)

Karen

I'm surprised others haven't answered.  But really you should charge for your time.  Do Not undercut yourself.  You will tire out, you will feel that others are taking advantage of you and you will find it hard to bring your pay up to what your worth.

Start off right.  Look for your target market.  Focus on your skills regardless of the amount of time you have to put into it.  There are so many variables in this industry.  For 1 I'm sure you've noticed that there are lots of designs.  Trends come and go.  Stay focused.. Learn as you go, get help, there are lots of tutorials so you can't go wrong.

Another factor to consider is what the market will bear.  I don't know where your at but its different in every part of the world.  You may get $25.00 for a small cake but I can only get $15.00.  All of these you will learn from experience as well.

Let me know if I can be of any more help.