How Much Should I Charge For These Cakes?

Decorating By Lois Childress Updated 25 Jun 2013 , 7:52pm by SystemMod1

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Lois Childress Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 5:27am
post #1 of 22

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3041873/width/200/height/400[/IMG][IMG][IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3041872/width/200/height/400[/IMG][/IMG]I am a new at home Baker and I need to give a quote on these two cakes. I have underpriced myself a few times already. What would you charge for a 12-10-8-6 four tier wedding cake done with fondant with a vanilla cake and sstrawberry filling. It has flowers and white chocolate dipped strawberries she wants enough of cake and strawberries to feed a hundred people. Also how do you make the strawberries stay like that on the cake? What do you use to hold them on? Thanks so much!! For the grooms cake she wants a 14 inch cake in chocolate made to look like a fire hose. Then on top she wants that layer to look like a fire helmet. All of this is made of fondant. She wants a chocolate ganache filling. Please help me price this right. I am so tired of undercharging!!

21 replies
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cakefat Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 7:33am
post #2 of 22

I don't mean to be salty about this..but seriously there are about a MILLION posts about this, about every single day there are a couple new ones with the same responses. It's sort of old now.

 

Please do a search and find out how to figure out your pricing based on your costs and expenses- including overhead and time.

 

Really only you can figure this out as it's your time,  overhead, flour, sugar, etc etc. 

 

PS- use the white chocolate as a 'glue' to hold the strawberries on the side

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Annabakescakes Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 7:42am
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A

Original message sent by cakefat

I don't mean to be salty about this..but seriously there are about a MILLION posts about this, about every single day there are a couple new ones with the same responses. It's sort of old now.

Please do a search and find out how to figure out your pricing based on your costs and expenses- including overhead and time.

Really only you can figure this out as it's your time,  overhead, flour, sugar, etc etc. 

PS- use the white chocolate as a 'glue' to hold the strawberries on the side

Ditto.

P.P.S start at the bottom with the strawberries and go up. The bottom ones will support the top ones, and you won't have unsightly gaps you can't fill.

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leah_s Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 9:55am
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for starters, a 6/8/10/12 doesn't serve 100 people.  It serves 134.  You can't make money by providing more cake than was paid for.

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southconft Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 2:44pm
post #5 of 22

AAw don't know I ever seen anyone respond onhere like that... this is a great place to come for help... I am in your shoes this is what I did... price say what ur paying for sugar divid it in 1/4 cup sev...I hosetly poured my whole bag out and counted it =)... the the same for each comp of the recipe..the little stuf I cut cost in 1/2 added it in... google cost of wedding cake I did this and found charts for how many servings per cake..or do it your self (I did) make a tempplate of the pans make it in to what u think a serv size should be( 3 x4in sq is me) tell your customer the size of serv uk? Ok about the berrys did you think about floral wire to the steem last thing you want is for one she paid for to roll off on the floor cuse it got warm uk you could even use the wire as deco kinda like a vine all curled it would be cute..o and one more to think on ur price..what do u want to mke for ur skills? I said to my self bakeing is easy 10 hr for that time then 15 to 20 for the things they would call hard to do ( notice them not me cause I found this easy or I wouldn't be so good at it uk) there it goes in to how long it takes you to do the cake...I made a castle cake for my little girl when I was done it took about 12 hr to make so on top of cost I would add $170 in labor makinng this a $210 cake..hope this helps.. u cand find me on facebook look for Southern Confection's Bakery by Candace... be glad to share any help...don't let the saltyness run you off this is a great place to fine tips.

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AZCouture Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 2:49pm
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AImpossible to tell you what to charge, but easy to recognize BAD pricing advice. Wish it was easier, but it's not.

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leah_s Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 3:01pm
post #7 of 22

AA standard serving of cake is 1 X 2 X 4, or 8 cubic inches. The measure quoted above will drive you our of business.

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shanter Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 3:44pm
post #8 of 22

OP:  Please read this:

http://jasonkraftblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/the-magic-pricing-formula/

 

Jason's other blog articles are also useful.

 

Also, as cakefat suggested, read some of the pricing threads.

http://cakecentral.com/newsearch?search=cake+price&type=35

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keepingitreal21 Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 4:09pm
post #9 of 22

A

Original message sent by leah_s

A standard serving of cake is 1 X 2 X 4, or 8 cubic inches. The measure quoted above will drive you our of business.

Ditto, there' s such a thing as BAD advice.

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leah_s Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 4:13pm
post #10 of 22

AI hope you're not saying my advice is bad.

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Godot Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 4:15pm
post #11 of 22

AI think she's agreeing with you.

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JSKConfections Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 4:18pm
post #12 of 22

I hope you figure this out...these cakes both would be very expensive to make.  Don't cheat yourself...if they think it costs too much, then let them price it out elsewhere...good luck, let us know what happens.  thumbs_up.gif

 

Oh and don't listen to crabby old cakefat!  I see you just joined last night and then you get that bordering rude comment...most folks on this site are very nice and helpful, when I see the brassiness of some, I usually just sit and shake my head.  Yes she is right, there are many threads on alot of subjects...just use the search bar like you would do in google and browse through the threads. 

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AZCouture Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 4:20pm
post #13 of 22

A

Original message sent by leah_s

I hope you're not saying my advice is bad.

Oh heck no! Might argue that SPS is not always the best solution, but not for this stuff. :-)

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AZCouture Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 4:22pm
post #14 of 22

AOh, that wasn't directed at me..ha ha.

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Annabakescakes Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 5:41pm
post #15 of 22

AUm, speaking of BAD advice, DO NOT JAB WIRES IN YOUR STRAWBERRIES! firstly, they will leak all over the place and it will look like your cake is bleeding. Second, floral wire IS NOT FOOD SAFE! You could poison the guests.

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keepingitreal21 Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 5:50pm
post #16 of 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by leah_s 

I hope you're not saying my advice is bad.

Heck NO Leah...your advice rocks! You're one of my Cakestars.

 

I was agreeing with you.

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BayBeecakes7 Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 6:10pm
post #17 of 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by cakefat 

I don't mean to be salty about this..but seriously there are about a MILLION posts about this, about every single day there are a couple new ones with the same responses. It's sort of old now.

 

Please do a search and find out how to figure out your pricing based on your costs and expenses- including overhead and time.

 

Really only you can figure this out as it's your time,  overhead, flour, sugar, etc etc. 

 

PS- use the white chocolate as a 'glue' to hold the strawberries on the side


Please explain to me why everyone has to be so rude? we all come here because we.....at some point had a passion for cake decorating....if you have lost that passion, don't be rude, just simply don't reply.not everyone has been in business for years, and the last time i checked this was a website to LEARN and GAIN KNOWLEDGE on the topic of cakes. Please be more considerate of others, its not classy to say this time and time again  :)

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shanter Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 6:53pm
post #18 of 22
Quote:

Please explain to me why everyone has to be so rude? we all come here because we.....at some point had a passion for cake decorating....if you have lost that passion, don't be rude, just simply don't reply.not everyone has been in business for years, and the last time i checked this was a website to LEARN and GAIN KNOWLEDGE on the topic of cakes. Please be more considerate of others, its not classy to say this time and time again  :)

 

I didn't see anything rude. The information sought is easily available and good advice was given. You are a newbie. When you have seen the same question about pricing for the 100th or 500th or 2000th time, you will be tired of them too. There are over 26,000 threads on CC about cake pricing

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Godot Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 6:55pm
post #19 of 22

AWhat the hamster said.

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kikiandkyle Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 7:01pm
post #20 of 22

AI didn't see anything rude in any of the replies, in fact the question is probably the rudest post on this thread. It's rude to just join a site and post a question expecting professionals who have done all of the hard work and research to spend their free time giving you all the answers, when all you had to do was click search and type in pricing. It's not as if there aren't 10,000 of them already.

OP - if you're trying to do this as a business you need to do your research and make a business plan, that includes figuring out your costs, what the local market price is and from there, what you should charge and whether you can even make money doing this. You may find that there's not enough customers in your area that are willing to pay a fair price for your work, or that there are but you need to market to those customers. There's more to being a successful baker than being good at it and enjoying it.

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MimiFix Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 7:07pm
post #21 of 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by Godot 

What the hamster said.

 Still laughing, here... thumbs_up.gif 

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SystemMod1 Posted 25 Jun 2013 , 7:52pm
post #22 of 22

Thank you for your participation, the thread has run its course.

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