Opinions Needed For Mini Cupcakes

Baking By cupncakes35 Updated 21 Nov 2013 , 2:35am by peppercorns

cupncakes35 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cupncakes35 Posted 14 Nov 2013 , 6:25pm
post #1 of 8

AI was asked to make 60 mini cupcakes with a fondant decoration on each of them ( Fondant disk and something on top of it) and 4 mini fondant cakes (4 inch) for a birthday party. I charge $15 per dozen for my minis which makes them $1.25 a piece. Now with fondant decorations I am going to charge .25 to .75 more per cupcake. For the cakes I am going to charge $10 a piece. Is this resonable pricing in anyones opinion.

7 replies
jason_kraft Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jason_kraft Posted 14 Nov 2013 , 6:33pm
post #2 of 8

AHow long will it take you to make each mini cake? How long to make a dozen mini-cupcakes including the fondant decorations?

cupncakes35 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cupncakes35 Posted 14 Nov 2013 , 6:52pm
post #3 of 8

AThanks good starting point. I can get 2 dozen cupcakes done at 1 time at around 7 mins give or take. For the 4inch cakes I believe around 20 min or so, it might be a little bit more. For the fondant decorations I will have a mold so it will cut down the time I hope.

mfeagan Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mfeagan Posted 15 Nov 2013 , 8:26pm
post #4 of 8

The cupcakes sound right on target, but you're way undercharging for the mini cakes! I'm thinking more in the $15 to $20 range or more. 

 

A 4 inch round will serve about 6 people. Make sure you're not undercutting yourself!! Sounds like you are for the cakes! 

 

I personally would charge $24 for a fondant covered cake that served 6 people. 

jason_kraft Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jason_kraft Posted 15 Nov 2013 , 9:29pm
post #5 of 8

A

Original message sent by cupncakes35

Thanks good starting point. I can get 2 dozen cupcakes done at 1 time at around 7 mins give or take. For the 4inch cakes I believe around 20 min or so, it might be a little bit more. For the fondant decorations I will have a mold so it will cut down the time I hope.

Assume ingredients and allocated overhead are $5 for both a dozen cupcakes and a 4" cake.

For a dozen cupcakes, you have $10 to pay for labor, or $7.50 after a 20% markup for profit. For 5 minutes of labor this translates into a wage of $90/hour.

For a mini cake, you have $5 to pay for labor, or $3.33 after 20% profit. For 25 minutes of labor this is a wage of $8/hour.

I recommend double-checking the labor requirements for both the cupcakes and the mini-cakes, then building a price based on your labor, ingredients, overhead, and profit. Check out the Pricing Formula link in my signature below for more info.

cupncakes35 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cupncakes35 Posted 16 Nov 2013 , 3:37am
post #6 of 8

AThank you guys for your response. I will have to re think the amount I'm charging for this order and future orders. I think I had the "Thts my friend syndrome" vs " This is my business syndrome". It's hard when you quote a price and the customer sighs about it. If I want to succeed them I will have to charge accordingly.

mfeagan Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
mfeagan Posted 16 Nov 2013 , 12:32pm
post #7 of 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by cupncakes35 

Thank you guys for your response. I will have to re think the amount I'm charging for this order and future orders. I think I had the "Thts my friend syndrome" vs " This is my business syndrome". It's hard when you quote a price and the customer sighs about it. If I want to succeed them I will have to charge accordingly.

I went through the same thing for years until I got sick of making stuff and stopped for a while. I wasn't making a dime!!! I would maybe come out with $10 in profit for a cake I spent 6 hours making. I finally said to myself....If someone doesn't want to pay for my hard work, then I don't want to make anything for them! 

 

I honestly don't care anymore if someone says they can't afford it. I tell them I understand completely, but there is so much work involved in a custom cake that I cannot possibly lower my prices. I kindly refer them to other bakers in the area and also suggest a couple of bakeries we have to see if they have better luck there. 

 

It's just not worth my time anymore. 

peppercorns Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
peppercorns Posted 21 Nov 2013 , 2:35am
post #8 of 8

AI agree with you, a profit of ten dollars after 6 hrs of work translates to about a dollar and seventy cents per hour. Hmmmp ! Not worth it for sure.

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%