So I'm trying to figure out how to price a simple carved cake.  I usually only do cakes for close friends and family, but this is an acquaintance who could probably lead to a lot more business (so I don't want to scare her off.)
She wants a buttercream iced cake to serve 15, but wants it carved into the shape of the Superman logo, which isn't hard or anything, but the question is, do I just charge her for the servings she is getting, or do I charge for the whole cake I have to make to carve?

~ Krissi

so a 2-d cake --not the logo standing upright right?

i charge looking at the end product--more expertise being used--probably wanna cut a special board the same shape--yes i just had a base price for 2-d cakes and thought through the whole process in advance to determine the total cost--so i charged per cake taking servings and difficulty all into account--

and i would not necessarily cut the exact shape out of a cake maybe maybe not--often i would cut and piece and glue it together with icing--to maximize the amount of cake used and minimize the excess--so i'm not really worried about baking that much too much that it makes much of a difference cost wise--especially for 15 servings--

this would fall under the 'minimum price for 2-d cakes' guideline--

AIn my experience, the more piecing together, the more time it takes and for me, that's going to add to the price more than baking a little extra cake.

Worrying about scaring this customer off with a price is asking for trouble if it means you're going to charge less. If she and her friends don't want to pay a proper amount, then this is not the kind of business you want to encourage. In my opinion, unless you live in a small town, word of mouth overrated as a way to get business. Unless you're undercharging and then the news will spread like wild fire.

And yes, you charge for all the servings plus an extra fee for making the template and cutting out the shape of the cake. Keep in mind that you might discount some of the waste because you didn't decorate that part.