I feel that I am not charging enough for my cakes. I would like your opinion on pricing for this cake I made last week...just wondering what the average pricing should be. I'm new to the baking cakes and selling them scene, and would like some input. This is a single layer, two tier buttercream and HM marsh. fondant cake with one chocolate and one yellow tier. Please help 

I'm so happy you asked this question!  I've been wondering what to charge for my cakes too!   Surely there's an average price people use.  I mean all cakes cost about the same to produce don't they?  Ingredients, location and skill, labor and overhead are equal for everyone right?  I suppose I could do my own research...but hey this will be much easier!  Especially since it's never been addressed on this site before--well maybe it has--but I don't want to look for it.   Can't wait to hear what others tell me I should charge.  

APrice is determined by the market value of similar work. That means you look into what others are charging. The pitfall there is that lots of people are out there without a clue what to charge. Therefore, it's probably best to find storefront bakeries and see what their prices are. You have to do more than look at their website. For example, my site says my base price is $5 per serving, but typically after all is said and done, the price is at least $7.50.

It's counter intuitive apparently to not focus on your costs when pricing and you'll find most advice around here saying you figure your costs and add in a wage. But if you go onto a business web site, they will say to use market pricing and this is the best advice. If you use your costs to determine price, you will be ery likely to undervalue your cakes. Under valuing is like a rampant disease in this industry and has wreaked havoc on the viability of selling custom cakes. Don't fall into that hole.

You must know what your costs are, of course. That's what tells you if it's worthwhile to turn on the oven.

You'll work up your own pricing structure to help quote out cakes. The size of the cake is important when pricing.

Very well said.

OK but I really don't want to do all that figuring out stuff.  Can't someone just say what an average cake costs?  It would be a lot easier on me if they did. 

I want to know too. I'm just a hobby baker, so I don't have a business, but I need to know what to charge for the cakes I sell, you know, the regular-sized ones.

We need to ask Godot. She knows. Now we have to wait for Godot.

I've been waiting years for this moment   (PM me if you get this reference!)

Sorry, couldn't resist... 

ALmaaaaaooooo the Mods are gonna get y'all! Y'all know they don't play this (insert laughing smiley face here)

AGood luck. I suggest you do your research on this one

AThis has been discussed thousands of times!!! do a search here on it and everyone is going to tell you to do your homework and look into your costs and labour...the rest of us have had to learn to do this. Every cake is different, are is the costs and work that's gone into each one. We can't just chuck out a blanket figure and expect it to apply for all cakes.

AI get people asking all the time for a regular size cake...so I usually do a 6" round. Then I hear it wasn't big enough! How do know what size to make?

I get people asking all the time for a regular size cake...so I usually do a 6" round. Then I hear it wasn't big enough! How do know what size to make?

AAsk how many ppl they want it for. Wilton has a chart on how many serves you'll get out of each cake. If your cakes are 4 inches high then they will be quite adequate. Here a regular sized cake is 8".

AAre you from the u.s. A standard cake might be a 9" there.

A

I thought a 9" was 'party"size and a 10" was only for weddings. I'm confused too pastrypet.

I'm not in the US, I'm in Mexico (the New one), and here we usually make tortilla cakes (kinda like crepe cakes) for weddings, and I use the 9-inch tortillas.

ACorn or flour?

Extra charge for icing?

Times like this I really wish CakeCentral had a "Like" button.  

nice cake by the way,,, 1st thing first how are you chargin,,, and what i see it sure be about $70. cuz fondant is very high price and making it is A sticking stiution.... just saying

A

Only if you tart it. I tart one layers sometimes to give a cake more layers. I charge less for one layer cakes....unless I tart them.

Somebody told me that you make the tortilla cake the same as a crepe cake, except you use pico de gallo instead of French pastry creme. The tortillas are so thin that you don't have to tart them.

ADon't forget about tax, so I'd say $70.97.

Shanter, have you ever tried to frost your tortilla cake with refried beans?  It's seriously the best...and if you mix in equal parts sour cream, you will never go back to a plain ole tortilla cake.