Time And Cost Difference Between Buttercream And Fondant
Decorating By msmeg Updated 23 Feb 2007 , 7:52pm by karensjustdessert
I have a bride coming in the morning she wants fondant mom is happy with butter cream.
This would be my first fondant cake for pay but I do feel confident but I worry they will not like the taste....
anyway cost is higher and time is a bit more for me so I need to have a price set before the come for the 2 types..... how much more per serving do you charge for fondant. and how do I figure how much fondant I need for the cake ?
It sounds like a fun cake.. white gumpaste roses, blue delfiniums ( not sure on that) we may need a different blue flower like hydranga
and a chocolate grooms cake to match with choc roses or posibly the same flowers.
I charge $3.50/slice for buttercream and $4.00-$5.00/slice for fondant. Fondant always costs more because you already have a layer of buttercream underneath it and they can peel it off if they don't like it.
I think I have seen on other thread that people charge $.50 per slice more for fondant covered cakes but I haven't done one myself. They also charge extra for gupaste flowers. You might PM shirleyw as she does a lot of fondant and gumpaste work and may be able to help you.
I have seen prices for both...It really deopends on your area and the prices that reflect that market.Some charge as little as $2.00 a piece for BC....$6.00 for Fondant.Upscale decoraters like Colette Peters etc...I'm sure charge over $10.00 a piece.Price what you think you can get for BC and I would say double it or more for Fondant then add in the decorations they want.I'm sure someone who does fondantr cakes alot will come by and give you better advise!!
When in doubt, call around to local bakeries and local cake artists (or check their websites) to see what they are charging. Make sure you're not undercutting yourself and you're not going overboard either.
For my area, I'm able to charge 2.75 per serving for buttercream, and 3.00 (minimum) for fondant. The price may increase due to other decorative features, but I price it as: 3.00 per (fondant) serving, plus a flat rate for the extra decoration. It seems to help folks understand those flowers or ribbons don't just make themselves.
I'm one of those absolutely RARE people that finds working with fondant SO much easier and quicker than smoothing a top-coat of buttercream... Honestly, I HATE smoothing buttercream because it takes me 4x as long, and considering that, my time is more than the cost of the most expensive brand of fondant I use.. SO, I charge $2.50/slice for rough icing, and $3/slice for smooth buttercream or a fondant top-coat. Of course, the decoration is really what is going to add-on more than that, so it's all dependent on what they're asking for if it goes up from there.
You've got to find your groove with it. For me, I just find it so much easier to work with that I can't justify charging an extra $3/slice JUST for the fondant which the bakery up the road charges.
I'm one of those absolutely RARE people that finds working with fondant SO much easier and quicker than smoothing a top-coat of buttercream... Honestly, I HATE smoothing buttercream because it takes me 4x as long, and considering that, my time is more than the cost of the most expensive brand of fondant I use..
That's why I don't charge much more for my fondant. I prefer working with it, which is hilarious, considering I was so intimidated when I first started practicing with it, just 2 years ago.
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