Extra Charge On 3 Tier Wedding Cake, Different Cake Flavors?
Decorating By cocobean Updated 1 Jan 2009 , 12:27am by classiccake
Have an order for a three tier wedding cake. I told bride that I charge 3.00 minimum per serving. She then started talking about having me do a different cake flavor on each tier. I told her that would be extra. I just haven't said how much extra. Any advice on this one? 
i don't charge extra for tiered flavors unless they are premium flavors. I say this because a batter makes xx amount, so if you have 3 different batters to make, they will make xx too. I just charge more if it is an upgraded flavor or filling... If you are going to charge I would charge a per serving amount... since tier a will be smaller than c... you will use more ingredients in c than you would a.... so maybe up the charge to 3.25 per serving or something like that.... hope that helps..
I dont' charge for different fillings for a few reasons.
- First and Foremost, it's a marketing thing. Most bakers/bakeries up here charge extra for EVERYTHING. Brides are nickel and dimed to death. So when they come to me and I tell them "Whatever you want, it's all the same price", then they think they've found their golden goose egg. Note: I have modified this to "anything on the inside of the cake" is all one price .... picked this up from a fellow CC'er.
- When I worked with a 5-Qt KA, the bowl held 2 cake mixes. Since I had to make batter in batches of 2 cake mixes, it made no difference to me whether I opened a box of white cake mix or spice cake mix. There was no add'l cost to me, no matter what they wanted. (I will say that it's kind of a pain now to whip up enough batter in a 20-qt mixer for ONE 6" spice cake, but in the grand scheme of things, it's no big deal. I'm usually making multiple cakes anyway and rarely do small batches of batter nowadays.)
- I couldn't find a legitimate reason to charge extra "just because" it was multiple flavors. It wasn't costing me anything extra. If the batter actually costs you more to make for one flavor than it does another then I don't have a problem charging extra (i.e. I charge extra for rum cake because I have to buy the rum; I charge extra for white chocolate because I have to chop the white chocolate and the price of chocolate is going nuts lately).
But the main reason is the first one .... it gives me a sales and marketing edge over those who charge for every little thing. I've booked 4 weddings in the last month from brides who said this was the deciding factor for them.
I do have a list of "standard" flavors and a list of "deluxe" flavors. The deluxe flavors involve both more time and more cost. Time is money.
We mix our batters in 80 qt., 60 qt, 30 qt, 20 qt, 10 qt, and 5 qt mixers.
In our 80 qt mixer, we are mixing around 65 lbs of batter, which is always a white batter. If we have to make 5 lbs. of carrot batter, then that involves alot more time then scooping cakes out of the big batch of white batter.
If brides want to spend less on their cake, then they can get white, chocolate, marble, or yellow cake. If they want deluxe flavors or fillings, then they can pay more.
When I order pizza, I pay for what I get.....just cheese costs less than a deluxe pizza.
So, for me, if a bride wants a layer of white, a layer of chocolate, and one of marble, it is all the same price. If they want all white cake, with 40 servings of lemon poppyseed, then we charge $.50 more per serving just for that one layer, which equals out to $20.00.
This has worked well for us. We try to include alot for the base price, which for two years has been $2.50 per serving.
I'm with jammjenks - premium flavors aren't big in my area either. I do offer to do each layer of the same size different flavors. So that everyone that gets a slice from that layer gets two flavors. This seems to be a big hit if the bride is having trouble deciding on a flavor. If I do white/choc - I call this tuxedo, white/strawberry is strawberry creme.
i do not charge more...
i dont find a reason for it... i only charge extra when i am filling it with say fresh strawberries or bananas on top of the buttercreme ... which for some rason is real popular...
or am filling with dulce de leche...
i find that alot of brides cant decide and go for our black and white cake (chocolate fudge with french vanilla on top and buttercreme filling)
and we dont charge for that either...
there are 3 or 4 big name places in my area, and they charge for everything... i know this bc i went with my best friend who is getting married next year, and they were even charging her extra for marble cake at one place, on and they charged her extra for making the cake square instead of round, which i thought it was rediculous (becuase instead of having a four tier round she got a 3 tier square- it was still 130 servings... i will never understand that one...)
but yeah around here they charge for everything... i think it is crazy, whichis why i dont do it
I only charge extra for fresh fruit fillings, and for my european cheesecake which is a NY style cheesecake sandwiched between 2 layers of cake. It is more expensive to make a cheesecake so that is why I charge more, and it is separate baking too, more time consuming. And the prep of the tier for a european cheesecake is more involved.
I do have a list of "standard" flavors and a list of "deluxe" flavors. The deluxe flavors involve both more time and more cost. Time is money.
We mix our batters in 80 qt., 60 qt, 30 qt, 20 qt, 10 qt, and 5 qt mixers.
In our 80 qt mixer, we are mixing around 65 lbs of batter, which is always a white batter. If we have to make 5 lbs. of carrot batter, then that involves alot more time then scooping cakes out of the big batch of white batter.
If brides want to spend less on their cake, then they can get white, chocolate, marble, or yellow cake. If they want deluxe flavors or fillings, then they can pay more.
When I order pizza, I pay for what I get.....just cheese costs less than a deluxe pizza.
So, for me, if a bride wants a layer of white, a layer of chocolate, and one of marble, it is all the same price. If they want all white cake, with 40 servings of lemon poppyseed, then we charge $.50 more per serving just for that one layer, which equals out to $20.00.
This has worked well for us. We try to include alot for the base price, which for two years has been $2.50 per serving.
I'm like this too. I find I have to have a "cheaper choice" for budget brides/customers...yet a "gourmet choice" for those who are going for something different or dessert-like without caring about cost.
I can't afford to offer my homemade chocolate cake full of butter and sour cream....or my pound cake with TONS of butter and cream and expensive cake flour...or a ganache filling made with loads of Ghiradelli's chocolate for the same price as I'd sell a doctored yellow cake mix with raspberry preserves or chocolate buttercream.
I personally have no problem with it because I know when I shop, I realize some options are what I can afford and some options are not... I mean I can get leather interior in my car, or I can save a few hundred and get regular upholstry.
Indy I think its cool that you do it the way you do! You really have a great business going out there. I'm coming to find out that Philly is nothing like Indi.... haha....(good for you!)...I"m still sore that I can't get many wedding cakes. haha. I've been writing caterers and wedding planners over the past couple days....
Kitagrl,
Do these caterers and planners already know you? If they haven't had your cake, then take them a small delicious and beautiful cake to eat at their leisure!
Have an open house and invite them to you to see your work and make up several samples they can taste. Have some food, wine, make it worth their time to come. If they send you business, it would be well worth the investment. Become friends with florists also!
We are really fortunate here in the Indy area to have such a wide open market.
Kitagrl,
Do these caterers and planners already know you? If they haven't had your cake, then take them a small delicious and beautiful cake to eat at their leisure!
Have an open house and invite them to you to see your work and make up several samples they can taste. Have some food, wine, make it worth their time to come. If they send you business, it would be well worth the investment. Become friends with florists also!
We are really fortunate here in the Indy area to have such a wide open market.
An open house is a wonderful idea...although my house is not that big. I don't mind taking samples around but I do want to find the ones who are even willing to consider a "new kid on the block" as some are already fine and not interested in anyone new.
I do have one I found on Craigslist the other night, she is re-opening a sort of small catering hall/restaurant thing and she mostly caters though....but she is having a grand opening event and said I can set up a table for free...as long as I donate a couple things for the raffle prizes. I'm going to meet her with a few samples next week.
I am finding more and more that there seems to be pretty tight "cliques" of caterer/decorator/venue around here and I'm going to have to work hard to infiltrate it. haha. *sigh* For instance the wedding planner I've referred to in other posts...very prominent...saw I can do decent work at a cake show last year...ordered a personal 3D cake from me this summer because his family member loved my cake flavor so much....yet he really won't refer anyone to me because I'm not, I guess, in the "in crowd" LOL...in Philly...
Its ok, I just have to figure out another way around it!
PRICING GETS DIFFICULT TO ME:
I charge $3.00 pp for BC. However, I always have the people that want the small, plain, 3 tier cake for "50" people and make a 3 tier for $150??? Should I charge for the top tier if the cake is less than $200.00? Ya think? I don't charge delivery for Savannah since it's a small city and I charge $35.00 if it's going to Bluffton or Hilton Head. Also, many brides keep trying to get me to "give out" my silver cake pedestals for free rental and I just can't do this anymore since it's my time and gas and have to go pick it back up! Any suggestions on how to combat these irritations?
Also, I have one cake maker here that sells her stuff for like $1.75 pp (her work resembles Walmart) and then another that has a minimum of $550.00 (she's a MUCH better desinger than the other "decorator" ande is very established here), but I STILL get told I'm too expensive????!!!! I charge $3.00pp bc and $4.50pp for rolled fondant? I dont really think that's high.. If you go to a restaurant, are you going to get away with paying $3.00 for a dessert? I don't think so.
I charge $25.00 for stand rental and a $300.00 deposit to get it back. They have to return it to me by Wednesday the following week or I cash their $300 deposit check. Believe you me, they want to retun it. I would not go chasing stands.
When one rents tuxes, they don't come and pick them up.
Florists have a charge to come back to the site and pick up their stuff.
Make a policy and stick to it!
kathleen, I would say you are right in line with your pricing. I live in the south too, not as expesive of an area as savannah, but think your rates are fine. If you feel you are worth more, then by all means charge more! I say that because of this... some people think a walmart sheet cake is too expensive. If they want your cake they will pay for it. I include the top tier in my wedding cake as the counting and offer a "fresh" tier on their anniversary. I know other bakers on here do the same. It is included in the overall cake price. By premium flavors I charge extra because if they want a cake with nuts or coconut or cream cheese or liqour or fresh fruit fillings, it does cost more than the standard cake would make. This is true for scratch baking and cake mix baking.
I charge to change flavors on layers for cakes under $150. But I really don't even want to DO cakes under $150 anymore... but that's not the point. The point is, if someone orders an 8" and 6" little tiered cake, they have to get it all the same flavor. I can make all of that batter in one mixer, put it into the 4 pans and into the oven. It's only $10 to add a different flavor, not because it costs me more to change flavors, but with time being money, washing the bowl and making a different batter...
But if someone is getting a $700 wedding cake, they can switch all they want.
Cakedog,
That means your photo size is too large. Go to shrink pictures.com and follow the easy instructions to shrink your photo at no charge.
Then try again. On one of my photos I had to shrink it twice before it went through.
That should to the trick! 
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%
