Hi everyone... i will be doing a cake for a friend who is throwing her parents an anniversary party. The cake they picked is as follows:
3 tiers (10,8, 6 inch) heart shaped. The cake will be chocolate with almond filling and crushed up almonds around the sides of each layer. All layers will be decorated with roses and royal icing daisies and boarders. Also I will be delivering the cake and setting it up the day of the party.
I know price vary's from city to city but I'd like to get some opinions on how much you would pay for this cake. It is for a friend however, besides the cost of materials, i'd like to at least make a little money for my time.
Thanks for the help!
In my area, I would charge $75.00.
Since this is a friend and you don't want to charge her the full price, total the cost of material and add $25.00 to it for a little profit.
Good luck 
I live in central PA, and from experience, I know NJ is a little more expensive than here. The rate I would charge is probably $75-$100 considering the ingredients and decorations. For a friend, I would probably go with the $75.
~Nicole
For all tier cakes, I charge a per person cost. $3.25 per person.
How much is it going to cost you to make the cake?
General rule is the cost to make the cake times 3. Though if that feels high to you you can do x2.5. Never go below x2 though. 
$75 for a three tiered cake seems awefully cheap to me. I recently sat down and figured out what it actually cost per cake just for ingredients, and supplies (such as boards), and I think you might be shocked, I was. I would figure the cost out before you give a price. You could be spending almost what you are selling it for. Someone wanted a cost for a 6,8,10" wedding cake covered in fondant with 2 - 1/2 sheet cakes (from scratch) and when I figured out the cost just to make the cakes it was over $100. This is w/o the cost of my time, delivery or setup, and this was with no elaborate decorations (such as sugar flowers).
$75 for a three tiered cake seems awefully cheap to me. I recently sat down and figured out what it actually cost per cake just for ingredients, and supplies (such as boards), and I think you might be shocked, I was. I would figure the cost out before you give a price. You could be spending almost what you are selling it for. Someone wanted a cost for a 6,8,10" wedding cake covered in fondant with 2 - 1/2 sheet cakes (from scratch) and when I figured out the cost just to make the cakes it was over $100. This is w/o the cost of my time, delivery or setup, and this was with no elaborate decorations (such as sugar flowers).
I think that SarahJane is right on the ball. Sometimes we forget to add everything we spend. I used to be silly and only put in my ingredietns, forgetting dowels, baking paper, water, boards, wires, colors etc, all these things require replacement. I personally don't do any cakes for less than $150 Australian which is $109 US. That is for a torted one tier cake with fondant and a modelled figure on top, or covered in buttercream roses.
$75 -$100 seems to be far too cheap.
If this was a wedding cake, you'd never do it for that price. I dont see the difference from a celebration to a wedding cake. It's still going to cost you the same and be the same amount of work. I would charge from $200 up, depending on wether your cake is scratch or boxed.
Cheers
Nati
$75 does seem a little too cheap.
Here in NZ a three tier cake would probably be around $200 to $300 - but then I think ingredients here must be alot more expensive.
When doing cakes for friends I tend to charge materials plus around $25. It means that at least you are covering your costs and a little of your time.
Just a side issue - I find friends and family are probably my least appreciative clients 
and no matter what I charge them they think it is too much and I should have done it for free.
Around here that would probably cost 125.00 for friends or family (in Kentucky)
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