? Pricing A Cake For 8 People

Decorating By sandy1 Updated 30 Mar 2009 , 8:04pm by __Jamie__

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sandy1 Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 4:37pm
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I have a request for an Easter cake. The customer wants fondant bunnies shaped in different positions with grass and eggs on the top. She also wants basket-weave sides and a fondant handle. This cake she tells me is for 8 people. I was wondering if $25 is too much to ask for the cake??? It seems that there will be quite a bit of work making the bunnies, not to mention all the other details she wants. Help!
S

20 replies
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sweetcakes Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 4:46pm
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no thats not enough for all that work, what size cake do youplan on making for $25, a 6"?

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SUELA Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 4:53pm
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I agree, $25 does is not enough.

First, I would price a cake for 8 people. Then I would figure out cost of the fondant alone, then add in some labor costs.

$50 seems closer, but that I think is even not enough.

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LaBellaFlor Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 5:00pm
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Okay that request right there is why people have a minimum charge for cakes. I get she wants all this nice stuff, but for 8 people, thats ridiculous. Sounds like a carved cake to me & those are minimum of $100, regardless of servings. Is all that work really worth $25 or even $50 to you.

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doughdough Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 5:01pm
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$25 TOO MUCH?? Heck no!

I'm w/ Suela, at least $50 for all the fondant and details the customer wants.

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MikeRowesHunny Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 5:04pm
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Yep, that's the reason I have a minimum charge whether to cake be for 2 or 200! It can easily take me as long to decorate an intricate 6in as it would a simple 12in - why should my time be worth any less because it's not serving as many people, that makes no sense to me! The customer either pays it or goes without!

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Mrsnoodle Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 5:05pm
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I just priced out the cost of doing a rich 8" chocolate cake and the cost of good quality ingredients alone was about $23. Figure out your basic costs and go from there.

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mommyle Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 5:06pm
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Well, cake for that number of people is only a 6" cake. 2" high. you're going to do basketweave on THAT??? I don't think so. You need a 4" tall cake for that. So now you have 4" tall 6" round cake (or oval is cute too). So that is immediately $30 in my books. With the fondant handle, $35. Each bunny is $5. And seriously, how many can you nicely put on a 6" round? MAYBE 3. And I would personally just buy the little cadbury chocolate eggs. they are just the right size. That's an extra $3. This is at least a $55 cake. And because she sounds like a PITA there is a surcharge of $20. At least.

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sandy1 Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 5:57pm
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I feel as if I give my cakes away most of the time! People just don't seem to want to pay for the work involved. This woman says she is tired of buying her cakes from Stop & Shop and wants something different. I know the store sure wouldn't hand make bunnies!!! She wants an 8" 2-layered cake. I thought $25 was low but I just wasn't sure. What is a decent minium price for a basic 8" cake?
S

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FullHouse Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 6:10pm
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I did a Thanksgiving flower basket (in my photos), 8" round choc. cake, basketweave sides, no handle, RI flowers a few fondant pumpkins, charged $45 but probably could have charged closer to $50-$55. Fondant bunnies would make it more. Also, keep in mind that an 8" 2-layer serves 20 according to Wilton's chart, not 8. I would explain that when quoting the price, if cut into 1/8ths, those will be VERY generous slices. HTH.

Edited to say: Now that I'm thinking about it, I charged only $42.50, but she rounded it up to $45, so she must not have thought I was asking too much icon_smile.gif.

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ChefAngie Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 6:11pm
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I charge 3.50 per serving for the cake. [3.50 x 8=28.08]
Making each bunny by hand or mold is a separate charge/ a piece.(posing each one)
Don't forget the cost of your cake board and box.
Happy Baking and Decorating,
Chef Angie

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LaBellaFlor Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 6:15pm
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Cakes are usually sold by the serving. My servings are 2" long, 1" wide, & 4" high, so I get 24 servings for an 8" cake, so my price would be $96. $4.00 for fondant

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LaBellaFlor Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 6:16pm
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Cakes are usually sold by the serving. My servings are 2" long, 1" wide, & 4" high, so I get 24 servings for an 8" cake, so my price would be $96. $4.00 for fondant

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Kiddiekakes Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 6:19pm
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I have a minumum number and that is 12.I won't make a cake for any less people.It usually is a 3D cake as my smallest slab is a 9x13 and feeds 25 or more.

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sandy1 Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 6:20pm
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Thanks everyone for your advise. It sure helps!!!
S

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liapsim Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 6:43pm
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I would definitely go with $50 at least!

Think of it this way, when a caterer does an event....she will quote a party of 100 people at $8 per plate and then for a party of 25 at $15 a plate....why? Because the caterer is able to utilize more food for the money for the 100 people. It actually costs more per plate to do it for 25 people because you can't downsize, say a head of lettuce....you still have to buy the whole head....plus, the caterer has to make it worth her time in it.

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malishka Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 6:58pm
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A lady called me for a princess cake for her darling princess grand daughter. She had seen my work and thought it was amazing. I told her that my minimum charge is $45. So her answer to me was.....are you ready for this?
"So what would I get for $45 for 20 people?"
I almost fell over my chair. My answer to her would have been......
Ah, NOTHING!!! but I had to be polite. So I said it would be buttercream only and I would make it a doll cake. The kind with a Barbie in a dress.
She asked...."But what about the fondant" to which my answer to her was "For $45, for 20 people, you are lucky to get it covered in buttercream." politeness went out the window on that one.

She has stated to me that she will get her cake at costco, I told her good luck.

I really don't need cheapy customers like that. I understand times are tough, but I didn't sign up for cheap labor.

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LaBellaFlor Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 7:17pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by malishka

A lady called me for a princess cake for her darling princess grand daughter. She had seen my work and thought it was amazing. I told her that my minimum charge is $45. So her answer to me was.....are you ready for this?
"So what would I get for $45 for 20 people?"
I almost fell over my chair. My answer to her would have been......
Ah, NOTHING!!! but I had to be polite. So I said it would be buttercream only and I would make it a doll cake. The kind with a Barbie in a dress.
She asked...."But what about the fondant" to which my answer to her was "For $45, for 20 people, you are lucky to get it covered in buttercream." politeness went out the window on that one.

She has stated to me that she will get her cake at costco, I told her good luck.

I really don't need cheapy customers like that. I understand times are tough, but I didn't sign up for cheap labor.


LOL! That is so funny!

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indydebi Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 7:27pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LaBellaFlor

Cakes are usually sold by the serving. My servings are 2" long, 1" wide, & 4" high, so I get 24 servings for an 8" cake, so my price would be $96. $4.00 for fondant



Bingo!!! cake is sold by the number of servings it's DESIGNED TO SERVE, not the number of people they plan to serve from it. Insert KFC story here.

There's a reason I wont' do a sheet smaller than 11x15 and I won't do a 6" at all unless it's part of the wedding cake.

Quote:
Originally Posted by liapsim

Think of it this way, when a caterer does an event....she will quote a party of 100 people at $8 per plate and then for a party of 25 at $15 a plate....why? Because the caterer is able to utilize more food for the money for the 100 people. It actually costs more per plate to do it for 25 people because you can't downsize, say a head of lettuce....you still have to buy the whole head....plus, the caterer has to make it worth her time in it.



Bingo Again!!!!!!!!! Excellent example!!!

A rented tablecloth costs me the same money, no matter if there is food for 25 or food for 100 sitting on top of it. THe amount of gas to get to the event is the same amount and costs the same, no matter if I have food for 25 or food for 100 in the back of the van. The chafer fuels to keep the food hot ... it still take 2 per chafer pan, no matter if there is food for 25 or food for 100 being served. It still costs me the same to wash and sanitize the food pans after the event, no matter if there was food for 25 or food for 100 in them.

I actually had a co-worker bride, that I was helping out, and I had to explain to her "You can reduce the headcount all you want, but I still have to buy the whole watermelon, so you're paying for the whole watermelon."

It's called "overhead". That's why higher volume is cheaper.

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kakeladi Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 7:58pm
post #20 of 21

A single layer....2" 8" round would be perfect size & price wise for this order. OR use the oval pan for something like this:
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1332708

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__Jamie__ Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 8:04pm
post #21 of 21

$100 minimum order. No exceptions.

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