I was wondering what the going rates are for sheet cakes. I know that a home baker cannot compete with the grocery stores/wal mart. Here are my prices. Are they resonable? Cakes have borders, basic roses(butter cream) and writing.
1/4- 9/13= $25.00

1/3- 11x15= $35.00

1/2- 12x18= $50.00

2/3- 22x15 = $65.00

full- 24/18= $100.00

am I right or way off. I'm tired of hearing people complain about my prices. I know that you can get a 1/2 sheet from Food lion for $24.99. If thats what u want ,why are you wasting my time. Sorry, but I can't do this cake thingy for nothing. I hate having to explain my prices. Do you have this problem.

Sorry so long,
Stephanie

Most people have this same problem. First of all, you shouldn't even try to compete with the grocery stores. If you start to ship in your cakes pre-baked and frozen, top with icing you got from a pre-made 5-gallon bucket, and write like you just had a seizure while doing so....then you should charge what the grocery stores do.

I think your prices are spot on for basic designs. JMO

of course, every area of the world is different for pricing but I think it is a little low. My basic sheets are a few dollars more but they only include writing and a border. You are doing buttercream flowers which can take time. If have never had anyone complain about my prices and I still think I don't charge enough

I know what you mean about people thinking you are too high...what do they expect when we offer much better tasting, and looking cakes. We do them to order, so they aren't just laying around waiting for someone to say"Hey, throw some writing on that one for me".
I'm in South Carolina, and I charge right around there. It's hard for me b/c this is a huge military town, and they don't like to shell out much money. The 3D cakes is what the military prefers, but they are so much more time consuming. And even still, I can't price them as high as a lot of people on here, or I wouldn't have ANY business
When you explain your prices, let them know how much time and effort it takes you, and that you don't have the ability to mass produce roses and such, like the grocery stores do.

$3.50 per serving, Wilton wedding serving chart.

So a 12 x 18" sheet is $343.00.

For that they get two full 12 x 18" cakes baked and stacked on top of each other, with a layer of filling, so the whole cake iced is about 4-1/2" tall. I don't do many except with large wedding orders where they want some extra cake for a (little) cheaper price,

Hey Stephanie,

I am in NC too. Not sure what area you are in but I am in a small town and your prices are really close to mine. I do 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full. But they are really really close.

You can PM me and we can talk prices if you want.

I bake in my home kitchen in Arkansas. I have never tried to compete with any bakery or Sam's prices. Why try? I'd be giving cakes away.

My charges are:

$40 = single layer 9x13 (not torted) or 2 layer 8"round or single layer 12" round or character cake or 24 cupcakes (1M swirl)

$70 = single layer 12x18 (not torted) or 2 layer 12"round or 2 layer 10"square

$2.50 - $2.75 per serving (wilton chart) all buttercream torted tiered wedding cake

I don't do fondant ...ever....well, not yet, anyway.

I have raised my prices a little a couple of times in the past few years due to the economy. Not one of my clients has ever complained about the money. They know they can get a LOT more cake for less money at a grocery store or Sam's, but they keep coming back to me. Several clients have told me that they were former customers of a couple of local bakeries, but that the cake was usually dry or unremarkable in taste. After they tasted my cake, they never went back to the bakery. Neither would I if the cake was not good.

I use box mixes with "secret additions" and crisco-based buttercream.

I am laughing so hard because as soon as I saw food lion I figured you were in NC. When I was there I charged about the same thing except I charged 60 for a full sheet. Go figure but anyway, I agree with what a previous poster said about it being a little low. It depends on what type of decorations that you are doing on your sheet cakes. Are you offering something that they can't get from the grocery store? I used to have only one complainer of my cakes but I blew her off because she kept coming back. I don't think that you are wrong about being fed up about it. It is people wanting something for nothing. In fact I think that your 1/4 sheet should be at least 30. This is what I charge for sheet cakes and sometimes I feel that I am a little too low.
1/4- 40
1/2- 70
full sheet- 125
I don't even offer the inbetween sizes like you. Keep your head up. In fact if you compare your cakes with the grocery stores do you get at least a half inch of icing and an inch of cake? I think not. Does your cake show through on the side? of course not. Is your writing neater that a grocery store? of course it is. But anyway I hope that you get the point. Don't back down on your prices and let your work stand for itself. I know that this was long sorry

how much more would you charge if you added a frosting sheet I'm pretty new to this but I have only done cakes for family but I have been asked how much would I do a 1/2 sheet cake with a picture on it.
and I live in Palm Springs California I do have the supplys for the edible image aready

Frosting sheets are included in my price if they want one.

Thanks for all the help! The only thing, if I charge any more than my current prices. I'll run myself out of business. Where I live, when it comes to money, people(not all people) want something for nothing. iI'm glad that I'm comparable with other NC bakers

Thanks
Stephanie

Not to hijack, but how much for a fondant covered sheet cake then?12x18, very basic design.. I did one (or actually, 3 identical) for my ds's preschool grad last year, & they called and asked me to do it again this year, and emphasized that they wanted to make it worth my while (I did it for cost last year). I will try to attach the pic, but it is the horse/carousel ouline in my pics..

That is a good question. I must say that I have never gotten an order but if so I would charge at least 90.

I charge per serving same as for everything else, except if its a plainly iced one underneath a shaped cake I will cut the cost of the plainly iced part.

I don't want to have a sheet cake business, so it isn't real cost effective to buy a sheet cake from me, but it can be done. haha.

Re. the fondant...same per serving as a fondant round cake....doesn't seem to make sense that a fondant covered sheet cake should be cheaper than a two tier fondant covered round cake, just because its a sheet cake. haha.

I was thinking about $80.00 for the cake. I guess it depends where you live too. So, sheet cakes should be priced the same as other cakes. I could see that if they had as much time and details as a stacked cake. IMO I'm just wondering if this is how it goes. Where I live, it would never work.

after reading this thread i think i must be crazy for my prices...i am comparable to the grocery stores prices and feel i am doing ok with them..i have gone up on my prices a couple of times over the last couple of years...but my prices still seem to be about 1/2 what everyone else is charging...i do mostly sheet cakes because i actually like them but will do other stuff if requested and i feel i can. it is hard for me to figure out the pricing on other stuff

I am pretty new to caking, but am in sales for my "real job". Don't budge on your prices! When people try to get a deal with me, I stand firm. I don't get commission of any type, so I feel that our prices are fair and competitive. The only people we give discounts to are people who continually order and are good clients - not troublemakers! I think that this can be applied to cakes as well. Once I had a client tell me that she didn't understand why it was so expensive (the item in question was $36) and I replied that she didn't have to order. She left, didn't order, and I'm still alive and employed!

Once I get mad caking skills, I will price accordingly and STAND FIRM. You definitely deserve to be compensated for your cakes - most people don't want to take the time or have the talent to do it themselves.

Andrea