A Brag And A Pricing Question . . . First Paid Cake

Decorating By fruitsnack Updated 2 Jun 2009 , 5:39pm by giraffe11

fruitsnack Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
fruitsnack Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 5:28pm
post #1 of 13

Such a good / fun / exciting cake week! I found a cake supply store 30 minutes away from me! I've been getting all of my supplies at Hobby Lobby or Walmart - I spent an hour (and lots of money) at this new store. Plus, I found Neilson-Massey chocolate extract, which I've been trying to find to make MacsMom's version of the chocolate WASC. Yay!

In more exciting / slightly terrifying news, my husband sold my cakes to one of his coworkers. For his wedding. Holy cow. It's very informal, so he just needs some sheet cakes, but . . . holy cow . . . pressure. So, here's my question.

I'm making three 12x18 sheet cakes - white, chocolate and marble. All buttercream. No filling. Very simple design - maybe some scrollwork. What would be a fair price? Like I said, I've never sold anything before. I do know that the local cake shop sells their cakes for $2 / slice buttercream and $2.50 / slice for fondant. What would you price the cakes for?

12 replies
awestervelt Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
awestervelt Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 5:33pm
post #2 of 13

Will 2$ a slice cover your cost?

blondeez Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
blondeez Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 5:39pm
post #3 of 13

Where I work we charge 56.00 for a 1/2 sheet and 96.00 for a full sheet. That is decorated with a few roses, borders and simple scroll work on the sides of cake. Hope this helps

indydebi Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
indydebi Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 5:45pm
post #4 of 13

For what you describe, I get $75 for the 12x18.

__Jamie__ Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
__Jamie__ Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 5:53pm
post #5 of 13

Holy good God...$2.50/svg for fondant covered??? So low...so low. icon_sad.gif

fruitsnack Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
fruitsnack Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 5:56pm
post #6 of 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by awestervelt

Will 2$ a slice cover your cost?




I don't know. I've never figured out my cost on anything. I don't even know how many servings are in a 12x18 cake. I'm such a newbie!

I don't know if it matters, but I'm assuming the bakery charges so low because we are in the sticks. The town she's located in has 500 people, tops.

indydebi Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
indydebi Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:26pm
post #7 of 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by fruitsnack

Quote:
Originally Posted by awestervelt

Will 2$ a slice cover your cost?



I don't know. I've never figured out my cost on anything. I don't even know how many servings are in a 12x18 cake. I'm such a newbie!

I don't know if it matters, but I'm assuming the bakery charges so low because we are in the sticks. The town she's located in has 500 people, tops.




Maybe I should go to a small town and buy my groceries, my cars, my clothes, anything I need. Because I keep reading all over the place that no one will pay "going rate" for ANYTHING in a small town. Funny, when I lived in a small town, it wasn't just poor people who lived there. LOTS of folks with good jobs and incomes, who lived in "the sticks" and commuted to work because they didn't want to live in "the big city".

You also have to factor that a bakery can do high productivity and make LOTS more cakes in one hour than you can. I baked 17 cakes one day .... mixed, baked, leveled and in the freezer inside of 2 hours.

loriana Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
loriana Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:32pm
post #8 of 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by fruitsnack

Such a good / fun / exciting cake week! I found a cake supply store 30 minutes away from me! I've been getting all of my supplies at Hobby Lobby or Walmart - I spent an hour (and lots of money) at this new store. Plus, I found Neilson-Massey chocolate extract, which I've been trying to find to make MacsMom's version of the chocolate WASC. Yay!

In more exciting / slightly terrifying news, my husband sold my cakes to one of his coworkers. For his wedding. Holy cow. It's very informal, so he just needs some sheet cakes, but . . . holy cow . . . pressure. So, here's my question.

I'm making three 12x18 sheet cakes - white, chocolate and marble. All buttercream. No filling. Very simple design - maybe some scrollwork. What would be a fair price? Like I said, I've never sold anything before. I do know that the local cake shop sells their cakes for $2 / slice buttercream and $2.50 / slice for fondant. What would you price the cakes for?




Hi Fruitsnack?

If you have Excel 97 or newer, try to use my Home and Hobby Matrix. It will help you determine the cost of your ingredients so you can charge enough to cover for those plus your time.

I teach Wilton classes and generally tell people if they ask to charge enough for ingredients plus $7-10 an hour for your time when you are first starting. If your level of skill is basic but competant (say, Course 1 completed), you should at least "pay" yourself $7 an hour. Thats my opinion so just take it with 2 grains of salt, not even a 1/8 tsp. icon_smile.gif

firelegs Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
firelegs Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:53pm
post #9 of 13

Wow - thank you Loriana for that pricing matrix. That is really cool. I know I'll be using this as a guideline - its a really good breakdown to figure out how to cover costs per cake.

Thanks Again!

just_for_fun Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
just_for_fun Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 7:02pm
post #10 of 13

I would think that living in "the sticks" would make the price go UP, doesn't it cost you more to get ingredients, supplies, since nothing is 'around the corner' like in the city? Or am I missing something?

fruitsnack Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
fruitsnack Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 7:17pm
post #11 of 13

I don't know why the cake shop decided to price their cakes that way. In the area we are in, the majority of cakes are either purchased at the grocery store or made by family - even wedding cakes. I think the demand is just not there for high-end designs.

That's my take, anyway. Like I said, I've never sold anything before.

loriana Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
loriana Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 7:27pm
post #12 of 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by firelegs

Wow - thank you Loriana for that pricing matrix. That is really cool. I know I'll be using this as a guideline - its a really good breakdown to figure out how to cover costs per cake.

Thanks Again!




You are SO welcome! This was made for home and hobby, please note because it does NOT include expenses for:

Rent/overhead
Utilities
Equipment
Insurance
Employees

A million other things those awesome commercial businesses do! icon_cool.gif

giraffe11 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
giraffe11 Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 5:39pm
post #13 of 13

Cost of living in the sticks is generally less and paid price for goods and services is generally less too. I say this based on my own experiences living in the absolute sticks,( ie: less than 200 people, lots of cows), a few mid-sized towns, a city of 3 million, and now in city of 350,000 or so. After having lived in several states and several community "sizes" I think it's fair to say, that although pricing of goods and cost of living varies regionally, it also varies urban to suburban to small town. It may not make any sense to you, but it's a fact of life. People living in larger cities definitely seem to pay a higher price for the convenience of finding things "just around the corner".
I would see what professionals in your area are charging and adjust your prices to that.

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%