So I've just been asked to provide petit fours for 600 people and I have no idea how much to charge. I normally charge by the cake size and not the number of servings. I normally charge about $60 for approx. 9x14" cake which I would say would serve 24. and the cost to me for making it including fondant etc. would be about $20-25.

I will use my same recipes for the petit fours. Does 600 people mean 600 petit fours or is there a number per person generally used and how much is a reasonable charge?

Thanks!!!!

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seriously, mega bucks! i dont know the number needed, i would do 600 on the basis on 1 for each guest, maybe someone else will chip in with more experienced advice.

they take so much time. if you are baking at home, will you have the space (counter, fridge, freezer - depending on your process) for that many cakes?

have you done petit fours before? if so, im sure u will know the issues.

it takes a lot of time just to assamble the cakes, even before you start trying to ice them. then you have to think about the decor - 600 gumpaste shapes? lots of time and money there! even for a simple squiggle, you will need the space to have the cakes set out on the counter.

dont be afraid to price high! if its 2am in the morning and you are still going, even $10s a piece wont seem like enough.
just price like your normal cakes - ie: work out the ingredients, the extras (gas, power, kitchen roll, toothpicks etc), then a price for your time - which is where the big numbers will come in, and it will take more time than your regular cake.
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As my daughter likes to say, "Oh my lanta!" Have you ever done petit fours before? If not, I'd try my hand at some before I even price them. They are difficult! Just like the previous poster so rightly put it-- at 2 am-- even $10 each won't seem like enough. Maybe we need a tutorial on these. Some people make them look like--- "a piece of cake"!

At LEAST $1.75 per - and if any decorations are on them - you need to charge more. (and that is for a small one) I cannot imagine the time/space requried to do that many at one time. That is 50 DOZEN petit fours.

http://bakerella.blogspot.com/search?q=petit+fours
good info on how to do them, plus links to another tutorial. very helpful! and its worth looking on you tube too.
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OMG, after looking at the blogspot for bakerella, not only am I ready for a couple of petit fours but am thinking that one per person is not going to be enough. There is a lot of time and work involved, don't sell yourself short on the price!

Petit fours for 600 people?!?! Wow...your brave. I guess I would ask if it's the only dessert or part of a dessert buffet. Aks them how many they actually want.

Thanks ladies...The more I actually thought about it, the more I realized there would be no way I could do it...did I mention he wanted them for Saturday??? Like, next saturday?!?! I was hoping he didn't want them filled with jam, just plain cake iced and poured fondant but no such luck....
this is a guy that dh works with and he does catering on the side, he normally does them himself but decided that he doesn't want to anymore, I said, I'd be happy to help him out but not on my own with such short notice...I don't know how he was going to do it himself and work full time...maybe I'm gonna ask for a lesson!!!

I told him if he wanted mini cupcakes instead, I'd be happy to do that...easy enough, no filling, just an icing swirl...but the petit fours are a no go...DH was annoyed cause he knew it'd be a contract worth a lot of $$ but I told him my sanity is more important and I'm just not confident that I could turn out 600 of the quality that I would want, in such a short time...

Thanks for your help!

I think that's what I would have done too. Wow! Talk about short notice! I think you have a good idea about getting a lesson. I'd like that myself!