My fellow bakers -
I want to offer, as an option, cake balls (or as I learned on this site CRUFFLES for cake truffles, I love the name) for my customers that order a carved cake. I have a repeat customer that orders often and I just made her a carved cake and gave her the remains as CRUFFLES for free, in hopes that she will order them next time.
Does anyone do this?
What do you charge?
My carved cakes start at $3.50/serving and I count every serving (before carving), they get less cake of course because some is carved off. I have to consider the time and cost of making cake balls with the remains so I don't want to give them away. I would be essentially charging them twice for some of the cake. BUT then it's the difficulty in knowing how many cruffles they will get.
I was thinking this: charge my usual for the cake, and give the option of cake balls for an additional $10 (you might get 10, you might get 20...). If they don't want the cruffles then I "dispose" of the cake remains that they are paying for. Your thoughts???
Thanks.

I am just a hobbyist but I love the name "CRUFFLES"!

You might disagree with me, but your pricing is off. You say you charge per serving BEFORE carving.....so they are actually getting LESS that what they are asking for on a carved cake. Then you're selling it to them again as "cruffles" even though they paid for it the first time. That's wrong/SHADY IMO.

I don't think it's that shady. I'm taking into consideration that they have to have binder and coating added, plus time. I think it's a good idea to offer them as an option, but charge minimally.

Theresa

I don't think the intention is to charge again for the cake trimmings. I think it is pretty much standard practice to charge for the amount of cake you make, not what is left after carving, since you did use those ingredients.

So, as long as the additional charge for the cruffles is for the labor (and additional ingredients to make them), not for the cake trimmings, it isn't charging twice for the same cake.

Does this make sense?

Yes, redpanda, that's exactly where I was trying to go with it. Thanks for the clarity.

Theresa

I usually dip mine in chocolate. I am ALWAYS surprised at how much it actually takes.....chocolate is expensive!! I think you would most certainly charge for them! (don't forget..... time IS money)

I have never heard the term "cruffles".....LOVE IT!

love "cruffles". I'd like to do that too. In Vancouver we don't see the likes of cake balls, etc. so it would be a novelty. What was the consensus on pricing?

Just to give credit where credit is due......

I *think* it was Leah_S who coined the term "cruffles." I remember because I thought it was brilliant, too.

Correct me if I've misremembered.

What Indydebi said....

In a production bakery, you would take all your cake scraps, etc. and turn them into rum balls, danish filling, trifle, etc. etc. Nothing shady about it at all. That is the way it works.

And no need to charge minimally. Dipping takes time, chocolate is expensive. Price them as a gourmet item. The idea of having a business is to make money! Is it not?

I only charge for the servings the person ordered for a sculpted cake. BUT I charge a ton more than 3.50/serving too. I guess its just in how you say it...if you are charging $4 for 50 servings or $8 for 25 servings. *shrugs*

I would probably just freeze the scraps and sell Cruffles as a side item to anyone.

I'm confused....if you need a carved cake to serve 75....you don't bake a cake for 75 and then carve it...then it will not feed 75.

You bake a cake for 100, carve it to shape AND to feed 75....right?

So if you have to bake a bigger cake to get the shape and the servings out....that is why you charge more for a carved cake, right?

I think when it is referred to as shady the poster means that...uh...you are NOT getting what you paid for in the sense that you would not be getting the number of servings needed and ordered.

I THINK that is what is thought to be shady...and I don't think it sounds right either.

I doubt that when Duff or many others make a carved cake that the same pricing per serving BEFORE carving would apply, but more that the end pricing for the servings recieved is INCREASED.

Off the topic here... but Indydebi, how many lives have you led?

Ok, you did insurance for a while... and something here about manufacturing/pricing... and we all know now that you do cakes and catering, and obviously do it quite well!

No wonder you have so much business savvy! What else have you done?

Ok, my opinion as well. If I order a carved cake for 100 I expect to get 100 servings. It cost more per serving because there is more waste, more time. You need to bake extra to account for what is carved away so the person still gets the same servings. I wouldnt bother trying to sell the cake balls to the same cust. They freeze well. You can keep the crumbs and frosting in the freezer, then dip as needed. Have you seen the ones that Bakerella does hers are little works of art and I imagine would sell for more than just a plain dipped ball. So you need to figure out your time and ingreds and amount of decor and packaging. Maybe they're $1 or $2 a piece-think gourmet truffles. Or they're $11.95 a lb like a fudge or something. Just my opinion. I wouldnt market them as a leftover.

I don't even know that I'd want the customer knowing I made them out of "cake scraps"...they should think its a fresh, secret recipe confection made just for them.

I have a co-worker that only sells cake bites and she charges for them like a gourmet item

6 for $12
12 for $24
24 for 45
36 for $70
$21 / dozen after that.

Gourmet is right...Do you think resteraunts throw away leftovers...Nope they makes soups etc to use everything up and make their profit stretch! I would do the same!!

I've tried it a few times but they always seem to taste like mushy cake to me...I'm one of those that if something even remotely resembles soggy bread/cereal I can't take it.

Maybe I should try making them just without any liquid or icing....