Hey fellow decorators! I'm pretty new to cake decorating and have only done two previous cakes that I charged money for. I currently have an order for a Mickey Mouse cake (due Jan 22 for 30 ppl) and have no idea what in the world to charge! Could use some help if you can spare it

Here are the details:

* 1-10" round chocolate cake for the head (cakes will be oil based not butter)
* 2 - 8" rounds for ears in vanilla
* filling is cookies and cream (via the Whimsical Bakehouse)
* decorated in buttercream using a star tip (butter & shortening combo also from the Whimsical Bakehouse)
* rice crispy bowtie covered in fondant and lettering
* served on foam core board covered in cake foil


Thanks a million for your help!!

i wouldn't charge anything since mickey mouse is a copyrighted character and can not be reproduced legally without getting written permission from the copyright holder (in this case Disney, which they dont' give permission)

Another alternative would be to get a cake "kit" or a mickey mouse toy from a toy department and put it on top of a cake you have decorated.

As for figuring price of a cake you need to figure out the cost of youre recipe, gas, electricity, and water to make the cake. Plus the time it takes you to shop for ingredients, bake the cake, and decorate. Then you'll need to figure out what you want to make an hour and put that in for the time. Add it all up and you have the cost of your cake. (oh don't forget to add something in for profit)

check out this other pricing topic TexasSugar goes into some great detail on exactly how to figure out cost

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-694973-.html

Thanks Leily!!