And to some degree you do have to set your prices according to what others are charging. That's why people working for nothing and undercharging is such an issue.

Hello everyone! A few months ago I actually downloaded an app on my phone that I saw advertised on this site. It's called TieredCaker and I LOVE it!! It helps me A TON with pricing and I now totally depend on it to figure out the sizes of each tierYou simply put your number of servings into the calculator and it tells you all the different combinations of sizes and shapes that will yiecalculates it for different shapes too and bases it on the size of slice you input. PLUS it allows you to email cutting guides for each size to your client. It's an amazing investment (I think it cost me like $4.99) and I would recommend it to anyone needing help on pricing and putting together a cake on paper. The reason it works for pricing is it prices your cakes for you as well when you enter your amount per serving. This helps me more confidently give quotes because it put it into perspective for the client exactly what they are ordering. When you say $225 for a cake it sounds like a shocker to a lot of people. But I've noticed that when you put it into perspective, the client is a bit more understanding. They are paying for 75 slices of cake at $3 a piece which is quite a deal when you realize that this includes cake, filling, ganache or buttercream, AND fondant, plus any designs on each slice. They are not only paying for cake, they are paying for edible art really and last time I checked art is pric

pricey*

Anyway, I wanted to tell you all about another app I got to help me called CostACakePro which is a bit time consuming at first because you have to enter all of your recipes and ingredients and the pricing for EVERYTHING including cake boards, dowels, coloring gels....EVERYTHING!!! But after that tedious task is done, pricing your cakes is pretty easy!! it calculates the exact cost for you!! That way you know what you're paying to actually make the cake and you can build on that with what you think is fair!

I actually plan on putting together a table for pricing to help myself have a more solid pricing guide and if I can figure out how to post it I'll try to help give anyone out there a structured basis to help figure out this whole pricing thing!!

AZ -I see now what your talking about thanks for the visual. I was still lost till the picture. Lol. I've not done that yet.

Jan- thanks for the compliment yes the shells are all handmade. I was quoting with a mold. Then realized the molds that are near me were ugly..lol..So I ended

up just making them myself. I only had a week or I would have ordered molds. However as stressful as it was it built up some confidence in me. I think I still would get

a mold. Especially if I did a wedding cake they have better molds on ebay. It would just be faster.

Mgarcia- Seriously Thank you. I will be buying it as soon as hubby gets paid. Awesomeness.

Smitty, I make all my own molds also. I just haven't found a sand dollar and I think that is what impressed me so much. I kick myself now, after so very many years, for all those I've collected and lost while collecting on the beach. I used to bring all kinds of sea critters home until my mother would throw them out when the stench would get so bad.

Jan

Jan what do you make your molds out of? I would have made my own but shells were like $6 a bag

Plus my mold making material is high dollar.
 

I started out with Make a Mold which used to be promoted on CC. It is good but so pricey. So I switched to Amazing Mold Putty which I get at Michaels when I have a coupon. I've been very happy with it and  I find almost everything I see becomes a mold in my mind! Leaves, flowers, brooches, interesting bark, you name it.I have a lot of shells but lack a sand dollar. Even the starfish I have have become molds. I'm always wanting to make sea-themed cakes, but my next project when I finish my current one, is to make a dummy using the crewel embroidery technique. I've done a lot of actual crewel work and have patterns I want to try.

Jan

I've even heard of some making molds out of gum paste, but I've never tried it.

Jan- I have the Make the Mold kind. I thought the Amazing Mold Putty wasn't food safe maybe I'm totally wrong. Also can this be used with isomalt or only fondant? I'm so wanting a cheaper silicone.

jamie

Jamie---I just ran and got a copy of the package insert for Amazing Mold Putty. Quote: "If intended use of the mold is for a FOOD application, (candy, chocolate, ice, gelatin, cookies, or any other food product), DO NOT USE use the mold for pouring any other material into it other than food. Allocate the mold for food only intem to eliminate contamination from amy other materials. The mold must be washed thoroughly using ample amounts of soap and water before using for food applications." The caps are as in the paragraph I quoted. 

I've used them for fondant and gumpaste, candy clay and chocolate. It doesn't say isomalt, as such, but does reference candy, (in addition to chocolate), so you take your choice. I would assume it could handle hot isomalt as maybe melted sugar in hard candies? I've made isomalt jewels but used already purchased molds for those.

I've really gone gung-ho with it and have several boxes on hand. Unlike Make A Mold, there is no expiration date--at least not on the box. Some I've used is over a year old.

Have fun, now that you find a cheaper alternative you're likely to go nuts as I have!

Jan

Sweet!!!!
 

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3086338/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

I made this using the Wilton Doll kit pan, then added another 2in sponge round and sculpted to continue the dress length.The mom provided the doll. I charged $35 I think... But the sweet lady I made it for always pays me more than I charge :-) I lived in Richardson, TX at the time, north of Dallas.

I used to live over there. Funny...I'm not sure price because I would need to know servings. It seems to me not high enough though.

I was wondering price on this car cake. It was for my father and my first one. So ignore the crappy fondant. I had the house set at 76 WHAT WAS I THINKING???

Anyhow it was a 4x6 piece of cake. Thinking around the $200 range am I close?

A

That looks very detailed, we would probably charge closer to the $300-400 range.

Thanks Jason. Since you are very eloquent with words, how do you explain the cost of such a cake for a customer vs the serving cost?
 

A

For sculpted cakes I don't quote by the serving at all, I just present a price for the design they want that's based on an estimate of X hours of sculpting work. If this breaks their budget, I present alternative designs (e.g. a 2D cake with a FBCT picture of the car) that would require less labor.

Depending on your sculpting skill there would be a minimum size for a cake like this, if it gets too small it may no longer be feasible. Adding additional servings probably wouldn't impact the price too much either.

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3087546/width/200/height/400[/IMG] This is a cake I made for an 18th, I only charged $60, just out of curiosity what would use charge. if you don't mind. it was a vanilla cake covered in fondant and the pacman itself was made of cake and covered in fondant

Yes I know you don't charge by servings that's my question. When the customer goes back to the pricing guide of servings how do you explain? I need your verbage...lol If they need a certain number of servings do you guarantee that? I think I remember seeing on cake boss that he doesn't guarantee servings on these kinds of cakes just a ball park. Could be wrong though.

Thanks Jason.
 

Have to know size Emily94

ASorry bottom was a 10

A

You can provide an estimate for number of servings since the body of the car is essentially a rectangular prism (minus the space for the seats), but it's best to be conservative here and underestimate how many servings would be available. If you can scale up the design to meet the required number of servings that's one option, or you could provide a supplementary sheet cake or additional round cakes to make up the number.

If you advertise cakes in the $5-7/serving range and the customer asks why the sculpted cake is $20/serving, you just go back to the labor required to create the design and reiterate that their design is a work of art and will take at least X hours to complete.

A

Probably around $100 for the cake and another $80 or so for the Pac-Man for a total of $180.

Of course the customer would need to provide written permission from Namco, since they own the rights to Pac-Man, otherwise it would be copyright infringement.

AYeah thanks and that's the same with any kind of copy using something of a movie etc?

A

Yes, you need permission to copy any original creative work someone else has created as long as it is still protected by copyright (in most cases this means anything created since 1923 that has not been released to the public domain).

AYeah thought so. thanks for that.

Thanks Jason that's what I needed.

I would charge $194 for that Emily. Its super cute by the way.
 

AI am trying to post this picture if the gazeebo cake I did for a friend if it does come up can anyone give me any opinions and thoughts on what it should be priced at.

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3087692/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

AThanks :)

I had this issue with a friend of mine who needed a cake for her "family" baby shower (they had a separate friends shower).  She said she'd like me to make it and I of course said yes.  I made it and spent quite a bit of time on it.  My husband delivered the cake and the couple never gave us a penny.  They sent a thank you card and I decided to let it go to avoid losing a friendship.  After that, I price quote all friends and family FIRST, and offer them 15% off the top.  I haven't had anyone complain and they all seem to be happy with getting a F&F discount!