Do you charge less for sheet cakes than you do for layer cakes? I'm not talking about kitchen cakes for a wedding, but rather a birthday sheet cake, single layer, but torted and filled. We charge $2.00 a serving for our layer cakes, but should we charge less per serving for a sheet cake, since it gives smaller servings?

I would charge the same if you are filling the sheet cakes. Usually if I do a regular sheet cake with no filling, I will charge a bit less like 1.75 a serving depending on design. I to charge $2 a serving for layer cakes, obviously that is likely to change with design. The way I see it you use the same amount of batter like you would with tiered, but you use a little less icing.

The sheet cake doesn't really make smaller servings. You just cut the pieces differently. instead of a 1x2x4 slice you do a 2x2x2 square. It ends up being the same amount of cake, just in a different shape.

The majority of our business is party cakes, and we've found most people who shop for party cakes are used to a flat price per cake, so we price our cakes based on their size with an estimated range of servings. Sheet cakes (and single tier rounds) are absolutely cheaper on a per-serving basis than multi-tier cakes since there is less labor involved.

FYI, serving sizes for party cakes are typically 50% larger than wedding cake servings.

Ok, so for example, if I figure this cake at our $2.00 per serving price (She wants a full sheet, which I understand to be roughly 108 servings) that's $216. So then when I go back and figure our cost of materials and time, that leaves us with a lot more than the 20% profit we usually figure for. So then I tried just figuring it with cost of materials, time, and profit, and it was closer to $125, or $1.15 per serving. I don't want to way overcharge her. Does $125 sound about right for a full sheet?

I guess I might need to clarify that when I say "layer cakes" I mean to say a round or square 2-layer cake, (Not necessarily tiered) as opposed to a single layer sheet. Sorry if I am not using the right terminolegy and being confusing!

That's a good point TexasSugar! I guess it really is the same amount regardless.

I'm not clear on why you think the cake should be $91 cheaper than another cake that serves the same amount?

Also if you look at the Wilton chart, the 12x18 single layer serves 49, if you put two of those together, you will get 98 servings. Personally I'd probably suggest a double layer 12x18, which would give you the same amount, but you wouldn't need a board that was twice as wide, a place to store it twice as wide. Also are you delivery or are they picking it up? Because it will need a travel space of 24x18 pr 12x36.

You will also need a thick board for it, or the board will flex while moving it and that will cause cracks in the icing.

I'd also ask how many servings they need, not the cake size. Often time people throw around the words half and full sheet cakes and really have no idea on how much they serve (cakers don't always know the information) and that they may need way less cake, which would mean having to spend less money.

If we were talking about a non torted cake, then maybe I could see a lower price, but not a $1 a serving.

In the end you have to charge what *you* need to charge on the cake to cover your expenses, labor and make a profit. It doesn't matter what Baker A or B charge, because their prices may not cover all of your expenses.

A two layer 14in square serves the same amount as the two layer 12x18 rectangle, it is just in a different size.