Wasn't Gonna Charge Her But Think I Might . . .

Decorating By kurky Updated 13 Sep 2011 , 4:03pm by dldbrou

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kurky Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 12:48pm
post #1 of 9

My cousin is having a baby shower and asked me to do the cake. Being the awesome cousin I am I wasn't going to charge her for the cake (I didn't tell her that), anyway, yesterday she calls and said her friend designed the cake and she wants a 3 tier square cake with a bear on top. At first all she wanted was 'ABC' blocks. She is only going to have 35-40 people and by my calculations (correct me if I am wrong) the cake she wants will feed 100. I do not want to make all that cake to get thrown away!! What should I do?

8 replies
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Sucrea Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 1:11pm
post #2 of 9

I would let her know how many that the cake she had designed would feed and a tally of what the ingredients would cost. Tell her that you will do a smaller cake in the same theme or they can pay for the ingredients for the larger cake and don't charge any labor. Good luck!!

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ConfectionsCC Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 1:23pm
post #3 of 9

ouch yea, charge her if she insists on having that design that large! If for nothing else, charge her for the cost of materials! thats a big cake, I would let her know it is way more than she needs and offer ways to scale it down to better fit the party and to not break the bank in the process!

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leah_s Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 1:31pm
post #4 of 9

1. I design the cakes I make, not someone else.
2. Well, there really isn't a "2".

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geri4292adams Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 1:39pm
post #5 of 9

I like you, LOVE my fsmily and want to make each and every celebration special for them. However I've come to realize that some like to take advantage or have no clue what it takes to actually complete a cake no matter how simple it is. I always tell them I'd love to make you a cake and I won't charge you, and please give me a few of your ideas and I'll make you an awesome cake that will make you so very happy. But when they get all well it's gotta be like this and I have to have this and oh can you put some gold in it as well and shower it with diamonds, that's when I have to take a step back and just tell them that if they want certain things or like in your case want servings for 100 people when there's only gonna be 20, then I have to be honest with them and tell them that's way too much cake for the occasion, etc.... I've always had them understand and usually they still try and give me money for it. just be honest with her and pass on your experience. I'm sure she'll understand that that's not in your budget or hers or her friends.

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kakeladi Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 1:51pm
post #6 of 9

Small scale 3 sq tiers:
8"; 6"; and 3" w/a small fondant bear on top. Servings: 50 - a bit bigger than needed but much better for you and the customer.

I go along w/the others, inform cousin as to how many servings her design would serve *and* how much it will cost. Then offer something along the lines of my above example.

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TexasSugar Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 1:57pm
post #7 of 9

Give her options. icon_smile.gif

Does the friend that design the cake know anything about cakes? Do they realize how much cake they will have?

Tell her you can do such and such cake but it will be xyz servings and cost abc amount. Then give her a smaller option, maybe using the same design or parts of the design.

If you haven't mentioned anything about doing it for free, then I wouldn't. I would wait and see what they order. If they order a large cake, then charge them for that. If they order a smaller cake and you feel comfortable giving the cake to her as a gift, then you can always tell them that when they go to pay you, or give them a last minute discount. That way you are in control of what you give for free.

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kurky Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 2:52pm
post #8 of 9

@leah_s ~ That was my first thought, but I didn't want to seem snotty! lol, you give me your idea and I will draw it up for you.

I really don't think her friend has any experience in the cake making arena. My cousin is really nice and tends to allow the people around her to make the decisions for her so I am thinking this is pretty much her friends idea. Will definitely talk to the friend! If she insists I could go with the 8,6,3! Thank you guys so much! icon_smile.gif

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dldbrou Posted 13 Sep 2011 , 4:03pm
post #9 of 9

When I do a shower cake, I will usually ask if there is a theme or a copy of the invitation and design the cake from there. My gift, my design, their flavor.

If they want to dictate a design, then they pay for either just ingredients or for entire cake depending on if they are being greedy.

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