How Much Would You Charge For This

Decorating By jmirek2 Updated 20 Nov 2010 , 7:43pm by -K8memphis

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jmirek2 Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 8:30pm
post #1 of 32

Hi, I made this cake for a friend's sons birthday. I have been making cakes for a few months and just started doing for not my own family. My question is what do you charge for something like this. Any guidance is much appreciated!

31 replies
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-K8memphis Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 8:34pm
post #2 of 32

How long did it take you to make it?

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jmirek2 Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 8:39pm
post #3 of 32

It was about a day, not counting that I had a yellow lab eat the first 10" bottom tier and had to re-do it. btw is the picture showing? I can't figure out how to see it. Thanks!

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leah_s Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 8:58pm
post #4 of 32

What state are you in?

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-K8memphis Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 9:06pm
post #5 of 32

You made the pumpkin on top, right?
It's the pumpkin cake?

Is that a 10x7 or so?

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LNW Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 9:29pm
post #6 of 32

I can't help you on the price but I hate to read a post and not leave a comment. Both the cakes you have in your gallery are awesome! You are very talented for someone who is new to cake decorating. Great job!

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jmirek2 Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 9:59pm
post #7 of 32

Thanks! I am in WI. yes its the pumpkin one, a 10" 8" and pumpkin topper. I am trying to establish a good rate. I have made a few 8" that I have charged only ingredients for and that is a difficult pill for my husband to swallow.icon_smile.gif Thanks for all the replies I am loving Cake-central!

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-K8memphis Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 10:23pm
post #8 of 32

It's a real pumpkin? Or you made it?

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3GCakes Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 10:31pm
post #9 of 32

350.00.

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jason_kraft Posted 13 Nov 2010 , 10:33pm
post #10 of 32

You should check your local state law regarding home bakeries...if WI does not allow commercial baking at home, you will need to rent a commercial kitchen if you want to charge anything more than $0 for your cakes.

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jmirek2 Posted 14 Nov 2010 , 1:30am
post #11 of 32

thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it!

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leah_s Posted 14 Nov 2010 , 6:39pm
post #12 of 32

WI has pretty tough regulations if I remember correctly. You can't bake from home for sale to the public. So, unfortunately you can't charge anything at all for that cake, beautiful as it is. It would need to be a gift.

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elliegails Posted 19 Nov 2010 , 1:31am
post #13 of 32

I am in Minnesota, which I believe has similar regulations...and I think you would have to rent commercial kitchen space, in order to charge for the cake. Your cakes look great!

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scp1127 Posted 19 Nov 2010 , 3:56am
post #14 of 32

I have to say this, but the dog having access to the cake is why you need a license to sell cakes.

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madgeowens Posted 19 Nov 2010 , 4:19am
post #15 of 32

Yes, the dog being able to get near the cake is a no no, first of all.

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jmirek2 Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 12:57am
post #16 of 32

Thank you all for your input, I know that I cannot sell cakes from my house. I was just wondering what my cake would be worth. As for the dogs, yes I am aware of the health issues. I also have kids, also a no, no in a kitchen. Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. I am just trying to justify my hobby to my husband based on worth. again, I know. Thanks.

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Annabakescakes Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 4:01am
post #17 of 32

Wow, I am so disturbed by the dog eating the cake! But I did have my baby grab a hunk off the corner of one once!, luckily it was for a carved cake and I wasn't using that corner! It was on the kitchen table, and he just reached up and tore it off, and popped it in his mouth. It cracked me up! He was just so matter of fact about it, and then grinned after his bite! Best. Compliment. EVER!

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diamonds-and-rust Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 5:37am
post #18 of 32

Sorry, but having someone's kid stick their dirty little hands into a cake is disturbing to me, just as much (if not more) than having a dog get into a cake.
I am assuming that it was for a customer as you were carving it?? If so, I hope it was redone.
JMHO

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scp1127 Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 5:42am
post #19 of 32

Jmirek, keep reading CC and you will find that "not my own family", and "charged only ingredients", constitutes selling a cake.

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madgeowens Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 6:10am
post #20 of 32

The child bothers you more than the dog, comment reminds me of someone I know had a baby and a dog, and she said I need to wash my hands before I held the baby, yet the dog was licking all over the baby, and I said as much, and she told me the dogs mouth was much cleaner than my hands, and I smiled at her and said, well that may be, but I don't lick me own arse icon_smile.gif

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durell87 Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 6:12am
post #21 of 32

ok honey so the best way to go about it that i have found so far is to save all your reciepts and figure out about how much it costs you to make the cake then add in your hours at what rate you want. example if your supplies cost 30$ and it took you 8 hrs at 10$/hr it would be 80 + 30 to get 110.

or cost out all your ingredients and figure out what you want to charge per serving. you can look up serving sizes per pan size on line. then add on set base charges for extra work such as fondant or special fillings and what not. Either way come up with a consistent system you can use over and over thats enough to cover your hobby and make it worthwhile hope this helped.

just wanted to add in as well a good tip is to look up bakeries in your area and see what there prices are just to give you some guidlines icon_biggrin.gif
happy baking!!

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diamonds-and-rust Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 6:26am
post #22 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by madgeowens

The child bothers you more than the dog, comment reminds me of someone I know had a baby and a dog, and she said I need to wash my hands before I held the baby, yet the dog was licking all over the baby, and I said as much, and she told me the dogs mouth was much cleaner than my hands, and I smiled at her and said, well that may be, but I don't lick me own arse icon_smile.gif




As I stated, it is JMHO. I am entitled to my opinion, as you are to yours. The point is NEITHER animals NOR children belong in a commercal kitchen.

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diamonds-and-rust Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 6:32am
post #23 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by Annabakescakes

Quote:
Originally Posted by diamonds-and-rust

Sorry, but having someone's kid stick their dirty little hands into a cake is disturbing to me, just as much (if not more) than having a dog get into a cake.
I am assuming that it was for a customer as you were carving it?? If so, I hope it was redone.
JMHO



Well, seeing as my baby doesn't lick his own ass, (and is so fat he can't even reach it) I feel much more comfortable with him grabbing a corner that I WAS NOT USING and cut completely off, than having some nasty butt-munching dog eating off it. No, I did not re-do it. It was a rectangle, and I cut it into an oval. He tore the corner off. Big deal!
And actually, it wasn't a paying customer. But BD if it was.
FYI




Yeah, snotty grubby little fingers are MUCH MUCH more hygenic. And yeah, it would be a BFD it it was a paying customer. No wonder people don't want to buy cakes from home bakers.

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madgeowens Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 7:30am
post #24 of 32

well I took a stab at a little levity in here, and i can see that didnt work lol..........same ol crap diff day I guess....whatever....lighten up

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Frecklysmom Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 7:39am
post #25 of 32

I live in Wyoming and the regulations are so lax here that you can sell out of you home as long as you don't have children or pets in the kitchen. WHAT? Anyone who has cats knows that it is impossible to control the hair. It will be everywhere whether you let the cat in the kitchen or not. If you sit on the couch, it will stick to your clothes and then fall in the cake. No permits or licensing is necessary in Wyoming. You just have to get a tax certificate.

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Annabakescakes Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 8:36am
post #26 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by diamonds-and-rust

Quote:
Originally Posted by Annabakescakes

Quote:
Originally Posted by diamonds-and-rust

Sorry, but having someone's kid stick their dirty little hands into a cake is disturbing to me, just as much (if not more) than having a dog get into a cake.
I am assuming that it was for a customer as you were carving it?? If so, I hope it was redone.
JMHO



Well, seeing as my baby doesn't lick his own ass, (and is so fat he can't even reach it) I feel much more comfortable with him grabbing a corner that I WAS NOT USING and cut completely off, than having some nasty butt-munching dog eating off it. No, I did not re-do it. It was a rectangle, and I cut it into an oval. He tore the corner off. Big deal!
And actually, it wasn't a paying customer. But BFD if it was.
FYI



Yeah, snotty grubby little fingers are MUCH MUCH more hygenic. And yeah, it would be a BFD it it was a paying customer. No wonder people don't want to buy cakes from home bakers.




For me, considering that "snot" is a from your nose and your mouth is actually connected to your nose, if I had to eat one, I would rather eat snot than feces. JMHO

BTW, if children disgust you so much, that you'd rather eat dog sh!t than have a child touch your food, do yourself a favor and have yourself "spayed" before it is too late. (Or neutered? Who knows?)

And FYI, it is spelled hygienic, not the way you spelled it.

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tinygoose Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 8:59am
post #27 of 32

Your cakes look nice. You might want to think about putting the finished cakes on cake drums instead of cake circles. You should never see the cake circles on a finished cake. A cake drum is about 1/2 thick, lined with silver or sometimes gold. Wilton sells them at Michaels.

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Erin3085 Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 2:38pm
post #28 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinygoose

Your cakes look nice. You might want to think about putting the finished cakes on cake drums instead of cake circles. You should never see the cake circles on a finished cake. A cake drum is about 1/2 thick, lined with silver or sometimes gold. Wilton sells them at Michaels.




A very simple lesson I learned the hard way. lol. icon_biggrin.gif

I only sell my cakes to friends, who know I have 2 kids and a weiner dog in the backyard, and also know I obsessively bleach everything I can get my hands on and are perfectly ok with eating from my kitchen. The only person I am acquainted with who wont eat from my kitchen is a pig herself and, ironically, I would never eat anything from her house. icon_razz.gif

That being said, I usually (illegally, so save it icon_rolleyes.gif ) charge ingredients + about $8 an hour depending on the design. I really just kind of scratch out a rough estimate and go by that. It's a hobby for me more than anything, I'm not awesome at it, and I'm not looking to make money so that suffices. I also only charge those who insist on it for my time. icon_smile.gif


I agree with the $300+ price range on the WORTH of that pumpkin cake though! It's awesome! thumbs_up.gif

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NerdyGirl Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 2:58pm
post #29 of 32

Nothing wrong with market research. It'll help you when it comes time to get a business going. Knowing what you're getting into, finance-wise, is smart. Definitely save the receipts. Also, figure out how many hours you work on a particular cake, then figure in at least minimum wage.

Number crunching...always an important part of business.

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Annabakescakes Posted 20 Nov 2010 , 7:16pm
post #30 of 32

You know what? Your right. I quit, this is so dumb. Sorry you guys, I really am.

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