How Much Would It Cost To Have This Cake Made?
Decorating By faishay Updated 16 Jan 2014 , 1:24am by SystemMod1
there are lots of cake websites that list their prices--that would be one way to determine that--
i would charge my 'base' price for a buttercream cake--
did someone quote you a price? what area of the globe are you in?
Sadly, this can vary very wildly depending on skill level, quality, and area of the world.
Even the number of servings can vary!
That particular cake looks more like a 6, 9, 12.
In Charleston, SC, you can expect to pay $3-8 per serving (starting price) for that same cake.
I will offer you that my base price is $4.50 per serving. For the 8, 12, 16, (201 servings) I would charge $950-1050 depending on flavor & filling. That does not include SC state sales tax of 9.5% or delivery & set up.
Thanks for your input. :)
I actually live in a small town in Nova Scotia Canada. I've been quoted several different prices.. all ranging from $215-$290. However, at first one lady quoted me $150 for a three tier square wedding cake (to feed 150 people). Then once she seen the photo she changed her mind and said $275. I'm not sure why such the big difference as from what I can tell it's exactly what I said I wanted (three tier square wedding cake with no bells or whistle and just plain vanilla cake with vanilla butter cream icing.)
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Thanks for your input. :)
I actually live in a small town in Nova Scotia Canada. I've been quoted several different prices.. all ranging from $215-$290. However, at first one lady quoted me $150 for a three tier square wedding cake (to feed 150 people). Then once she seen the photo she changed her mind and said $275. I'm not sure why such the big difference as from what I can tell it's exactly what I said I wanted (three tier square wedding cake with no bells or whistle and just plain vanilla cake with vanilla butter cream icing.)
Even at $275, that is only $1.84 per serving. If you have seen examples of her work, and she is capable, this is a steal! Grab it!
Depends on where you are located. Cake prices vary widely! What you pay in New York City could be 10 times what you pay in small town USA.
Really? So since if it's a 150 serving cake, the price might range from $525 to $5,250? Or $3.50 a serving to $35 a serving? The place where this cake would go for $35 a serving doesn't exist. Price does vary by location, but nowhere near the degree it's purported to be.
It's really sad people spread this kind on thing. Check out one of the biggest cupcake bakeries in the US, Sprinkles. They charge $3.50 for a cupcake where I live in a city with one of the lowest costs of living in the country. I found a price for the same cupcake in Manhattan, on Lexington Avenue is also $3.50, not $35.
Even if you start with the bizarrely low price of $1.84 per serving, then that means that cake would sell for $10.84 per serving somewhere, which is also an extremely bizarre price for a plain buttercream cake on a foil base with some ribbons from Michaels wrapped around it and a few orchids.
No one can be profitble in the cake business selling cake for $1.84 a serving. Not if we're talking about a home baker.
Thanks for your input. :)
I actually live in a small town in Nova Scotia Canada. I've been quoted several different prices.. all ranging from $215-$290. However, at first one lady quoted me $150 for a three tier square wedding cake (to feed 150 people). Then once she seen the photo she changed her mind and said $275. I'm not sure why such the big difference as from what I can tell it's exactly what I said I wanted (three tier square wedding cake with no bells or whistle and just plain vanilla cake with vanilla butter cream icing.)
I'm not sure why it's less than $525 not including the flowers. I have a feeling some home baker's spouse will be subsidizing the price of your cake with a full time job. I'm sure you will think I'm crazy, considering the fact you seem to think $150 would have been a fair price.
In case anyone doesn't know the term, subsidize:
synonyms: give money to, pay a subsidy to, contribute to
Maybe look at it this way. Cupcakes tend to be cheaper than cake, right? If you get 150 cc's in fancy flavors from the high end cc place, it's going to be $525. A plainer, slightly smaller cc is not going to sell for less than $2, which would total $300 for $150. And still you're get a cake for less than that.
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What I'm saying is that they have other jobs as well. Making cakes isn't their isn't how they make their income. That's all I meant by it.
Just curious, how many hours would you guess the cake in your picture would take someone to make, fill and frost? I'm not being sarcastic, I just want to know your estimate! 
I have no idea. That's why I posted on here what most people would charge. However, where I am from they charge a lot less than other places I would assume. Seeing as most of you have said $400+ for the cake I have posted.
The only reason I posted is that the lady knew what I wanted (three square tiers to feed 150 people) and she told me $150. Then once she seen the picture (which is exactly what I told her I wanted to begin with.. even supplying the ribbon and flowers and that I didn't want those little icing balls around the edge) she told me $275. So I wanted to get an idea from others.. which obviously was not a good idea.
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Why was that not a good idea? Because the answers weren't what you wanted to hear! They were very good and thoughtfully given responses and not people messing around with you.
No no not because of what people were saying price range. I obviously get that I'm going to get different responses about prices.. especially seeing as how most people where I live charge $350 for a top of the line wedding cake and where ya'll are from you would charge $800+. I just felt some of the responses were a tad rude.
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I have no idea. That's why I posted on here what most people would charge. However, where I am from they charge a lot less than other places I would assume. Seeing as most of you have said $400+ for the cake I have posted.
The only reason I posted is that the lady knew what I wanted (three square tiers to feed 150 people) and she told me $150. Then once she seen the picture (which is exactly what I told her I wanted to begin with.. even supplying the ribbon and flowers and that I didn't want those little icing balls around the edge) she told me $275. So I wanted to get an idea from others.. which obviously was not a good idea.
No, it was a good idea! One of the reasons she is charging more after seeing the picture is because of the square shape and the perfectly smooth icing. Perfecting smooth edges and corners on squares take a lot more time than a rustic iced cake or round cakes. Sometime those "simple" designs (meaning less decorations) are actually more time consuming than the ones that have more "stuff" on them to cover up imperfections. Does that make sense? LOL -- I know you probably didn't want a cake pricing lesson, but when you ask a bunch of bakers, we can't help ourselves! After taking out money for the supplies, the baker quoting $150 is probably making $2.50 and hour to work on that particular cake. We (as bakers) get a little upset when people tell us our prices are too high, when a lot of people aren't even making minimum wage for their decorating.
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what I told her I wanted to begin with.. even supplying the ribbon and flowers and that I didn't want those little icing balls around the edge) she told me $275.
It's EXTREMELY difficult to frost a cake with butter cream and not need those balls of icing on the bottom borders of the tiers! They are there for a reason, to cover the ragged bottom edge of a butter cream cake. The only way to avoid having those is to switch to a fondant covered cake and not an all butter cream frosted cake. Not every cake decorator can achieve that!! Most decorators can not do that even it they try very hard. It will take the decorator far more time to omit them. All cake decorators around the whole world would need to charge more money to delete them.
Thanks for the information! Makes sense I guess. She did know before the photo that we didn't want any design just flat icing. Oh well, lesson learned. Next time find a photo beforehand lol.
I may have found someone who will do it for $150. She is a friends sister. The only reason I need something cheap is because we have a very small.. and I mean VERY small budget for everything.
ALol you are supplying the flowers and ribbon ....oh how nice of you to do...if you didnt supply them that would just be a extra charge....and the cake in the picture is more than just a three tier cake. ..each tier is higher than a regular cake...I can see where she would charge you more than the quoted $150 ...I agree better take her up on her offer of $275 thats darn cheap....and I am welcoming you to cc...
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Thanks for the information! Makes sense I guess. She did know before the photo that we didn't want any design just flat icing. Oh well, lesson learned. Next time find a photo beforehand lol.
I may have found someone who will do it for $150. She is a friends sister. The only reason I need something cheap is because we have a very small.. and I mean VERY small budget for everything.
Professionals charge more for a reason, we know how to create the cake in the picture with smooth corners, edges and a stable foundations so the cake in your picture doesn't turn out sloppy and slanted instead. Just make sure this friends' sister is capable of creating your design or you could wind up very disappointed on your wedding day! You're paying for decorating and stacking experience and expertise as well as decorating and baking! Good Luck! Congrats!
What I'm saying is that they have other jobs as well. Making cakes isn't their isn't how they make their income. That's all I meant by it.
So you're saying you get that this person will be working for something like $2.50 an hour to make your cake and you understand the reason they can do that because they have a job which will subsidize the price of your cake? Because without the other job, if they just made cakes, that wouldn't be possible.
I have no idea. That's why I posted on here what most people would charge. However, where I am from they charge a lot less than other places I would assume. Seeing as most of you have said $400+ for the cake I have posted.
The only reason I posted is that the lady knew what I wanted (three square tiers to feed 150 people) and she told me $150. Then once she seen the picture (which is exactly what I told her I wanted to begin with.. even supplying the ribbon and flowers and that I didn't want those little icing balls around the edge) she told me $275. So I wanted to get an idea from others.. which obviously was not a good idea.
That's not correct if you only called subsidized home bakers, although I admit they may have put professional out of business in your area.
No no not because of what people were saying price range. I obviously get that I'm going to get different responses about prices.. especially seeing as how most people where I live charge $350 for a top of the line wedding cake and where ya'll are from you would charge $800+. I just felt some of the responses were a tad rude.
Thanks for the information! Makes sense I guess. She did know before the photo that we didn't want any design just flat icing. Oh well, lesson learned. Next time find a photo beforehand lol.
I may have found someone who will do it for $150. She is a friends sister. The only reason I need something cheap is because we have a very small.. and I mean VERY small budget for everything.
You'd like to talk about rudeness? Ok, let's do it. As someone who makes her living selling cakes, as in the sole source of income for my household is my cake business, I know exactly what one has to charge to survive. I find it a bit rude when people expect someone to work for $2.50 an hour to provide a cake for a party. Never once have you said, something like "oh wow, that's a bad situation" or "how can they even do that"? Or even, "are you sure it that low?".
Howsweet......I DID NOT say that bakeries charge $35 per slice. I DID say that they can charge 10X the price of other bakeries. It is not unreasonable to believe that someone would charge $1.00 per slice for a simple design, such as this one. However, you are not going to get that price across the globe. Check out this website and her advertised prices.... http://www.threelittleblackbirds.com/available-products/ Wedding cakes START at $10 per slice with a $1000 minimum!
I'm sorry if you think it's sad that "Some People" spread this kind of thing.....I'm just passing on what I've seen and heard!
AI understand being on a budget, perhaps your better option would be to order a small one tier to do the cake cutting, and do small cupcakes for the rest (heck you can even do the cupcakes yourself if you're trying to save money and just order the one tier). $275 is a steal of a deal, even for small town Nova Scotia, by the time you factor in ingredients, you're just barely charging anything for your time. Sometimes the more simple cakes are the most time consuming.....
I agree with your frustration. Jumping from $150 to almost double that price doesn't seem fair. But I will say that I believe $275 is a more reasonable price than $150, assuming the baker is skilled enough for the job. But with your particular situation I would suggest negotiating with the baker at a price point between the two, OR negotiating in a different way (i.e. borrow a cake stand for free, free delivery, etc.). Make sure you're buying from a good baker. Try samples, view their portfolio, and just make sure. $150 seems ridiculously too low, unless it's for charity :)
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Original message sent by shaunana
I agree with your frustration. Jumping from $150 to almost double that price doesn't seem fair. But I will say that I believe $275 is a more reasonable price than $150, assuming the baker is skilled enough for the job. But with your particular situation I would suggest negotiating with the baker at a price point between the two, OR negotiating in a different way (i.e. borrow a cake stand for free, free delivery, etc.). Make sure you're buying from a good baker. Try samples, view their portfolio, and just make sure. $150 seems ridiculously too low, unless it's for charity :)
$275 is also very low for 150 people, trying to negotiate it down further may result in the baker declining to take the order entirely. If OP wants to save money, the best thing she can do is cut back on the number of people invited to the wedding.
AI'm impressed why someone would get out of bed to make a cake at that price ($1.00 a slice). Not even where I live, and I live in Chile.-
Grab the $275 offer, even though, I'm sorry to say, I find that price offensive as well. We're really not trying to bash you, only make you see the logic behind it. What we're trying to make you see here is that it's never "just cake" (especially at a wedding), think of the person behind this, she's selling you her skill and time, even if it's a home-based bakery. It's about respect.
If you would like a cake for "virtually" free, you could bake your own cupcakes as someone said, or have a sister, aunt, cousin bake them if they're willing, and order a small cutting cake, because you're on a budget.
This is the same as if you'd be trying to negotiate a price for a dish at a restaurant. You wouldn't. So why do it with another person's business?. If you can't afford that cake, then look for an alternative.
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$275 is also very low for 150 people, trying to negotiate it down further may result in the baker declining to take the order entirely. If OP wants to save money, the best thing she can do is cut back on the number of people invited to the wedding.
What kind of baker jumps from 150 to 275, let alone even sells at 150? I'd give negotiating a try. Something tells me they've got wiggle room. And if they're not willing to negotiate, $275 is a steal of a deal!
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