How Much Would You Charge For This Cake?

Decorating By Lyoshka Updated 12 Jan 2015 , 8:21pm by DeniseNH

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Lyoshka Posted 28 Dec 2014 , 4:31pm
post #1 of 26

HI All! Wondering if I could get your opinion on what you would charge for a cake like this... this is Marina Sousa's cake from a Craftsy class (Advanced Fondant Techniques).  
 


For reference, here are cake tier sizes (from top to bottom):
1) hand painted tier-6" round, 3" tall
2) wrapped box - 5" square, 5" tall
3) gift box - 8" square, 5" tall
4) small box hanging off the side - 6" square, 2" tall
5) bottom tier - 9x13, 3" tall

 

25 replies
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Claire138 Posted 28 Dec 2014 , 4:42pm
post #2 of 26

You should do a search on this site for cake pricing. There are too many variables to just ballpark it; area you live in, type of business you run, competition, price of ingredients, how much you pay yourself to name but a few.

 

It's a beautiful cake, good luck.

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-K8memphis Posted 28 Dec 2014 , 5:34pm
post #3 of 26

everything claire said is true and yet i find myself strangley drawn to guestimateing a price -- that's only about 75-80 servings so that cake should cost about $25 a serving give or take 2000 pops

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kakeladi Posted 28 Dec 2014 , 11:27pm
post #4 of 26

Since I retired about 6 yrs ago pricing has changed soooooo much.  I'm w/k8 on this - I'd price more by the # of servings, then the difficulty of the work (are you in the same ball park to duplicate this?).

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Norasmom Posted 29 Dec 2014 , 1:04am
post #5 of 26

At least $4000-$5000

But that is what I would charge, targeting a certain demographic within a certain market.

Not that I would ever attempt such a cake, I'm not good enough to do that sort of work and I don't have the time to develop the skills.

 

Enjoy, have fun, it's a beautiful cake!

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DeniseNH Posted 30 Dec 2014 , 3:46am
post #6 of 26

Yup, no less than $2K

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Lyoshka Posted 30 Dec 2014 , 9:15pm
post #7 of 26

Wow, 2K! that is expensive! i guess if it were a wedding cake?

 

I sketched a cake very similar to this design for my customer and was going to quote around $760 for it (96 servings, $6 a serving plus $100 for flowers-the top tier will be a hat box with hydrangeas, baby's breath and roses), but since it was just him and his wife and daughters (the cake it for his wife's bday), we, several sketches later, ended up with just the bottom tier as a 10" square and the top tier as a 6" round, plus flowers.  I quoted him $352 and it's an order now. 

Hope it turns out great!

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-K8memphis Posted 30 Dec 2014 , 9:25pm
post #8 of 26

it's a lot of money but for any cake with gravity defying sculpture after sculpture it's a fair price

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Lyoshka Posted 30 Dec 2014 , 9:36pm
post #9 of 26

K8, agree! I hope one day to charge that much:) I know i can definitely do the cake (the class makes it very doable)..

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-K8memphis Posted 30 Dec 2014 , 9:43pm
post #10 of 26

the biggest hurdle is finding customers with the deep pockets huh -- high five!

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Lyoshka Posted 30 Dec 2014 , 10:11pm
post #11 of 26

Quote:

Originally Posted by -K8memphis 
 

the biggest hurdle is finding customers with the deep pockets huh -- high five!


Amen to that.  In the mean time, I will continue to build my skillz :)

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sweetassugarcak Posted 30 Dec 2014 , 11:38pm
post #12 of 26

Pricing will always be difficult because there will always be someone willing to create the same design cheaper. It may not executed as well but the customer may only realise this when they receive the cheaper cake. 

Charge what you feel comfortable with, and when your ready to charge more if the client really appreciates your work they will be willing to pay what you ask knowing the hard wok that went into creating it. 

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Lyoshka Posted 31 Dec 2014 , 12:40am
post #13 of 26

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetassugarcak 
 

Pricing will always be difficult because there will always be someone willing to create the same design cheaper. It may not executed as well but the customer may only realise this when they receive the cheaper cake. 

Charge what you feel comfortable with, and when your ready to charge more if the client really appreciates your work they will be willing to pay what you ask knowing the hard wok that went into creating it. 

Thank you! That is how I feel, as well.  For now, I'm slowly getting over the "is that too much to charge for a cake?" syndrome.  I've finally realized that not only is it extremely expensive to make a boutique cake, but it's also time I take away from my family.  So I'm getting better with not offering cakes to friends just because they are friends, and adjusting my pricing up, to where it needs to be.  it's a learning experience, for sure.

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sweetassugarcak Posted 31 Dec 2014 , 8:43am
post #14 of 26

I was exactly the same and you can be sure every decorator out there has been through the same dilemma. You will get customers in shock at your prices but this is not to say what someone is charging is expensive. Stick to whatever prices you feel is right and don't get hung up on what other people think, soon the right type of custom will come and appreciate everything you do making your job a whole lot more enjoyable.

After spending months worrying about whether our prices were to expensive we came to realise that the customers who complain about the cost may not be the customers you want to be concentrating on anyway and its not always that they think its too expensive its just they genuinely don't have enough money to commit to the order. Enjoy what your doing and the rest will follow!

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MimiFix Posted 31 Dec 2014 , 1:21pm
post #16 of 26
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedi Knight 

 

Nice cake! Forty dollars, I want each tier a different flavor. My party is tomorrow. Deliver by 2 pm and we have a deal!

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Jedi Knight Posted 31 Dec 2014 , 1:48pm
post #17 of 26

AOh but, Mimi - forty follars is just way too much. I make cakes because I just love it, not to make money.....

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Claire138 Posted 31 Dec 2014 , 2:45pm
post #18 of 26

Forget it Mimi $40 is way too much, the neighbor can do it for $20....

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MimiFix Posted 31 Dec 2014 , 3:40pm
post #19 of 26

Yeah, well my sister can do it for free. Too bad she's AWOL right now.  

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-K8memphis Posted 31 Dec 2014 , 3:43pm
post #20 of 26

and in other news

 

but oh no i just sent you a cheque for $1,000 please send the balance back to my account :-D 

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Claire138 Posted 31 Dec 2014 , 3:46pm
post #21 of 26

:D:D:D

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Lyoshka Posted 1 Jan 2015 , 9:14pm
post #22 of 26

Quote:

Originally Posted by MimiFix 
 

 

Nice cake! Forty dollars, I want each tier a different flavor. My party is tomorrow. Deliver by 2 pm and we have a deal!


hahhahhaha! Yeah. Classic.

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Lyoshka Posted 1 Jan 2015 , 9:15pm
post #23 of 26

Quote:

Originally Posted by -K8memphis 
 

and in other news

 

but oh no i just sent you a cheque for $1,000 please send the balance back to my account :-D 


You guys are killing me. Too funny.

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sweetassugarcak Posted 2 Jan 2015 , 2:42pm
post #24 of 26

Love that cake!!! haha

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eatmycakebaby Posted 12 Jan 2015 , 8:15pm
post #25 of 26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jedi Knight   LOL and that's what they get

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DeniseNH Posted 12 Jan 2015 , 8:21pm
post #26 of 26

Yah and don't forget, who cares about the flavor or design................ but my driver will pick it up the week before.

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