I'm sure this has come up somewhere, but I can't seem to find what the majority says to do. When a friend does not like icing, chocolate, or fondant, but wants something like a five flavor pound cake and requests the board be decorated, flags or other items be used to make it a little less plain, how do you charge?? I feel I normally charge for my decorating, not as much for the cake itself. I'm sure some of you have had similar requests, so what did you do?!
Sounds like the same amount of work to me! If you order a hamburger "plain", McDonald's doesn't give you a discount because you didn't take the ketchup, mustard and pickle. It costs the same to assemble that hamburger with or without the condiments....the same amount of bun, the same amount of meat, the same paper to wrap it in, the same hourly rate to pay the employee to assemble it, the same paper bag to hand it to you thru the window.
I did a wedding cake that was a strawberry shortcake (not the doll). No icing on the outside of the cake at all. No discount for it. IT's in my photos.
This is a very interesting question. Thank you for raising it, as I have not been faced with it as yet.
Time
Labor
Ingredients
Energy usage-gas or electricity to bake the cake
Water and detergent for prep and clean-up
Cake box
Delivery
Cost out the ingredients of your poundcake. I list all ingredients I use for baking and plug in what amounts I need for each cake.
Flour
Sugar
Butter
Milk
Extracts
Nuts
Chocolate
HAPPY BAKING AND DECORATING!!!
How would you keep a "naked cake" from drying out in the air? 
I don't like icing but that looks good to me!
I think the pricing would be different, but not less. Actually fruits and fillings are more costly than regular icing most of the time, so you would have to adjust the cost accordingly....and you would still be taking time making sure the cake is neat and attractive. So the pricing may end up the same, or even more if it is as elaborate as the photo above.
I too think it would be hard to keep a "naked" cake from drying out......would you just have to give it a wash of some sort (simple syrup---glazing or something of the like)???? I know just when the cake scraps sit out on the counter a couple of hours they become dry in a hurry.
I would assume that these are assembled and eaten in a short period of time.
The 'Amy (12-8 X Deep ) Caramel Apples' on carriescakes looks like it has frosting instead of whipped cream like the above picture, which means it could last longer - but still I have visions of saran-wrapped layers being put together within an hour of being consumed...
How would you keep a "naked cake" from drying out in the air?
When I made my strawberry shortcake, (http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=allby&uname=indydebi&cat=0&pos=46 ) I torted and put the icing/filling in, then wrapped it in saran until the next day, when I assembled the whole thing on-site. I, too, worried about preventing it from getting dry, and I had a piece of it to see how it held up.
One of the most moist cakes I've ever eaten!
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