My Very First Money-Making Cake - Need Help/suggestions
Decorating By dmaam Updated 7 May 2006 , 4:26am by traci
I am so nervous - my first cake!!!!! I would truly appreciate anything that you all have to offer....
It is a 3 year old little girl and the theme is "fire safety" - I think a fireman is coming on a fire truck... and she also loves dogs... so I thought about making a dalmation cake - do I try to find a dalmation cake pan - do I sculpt one???? The party is a week from today and it needs to feed 30 people - so how much feeds - 30 people.
Thank you again and cannot wait to post my first picture once I learn how to upload pictures onto this website.
Sincerely,
Michelle
I would do an 11x15 sheet cake. That should be plenty especially since it is for little kids.
I am an edible image addict...so i know I would so a picture of a fire truck with a dalmation. Another cute idea would be to do a dlamation wearing a fire hat. You could do even just the dalmation head.
If you do not have access to an edible image...you could do a FBCT or a gel transfer.
I saw another cake on here that I think had a pink fire truck!!!
However...I think the dalmation idea would be best especially if she loves dogs!
Good luck! 
What is FBCT or a gel transfer? Thank you so much!!! I think a pink firetruck with a damlmation on it would be cute...
What about the little hero pan (Wilton's has it) and the uniform be a pink firegirl??? And then getting the firefighter candle set (also Wilton's)?
Again, thank you
I was looking thru the fire cakes earlier and saw one that was cute cute and would be neat for what you are looking for....
Adven68 made it and did a wonderful job on it... Here's the link
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=search&search=fire&cat=0&pos=79&search=fire
Hope this helps a little! good Luck!
Here are a couple of ideas if you want to do an image or use a cake kit. http://www.bakingshop.com/bc/cakes/icx-ck-297.htm
This site had a Mickey Mouse fire fighter and truck as well as a fire truck by itself.
http://www.dfwhotbreads.com/birthday_boy2to5.htm
If only I could Aven68's cake. There is no way that I could do something even close to that. I wish that I could and hope that I can one day.
The other links are geat as well. I am not sure also what a cake should look like for $50 because that is all that she is wanting to spend. And I have no idea how to even begin to set up a asking price list.
I wish that I could give you, all, a huge hug because all are the most helpful help. Thank you.
For pricing, may I suggest checking around with your local bakeries or cake ladies. In my area the going rate for party cakes is $12.00 per box of cake mix used.
So, if you use two boxes of cake mix the cake would cost $24.00. Because most people are more worried about number of slices, that's how I price my cakes. I took the going rate and divided by the number of slices in a basic 9" round. This is my basis rate.
I charge 50.00 for a 10 in and 6 in stacked round cake. This would be a cake using either 3 inch deep pans or filled with only icing. I would charge more for a fruit filling.
I charge 42.00 for an 11x15 sheet. I figure as "specialty" cake decorator...that my prices may differ somewhat from a grocery store bakery. However, I find that i am still less expensive than some of the "specialty" bakeries. I called one bakery in my area that charges 65.00 for an 11x15 sheet!
A gel transfer is when you find an image or coloring page that you want to put on the cake. You can blow it up to the size that you want. Some people trace the image on a piece of wax paper with piping gel...I usually pipe right onto the regular paper. After you have frosted your cake...you want to let it sit in the refrigerator so the icing gets nice and firm....maybe 30 minutes. After you take it out you will put your piping gel image on top of your cake. you can lightly go over it so the piping gel will make a traceable pattern.
Lift the paper and you should see the lines for your image. You can then trace your image with buttercream icing. Then you can fill it in with a star tip or thinned buttercream icing.
I hope this made some sort of sense...if you have any more questions...please let me know!
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