Okay, I have read all of the post about "pricing too high" and how much we should charge and it fits right in with a dilemma I am having. So I thought I would throw it out there....I have been doing this for a few months and I love it! It is a great outlet for creativity and I really have a good time doing it. But I am primarily making cakes for friends right now. I love the joy on their faces when I deliver the cakes. It is just a blast!

But...I am a stay at home mom to two little guys and it takes a great deal of time away from them. And to top it all off, I don't make money doing it because I am not charging my friends much...basically because I am not sure how much is fair since I am new at it. I made 50 bucks each for every shower cake posted in my photos and most of them cost at least 40 dollars to make.

Should I just give up for now to spend time with the kids? Or should I charge more? If so, what's a good starting rate for BC and Fondant? I am in Texas, by the way. Thanks!

You risk getting "caught" since it isn't legal in Texas to sell home baked goods. You have to decide how much risk you have.

At this point, I am doing about 2 cakes a month. Is there that much risk in that? I would love to work at a bakery but I wanted to do this for awhile from home to learn different techniques and then look for a job when the kids start school. What are the risks? I am not interested in creating an at-home "business" necessarily. But I do need to cover my costs and I would sort of like to make "something" off of each cake. But I also don't want to get smacked with a huge fine either. Are there other people that do this at home in Texas? Can I get some pointers from you?

Sigh...I wonder the same thing on a regular basis. Espcecially since my two children are 8 and 11 and need to go places, and a lot of help with homework. I probably say at least once a month "This is my last cake, it isn't worth it." But then I realize that first and foremost I love doing this and besides I have 5 orders outstanding and a long time customer calls and begs me to do one and before I know it I'm still baking away. It doesn't get any easier and the longer you do it the more loyal customers you get. If you stay in it set a firm limit for yourself and don't waver. For example determine that you will never do more than 2 cakes a week and stick to it. Learn to say "no." Also DO raise your prices now. It is much harder to do it later on and if you are too inexpensive the word gets around and you will have more business than you can handle Last bit of advice...I do mine while mine are at school or after they go to bed at night. Make sure to set aside time for your kids. Mine definitely resent it when I am too busy with a cake.

Yes, JoAnnB is right you do risk getting "caught," but then so do a lot of us. Those of us "unofficial, unliscensed bakers" do this for friends and friends of friends as a hobby. We keep it small. I think you mentioned Texas because you wanted to know what a reasonable price would be in your area, not whether or not it is illegal there. Sorry, I don't have any suggestion there.

I wouldn't give it up! I'm a mom of a three year old and 21 month old. It's important to spend time with them, but you have to take time for yourself too...decorating is my creative outlet that keeps me from going crazy sometimes. I can get absorbed in a cake and forget everything else. I'm a stay at home mom, so I watch the kids all day till my husband gets home and he keeps them out of the kitchen so I get time to work and be alone.
As far as pricing goes, I about got my head lopped off in a post earlier but i don't charge a ton, because I don't really care about making that much. I usually figure up how much it will cost to make it then double it. Sure, maybe I'm underselling myself but I get to do lots of cakes which is my passion! So keep going girl! If you have a talent, use it!!

Thanks for the info, ladies! Heyjules-- I would make a LOT more money if I doubled what it costs to make it. Great tip! Right now, I make about 10 dollars on each cake-- even if I spent two days on it. That has to stop!

So can the rest of you guys give me an idea of what your base price per serving is for BC and fondant cakes? Or maybe what you were comfortable with when you started?

I bake from home - in the process of getting "approved" by health dept, it is legal in MA for me to sell from my residential kithcen.

I charge base price of $2.50 per serving for basic BC cakes and between $3 and $4 per serving for fondant depending on the difficulty. I also leave it a bit open ended when I have something really unusual to tack on a little more if it is a lot of sculpting or design work. I charge $25 for delivery although I do sell to a lot of friends and family that I deliver the cakes and don't charge them for that.

I use box mixes, sometime I doctor them, mostly I don't. It just gets too costly and honestly no one really seems to notice the difference, they rave over the mix the same way - I think the key is in the frosting - I use Duff's Meringue BC, unless it is strictly a kid's cake that need serious color then I use a crusting BC. But always Duff's under the fondant - which I now buy, because it takes too long to make and is too unpredicatable for me - plus I have a shoulder injury that makes it tough.

So I *think* I'm making a bit of money, but I still can't tell. I am in the same boat, a 5yr old and a 9 yr old.

Rule of thumb is usually your cost x3. I'm hoping to really figure it out once I am "official" and then really pushing the advertising in school and sporting events. I figure that will keep me busy enough LOL!