How Would You Make These Diapers And How Much?
Decorating By berryblondeboys Updated 31 May 2007 , 4:50pm by berryblondeboys
I'll try asking in a different way in a different for!
Now, I've been asked to make a box of pampers cake. I plan to make the box a little taller than those seen in the photo pages to make it more realistic looking. Like maybe a 9x13 or 11x15 cut in half and making 3-4 layers of that to make it tall and narrow. I'm also not sure what I'lll make the diapers with as I think the twinkies are too thick... trying to think of something sturdy and thin I can cover in MMF or Satin Ice (I've never worked with fondant before! EEKS!) to make thinner diapers along the top.
Now to pricing, I live in a VERY expensive area, so ingredients are more expensive, people are used to paying for quality and I make my cakes using top ingredients, not cheap ingrediets - organic eggs and milk and butter and flour. Domino sugar and no crisco... so my costs are high for making cakes too.
My base price for a two layer 8" cake is $45 and no one has batted an eye at that price. 11x15 single layer is $65. I charge extra for extra stuff - this is just for a buttercream filling and something like a fbctSo, based on what I charge for regular cakes, what should I charge for this? It will have Pampers and such written all around the perimeter of this cake too....
I think my base of $65 will be too low for the amount of time that will go into this. Would asking $80 for it be in line?? Or is that too high? I'm not a Charm City cake, so I can't charge over $500 for it, but this is pretty customized too... Help!!!
Melissa
here's the link to this to give you an idea:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_539353.html
Oh, and if you have other great ideas for a "dipes and Wipes" baby shower cake I can pass onto my friend, that would be helpful. So far I've found this box of pampers and the clothesline with diapers on it, but I could be missing things. (Her mom already threw her a "real" diaper cake shower back home).
I want this to be good as there wil be 50 guests!
melissa
I don't think $80 for 50 guests is out of line at all for a custom cake like that ($1.60/serving), and you could totally get that many servings from a stacked 11x15! Hmmmm.....what to use besides twinkies!
I just made another one of these cakes (besides the one in my gallery) and charged $1.25 per serving ($62.50) and I'm not in a high-priced area....so really, you could probably get more than $80 for 50 people!
ew ew ew.....just thought of another idea! I rec'd a call last night for a "wipes" cake (CHUBS wipes) and I'm making stacked rounds with a fondant "wipe" coming out of the top! That would look cute accompanying the diapers cake!
That style cake, for 50 servings, I could get $165.00 in this area.
That style cake, for 50 servings, I could get $165.00 in this area.
I was thinking $100 would be in line, but I think she would rather go with something cheaper than pay that amount.... but I'm NOT selling myself short. I figure it would take me quite a bit longer than a FBCT to do this - especially having to pipe all four sides of the cake too!!!
I'll email her and tell her that it would cost more than the $65 base price for the 11x15... and see what she wants to do. Doesn't make sense to plan this all out if she wants to go a cheaper route.
Melissa
What about some kind of cookies like biscotti or the ones at the link below for diapers?
I can't help with pricing...I'm new to this. 
In fact I'm make an 8" round for a friend for the weekend and have NO idea what to charge her.
Good luck. It's a very cute cake!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00061EWXO/?tag=cakecentral-20
What about some kind of cookies like biscotti or the ones at the link below for diapers?
I can't help with pricing...I'm new to this.
In fact I'm make an 8" round for a friend for the weekend and have NO idea what to charge her.Good luck. It's a very cute cake!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00061EWXO/?tag=cakecentral-20
Ooo these are the right thickness, but still a little short, but it gives me IDEAS!... I supposed if my cake is tall enough, it looks like just the top is off and this would work. I have NO IDEA how I would ever make FLAPS of a box and I know I'm not going to get paid for that kind of realism, so I won't even venture to guess!
Thanks for the suggestion.
BTW... I just emailed her and quoted her $90. This would just take so much time to do and I HAVE to pay for my time. If I don't, DH gets really cranky and that helps me stay strong! LOL
Melissa
What about ladyfinger cookies? They would be about thick enough I think.
I have found that people do not mind paying $2.00 per person for party cakes especially if you are doing something original like the Pampers.
yes twinkies... I think that is what Cambo used for hers in her gallery and it is SUPERCUTE... pm and ask her, I know she will help you!
OK, we are ON for the cake - She's paying $80 and I'm not delivering it, so it works out fine...
Now... should I venture out and make MMF? I have the marshmallows and have been meaning to make this for ages - so much so I had to REBUY marshmallows because the first batch dried up! LOL Or, should I just go and buy Satin Ice? It's $11 a small tub though! Egad! (don't have time to order as the cake is due Saturday). I'll only be doing the diaper part in fondant the rest will be buttercream.
Also, I have a brand spanking NEW cake projector - how hard is it to use on SIDES of cakes? I bought (off ebay) the KopyKake K1000.
Melissa
You could also make rice krispy treats and roll them the size you need.
Angela
I thought about that - do you think they would be firm enough if pretty thin?
Heres' a thought I had, now mind you, I have NEVER worked with Fondant except for a rudimentary castle cake LONG before taking classes or finding this site... anyway... what if it made two flat and thin pieces of rice crispies, then put those on top of a rolled rectangle of MMF/Satin Ice, then I would fold in teh sides and then pick up the top half and fold it over onto itself like a real diaper? You would see the fold, but the fondant would be the "shell" and the rice crispies would help keep the shape.
Would that work? I'm not trying to diss the twinkies, just trying to make it appear more thin pampers... though I still might do the twinkies - they'll get it either way.
melissa
LOL I threw out the Idea dont always mean I know how to make it come together. HAHAHA
I figure the rice krispys would hold their shape if you let them sit out a day or to.. aww what the heck do the twinkies to make it look like they dumped a load in them... 
ooooo... would these work? I bought them to make a croatian dessert last week, but I don't know when I'll get to it:
or would they get too soft? Do I need to put something on these to get them to stick? I'm thinking not as I'm folding it around these pieces and then folding in half?
melissa
Well, I deliver the cake in an hour. The cake isn't showing under my photos, so I'll post them here.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2Acs2TZy5bsWHM¬ag=1
Very super cute! I'm glad you decided what to use. It turned out great!
.......Did she talk you into delivering? =)
Nope, delivery is part of my price!!!
And... THEY LOVED IT!!! Everyone there was so impressed, they thought it was super yummy and very creative. The gal said I should be expecting several calls because they thought it was sooooo super! YAY!!! (not so sure about yay for more cake orders as it took me two days to catch up on sleep from this! LOL)
There was even a "retired" cake decorator there (an older lady) and she was impressed (OMG, that's my worst nightmare - a cake decorator at a party critiquing my "performance!" 
)
I'm so doing a happy dance!!! 
Melissa
You did such an awesome job, these are GREAT.
Well, I cut the wafer sheets into 2x4 pieces. I rolled out fondant and put the two pieces on it with about a 1/2 inch space between them on their long sides. I folded in one side of the fondant and trimmed off the rest to reroll for other diapers. I then folded this in half like a book and then stacked them on their side with the part with the fondant folded facing up. I skewered the last two pieces to the cake for stability (so they wouldn't tip over) - just put them in the fold of the diaper and used BC to hold those diapers shut. The rest I just put a dab of buttercream between each to keep them fixed.
It was REALLY simple and looked JUST right. The new mom to be was tickled I guess because she's been going on and on about Swaddler diapers to the gal who bought the cake... Phew... I like happy endings!
Melissa
Great job--love the diapers ! I like your thinner diaper more than the twinkie diaper
Where did you get the wafer sheets? Would graham crackers work? I would like to do this for a shower this Friday
Should say too, that I made them 4" tall because that's how tall the cake was. Making them too tall or too short would look silly.
Graham crackers would probably work too, just harder to cut to size... It just needs to be something thin yet firm. I got the Wafer sheets from a little Bosnian store - have seen them in other Eastern European shops too. They were cheap too!
Hmm... baking cookies cut to that size too would work, but you would have to be SURE of the cake height before making anything.
I made a couple "sample" ones to see if this idea would work, and they were too short for the cake, so I couldn't use them. Then, the first few I made were a smidgeon too tall and it looked stupid, so I had to take them off and cut them to size and in the process ruined them and had to make those again! LOL - a 1/4 is too much wiggle room.
I'm wondering if Pop Tarts woulda worked or if they're not long enough....?
Hmmm... I would be a little afraid to use them in their untoasted state because if their crust cracks, it will tip over. They certainly could be cut to size. Of course, people can make as much or as little diaper showing as they want too...
Pop tarts covered in Fondant would be YUMMY too! But I worry about their breakage and they are more expensive - but definitely the right size and width!
Melissa
Look on my pics--a big 3 teir "diaper" cake for my DD baby shower. I likes walmarts brand diaper better--for the white design!
HTH
Look on my pics--a big 3 teir "diaper" cake for my DD baby shower. I likes walmarts brand diaper better--for the white design!
HTH
Umm... but those are REAL diapers, right? Those are pretty popular to have made (and aren't supposed to be uploaded on cakecentral as they aren't really cakes - so beware). This cake was CAKE, not diapers and the diapers were made from fondant and wafer cookies for rigidity.
Your picture was a bit hazy, so if it was cake, sorry to be mistaken.
Melissa
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