What Would You Charge For A German Chocolate Cake?
Decorating By jackmo Updated 13 Jul 2007 , 7:37pm by thecakemaven
Hi. I lady ordered a 11x15 german chocolate cake from me and I charged her $35.00. she wanted a decorated caket oo, but after hearing the price for the first cake, she made a statement about going to krogers and order a $9.00 sheet cake. Is $35.00 too much,since it isn't a decorated cake ? I told her pecans went up so did eggs ect?
listen if she wants to pay grocery store price and get grocery store quality, let her. Small Businesses will almost always have better product and service than a large chain, but you pay more. It is her choice, get a quality item from a person who makes and decorates cake as a choice of vocation, or get the least expensive one made by the folks who were able to get promoted from checkout
Would $35 even cover your costs to make that cake? It isn't the cheapest cake to make.
Personally I think if someone wants to pay grocery store prices they should buy them there. Tell her that they buy in buck and do not have the same over head as you do.
I would probably charge $30-$35 for a 8in round German Chocolate Cake.
No, that's not too much at all! She could barely make it herself any cheaper than that, and the point is, she's paying you for your time so she doesn't have to make it. I charge $35 for a basic decorated 11x15, and the ingredients for that are nowhere near as expensive as those for a homemade German chocolate cake!
No, it is not to much and should probably be higher if you plan on any decorations at all. The round German Choc cake in my photos is three layers filled and I get 65.00 for that cake. They are expensive to make when you use premium ingredients like most of us do.
If she goes to the store and gets a 9.00 cake the taste will not compare to yours! She will get what she pays for.
I won't even turn my oven on for less than $50. You have to figure your costs buy the ingredients, make the cake, wash all your dishes, run your a/c to counter the heat in the house. Because of all the time/work/supplies involved, she'd be crazy to expect you to make one for that. Besides, $9 will get her a single layer german chocolate cake. An 11x15 is 4 times the amount of cake, so your price was right on target with theirs, which I still say is way too cheap.
let me clear my self. This is a sheet cake, not a two layer cake. And i cover the whole cake with coconut pecan icing.
That is what I took it to be and I still do not think 35.00 is to high. Ingredients for a good GC are expensive and your time is worth something. 
ditto... a single layer 11x15 is 4 times the amount of cake (meaning 4 times the cost of ingredients) as an 8 inch single layer. This woman is cheap and deserves a crappy grocery store cake.
I normally charge $40.00 for a 9 inch homemade German Chocolate.
If she wants to get a store bought cake for $9.00 I wouldn't even comment, we all know what kind of cake she will be getting. I bet she wouldn't go to any store bakery and complain about their prices. You pay it or you don't get it.
You know... I was just coming to ask a similar question. I'm planning to make a European cake with the a european custard filling and frosting. it's flour is finely ground walnuts and it takes an entire dozen eggs, butter and very high quality chocolate for the icing/filling. It's three layers of cake, two of filling.
Anyway... a lady asked and I said $50.. she's probably going to get it, but I think she was surprised how expensive it is... so I started doubting myself since I won't be "decorating", but I will still be icing it and putting on a border, etc.
It's so easy to second guess... but just the COST of making this is quite high... nuts, good chocolate and organic eggs and butter are EXPENSIVE! and believe me, you can't buy a cake like this at a grocery store!!! But I'm curious as to what this cake would cost at a specialty bakery??? Does anyone know what these speciality cakes - like the German Chocolate cost?
Melissa
I charge $25 for a 8in round....not decorated..........of course Im in a small town and some people get bug eyed at the price.
thanks all of you for your words of support! I was feeling bad at first,beacause she has ordered several cakes before, but she has to realize that ingredients went up in price. she is going to order the german choclate but she "can't" afford the decorated one. $9.00 for a sheet cake at krogers?? 
i have a pic of my german choc cakes in my photos i used to charge $20 for an 8in but the price went up $5 so i wouldnt feeel bad for charging her what you did i would have went $45
A standard rule in the restaurant business is triple your costs. That covers minimal labor -- not the labor put into cakes, decorated ones especially.
If you feel like you're over charging (IMO, you're not) sit down with a pad and paper and actually breakdown your costs. I think you'll be amazed how much money you have in that cake.
When I make a German Chocolate cake it's at least 1/2 pound butter & 8 eggs. Not to mention pecans, coconut, cake flour, german chocolate, evaporated milk, etc... and that's for an 8"
The worst mistake we can make is making excuses for our prices. And, I shop Dillions (branch of Kroger) and haven't seen too many $9.00 sheet cakes, unless they're marked down for quick sale.
I have worked for several different grocery store chains and they all used regular chocolate cake for their German choc. cakes, same cake as the chocolate cakes were. They also used walnuts instead of pecans in the icing. Not the same thing as a home made German Chocolate cake at all. I wouldn't sell a quarter sheet German Chocolate for less than $35.00.
to follow up on KansasLaura's post 3x is definitely a restaurant standard for many things but when is the last time you paid more than $.03 for a fountain soda or $.10 for a cup of coffee. There are many many Items we encounter every time we go out to eat where the mark-up is insane if you look at it in actual dollars. Hell I worked as a bartender in a VERY upscale country club where we paid $2.75 a bottle for house liquor and the drinks went out at $5.00 a pop.
Listen if she wants to pay for a Kroger's cake let her but don't let her diminish your work by comparing a $9 grocery store cake to what you would deliver.
to follow up on KansasLaura's post 3x is definitely a restaurant standard for many things but when is the last time you paid more than $.03 for a fountain soda or $.10 for a cup of coffee. There are many many Items we encounter every time we go out to eat where the mark-up is insane if you look at it in actual dollars. Hell I worked as a bartender in a VERY upscale country club where we paid $2.75 a bottle for house liquor and the drinks went out at $5.00 a pop.
Listen if she wants to pay for a Kroger's cake let her but don't let her diminish your work by comparing a $9 grocery store cake to what you would deliver.
Well, it's pretty well known that most restaurants really make their profits on their drinks and about break even everywhere else. that's why they HATE it when you just order water for dinner!
Melissa
hehe... they hate me then because I almost NEVER order a drink. I don't drink sugar-sweetened sodas or caffiene, and since most places only carry diet soda with caffiene, I opt for water instead. I used to order wine at nicer places, but now that I'm preggers, that's gone out the window too!
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