Ok, here is an email I just received from the friend of my cousin who is pricing for her wedding:


Here are a few ideas of flavors I came up with for the
cupcakes. I would like and estimate on the following
flavors in regular sized cupcakes and mini cupcakes.

Flavors for the mixes:
Red Velvet (mix) with cream cheese icing
German Chocolate (mix) with chocolate butter cream
icing with sprinkle of coconut
Key Lime Pie (mix) with lime icing
Carrot Cake (mix) with cream cheese icing
Chocolate devils food (mix) and peanut butter butter
cream icing
Vanilla (mix) with peppermint icing
pink champagne (made with champagne: Jodie and Bryan
cut into it at their wedding) with a strawberry jam or
white chocolate cream filling, Lemon with a lemon curd
filling, chocolate with raspberry jam or cookies and
cream filling, and white almond with raspberry or
strawberry jam filling. For cupcakes

Also I would like an estimate on a bride and groom
cake (so we can cut it) and have one to save.

Is it possible to taste the various cupcakes? Can you
send me a written proposal.


My dilemma is, I don't have a "business". I've only done 4 wedding cakes, none of which were cupcakes. I've never used an official contract or proposal as these were people that I knew. I don't want to undershoot the price because I know that cupcakes take alot of time. I would love to do this for her wedding in December, but I'm very nervous about this. She wants a tasting, but I'm just a mom who does this on the side. Some of these mixes I've never seen before. I'd eventually like to do this as a business, but my knees are shaking on this one. Am I nervous for no reason? Where do I start?? (I'm going to email her and find out how big she wants the cake and how many cupcakes she will need.)

Well....she's got alot ideas doesn't she?

You have to determine what your price per slice is-that's first and most important! Can't do anything without knowing what will cover your costs and make some $$ too.

I offer 2 flavors for tasting. Anything over that you would need to purchase a 6in cake to taste. I use 6in cake because I can make a 2 layer with one box of mix so it's most convenient for me.

For cupcakes with fillings you need to add an addtional fee to the per cc price.

For the bride/groom cake estimate-tell her "my base price starts at XX dollars per serving and goes from there depending on complexity of design or choice of premium flavors (like pink champagne-gonna cost more cause the ingredients cost more).

Generally cc and per serving prices start about the same and then add .25 or .50 or more for the fillings.

The only mix I've never seen is key lime. They probably have key lime jello or pudding that you could use to make it. The others are pretty common. Pink champagne you'd have to make yourself-just doctor a white cake with champagne instead of water in the recipe!

The recipes that require extra ingredients would be premium flavors-cream cheese icing, sprinkle of coconut, peanut butter icing so charge accordingly.

Just be organized in your thoughts when writing up everything. You don't need a contract yet but earlenescakes.com has one that you can adjust to your needs.

Make sure you also put in the proposal that these are all base prices subject to increase based on complexity of the designs or extra add-ons, etc.

hth d

There is no way that this would all be in the tasting. That's a lot! I agree with the last person, set your price first. If these are flavors that you don't usually do, I wouldn't start experimenting now. Experimenting costs money and that's a lot of different flavors going on. If you are going to take this on, I would make sure there are minimums for EACH flavor and that it would be worth my time.

Good Luck

I agree with dodibug. Good luck.

I would ask her to pick two or three flavors specifically that she wants to taste, OR you'd be happy to make up a small box for X amount of dollars and she can try a few more flavors. That's a total PITA. I can't even believe she mentioned so many.

I would give her a price for minis and for standard size-NO matter what flavor they are. Do NOT undersell yourself. Filled cupcakes can be a pain and elaborate decorations take awhile.

Tell her your minimum is say 12 standard or 24 mini of any flavor. Then you won't be stuck with batter that you are not going to use-or that you have to make into cupcakes and freeze because you simply don't need that many.

$3 a slice for a wedding cake and $1 a cupcake (cupcakes can be as high as $2.50 in New York so this price probably depends on where you are) plus $.50 for decorations or fillings. Minis are $.40 each and we have a 1 dozen minimum for cupcakes and 32 minis for minis.

I agree with one of the other posts that said this shouldn't all be in a tasting. I would pick two or three and let her know that she would have to place an order to taste anything else. I would definately make chocolate and vanilla.

Looking at the list it seems really intimidating but there are only 4 basic flavors and the rest can be made by doctoring the basic flavors:

Devil's food Cake
-German Chocolate
-Chocolate Devil's food

White Cake
-Key Lime Pie (key lime pie pudding mix w/ lime zest or flavoring)
-Vanilla
-Pink Champagne (pink champagne instead of water as suggested)

Red Velvet

Carrot Cake

This website has a lot of great recipes if these are not in your repotoire already. I say go for it. Weddings are a great place to show off and get refferals. Good Luck!

boy cupcakes aren't what they used to be

i don't recall ever seeing pink champagne anywhere. i remember seeing pink champagne cakes at our little bakery in town when i was little but never just the champagne at the store? does anyone make these cakes that can give me some more info?

I agree, NOT all the flavors for a tasting. I usually do 3 flavors. In a 6" cake or cupcakes. I also agree with all above, start at $1 per cupcake (basic) and add on from there for the complex flavors/designs. Good luck.

Oh geesh! If it was me, I'd be totally booked when this twit called!

2 flavors at tasting, maybe 3 if I'm feeling generous. A tasting is to determine that I can cook and bake. My lemon cake will taste just as good as my white cake except it will taste like lemon.

Agree with a 24 minimum per flavor. DON'T let her get into 5 of these, 7 of those, etc. You are not a mass production bakery and cant just walk into the back and pick 5 cupcakes out of the freezer.

And since I work very hard to NOT do cupcake weddings, my price is $5 each..... and I have walmart's phone number handy for them.

I too am a mom that just does this on the side and when I was asked to cater a 25th wedding anniversary I agreed way too readily. The number of guests changed from 100 to 250 in a week but I had already agreed to do it and didn't feel that I could back out since it was an ex-coworker. I wound up making 280 cupcakes and a 2 layer 6" cake but I kept the cake mixes to 2 (white and lemon) and only did 1 icing flavor (cream cheese). I did fondant daises for all 280. I way undercharged ($250 for all cupcakes and making all of the food, setting up beforehand, and cleaning afterwards). I decided right then and there that 1) I would never ever do that again and if I did take it on the charge would start at $1000 for something like that and each "extra" would become an extra charge. I did not look at what region you live in so I don't know what supplies may cost you there but having been in your shoes I would honestly charge no less than $3 per cupcake. Fillings and decorations would be extra. Cupcakes are beautiful and practical (no one to stand over them and cut) but they are a b*tt to do. I cursed those things the whole time I was doing them and had it not been for my best friend chipping in and helping I never would have gotten them done. Oh, and the oven was on for 6 hours straight while I baked them. You also need to factor in how that is going to affect your energy bill as well. Consider how much time that is going to take away from your child(ren) and how much cleaning you are going to have to do afterwards and how much power the mixer is going to eat up as well. As I begin to get more business on the side I have learned to factor in things like this and wish I would have figured it out much sooner. I also work full time outside of the home so I consider the time I am putting into them as well because no matter what, I can't go back and get that quality time with my family back. I can use the extra money I just made to have a special day with them or take a vacation but make sure you price accordingly...
Hope this helps, Gloria

cmon Debi, tell us how you really feel!!! ROFL

Pink champagne is one of my favorites to make, so I have no problem with that. The key lime I'm questioning, as I am the several different frostings. also, the fillings?? How do I do them anyway??? do I bake the cupcakes without paper, fill them from the bottom, then slide them into a paper?

I appreciate all of your comments. I'm starting to see the light. If I break it down, it's not as overwhelming. I would not even suggest that she want all of those flavors!!! My cousin said that this girl's sister paid $1000 for her wedding cake last year, so I think she is gun-shy. $1000 in this area is astronomical..

There ARE people out there who are willing to pay a fortune for weddings. Unfornately, those people haven't called me yet!

A photog friend recently did a big wedding that cost the couple $250,000. With a national avg of $22,000 +/- per wedding, that was a big one! So they're out there .... somewhere!

I've made champagne cake using a scratch butter cake recipe. You just put real champagne in the batter and champagne flavor in the frosting. There is a box recipe on www.foodnetwork.com. It is a white cake and you also add real champagne. The frosting recipe is also included.

There's a big long tip to use for filling. Just push it into the top of the cupcake and squeeze. You cover the 'hole' on the top of the cupcake with icing. Tip #230.

That tip works great! I wouldn't scoop out anything-just more labor intensive! Here it is:

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?sku=pg_roundtips

I didn't think about a minimum for each flavor. Good tip!

I haven't ever really done cc for anyone other than family. Everyone says they are a pain but I actually like doing them better cause I don't have to spend lots of time trying to smooth the icing!

I guess I'm lazy! I had never even considered taking them out of the papers, filling them and then putting them back in! That's why I was so happy when I found that tip!

I dont have a business either so I understand. I recently did a tasting at my house with a bride. I use all box mixes as well, but she didnt know a thing. I made three types of icing. and I made cupcakes for the tasting. I tried to choose traditional flavors like white and chocolate, but she mentioned an ittalian wedding cake so I found the recipe on this site from Sandra Lee, she loved it. I did 5 flavors but I had help baking and I really wanted to go above and beyond for her. I made 4 cupcakes for her of each flavor and my mil baked the rest to take somewhere with canned frosting. I made cream cheese frosting, buttercream, then I used some of that buttercream and added cocoa powder and almond flavoring. I used leftover fondants for the tasting too. For this bride I would do like the other suggested and ask her to choose her favorite, give her a certain amount and if she wants more charge her for them.

Another CCer offered me her order form, which I made some changes to to fit my needs better. PM me if you are interested.

I was just thinking about how hostess fills their cupcakes and twinkies: from the bottom. I can cover the hole in the top with frosting. What a concept!! DUH!! (they need a smilie for hitting yourself on forehead with your hand)