Ok so my sister says she needs a cake to serve around 25ppl for a little girls first bday.
She has been repeatedly hinting that she doesn't want to spend alot of money. I just recently started charging for my cakes. She is used to getting cakes at cost because I was just practising then. They werent' easy cakes either..lots of hand sculpting figures, bows..etc..So i tell her that anything hand sculpted is going to be more money. She says well, maybe a cupcake cake with a sculpted fairy would be better (See pic below). I tell her it doesn't necessarily mean that will be cheaper either..it's still cake. So now she wants me to forward her some photos of really girly cakes that she can show the mom for her to decide. I just don't have a lot on file.
So if you have any really cute..relatively easy cakes to do 'cheap' in design pls post them for me. She wants BIG impact for cheap.

Honestly i'm frustrated because i know she doesnt' want to spend alot of money. She says the ppl don't even eat much cake, so she needs it small but how much impact can you have really with a cake that serves 25???? I don't want to spend hours trying to find something either.

Please help.
Suzanne

Oh and what would you charge for this CCC?

I'm very conflicted about what to say. Everyone wants glorious product for cheap prices, but I'm not sure what a cheap design is. I guess I'd do a single-layer 11X15 with a few roses in the corner, writing, and a border for a base price per serving. If a cake takes me more time (as in someone wanting it really "girlie" or something ) the price goes up accordingly. Do what you want as it is your family and only you know how to approach it. Keep in mind that it is hard to raise prices later on so you had better charge what you're worth now.

April,

I'm just as conflicted as you. I want to make it crystal clear there will be no more free labor when it comes to my cakes.
My sister has been pretty good about giving me, lets say, 20.00-30.00 more then what i ask for but it's not a given.
I'm doing a cake for this upcoming weekend for a first birthday..and i'm charging 120.00. It's got hand molded blocks etc.. I know that is cheap too with all the time i have put into it thus far. When my sis found out she gasped..i can tell she thinks its high.
I would like to give her a nice cake but finding a design that is 'basic' and gives an impact will be difficult.
I sure hope others will post some pictures or ideas for me.
Not to sound like i'm bragging but i don't think the kind of stuff i do design wise would ever be considered cheap or basic. I feel like telling her to go buy one at the grocery store but i don't want to insult her or her husbands side of the family.

I did a girlie one a few weeks ago for a little girl's 4th b-day. All it was, was a 10" square one-layer with alternating pink and white ruffles covering the sides and a bead border around the top. I wrote "Happy Birthday Princess Keaton" and figure-piped a crown. I put silver luster dust on the points of the crown and a #4, also silver, on the crown. Maybe something like that would give you something to build on. I like to cover sides in ruffles for a frilly, girlie look.

Lately all the pictures in the forums have been showing a red X, but I'll try to post it. I'll post it in my photos here too...eventually....

I'm confused...who is the cake for??? If this was me, and my sister wanted a cake for my niece, I'd probably give her the cake for free, in leiu of a gift, unless I spent more than what I would normally spend on a gift for my niece. In that case, I would just charge for the cost of the necessary supplies and either give my labor as a gift, or give another small gift. However, if this cake is not for someone that you would ordinarily give a gift to, then there is no reason you should cut the cost at all. The hostess of the party is responsible for the budget. If your sister told the hostess that she would supply the cake for her, then your sister should pay you for the cake. If you'd like to cut your sister a 10% discount, for example, that's your perogative, but if you start giving cakes away to everyone who might be related to you, no matter how distant, who will be left to buy them? I would expect my sister to support my BUSINESS, not expect me to give cakes away!

So, back to your real question, I think doll pick cakes are really girly. For my daughter's first b-day, the theme was black, white and pink polka dots. The cake was a round layers cake frosted pink with white fondant polka dots. It was simple, cute and girly. Anything pink is going to be girly! You might try a round layered cake and just use a tiara and wand from the dollar store to stick on top.

It really puts you in a bind because to do a cheap cake, you have to sacrifice your reputation for fabulous cakes. But, if you aren't going to make back the money from doing a fabulous cake, that doesn't make sense.

No matter what, I wish you luck. For me, the hardest part about this business is having enough confidence in your work to demand the kind of money you deserve, especially from people we know well.

Mandy

I just came across this cake...it's cute, buttercream, and girly!

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1220208

April thanks for sharing the cake pic. I will forward it to my sister and see what she thinks. I've been looking around all day trying to find pics that might be suitable for her. I guess we can add flowers, briightetc.. to make it even more girly.
thanks