I just got my very first OFFICIAL order(happy, but nervous) and the client wants a Dallas Cowboys football cake.(football shaped, about a foot long, flat on bottom but domed on top so some carving will be involved, fondant covered, Dallas Cowboy logos on it.) She says it should feed ten people, but I am not quiet sure what to charge.

The cake is for her birthday and she wanted to give it to him while they enjoy his birthday dinner. Cake will be chocolate with vanilla buttercream filling. She is also a co-worker, so we will conduct our business at work so there's no delivery issues. Any thoughts regarding how much to charge? Cake is due on Jan 23rd. Thanks!

Most people charge $5/serving for sculpted carved cakes. They also charge for the cake they had to bake, rather than the number of servings left when they're done carving.

If you anticipate lots of football cakes in your future, you might want to buy this: http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_1990000000331619P?vName=For%20the%20Home&cName=Crafts&sName=Craft%20Supplies&psid=FROOGLE&aff=Y&sid=KAx20061023x272xTier3 you could probably find it at Michaels or Hobby Lobby so you could use a coupon and then it would be even cheaper.

Well first you'll need to figure out which pan/pans you'll use and how many servings the pans yield.

You charge based on the # of servings you make NOT by the # of servings the client needs.

Even though she only needs 10 servings, the cake you just described will most likely feed more then 10, so don't short change yourself.

Figure out how much your ingredients, utilities, box, board and time are worth, then determine what the going rate in your area is for a cake like that and then charge accordingly.

About a foot long, and carved, for ten people? Those are large pieces for 10 people!

Yeah, it seems like a lot of cake, but I asked her if most people would be eating more than one slice (maybe eating one at the dinner and taking a slice home.)

I mean, she's on-board with whatever she has to pay because she's seen me bring in stuff before and she's tasted stuff (during office parties for holidays) I guess $5.00 a serving would be a nice start. Now it's just a matter of figuring out how many slice I can get out of that cake since I've never made one like this before (but I know how to carve cake)

She really wanted something small, so I was really unsure of what to charge. I really appreciate all of your comments and links.

Thanks so much!

I bought the football pan from wilton(from amazon) so I hope it gets here in time. I would think that this affects the cost per slice since I no longer need to carve it.

Suggestions? Sorry I'm such a newb, but I want to be fair to both of us and want to be known for fair pricing. Thanks!

I'm not familiar with the # of servings that pan yields. That's what you'll need to find out and then charge accordingly.

Just remember, even though the client says she "wants something small", she's picked out a specific style cake and if that cake happens to serve say 20 then she should be charged for 20 servings.

Good luck!

DKelly, the pan uses one cake mix and Wilton says it serves 12-15 people, of course this is probably party servings not wedding servings.

Anytime someone asks me to make a sculpted cake for a specific # of servings I tell them that with carved cakes I have to estimate on the # of servings since it is not a standard shape. Then we shoot for a size that should yield more servings than they need. Nobody wants to run out of cake. It is important, especially with carved cakes, that they understand the servings are estimated, not exact. With a strange shape they will not cut uniform pieces either.

If you do just the football cake itself, I don't know where you would fit the flag, logo, etc. I'm making this cake this weekend:
http://www.wilton.com/idea/Do-Your-Birthday-Upright-Cake

And I'm charging $65 (discounted for a friend). It's 34 servings and I will not be using any fondant. This may be better for you b/c there is more room for writing, logos, etc. Just a thought

Just a thought...since it is small and preshaped for you, would the wilton easter egg pan look like a football. Would look all 3Dish like you carved it.

since she is a co-worker and a friend, I charged her $60. I know I probably should have done more, but I don't really have experience with charging for carved/shaped/3D cakes(even though I can do the carving if I needed to.) I really, really appreciate all of your help and comments. I promise to post a pic when it's done

Thanks!

I think that sounds like a very fair price.

I'd love to see the finished cake....my DH is a Dallas Cowboy fan (don't know why since we're from New England, but anyway) IF they happen to make the Superbowl maybe I'll make him a Dallas Cowboys cake......IF he's good!

I will post a pic when it's ready for delivery! Thanks!

Hi everyone! Here is a picture of the cake, as promised. She loved it! Thanks again, everyone, for all the wonderful advice!

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1566287.html