Girl called me wants a birthday cake for her da to feed 50-100 ppl...I asked ok design?...etc??? she said simple cake choco. cake/choco. icing...splenda....
I said ok, so when u say 50-100 ppl we are talking birthday cake, so not wedding slices...you serving a nice size slice? she said oh yes a good piece of cake. So Im wondering how big of a cake for that many ppl and how much to charge....
I would get her to narrow the number down to either 50 or 100. There is a big difference in the two.
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-665767.html
Read the above post for some information on serving sizes and pricing them.
Have you read any of the other pricing threads in the general forum? There are some that give good information on how to figure your prices.
A cake serving and party cake serving is the same amount of cake...8 cubic inches whether it is from a sheet cake or other shape... If sheet cake you can cut it 2 ways... in 2x2x2 increments or in 1x2x4 increments...all the same amount of cake 8 cubic inches. the 2x2x2's have the illusion of being bigger but they aren't. So same price.
I think the OP is referring to the Wilton Party chart of 1.5 x 2x4 as opposed to the Wilton Wedding chart of 1 x 2 x 4.
OP if the client wants the party size portion that is 50% more cake then the wedding portion.
If she wants larger slices then she'll need to purchase more cake.....don't cheat yourself.
Oh, and I agree with Texassugar.....get her to give you a more exact number of servings needed.
Here's the party size chart link....
http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-party-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm
Here's the wedding size chart link...
http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-wedding-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm
I would reply "My serving sizes are 1 x 2 x 4 @ $x.xx pre serving. How many servings would you like"?
Exactly!
I've made cakes using Splenda. It was for an award ceremony of a lot of seniors (over 65 seniors, not high school seniors!) and they wanted one regular cake and one "sugar free", which I made with Splenda.
Holy crap that was expensive!!! I was making a 12x18, which is normally 3 cake mixes. So I figured 3 batches of the Splenda cake recipe would work. Wrong-O, Chuck! I ended up making SIX cake batches and the cake STILL didn't rise as high as it should have! 
If I were to EVER do another Splenda cake, it would cost 3 times my regular rate. Yes, they will pay $10.50 per serving for it. The ingredients are premium priced, so the end product has to be, too.
YOu might make a small cake to practice working with it to see how it works for you. I wish I had done that before really screwing up a 12x18 sheet!
if they are wanting to serve larger slices and you have a price set using the wedding serving size, then just increase your price 50%. if you charge $3 per serving based on a 1X2X4" slice and they want to cut 1.5X2X4, then you charge $4.50 per serving.
that said, yes, she needs to give you a more exact number. and all I can think of when I hear of cake made is Splenda, is YUCK! Before they came out with a Splenda baking mix, I tried making cupcakes using the regular splenda and they were absolutely nasty. I've never tried the baking mix, so I don't know if it works better in recipes or even tastes better.
Why would you think it was a joke!...no, joke...im so lost on this one...she decided she wanted a cake not out of splenda I did tell her it was expensive to buy...and didnt know how much it would cost to just do that part.
thanks all for the help....Im still have to get back to her on this...
For the record from a consumer's point of view (me) I wouldn't say to the customer "oh you want to serve a nice size piece?" because that means any other size isn't "nice". Just say something like "oh you want to serve a larger piece than the standard serving size?". Something like that.
Why would you think it was a joke
Because you posted the OP whilst a long discussion about how to calcuate pricing was already going on and the way the post is written and the information is given leads me to think that you pretty much have no experience making cakes at all and are a teenage girl with nothing better to do than to troll a baking and decorating forum.
Why would you think it was a joke
Because you posted the OP whilst a long discussion about how to calcuate pricing was already going on and the way the post is written and the information is given leads me to think that you pretty much have no experience making cakes at all and are a teenage girl with nothing better to do than to troll a baking and decorating forum.
However, your posting history does not support this theory. So, either your account has been hacked or it's just bad timing on your part.
So, in the spirit of being helpful:
First off, it doesn't matter what size slice the customer serves, your price is based on the industry standard of 1"x2"x4" (or 2"x2"x2" for 2" high sheet cakes). That is a plenty big enough slice (it's 8 cubic inches of cake, no one needs to eat a larger piece than that).
A 2-layer "quarter sheet" 9"x13"x4" rectangular cake serves about 50
A 1 layer "quarter sheet" 9"x13"x2" rectangular cake serves about 25
A 2-layer "half sheet" 12"x18"x4" rectangular cake serves about 100
A 1 layer "half sheet" 12"x18"x2" rectangular cake serves about 50
As for the pricing part of your question:
$999. I price less than Charm City in order to remain competative. 
Seriously, though here's ALL you need to take into consideratoin:
1) cost of ingredients including shipping or gas + wear and tear on your vehicle to go to the store
2) cost of utilities used while making and decorating: electricity, gas, water.
3) how long it took you x how much you want to make per hour
If you know that, then you can figure out how much to charge for ANY cake.
Oh Gosh!!! I "wish" I was just a teen getting on a site, Im so far from that its scary...havent been on this site for a few months been busy, and just started getting into cakes about 2yrs ago, I believe, lost these days, my son is on his 3rd Tour in Iraq.
SO IF I SOUNDED OFF, SORRY...but nope its little old me...this woman is driving me crazy!!! with this order. can NOT tell me "exactly" other than 50-100 ppl...she is a "friend" if you want to call it that, you know ..."ah, you make cakes, I knew you could do it for me no problem, instead of a real professional"...Translates to : I WANT IT FREE OR FOR 15.00....lol
And I do not want to cheat myself when I was very new I use to do this, alot of hours to give it my best for nothing....
thanks all!!!!
2txmedics- sounds like you just need to put your foot down with this "friend" and tell her that until she can give you more specific details, you can't help her. 50-100 servings is a big range and means the difference between say 1 double layer 9X13 and 2.... that's twice the work.
I hate it when people act like we can just pull a cake out of our a$$es at the drop of a hat.
Yeah I agree...thanks so much...friends/family are the worst...Ive also got a niece in law that called: Bridal shower cake, dual for the couple...conversation:
hey how much would you charge for a dual bridal shower cake, two flavors inside and out, 50 ppl...this poor girl her parents only gave her 200.00 for her whole wedding!!! she works at michaels making 8.00hr, so my sister and I are doing this shower for her, I mean its not like I have alot of money come on!!! I quit my job to go to school, and my husband is workng 2 jobs...etc etc etc....
Im thinking and yet, "AT CHRISTMAS YOU BOUGHT A 100.00 WREATH" for your door, poor you. lol, Im so mean!!! Sorry needed to vent...she is family and Im trying to price a cake for her.
I told her I would give her a price and if she was no happy she was more than welcome to take it down the street and price it and have them make it no hard feelings...so WORKING ON THAT ONE...lol
WHY ALWAYS ME?...DH SAYS CAUSE YOU HELP PPL WITH OTHER THINGS...SO NOW U MAKE CAKES....
I think you need to step back and evaluate your situation.
Ask yourself "Do I want to make cakes for people and make a profit or do I want to give them away at cost or slightly above?"
If it's the first then you should price your cakes comparable to what "your" competition is selling for or slightly above if the market will support it.
If you don't care about making a profit, then figure out your cost for making the cake and charge that or slightly above.
If you keep giving your cakes away at cost, people will hound you day and night. I don't think that's what you want or need.
I really can't help you with pricing since I live clear across the country and I have no idea what your market is like in TX.
If she doesn't want to narrow her number down to something more specific, you could always say something like, "Well, for 50 people the price would be ________, and for 100 people it would be ______ ". (and just give her double the price. Let her figure out from your price just how many she wants to serve.
Call me a cold-hearted witch, but I just don't feel sorry for someone because her parents only gave her $200 for her wedding. Parents are NOT required to pay for their children's weddings. Plus, $200 is more than enough to pay for a trip to the courthouse.
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