I have alot of people asking me "How much would it cost if you make me a undecorated sheet cake?" So my questions is, would you charge someone a different rate for a plain sheet cake than for a nicely decorated themed cake? I'm new to this and I would really appreciate anyones opinions or comments. TIA

Why on earth would someone want a plain undecorated sheet cake from someone who offers custom designs? That's what Walmart is for.

Sounds like trouble. You know what they want to do. They want to "decorate" the cake. That being said if you decide to sell the undecorated cake, I wouldn't charge the same as a decorated cake. It won't take you as long to complete so you should charge appropriately for your time.

Is this for a wedding and for extra servings, typically called a kitchen cake? Or is it in reference to something else?

Apparently they want it for themselves. But that being said, it still involves labor to make certain cakes from scratch. So I'm really struggling with the issue. Should I have two sets of prices or just tell people I only provide custom cakes and if they want an undecorated cake they should go to Walmart!!

Would anyone sell a cake like that or would you just decline the business?

Sometimes people just want a good cake to eat for no reason...no special occasion. I've went out and bought an ice cream cake before just because I wanted ice cream cake. I have a co-worker that has family dinners one sunday a month and occasionally she orders a basic round cake with a border from me.

I'd sell a basic sheet cake or whatever they wanted with basic icing...I'd probably put a little border around it just to make it look kinda nice.

I would sell it at only a very slight cut in price.

It could be that it's part of a kids party theme for the guests to decorate or maybe a secret cake addict who just wants a cake around to munch on for no reason. I would totally do the cake order, maybe this person really likes your cake and doesn't want a Wal-Mart cake. I would reduce the price, subtracting only the amount of time it would have taken to decorate from the price, but certainly do not sell yourself short- it does take time to bake and prepare and perhaps fill a cake. If they were after a cheap alternative they would have already gone to WM. Just be upfront with the price- if they are looking for a bargain they will go elsewhere.

Okay...so heres my next questions. If they cake is obviously cheaper how do I factor in delivery cost. Or do i make them meet me somewhere and pic it up. atleast with wedding cakes and costly birthday cakes thats factored in but for a cheap undecorated cake...what would you do?

Personally, I would make it to where they would have to pick it up from you or meet some place close. I would have a timeframe of ~ 1hr for them to pick it up (between XXpm and XXpm). Good luck!

I promise this is my last question...How much would you charge per serving for a undecorated sheet cake? I know that questions is highly relative and gets asked alot on this website but its an important questions. TIA

Personally, I wouldn't charge anything differently. If they want to decorate it that's fine, but I'm going to charge them for the provilege of pretending that they baked it too! Becasue you know tha's what they'd be doing.

As far as delivery, I'd charge the regular delivery fee, and if you tell them that you'll sit and wait for them then I'd add in a charge for the time you'll be sitting there, too.

I would sell the undecorated cake. Figure the cost of your ingredients, time, etc. As for the delivery charge, well, to me a delivery charge is a delivery charge, whether or not a cake is decorated, you should charge them what you normally charge to deliver a cake or ask that they pick up the cake from you at home or wherever your business is based out off. As long as you are paid what your cake is worth; who cares what they do with it, throw it at someone, have children decorate it, or just plain eat it. I love making cakes, but when I make a cake for myself, I rather have a plain cake; no fondant, no decorations, just the cake and buttercream and whatever filling. Good luck!

I don't mean to vent...but its hard to make money when
Walmart sells cakes for "10 cents" and everyone else expects you to sell cakes for 10cents!! LOL

How much you charge is largely based on where you live. If you are in, for example, San Francisco, a plain cake could fetch anywhere between 3.00- 9.00 per serving....living in Levenworth Kansas- probably more like 1.00- 2.00 per serving. And don't get worked up over the WalMart issue. It's like the senario of "Wal-Mart sells a pair of Jeans for 10 bucks - but go to Neimen Marcus and they are 180 bucks/pair" Both stores are selling jeans just fine, they just have different customer bases. You are doing custom work, using finer quality ingredients.....don't try to compare your cake's value to those at Wal-mart. The people on a budget can go to Wal-mart - they are not your customer base, so don't worry on it too much. That being said, I totally understand the frustration, especially when you get a real "gem" who thinks they can take advantage or bully you into lowering your price, and they pull out the whole Wal-mart comparison on you....sheesh it's annoying, but I stay firm and unapologetic on my pricing and do not compete or match prices with anyone (especially WM!)

Thanks everyone for your comments. They really helped alot . I just have to remember that I'm selling custom cakes and make sure I'm happy at the end of every sell. Love ya fellow CC"s.