I have this customer that just asked me what I would charge to decorate a cake she would provide.  I am not sure if I even want to do it since I know the issues that could create.  But if I do decide to do it I'm not sure how I want to price it.  To me the decorating part is the more labor intensive and where most of the cost come from.  So I'm leaning towards pricing it at 70% of what I normally do for the size she wants.  I know I should break down all my cost and price it that way but I just wanted to get a feel for what others think.  If anyone has already done this before let me know how it went.  Thanks so much.

I've occasionally have someone request that I decorate a cake that they bake, but I always politely decline. I don't want to be responsible for a poorly baked cake or one that I am unfamiliar with in terms of durability or taste, and those who eat it will judge my work based on the overall cake, not just the decorations. I just have the feeling that if I ever did this, it would come back to haunt me. Maybe others have been braver than I and have done this?

And as a previous Wilton instructor I can say I amazed what some students called "cake". It may be crumbly, dry, fall apart and be impossible to work with.  Then what? I have tried to take many a "cake" disaster and turn it into something presentable.

No way at 70% cost I would do it. It would be more like 150% of my usual price.

That is what I am really worried about as well.  The more I talk to this customer the more it makes me nervous because she doesn't really answer my questions correctly and I am afraid she will bring me some sloppy mess of a cake and I cant do anything with it.  It turns out her mother is making the cake and it will be italian cream and I asked her why type of buttercream she is using and if her mom is familiar with filling and crumb coating a cake and she just relies with its italian cream and it will be filled and coated.  Well thats not much detail.  I also asked her if there will be nuts or coconut in the buttercream and most italian creme cakes do and she didn't even answer.  So I am just going to turn it down.  Too many what ifs and possible fails to worry about.  And to be honest it kind of pisses me off that instead of just ordering a cake from me she just wants me to decorate one she makes. 

No way I would do that! It's calling for trouble. ..

I will never ever ever decorate somebody else's cake.  I always said no, but a family member of a close friend begged so I ignored my own advice - what a nightmare!!!!!!  The cake was crumbly and uneven and I spent so much time fixing, filling, straightening that it took three times as long to just get the cake to a point where I could decorate it.  Hit head on desk and repeat "I will never, ever, ever decorate somebody else's cake again! 

I know I'm late to the party but he$# no. The health department would never allow an establishment to put the finishing touches on someone's homemade dish..  that's like bringing hamburger meat to McDonald's and asking them to make it a big mac

i been thinking about this -- and if i was in business and in a very good mood which doesn't happen often -- i would decorate a 9x13 someone else made for reasons of special diet only --

yes --this other -- with trying to arm wrestle something into a tier cake no es bueno -- no way -- but if the cake was in it's final resting place -- still in the pan or if they got it onto a board -- i'd slap on some decor -- but i would probably sell them some decor -- make items out of fondant or crusting buttercream or royal even -- be better to give a little lesson on how to pipe a leaf and i could supply roses, scrolls or something -- but then if i just piped right onto the cake i would be using my own equipment that has been in contact with nuts and flour so that limits it to something diet friendly that is not life threatening -- just pretty involved and too complicated --

doesn't really work out huh

Funny but I have done the reverse.  There is a famous 100 year old bakery near me that has a white almond cake to die for, but their decorating is very old school – just American Buttercream piped roses and shell borders.  I have actually ordered cakes from them without decorations and then decorate the cake myself. 

I did this once for a wonderful woman who wanted to make her own wedding cake. She had a good reputation for cooking/baking and kept saying, "I just want it simple." So I agreed. Big mistake - it was totally lopsided and burned in some spots. I spent way too much time (and massive amounts of buttercream) before I could begin piping. 

I had the opposite request. My accountant wanted me to bake a cake and have her friend decorate it. i guess they've been friends forever and she TOLD her she would be making her daughter's shower cake. My accountant said she didn't really like her cakes that much they were from box mixes and were too sweet, but her decorating was good. In the end I told her I didn't want to get in the middle of what was clearly an awkward situation.

I just remembered that I did this one also.   It was a friend of my daughters who wanted to make a tiered cake for a big celebration for the priests at her diocese.  I had to drive an hour and found she was late then ended up staying over 6 hr  to try to save her creation .  She never did let me know if it stayed up but I doubt it.