Price The Cake!

Business By LadyViola Updated 6 May 2014 , 1:44am by SystemMod1

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cakestomuch Posted 9 Feb 2013 , 11:17pm
post #121 of 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeliciousDesserts 

Still there http://www.weddingbycolor.com/royallyurs612/milestones/182556

Thanks, not sure how I missed it. I hope she can't remove your post.

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Annabakescakes Posted 9 Feb 2013 , 11:30pm
post #122 of 254

A

Original message sent by ShelbyLyn

Anybody have any guesses on how many servings the actual wedding cake was and what you would charge for that?

. Ummm, have you read the thread?

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DeliciousDesserts Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 12:54am
post #123 of 254

AWish there was a like button Anna. I thought the same thing. I was too lazy to quote where I estimated my cost.

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LKing12 Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 5:10am
post #124 of 254

The stack of books cake in this part of "Podunk" KY would be $275.00-but I am not sure that I would even attempt this yet.  I haven't worked with fondant enough to be confident about doing this cake and I wouldn't hesitate to tell my customer so.  I would rather not do the cake than do it and it look like a "wreck."

 

Going back to the hot mess cake-I mean the hot pink cake.  If you look at the Bride's dress the embroidery design was what the contour part of the cake was suppose to represent.  Not even a part of the cake that she got!

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ShelbyLyn Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 8:19am
post #125 of 254

AI read through the whole thread and i thought everybody was quoting the inspiration cake, not the actual cake that got made for the wedding. Did i mis-understand?

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Annabakescakes Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 9:09am
post #126 of 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShelbyLyn 

I read through the whole thread and i thought everybody was quoting the inspiration cake, not the actual cake that got made for the wedding. Did i mis-understand?

OH! (my bad!) I assumed that you meant the first cake, because who would ever want to to recreate the second? I'm sorry!

 

I am guessing here, in my educated way, but the pictures are hard to decipher size, since they are taken all wonky, and the cakes aren't centered properly. I am thinking there is a good possibility that it is a 4" square, 8" square, 12" round and 14" square, which is 194 servings, and would be $3.50 each for a total cost of $679. ($1 off from exactly twice the amount charged, interestingly enough detective.gif)

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Annabakescakes Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 9:14am
post #127 of 254

Actually, if I am correct about the sizes, the baker must charge $175 a serving icon_eek.gif.....icon_mad.gif

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DeliciousDesserts Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 1:32pm
post #128 of 254

A

Original message sent by Annabakescakes

OH! (my bad!) I assumed that you meant the first cake, because who would ever want to to recreate the second? I'm sorry! ($1 off from exactly twice the amount charged, interestingly enough  detective.gif )

I don't mean this hateful. If I delivered that cake, there must have been some kind of mishap & I would be giving a refund. My price is based in part on my expertise.

It's hard to judge what the cake was supposed to be. We don't know what the design was really meant to be.

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DeliciousDesserts Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 1:50pm
post #129 of 254

AOk, based on Annabakescakes dimensions & servings (even though I don't do 4" cakes...my combo would be 6", 10", 14", 16"), that's 194 servings covered with buttercream.

Lets assume the contract calls for the loop bow in the original cake, a modified brooch, a band & a diamond band on the second tier, & quilting on the bottom tier.

My cost, with my level of expertise, is about $1250. That's almost 4 x what the bride charged.

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SPCOhio Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 2:56pm
post #130 of 254

AI only make cakes for close friends and family and have never sold a cake (though people have offered to buy them from me after sampling my cake at said family and friends' parties- toot toot!). I do know that $4.00 per slice is the average in my market with upcharges for fondant, embellishments and unique work such as the contour tier. With that in mind as well as my fairly recent role as a bride, I absolutely would expect to pay in the neighborhood of $1400-$1500 for the inspiration cake. And I would have been truly disappointed to have received the actual cake, even for $340. I would have expected a full refund as a bride. But perhaps this bride's expectations were different, given that the faker had done her MIL's cake and she surely saw that before ordering.

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-K8memphis Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 4:34pm
post #131 of 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeliciousDesserts 

Ok, based on Annabakescakes dimensions & servings (even though I don't do 4" cakes...my combo would be 6", 10", 14", 16"), that's 194 servings covered with buttercream.

Lets assume the contract calls for the loop bow in the original cake, a modified brooch, a band & a diamond band on the second tier, & quilting on the bottom tier.

My cost, with my level of expertise, is about $1250. That's almost 4 x what the bride charged.

 

 

i'm getting confused here

 

what serving chart are you using to get 194 for those dimensions?

 

but the original cake is 6 tiers?

 

the tiers are 5" tall according to the swank website

 

except the double tier is not a full 10"

 

why don't you do 4" tiers? and since you don't why is it something you would make a random point of?

 

this got really confusing

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DeliciousDesserts Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 4:44pm
post #132 of 254

AIt did get confusing.

We are now quoting the cake the bride got not the inspiration cake. I didn't come up with the servings, Annabakescakes did. I just used her number.

4" cakes are a PITA. I don't like them so I don't even recommend them. I've never had someone ask for them. Thankfully. If they did, I would guide them to the 6" without coming right out & refusing.

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DeliciousDesserts Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 4:45pm
post #133 of 254

A

Original message sent by Annabakescakes

OH! (my bad!) I assumed that you meant the first cake, because who would ever want to to recreate the second? I'm sorry!

I am guessing here, in my educated way, but the pictures are hard to decipher size, since they are taken all wonky, and the cakes aren't centered properly. I am thinking there is a good possibility that it is a 4" square, 8" square, 12" round and 14" square, which is 194 servings, and would be $3.50 each for a total cost of $679. ($1 off from exactly twice the amount charged, interestingly enough  detective.gif )

This is when we switche to quoting the $340 cake.

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-K8memphis Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 5:09pm
post #134 of 254

oh oh oh you mean a little itty bitty 4" glorified muffin size tier cake

 

i thought you meant 4" tall cakes  (the height of 4")

 

told you i was confused!!!    * )

                                *

 

i think we might want to reconsider so many different cakes in one thread?

 

but carry on~~~

 

i'm certainly not at all button busting proud of every single one of my creations and

 

i would really writhe/squirm if some of them were published for folks to pick apart with their critique as if i didn't have eyes and didn't already know every booboo up close & painfully personal but whatever

 

carry carry on~~

 

now where were we?    ;)

 

birthday.gif

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jouissance Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 5:41pm
post #135 of 254

Just thought you might like to know that if you google the link as you posted it on the brides "gathering" website (www dot lasphot[...]), and without changing  it into an actual weblink by replacing DOTs, the first link (out of 4) that does show up leads to this thread.

 

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DeliciousDesserts Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 5:41pm
post #136 of 254

A

Original message sent by -K8memphis

oh oh oh you mean a little itty bitty 4" glorified muffin size [I]tier cake[/I]

Yes! I don't do those.

Yes, we should stick to one cake to avoid all the confusion. This thread was just so dang entertaining I couldn't help but follow every twist & turn!

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Annabakescakes Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 6:09pm
post #137 of 254

AI used the chart in the tiered caker, which is one or two servings off of Wilton [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/2918149/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

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jennicake Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 6:27pm
post #138 of 254

AAnna, what app is this?

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Annabakescakes Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 6:44pm
post #139 of 254

AIt is tiered caker, from calculated cakes. Only available for iPhone.

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jennicake Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 6:53pm
post #140 of 254

AThanks!! This seems fantastic for preventing the dreaded underpricing.

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howsweet Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 8:01pm
post #141 of 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by IcedandSliced 

The original cake photo is absolutely beautiful. Is it bad that I would charge $700 for that cake? I live in a small town in Alaska, if that helps anyone with the reason behind my pricing. I have some experience under my belt and consider myself to be a fairly decent cakerator. Just curious what you all think. I charge 3.50 per slice for fondant and minimum decorations.

Yes. I have a feeling you have underestimated the work involved. I would charge $340 just to move it.

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Annabakescakes Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 8:55pm
post #142 of 254

A

Original message sent by jennicake

Thanks!! This seems fantastic for preventing the dreaded underpricing.

Even though I now have a new phone, I carry this one around to give instant quotes! ( the Internet still works when I am home, on wifi.)

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keepingitreal21 Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 10:34pm
post #143 of 254

This is awesome, even for the home decorator! Some people really get to me when they state that they could get an 8" round or a quarter sheet cake from Wal-mart for less than $25 so why is mine $40+. I've tried to explain it to them over and over, but this will make it very simple indeed. Thank you so much for sharing and allowing us to copy this. I'm definitely going to use it!

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keepingitreal21 Posted 10 Feb 2013 , 10:38pm
post #144 of 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyViola 

 

 

Here is the note I wrote on my cake page: https://www.facebook.com/notes/violas-custom-cakes/cake-pricing-explained/492430020803655

 

 

Feel free to use/copy/modify it. I actually modify it from time to time myself and will probably add more to it. I made it because I got tired of justifying my prices to people. I still think my prices are cheap for what I do. And you wouldn't believe the numbers of customer complain to me that they got a cake from xyz cake shop and were sorely disappointed. You get what you pay for.

This is awesome, even for the home decorator! Some people really get to me when they state that they could get an 8" round or a quarter sheet cake from Wal-mart for less than $25 so why is mine $40+. I've tried to explain it to them over and over, but this will make it very simple indeed. Thank you so much for sharing and allowing us to copy this. I'm definitely going to use it!

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ShelbyLyn Posted 11 Feb 2013 , 2:48am
post #145 of 254

I just thought since everyone was talking about what they would charge for the inspiration cake and that she couldn't get it for $340 it would be interesting to see what people would charge for the actual cake she received since it was clearly smaller and not as detailed as the inspiration cake. Sorry for the confusion!

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vgcea Posted 11 Feb 2013 , 5:17am
post #146 of 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeliciousDesserts 

It did get confusing.

We are now quoting the cake the bride got not the inspiration cake. I didn't come up with the servings, Annabakescakes did. I just used her number.

4" cakes are a PITA. I don't like them so I don't even recommend them. I've never had someone ask for them. Thankfully. If they did, I would guide them to the 6" without coming right out & refusing.

My worst fondant-covering experience to date. I'm still recovering....

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vgcea Posted 11 Feb 2013 , 5:21am
post #147 of 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShelbyLyn 

I just thought since everyone was talking about what they would charge for the inspiration cake and that she couldn't get it for $340 it would be interesting to see what people would charge for the actual cake she received since it was clearly smaller and not as detailed as the inspiration cake. Sorry for the confusion!

$0, profuse apology, refund. Then proceed to start all over again from Wilton Class 1-- Basics at the nearest craft store. icon_sad.gif Hehehe, I'm being bad tonight. icon_twisted.gif

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Annabakescakes Posted 11 Feb 2013 , 5:26am
post #148 of 254

AThe reason I thought it was a 4" top is because it looks square, and I assume it is also 4" tall. Then looked at the proportions on the next, and then on down...

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annettedimond Posted 21 Feb 2013 , 7:50am
post #149 of 254

AHi I've only just joined and live in England, I've no idea how to price cakes I want to say more but feel people won't pay.

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Annabakescakes Posted 23 Feb 2013 , 1:43am
post #150 of 254

ATry googling "how to price cake cakecentral" multiple thousands of posts will show up. After you skim through a few of them, please ask if you need some clarification. (Bing and yahoo search are terrible)

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