I get so irritated when brides want to get a fake cake with a cutting piece and sheet cakes in the back.

why do they do this??? someone is telling them that it is cheaper that way and you can save money.

Don't you still have to buy and decorate the styrofoam? I just don't get it.

How do you feel about it and what do you charge for fake wedding cakes?

 by the way, they do want to get the sheet cakes from me also.

is it just me???

I don't make wedding cakes, but if I did, I'd charge MORE for a styrofoam dummy cake because I want my cake to be eaten and it is NOT cheaper to make one.  The decorator is still having to form the decorations!

It's not a savings.  The standard is to charge 80% the cost of a real cake AND the full cost of the sheet cakes.

Now, if you have a completed dummy that you want to rent to them, maybe they can save a bit, but they have to take what you have so no custom colors, flowers, etc., and they have to pay a refundable damage deposit.  If it's returned with significant damage, then they lose that too.

Around here there are a few places that charge a lot more to cut a stacked wedding cake than a kitchen cake. My dad is getting married next week, and it would cost them $3.50 per slice to have a stacked cake cut, but a kitchen cake is only $1.

I just did a wedding last week at a different location that was similar, $4 for a stacked cake, $2 for kitchen ones.

All the sudden that $300 cake is costing you $600+, it ticks me off when venues do that sort of stuff.

I've had a couple cakes that I insisted on doing dummy/kitchen cakes simply because the design was so complex. Priced out though, it's more expensive.

I think some bakers do it cheaper because stacking cakes scares them? 

AMaybe a r eason to order is that the cake needsnto be refrigerated until swrved but they still want to display during the whole reception

I will do a kitchen cake for $2.50 per slice and my wedding cakes start at $5 per slice, but my dummies are also begining at $2.50 per "slice".  i charge 50%, not 80%, so basically, it is the same price whichever way they go, not cheaper. I saw an article in a very nice wedding magazine and in the article by a well known, big city wedding planner, she said to save costs, get a kitchen cake and a dummy wedding cake, it could save you hundreds of dollars.....baloney!
 

It's partly copy writers. People who write copy for magazines, blogs and websites have got to write copy. Many don't really care whether the content is accurate - they just want it  to be believable and entertaining to their audience.  And with this sort of thing they want to have the audience think they've learned something.

There is not much work in a kitchen cake and there is construction, and decor in a wedding cake. that is why it is more for the stacked cake.

kitchen cake is plain, that's it.

I think a new cake flavor is in order here for everyone's pricing list...  Styrofoam. 

I have offered fake tiers for people wanting a more grand cake, but I wouldn't do a whole fake cake. Part of the artistry is that it is deconstructed and eaten, imho.

AI'm getting married next year, even if I wasn't I've been known to go through Bridal magazines to see new cake trends. A gf of mine bought me that Bridal Bargains book (they make Baby Bargains, etc.) and it's plastered everywhere as a way to save money! It's the craziest thing I've ever heard of, thankfully it's not something I have been asked to do, I suppose I would do it if a customer asked but only if I was also preparing the sheet or 'kitchen cakes' simply because I wouldn't want my name or design associated with a Walmart sheet cake. But it would cost them more, not less, especially if it's a large wedding. It's more to transport & more hassle.

I am more than happy to work within someone's budget, I just wish the media would catch up. That's the last thing I would recommend to someone who needs help scaling down the price.

Too funny Nora's mom!!!
 

Yes, I totally agree HollyML, and I will do kitchen cakes and a smaller wedding cake with no problem, it is when they want the styro cake and sheets to save money that irk me.

If a bride has 250 or more guests, I encourage kitchen cakes, this helps with delivery (heavy cakes) and it also helps the caterers trying to cut and serve  the cake like mad so quickly.
 

I just started my fake cake business a couple of months ago in the southern part of New Jersey and I have to say people are blown away by how smart this idea is for those who want the fondant look but don't want it on the cake their guests are eating and those brides who are on a tight budget. I even get the brides to rent from me  even though their  buttercream wedding cake is included in their package. Why? because the hall will only give them the amount of tiers needed to feed their guests  as with me I'll give them as many as they want for a flat rate. I often rent out the same cake and offer the bride assistance to accessorize it with decorations that can be taken on & off the cake - however if they want to design a cake that has permanent piping work then this rental fee would be more than the one that could be easily modified. But  it would still be less than the hall would charge them for an upgrade on the style of their cake which again I 'm certain a bride would rather spend on a cake with more tiers than what the hall will give in their package or in an upgrade. I have one venue who decided to put my rentals in their package and how charges an up grade if they want the entire cake all real - He decided to do this because using my rental is more time efficient than having the staff hack away at those fondant tiers or dismantling a 4 +tier cake with wooden dowels etc. The place could ensure a much fresher tasting cake anyway! The rentals could be dropped off ahead of time when the weather is challenging with snowy streets and it's a lot easier to make room for sheet cakes is what he told me is the best asset to making me one of his vendors. I'm so excited to bring this concept to all the halls in my area - I'm also becoming a big hit with those Sweet 16 girls who want wedding cake styles for their cake as opposed to the sheet cake that comes with their banquet pkg. The parents are thrilled about this concept because renting my cakes gives them an affordable display or centerpiece they would never be able to afford real. It's my goal to mainstream this concept for all birthdays  not just milestone banquet hall events.  The b-day cake is the next most important thing at a party so why not rent a cake prop that goes with the theme of the party and just have a sheet cake waiting in the kitchen until the candles are blown out and it's time for cake! Why buy an ordinary cake or spend $$$$$ on a fancy cake when you could save by renting an amazing looking cake because at the end of the day the cake looks just like the real thing and you're still eating cake regardless of where it came from.

A

Nice call, MB!

this is a great idea--dummy cake business--i have a few dozen dummies all ready myself...yes all vanilla styrofoam ;) currently gathering dust-- i just need to get my husband to roll out the fondant or get a sheeter--just any minute now--foam is easy to cut out--fondant not so easy to roll out--but yeah i'm all in--woulda had it going last year but i hit the wall with the arthritis--smh--i'm not going quiet   rahr

however 'doing cakes' is a permanent affliction   --

help i'm a lifelong caker and i can't get out 

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cake dummy business is not just a brilliant idea--it's another nail in the coffin of the custom caker business--ouch

and these businesses all over the country and in canada at least

AWhere I live, the receptions tend to be "open house" style, and the bride and groom invite everyone they've ever met. For example, my niece just got married, and they invited 600 people to their open house reception. I made their cake for them, as a gift, just a smaller size 3 tier that made about 100 servings. Then, my mother in law (my niece's grandma) decided to use up all the old box cake mixes she had in her food storage, and made 900 mini cuocakes, with frosting she got from the grocery store bakery. Oh yeah, and she made them a week in advance. They were like dry rocks. She also bought 800 cookies from the grocery store and had those out on the buffet table. I was fristrated at the wedding, because by the time they cut the cake, and I took it back and cut it up, no one wanted any - they were full from cookies and nasty mini cupcakes. My cake was made with imported French chocolate, real orange zest... All the good stuff, and it went to waste. Another caking friend of mine had a similar situation when she did her sister's wedding cake. Anither relative bought store sheet cakes to serve throughout the open house, and her delicious homemade cake went to waste.

So, I thought next time I get asked to do an open house style reception cake, I will recommend a dummy cake to display, amd sheet cakes made by me to serve during the open house. I would charge the same ler serving as if it were a fully decorated wedding cake, because it's the same amount of work - you bake amd frost the sheet cakes, just as you would tiers, and then decorate the dummy tiers, just as if they were cake.

the dummy cake i saw in japan was srsly over the top--the dummy cake business sites i've seen in america/canada are not the high end designs--

AMy brother and his wife had a 7 tier wedding cake, 5 tiers were styrofoam and the bottom 2 were cake. They only were charged 150 for the cake! Really cheap! All hand piped buttercream cake, I didn't eat any but people said that it was a little dry. The cake really was well done. I was just shocked that I paid more for my daughters 8"-6" birthday cake than they did for a wedding cake.

AI like Chik-Fil-A. Or however it's spelled. I used to like it anyway - I haven't had it in more than 20 years but they had an awesome breakfast biscuit. I always used to have that when I worked at Regency Square mall.

A

And the baker that made their cake probably paid themselves $1 an hour to make it. You paid more because that baker probably went broke and wised up to the fact that they were giving away cake. It's not what's underneath the buttercream that costs the most.