Pricing for fondant decorated cake?

[joanq]

Hi! I'm a totally amateur cake maker, I just do it for my kid's birthday parties, and now all my friends are asking me to make them cakes too. I like decorating with marshmallow fondant...

So my question is that I was going to donate a custom made cake for my son's school auction, and I'm supposed to estimate a retail value and I have NO clue.

SO the cake offered will be either a 14" round or 14x10" rectangular double layer cake, decorated with fondant in their choice of character etc. This should serve 60+ people according to the servings website.

1. What would you put as an estimated retail value?
2. What would you put as the starting bid?

Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!

[joesfolk]

I'm sorry that I can't help with the pricing but feeding 60 people with a 14x10 inch double layer cake sounds a hair ambitious to me. I would think that 50 would be closer to the truth. Just my opinion.

[joanq]

Thanks Joe! I was going by the servings suggested on the Wilton site for that size cake, I was actually going to advertise it as 50 ish people because in my experience we do a good job on it at my kid's birthday parties which usually have about 30 people.

[sarahmom22]

I have no idea what prices would be, but if I were you, I'd go online to cake shops around your area and see what comparable product would be priced at. Then estimate accordingly :)

[bakechef]

well the 14x10 is just a hair bigger than a 1/4 sheet cake and that serves 15-18 as a single layer. If you are thinking wedding cake sized servings (small slivers) that 50-60 would probably be appropriate.

As far as pricing goes it depends on how you want to price it. Most places here when selling wedding cakes charge $3 and up per serving, usually a plain buttercream cake starts at that price and the price increases depending on whether it has fondant and fillings.

Then there are retail places like grocery stores that charge considerably less, usually a set price based on the different size and design.

[LPBeier]

As bakechef says, 70 from a 10 x 14 cake would be wedding slices (2 x 1"). Normally you would cut 2" (35 slices). Two layers you could get by cutting them smaller, but still, you don't want to be stingy. A 10" round two layer will not get you 60 slices or even close to it.

For wedding cakes I add $1.00 per serving for fondant (I don't use marshmallow). For special occasion cakes I weigh the amount I use and figure out cost from the total cost of the fondant (I buy mine) and add $5.00 for time to work with it. I think if you charged $5-10 for the fondant, depending on whether it is just covering the cake or you are decorating with it.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[auzzi]

my friends are asking me to make them cakes too

Are you "legal" ? If you sell cakes, it is usually required that you be registered as a business, be insured etc etc .. You better find out before you start selling ..

To price a cake, you have to cost everything - materials, utility consumption, machinery depreciation, taxes, insurance, delivery costs, cleaning, maintence, etc etc plus the cost of your time, effort, expertise etc etc.

Pricing also takes into account rural/urban, geo-income location, competitor pricing, etc.

Cake baking/decorating is a business. You can charge per item or per slice. Undercharging a client makes the cake a gift from you not a viable economic product.