The Pricing Page

Okay, I believe we are ALL of one mind when it comes to pricing our cakes & goodies. The main wonderment seems to be, "How much should I charge for mine?" Hopefully, this page will help a bit...
(any input or comments you have are appreciated, and I will include them here if you E-mail them to me- Tracy)

What I have done personally is call the nearer grocery store bakeries, and ask for their cake prices. I also asked how many servings they estimated for each size. I made a note of the most common sizes & the prices they gave me, and have that posted on my 'cake' bulletin board. My cakes prices start at $5 over theirs, for basic decorations. This base price can go up as the cake gets more complicated. I have taught several grocery-store employees, and have learned that all the stores in this area use pre-baked, frozen cakes!! I tell my cake customers that try the "Well, (insert store name here) can do a cake for $xx.xx, but if you can match that, I'd rather give the business to you." line that MY cake will be freshly baked, taste much better, be more personalized, AND I'll deliver it to them. If they want the grocery store prices, they should buy the grocery store cake.

Your region also plays a HUGE part in what you can charge for your cakes. I live in a rural area of Northwest Illinois, and cannot charge what decorators do in the large Metro areas like Chicago & New York, for example. (Although I would love to! ;-} )

Wedding cakes- $2.25/serving
Sheet cakes: 7x11" - $15
9x13" - $25
11x15" - $35
12x18" - $50
8", 2 layer cake - $25
Dozen cupcakes - $5-7

Earlene Moore has a great series of articles on her website about the "Business of Cake Decorating"- I have read them many times, and learned a lot from her. Here is a link to those articles, the one on pricing is particularly interesting.

Also, Dolores McCann has an awesome Message Board on her site, with specific categories for discussions. One is "Pricing, Legalities & Anything Money". There's a ton of helpful people that use that board on a regular basis, and I have also gotten a lot of great information there.

In 2001, I posted a message asking "What do YOU charge?" on that board & the one here on my site. I received lots of answers, and they were from all over the US. I am including them on this page, along with a VERY interesting list of what the "famous" decorators charge. First, the famous list:

~Sylvia Weinstock
price upon request (in other words, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it,...)
~Joan Spitler aka Cake Divas in L.A.
9 bucks a slice
~Polly Schoonmaker
10 dollars per serving
~Charmaine Jones aka Cake Divas N.Y.
8.57 dollars per serving
~Cheryl Kleinman of N.Y.
10 dollars per serving
~Toba Garrett
33.30 dollars per serving (her cake does have the Australian sugar work.)
~Christine Dahl of Santa Barbara
5 dollars per serving
~Cheris Littman of N.J.
10 dollars per serving
~Ayoma Fonseka of Toronto
12 dollars per serving
~Elin Katz of Rosebud Cakes in Beverly Hills
8.40 dollars per serving
~Wendy Kromer of NYC
8.50 dollars per serving
~Margaret Braun
19.30 dollars per serving
~Cynthis Peithman of Cakeline in NYC
8.33 dollars per serving
~Lisa and Deena Lewis of the Cake Collection in L.A.
7.50 dollars per serving
~Francine Bove of Bove Pastries NYC
9 dollars per serving
~Tracy Callahan Saltzman
8.50 dollars per serving
~Susan Morgan of Elegant Cheesecakes in Half Moon Bay, Ca.
13.30 dollars per serving
~Diane Jacobs of Cakeworks in L.A.
16.25 dollars per serving
~Colette Peters
11.00 dollars per serving
~Mike's Mc Carey/Mike's Amazing Cakes
5.30 dollars per serving
~Jan Kish at Le Petit Fleur
19.25 dollars per serving
~Gail Watson of NYC
13.50 dollars per serving

this was taken from IN STYLE Weddings magazine.

Now, here's my original Message Board posting, and the replies I received:

What do YOU charge??
Wed Sep 5 10:15:32 2001

Hi all! I have a question for everyone- What are your base per serving charges for wedding cakes, and what area of the country do you live in? Also, what causes your base price to go up? I have a hard time pricing my wedding cakes at what I feel they/my time are worth, and if I (and you!) had some info about what others are charging, perhaps we could make a few $$ on a wedding cake without the Bride freaking out on the price. Thanks in advance for your input!! Tracy
p.s.- I live in a rural area of Northwestern Illinois, and have people cringing at $1.25 a serving...

Mindy Mc in Mo--I have people cringing at $1 a serving. The going rate around here is around $.50 to $.80 a serving. NE Missouri

Di--I'm NOT being a smart alec here, but..does that honestly even pay for your ingredients, electricity, & gas to deliver??? Unless everyone in the area is using off brand cake mix w/ oil & water, I can't begin to imagine that does any more than cover the expense?!?
I charge 1.85 right now for buttercream (central Michigan), but am bumping it to 2.50 for next year I think, and I'm raising my fondant drastically - I charge 2.25 right now, and am going to $4 for that!
My feelings on using Kroger, WalMart, etc. for price guides... that is NOT the quality of cake I do and I would never compare my cake to theirs, so why should I compare my prices to theirs!?! I have actually (politely, of course!) told brides that if price is the main concern, then I am probably not the decorator for them! :)

Janz--Most of the bakeries are in grocery stores around here, and they charge $.85 per serving for wedding cakes. I know of some home decorators that only charge $.75, but I don't know why they think they need to be less than the grocery stores. My prices are about $1.00 per serving minimum, but I also don't get much business (I only do this for part time fun though). I have had people come right out and tell me that I probably charge less than the grocery store since I do this from home. It's really hard not to laugh at them. They say, "Your cakes must be cheaper", and I say "No, but they sure taste better and are much nicer, unique works of art".

Hi Tracy I live on the boarder line N, Augusta SC. & Augusta Ga my base price is 1.75 simple basic B.C. Fondant 3.00 very few want fondant. Gogo

Maria, WA--I live about 2 hours north of Seattle in a college town. My base price is $2.00 (chocolate or white butter cake w/buttercream filling) from there it goes up to $4.00. I charge $1 more for rolled fondant and $1.50 more for choco-pan. I'm going to have to raise my prices though because the price of butter is killing me!!!

Bakingsue--I live in CT..and start at around 3.00. I'm doing a petit four cake this month and am getting 4.50 pp, though I live in an expensive area of the country, I can charge that and things tend to be a bit more expensive as far as supplies go.

Rebecca, KS--Currently, I'm at $1.25 per serving here in rural Southeast Kansas. I'm trying very hard to earn a reputation as the "best" in the area, so I can up my prices more without worrying about people not paying it. Every area has people willing to pay for quality - you just gotta find them. I think letting people know about your website helps get the word out. My site used to get about 5 hits per day -- in the last month it's jumped up to 25 or 30 hits per day. That's still not all that many, but it's something.

Sweetie Pie--I'm with you! I live in Southeastern Illinois and I can honestly say there's no way people here would pay $2 or more per serving. I'd get a reputation for charging too much real quick! I've never done a wedding cake for a fee before (only done one tiered cake, and it was a freebie). I do, however, have a serious problem with the idea of charging less than a dollar a serving. If you think about all the time and effort involved, your cake is worth more than that. I'm considering $1 - $1.25 a serving when I finally sell one. That would be for a pretty basic cake. Of course, I would add for gumpaste or large numbers of buttercream or royal flowers. I say, stick to your price. The people who are cringing don't have any idea what goes into that cake. Plus..I don't do fondant. I hope I never have to do it. I don't like it and where I live most people don't even know about it. So, my prices are for buttercream only.

Jennifer--I'm in Kentucky, near a modest sized city, and start at $1.50/serving for buttercream cakes with basic decoration (for ex. garlands, simple stringwork, dots, and a few icing flowers). I go up in 25-cent increments for more detailed decoration or lots of icing flowers. Fondant cakes start at $2/serving. Most of my cakes are $1.50-$1.75/serving, but I get a few higher end ones with fondant and gumpaste flowers that may be $2-$4/serving, but not many. It's not really enough, works out to about $5/hour after expenses and counting all the administrative time, too; but I hope to gradually charge more and work faster till I can get $10/hr.

Probably a lot are not willing to pay that much and go to Kroger or Wal-Mart for a crappy cake at $1/serving without ever even calling me, but the ones that actually meet with me have tasted my cakes and are more than willing to pay my price. However, I do get people cringing big time about my party cake prices. I don't even really charge that much, but significantly higher than Kroger, and people just expect to get party cakes dirt-cheap. So I don't sell a lot of those anymore, but that's okay 'cause I'm too busy with weddings from May-Oct, and I just won't do them for less.

Lisa--I'm in upstate NY and I start at $2 per serving for buttercream and $3 for fondant.

Anna N.--I live in a rural area of Texas, and I currently charge $1.25 per serving for wedding and other tiered cakes. I'm considering upping it to $1.50 per serving. For fondant-covered tiered cakes, I charge $2.50 a serving, but there isn't much demand for those.

Hope--I live in central West Virginia and have been charging $1.00 serving. Will probably go to $1.25 the 1st of the year .I don’t charge extra for basketweave and cornelli lace. No one has ever ordered a fondant cake but I hope to change that after Earlrne,s class. I will start fondant at $2.oo serving. There have been several here who have tried charging $2 and $3 a serving for wedding cakes and they don’t stay in business long. I think your price has to reflect the area in which you live. WalMart has a 6,8 and 10 for $125.00 on disposal stand and they are not selling. Too high for here. Good luck it’s a hard decision.

Leigh Ann--I am in western KY. I charge 1.10/seving but am going up to 1.25 because cake mix has gone up. If it is a flavored cake or very detailed then I adjust the price.

Laura--I live in FL. I charge $1.00 a serving for plain white or choc. with butter cream frosting. I adjust my price if there are fillings or fondant or other extras. People just freak out if you want more that $1.00 a serving. I think my problem is the local grocery stores who sell their stale cakes for $1.00 per serving. Even though their cakes aren't as tasty or as lovely as mine people are cheap. They will pay high prices for photos, dinner and hall rentals but by the time they come to the cake they figure no ones cares about the cake anyway. I think the only way to get into the upper scale of pricing is to work hard and get your name out there, once people are fighting over you to do their wedding on any given weekend can you charge what you are really worth.

Becky R.-- My base price for wedding cakes is $1.35. I am in a rural area that is currently being built up. I service areas that include the very wealthy to the very poor. This price includes basic design, including basketweave. My price for Cassata wedding cakes start at $2.90/serving because of the filling and specific icing. I think I'm cheap and haven't had anyone complain. I'm new to wedding cakes and hope to increase this price over the next 18 months. Traditionally a Cassata cake is a sponge cake filled with a sweet ricotta cheese filling and fresh berries. The way I make it (which apparently is the preferred way in Cleveland) is a yellow or white cake filled with a light creamy Bavarian styled cream topped with fresh sliced strawberries (or other berries upon request). I use Italian Meringue Buttercream as the icing.

Anonymous--I just did a cake for 50 people, and I charged 500.00 I didn’t even think about per person, I thought about the fondant and the gumpaste and the 3 hour trip to nyc!! After I got paid for the cake my hubby said that 10.00 per slice! I almost cried since I didn’t think that I should charge that much per person, but went by all the extras. But hey the bride didn’t mind so why not!! She told me my quote was half of what she got in nyc.

Denise-- I live in a large metropolitan area. So my prices are higher than those of you who live in small towns, but I'm competitive with grocery stores, and lower than specialty bakeries. I charge between $1.50 and $2.50 per serving for wedding cakes (this covers the costs of materials, ingredients, toppers, etc). For 9x13 sheet cakes, I charge $18-$25. For shaped character pans, I charge $20-$25. For 12x18 pans, I charge $40-$50. Hope this helps.

Julie-- Truly it depends on your area and customers. I have been charging $1.00 for years....and my customers tell me I do not charge enough, and often pay me extra. These are the customers who really want to pay for a quality cake. If they wanted to pay cheaper, they would go to the grocery stores and get yuck. So I am now raising prices. 1.25 for basic flavors....1.50 for more elaborate flavors. And then extra if major detailed work such as a lot of flowers etc. Trust me...they will pay if they want your cake. (by the way...I live in small area....low cost of living even) If not...they can go to the grocery store. If they go...then you have to get the attitude that you don't care. But they won't....watch and see. You have to have a set price, don't give them an opening for a barter thing.

Sierra--I live in an large urban area in Alberta and have been a home-based cake decorator for approx. 12 years. I generally charge $1.00 per serving for basic novelty and wedding cakes. This would be for buttercream frosting. If it's a 3-D cake cake (ie. teddy bear serving 12) I charge $25-$27 per cake. Fondant cakes rate a higher price as fondant can be expense and labor intensive to make. I start my price at no less than $1.50 per serving. I don't charge anything for buttercream fillings for tiered cakes, and charge $3 per tier for specialty fillings (bavarian cream, strawberry preserves, etc). Naturally, prices vary depending on design, added cake tops and specialty sugarcrafts such as gum paste flowers, royal icing flowers, string work, etc. All this is additional labor and we are worth the extra time these specialties require. I charge anywhere from $4 - $15 dollars extra per cake. If silk arrangements are included in the final product, I charge cost plus 15% to cover labor charges.

Carolyn (MO)
I'm in Missouri..........
and I seldom do any full sheets, but when I do they are single layer with two of the 12 x 18's put together as one side by side and I get $70-$75. That's for most any kind of decoration.

janz
Re: full sheet price
I've never done a full sheet, but I do double layer half sheets. A single layer half sheet is $40, double layer is $75, with simple decorating. This is in northwest Iowa.

Finally, here's info I have received from decorators that have been to this page, and sent in their prices-

I just wanted to drop a line about cake pricing out here in rural Illinois also. After calling around the area for wedding cake prices I found out that 1.65 per serving is the going rate so I dropped my price to 1.50 and they were ecstatic! Fondant prices will have to be a little more researched on my end, but the public will also have to know what fondant is to start with. Thanks for listening! Come by and visit sometime , I'm at The House Restaurant on 263 E. Lincoln Hwy in downtown DeKalb.

Hi Tracey!
First of all: Love your website! Lots of good ideas and info. Thanx for sharing!
Re pricing: I'm in Southeast Michigan, and decorate part-time. I have been charging a base rate of $1.30 per slice for wedding cakes, but just recently raised it to $1.50. I also charge a flat fee of $25.00 for delivery and set-up. That base price is for buttercream; and covers most types of decorations. I do charge an extra flat fee for "special work" - for example: a very large number of sugar flowers, pearls and ribbons, very fancy design work, etc. One large cake I did was dripping with royal icing sweetpeas, and I charged an additional $40 (spent one evening making them). I also hear the line about "Kroger is cheaper" and my response is a polite "Go to Kroger for a cheap cake". I tell people that I put a lot of time and personal attention into their cake. I'm probably not making a ton of profit; but cake decorating is a wonderful creative outlet and I do it at least in part for that reason.
One suggestion to other wedding cake decorators: Don't be afraid to charge plenty as a "refundable deposit" for your plates, posts, fountains, etc! If you explain patiently to your customers that this is refundable when your equipment comes back in one piece, they won't have a problem with it. And if your "stuff" does NOT come back, YOU'LL be glad you did it!
Here's an experience I had recently: An owner/cook at a local small restaurant was setting himself up in the wedding catering business and had heard of my work, so he contacted me and wanted to meet to discuss having me do his wedding cakes. I took my photo book and he seemed very impressed with my work. I told him I charged $1.30 per slice (at that time) and he practically went into cardiac arrest! He wanted to pay me $.70 per slice - and then resell to his customers at $2.50! HA!
Hope some of this is useful........
Carol

I am based in New York and charge slightly less than the big names in the business. I start at $5.00 per slice for buttercream, $6.00 per slice for fondant, $7-8 per slice for hand painted decorations, and $8.00 per slice for a lace design. I average about $600-$900 per cake. My prices include the flowers, delivery and set-up. I never get a complaint, because people come to me after getting prices from other bakers, and I am extremely reasonable by comparison.
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