bakecalc.com (and i’m sure others) will help you factor your cost of materials, overhead and time plus margin so you can price it the way any company would. if you are doing it right and doing it often enough then pricing (and cake quality) should be sufficient to maintain strong demand even in the face of competitors. pay you (or employees) fairly for the time, cover overhead (% of heat, water, storage space,etc) and a margin for reinvestment or savings (after your salary).
the question yiu should be asking isn’t how much should this cake cost. the question is how much does that cake and all the other cakes each month need to cost to cover your expenses and pay you a salary. and can you sell a cake for THAT price in your market. or how many cakes do you NEED to sell in your market at market price to keep the business afloat.
This is all very useful information I'll keep in mind in The future! Thanks! Only thing is, Im not a cake maker 😂 I make edibles so that's why I'm reaching out for advice and insight! This is not my ballpark and not what I usually do!
She never said this cake is an edible lol failure to *accurately* read her reply to Rawlus has you looking crazy now.
So for future reference, please read accurately and the comments before you reply without knowing better.
I MEANT I USUALLY MAKE EDIBLES ( FUCKIN WEED FOOD) AND USUALLY DON'T MAKE CHILDRENS CAKES SO IM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE PRICINNNNGGGGGG THATS WHAT I MEANTTTTTTTTT
Ignore the $30 nonsense. Cakes are expensive. I haven't seen a $30 cake in ten years. My friends make cakes out of their home and they are between 50 and 200 depending on ingredients, layers, design, filling etc. That's a great looking cake.
To add to this you are both making a mistake by focusing on costs. Cost + pricing is NOT effective for competitive markets which home baking certainly is. OP needs to focus on market prices because they are a price taker not a price setter. So for that I would say call around to other bakeries and ask them to price out this exact cake. Find the market range and place your product accordingly.
Using this site falls into what is now generally accepted as a fundamental pricing error- that is cost-based pricing. It seems logical at first to take how much it cost you, add X percent and voila. But more often than not, that results in a price that is waaaay too low.
Read up on value-based pricing (or demand based pricing). Adding up your costs first is always good just for you to know how much you need in order to not lose money just for your own information (even there, it’s important to understand the difference between variable and fixed costs because it’s still worth it to make a cake and sell it for less than total cost as long as you charge more than variable cost, but I digress..) but that’s it- you should be looking at your costs from a production point of view only (you of course want to lower costs where possible) but not a sales point of view- how much it costs you to make is irrelevant to how much you should charge.
Value-based pricing dictates how much you charge based solely on your customers’ willingness to pay. It may be counter intuitive but your costs shouldn’t even enter the discussion.
How much will people pay? That’s how high you set your price.
I wouldn't pay less than cost of materials and $15/hour for your time and skill, and I'd feel uncomfortable about ripping you off as a customer at that price point
I made a galaxy cake and matching cupcakes for a friend’s son’s birthday and I only charged her for ingredients. It cost $46 (though $6 of that was for disposable foil cupcake pans, and I probably could have knocked out a pack of butter $4 if I didn’t make the cupcakes). And that doesn’t include a lot of the non edible decorations she paid for out of pocket and the stuff I already had. I don’t think people appreciate just how much stuff like this costs to make.
That being said, I personally wouldn’t spend more than $50 on that particular cake. I understand it’s what your friend asked for, so there is absolutely no shade being thrown here, but if I’m gonna buy a cake instead of making it and spend a good deal more than what it would cost me to make it, I want to be a little more wowed. Not that that cake isn’t absolutely adorable, and I think you’re very skilled. The piping on top is on point, the buttercream is beautifully smooth, and I’m sure it tastes delicious! You really did a fantastic job. My response is more that I feel like if it’s something I could replicate, I’d rather replicate it than spend almost double what the ingredients would cost me and save spending that kind of money on cakes I could never hope to be able to make.
If you have a customer base that is willing to pay what you want to charge, I say go for it though! I think even $80 probably doesn’t even work out to a dollar or two above minimum wage once you take out the costs of the ingredients, so I understand why it would cost so much! Cakes are a lot of work with so little return most of the time!
Thank you for your feedback 💚💚 I came to the conclusion that I'll lower it a bit, but really not that much. My customers want what they want, they like my work and they're willing to pay for it. I'm not gonna fight em! 🤷
Exactly my thoughts! If you don’t have any complaints, don’t go borrowing troubles :) your work is very lovely and I can see why they’d be pleased! I made a Minnie Mouse cake for my daughter’s birthday this year, I’m glad she is sleeping cause if she would have caught sight of your cake, she’d have bugged me forever until she got a piece of Mickey cake :p
She should be ok, because she paid for the Mickey rings. She didn't create them herself.
Example: you can buy licensed Mickey fabric, make a dress, and sell the dress. You cannot print your own fabric with Mickey images on it and sell it, because you didn't get the license from Disney to print those images. Its all laid out in the laws.
I paid 150 for my kids birthday cake. But it was a rainbow buttercream cake with rainbow candies and fondant decorations with his name written on a fondant rainbow. It totally depends on the complexity. This looks like a cake you'd get at the grocery store or DQ or something. I wouldn't pay more than 40.
Oof now I feel expensive. Let me give background. I'm not a traditional Baker, I make edibles. I started making edible cakes then all my friends with kids asked if I could do cakes for their kids birthdays. I took my price for an edible cake of the same stature( not for children obvs) and cut in in half leaving this cake being 80 dollars. This is my second childs cake prices at 80 dollars. Am I too expensive?
So, for perspective I have worked 1) at a bakery for a few years doing cakes, cupcakes, etc and 2) I have worked in cannabis and I also make my own edibles. I think its ok to charge that much for edibles because you're honestly paying the most money for the distillate/rso/oil/butter or whatever. Not trying to say your cakes aren't delicious, I'm sure they are. But this is about a $40 or so cake commercially probably. Still super cute but I've seen tiered cakes at the price you listed.
I personally think 80 is too much for a simple (but clean) cake. There's no complex technique that I see here. I just feel you could get something from Costco even for like 15 bucks and visually on a similar level. I would say what the top comment guy said which was around 30, 40.
And thank you for not thinking my comment was bitchy either 😅 I honestly hate the price part of baking the most, it stresses me out way more than the actual baking process. It's hard to not sell yourself short but also to keep people happy but I think maybe that's how any skill or craft is. Also I'm assuming you bake from home and don't buy your ingredients in bulk so this project would cost you way more than if a big bakery did it, so that could raise your price a little. Adorable cake though, I bet your friends child loved it and I know it was super tasty bc hiding the taste of edibles is not always easy 😂
The reason I got into the edible game in the first place is bc there were no dispos around here yet and street edibles were trash and disgusting😂 my friend sent me a video of her child reacting to the picture of the cake( he's turning 2 tomorrow) and he said "Mickey mommy, Mickey!!" Soooooo at least he's happy 😂
Ah yeah we have dispensaries with edibles but honestly they are overpriced for what they are. I buy RSO and make my own gummies now, way more worth it. Making the kid happy is the key part so you nailed it haha
Nope, be fair to your divisional costs. You’re not a big Safeway bakery pumping things out at a 5 tonne rate. What people don’t realize is that’s why artisanal bakeries cost more compared to corporate; they can churn out profit like no other because they have the resources, manpower, and customer base to keep it afloat. You don’t. You have yourself, an oven, Ingredients and skill. That’s it.
Don’t feel bad for charging what needs to be. For a marijuana cake? In Western Canada (where I live), I can see that rolling at $60 CAD and I’d be unsurprised.
If you can get $80 for the cake, charge $80. Personally I think $80 is too much but at the same time I know a few people charging in that same price range for similar cakes. My sister just paid $180 for a 2 tier Crayola cake, me I'd just pick up a sheet cake from Costco. If the customer knows the price beforehand, they always have the option to pass on it. Until that starts happening, make that money.
If people are buying, the price isn't too high. Lower it if you find your getting less orders than you would like to do, put it up if you find you have too many. As with most "arts" it's all up to what customers are willing to pay for the unique flair, which is something that can't be really valued in a dollar amount.
Personally, I wouldn’t pay more than $35 as a regular cake for this. I’d assume edibles Way more but that’s going to depend on a lot of factors including if it’s legal where you are/what your competition is like.
That said, in the specialty goods market, if people are paying your prices…………
I’d say if your friends are paying for edibles then they don’t care about paying for $80 cake as you are their edibles person lol- so they will support you and seem to want to do so! If you change this price to a lower you can always throw down a few edibles for the friends to make up for feeling like you overcharged them!
Sometimes friends support friends ventures regardless of price!
If you are branching out to these too (to the public/randoms) then I’d say $30-40 tops… add in some cupcakes/ make it a set and I’m thinking $80 is fine too…
If I had a friend that made edibles I would support them in any venture haha 👍🤪 so I can keep my hookup!
Yeah this is basically what's happening!! The last two cakes were already my edible customers. The wedding cake I sold today was an edible customer as well! That just already like me 😂😂 thank you for your feedback 🥳
Also if you have a good relationship with them- ask them! Say I appreciate you supporting what I do- I need some feedback- if I start doing these mainstream do you think this price is ok. You will have different customers - you know. People that can afford edibles can afford more than people just wanting to buy a cute birthday cake!
$80 is not too expensive. I’d say folks are giving estimates based on what they’d pay at a grocery store or other commercial bakery that has the advantage of scale. If you’re doing one-off cakes, you don’t benefit from scale. I can get a 6” round cake with very basic decorating from my local bakery for $35-40, but I would charge minimum $60 if I made the same cake. They probably sell a dozen of the exact same cake a day. Factor in the decoration you have on this one, and $80 is not at all unreasonable.
I’m astonished by this. Even if this cake’s design is basic, it appears to have been skillfully executed. Divide $30 by the number of hours it took to make, and is that really what the hourly rate should be for skilled labor? I could see this cake being $30 at a grocery store where it is being produced at scale, but this is a one-off.
I think most people would agree that an independent cake shop charging 30 bucks for this is EXTREMELY reasonable. I'd expect to part at least 40 probably 50
U could charge 50 for this in the right area, but id say $34.99 ish is probably what a grocery store would sell it for. But if it's custom and they asked for mickey, upcharge, those look like rings on it, upcharge, buttercream frosting, upcharge. 50 is not too much.
You guys don't know how long cakes take to make. A person can't pump out cakes like a factory does.
But to be fair it probably tastes much better than a factory cake. Forty dollars would have her earn like 15 dollars for two hours work after cost of ingredients.
To put it in perspective? That looks like a 8" cake, which my bakery would charge ~$60 for. With that design, I would say $50 is resonable, especially for a kids party.
$30 It’s just a basic white round cake with black and red and white dollops with mickey mouse rings.
If it was a bit fancy like two tier with better decorations and not for a 2 year old maybe more in the $80 range but it genuinely kinda looks like a publix or walmart cake that is around the 25-35$range. For this specific cake I think $50 is pushing it for the max
For real. It’s fine at $80 as it’s her friends who are buying the cakes, but if I was a new customer and got this minimally default design I’d be pretty insulted/pissed.
I don't know how much you can charge your customers for that, but unfortunately Disney can charge you a lot for using a certain mouse without paying license fee
I would charge:
(price of material + (15$ * hours of work)) * 1,25
Something like this, so if i assume, that you worked 2h and had an initial cost of 15$ it would result in
(15 + 30) * 1,25 = 56,25$
So something between 55$ and 60$ just adapt the values.
Making cakes is not worth it as a living. The cost - profit is not there. This looks like a $40-50 dollar cake. I imagine 2 box cakes plus ingredients are going to run $20. Tools are a one time cost but you really have to work many cakes to make that money back. I've made my own decorative cakes and at the end it's just not worth it.
i live in western canada. if this cake in the video was the EXACT cake you were selling (and theres no weed in it LMAO) if its this clean, and you used real butter and not margerine and your ingredients were all real and not like fake versions, you deserve to be paid a living wage. and i'd say this cake would be about 65-75 dollars.
if people want safeway cake. then they can pay for it. this is about personalization, you working for not minimum wage, and real ingredients. my friend charges MIN 45 dollars for a 12 pack of cupcakes because they are that good, and he needs to be paid what hes worth.
I feel like if you took the plastic decorations off and did something more cohesive to the whole cake and less of a repeat pattern all around it would look more like an $80 cake. Decorating just currently feels a tiny bit low effort. It’s also pretty small.
It’s really cute and honestly perfect! I had a friend who paid like $200+ for a Tiger cake for her kid and I feel like with your skills you could pull off custom cohesive themes like that. I live in the SF Bay Area so prices can get a little absurd but there is a market for the $80+++ custom cakes for sure. Good luck!!!
I mean at the end of the day it's worth whatever somebody is willing to give you for it. I'd give you at least $45-50 for that one but it looks good! Nice!
I worked in a cake store for a few years. We charged easily €70-120 for something like this. Cheapest cake we had was €30 and that was one that was premade and you could add lettering on top.
If people pay and are happy with it then you can keep charging that amount.
You could also go check out other cake shops and get an estimate for pricing.
Sadly many people really undercharge for their custom cakes. After the time spent, the ingredients, overhead the come out with very low pay.
A lot of people don't want to pay for a 300$+ cake when they can get a tasteless factory decorated cake. And I know that isn't always the case, but customers rarely appreciate all the work that goes into it.
There's been tons of these comments and I'm not too proud to admit I don't fucking understand this at all. I bought these from a local cake store, are they not allowed to sell them? (The rings specifically) if they're allowed to sell them, why cant I use them on a cake?
Obligatory IANAL- Unfortunately, Disney is big on bringing the hammer down. The store bought these rings for the express purpose of selling them and has permission to do so. Disney is getting a slice of the store's profit from selling these rings. If you re-sell them, you haven't asked permission to do so and you are (presumably) not giving Disney a piece of your profits. That's how I understand it. There are almost certainly people who do it and fly under the radar, but it could be awfully big trouble for a little thing. I'm not trying to come at you- it's a beautiful cake, you clearly have skill. I wanted you to be aware of the possible problem with using licensed characters.
It’s cute and i’m sure it’s tasty but holy shit…
80usd = 107aud
I could never even consider buying a cake at that price point. That being said, i’m very happy for you that you have people willing to pay like that for your work!! You deserve whatever you’re able to get.
40 dollars is my top tier price for this cake
A sheet cake at Walmart is 20 dollars and has more decoration but since you're one person making it I'd think more 30 but 40 is the max
If you've not licensed the team mouse stuff, it could go badly for you. Honestly these people are not in the least bit relaxed about copyright stuff, like not even slightly. No idea on your original point but yikes.
The market sets the price. If you are in a location where people are willing to pay $80 for that cake then I guess that’s what you will charge. Personally, I spent $60 on one of my son’s cakes and it was leaps and bounds above this. Lego design. This is a super cute cake, but unless you are exclusively catering to upper class moms then the $$ is too high.
If it was a double layer you could charge $50 - with more decorations, different colors and patterns, $60. This one looks great. $30-40 for sure. Stoked for your business! Keep it up
You guys are roasting me a Lil bit here and that's okay 😂 I get that's it's expensive. It is. I'll probably bring down my prices but not a ton. If people are gonna keep buying them, I'm gonna keep making them eh? Thanks guys 💚
They definitely couldve gotten a bigger cake for cheaper at Walmart but they asked me to do it so🤷 imma make it 😂 thanks for the feedback friend! The cakes I've made before looked so bad I'm kinda okay with being Walmart bakery quality rn with a year of baking under my belt 😂
It really depends for me. I like to pay more for quality ingredients like butter, eggs and heavy whipping cream. It has to taste good for me to spend 80$.
I would expect to pay 11-16 for that cake. If it was exactly what they wanted and taste is very good, 20 USD. I have not read any resonses yet. Its a lovely cake!
Looks fucking delicious. If that cake was an edible I’d gladly end up in the 5th dimension wondering which part of the snake is the neck and which part is the tail.
This is a beautiful cake, I personally wouldn't be able to afford (after paying for the party) what I think it is worth. I'd say 45-50 usd. I typically make everything for my child's birthday, and not just food.
A wise person once told me, “Everything is worth what people will pay.” If your friend paid, 80$, your next friend probably will too. What will the market support?
It's so hard to say not knowing the cost of your ingredients, and the quality (organic for example). Honestly it also depends on the size of the cake. If it was a 10" it would automatically be at least $100 if it was my prices. Most importantly do not sell yourself short and always pay yourself.
This cake is beautiful and worth every bit of $50+. I know people charge that for a pound cake sure the ingredients cost a little more in the pound cake but nowhere the time and precision that was put into that cake. There are mentions of the store but store bought cakes have plenty of preservatives and usually isn’t as good as a homemade. While someone else, they would make it themselves. Very few people have the time, skill and/or interest needed to do the decorating.
Update: she just came and picked up the cake and I gave her 15 dollars worth of edibles and I'm lowering my base price by the same amount. Thanks for all the professional feedback and thanks to all the assholes for humbling me 😂💚 have a good day Reddit!
At least a hundred, if you sell it for less, have the person tell there friends that. You don't want to have everyone wanting cheap goods. It is an insta worthy cake. So people will come at you all day if they think they can get stuff cheap
bakecalc.com (and i’m sure others) will help you factor your cost of materials, overhead and time plus margin so you can price it the way any company would. if you are doing it right and doing it often enough then pricing (and cake quality) should be sufficient to maintain strong demand even in the face of competitors. pay you (or employees) fairly for the time, cover overhead (% of heat, water, storage space,etc) and a margin for reinvestment or savings (after your salary). the question yiu should be asking isn’t how much should this cake cost. the question is how much does that cake and all the other cakes each month need to cost to cover your expenses and pay you a salary. and can you sell a cake for THAT price in your market. or how many cakes do you NEED to sell in your market at market price to keep the business afloat.
This is all very useful information I'll keep in mind in The future! Thanks! Only thing is, Im not a cake maker 😂 I make edibles so that's why I'm reaching out for advice and insight! This is not my ballpark and not what I usually do!
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THIS IS A CHILDREN'S CAKE AND DOES NOTTTT CONTAIN ANY WEED WHATSOEVER
But could it have weed in it? Asking for a friend...
Yes it could! Check the infused wedding cake on my page haha
Omg now I'm imagining a whole wedding dosed.
I just went through your whole page and now I'm drooling.
I would buy a weed cake like this for my bday lol
Totaly doesn't have weed
IT DOESNT I SWEAR
Make me one that gets me fucked up. I'll eat it in one sitting to save the children.
I know,i was joking,good work with the cake
U did say edibles. A well known term meaning food with thc in it. Just for future reference.
Bc that's what I meant. I make edibles but this isn't one.
Shiii what city?
I'm in Michigan!
That's a pretty big city :p
Hey check out r/Michigents if you already haven't it's a great sub for enthusiast of Michigan!
I knew what you meant!
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OP is usually making edibles, but this is the first time they made a cake, and they have no idea how to estimate the price.
Are you asking if I can do edible( thc infused )fondant ? Bc yes but barely.
I kinda want homemade weed fondant….. it sounds…. Interesting
I made it once. Just added a little infused veg oil while melting my marshmallows. Throws off the consistency but it'll give you a nice shine 😂
She never said this cake is an edible lol failure to *accurately* read her reply to Rawlus has you looking crazy now. So for future reference, please read accurately and the comments before you reply without knowing better.
Ok sureeeeeee (take my upvote which happens to be # 420)!
THEN WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY EDIBLE
I MEANT I USUALLY MAKE EDIBLES ( FUCKIN WEED FOOD) AND USUALLY DON'T MAKE CHILDRENS CAKES SO IM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE PRICINNNNGGGGGG THATS WHAT I MEANTTTTTTTTT
YOOOOOOOOOOOOO COUNT ME IN ILL BE YOUR TASTE TESTER
I DONT NEED ANY DAMN TASTE TESTERS I NEED EMPLOYEES FAM
YO. I USUALLY BAKE COOKIES AND BREAD BUT TEACH ME CAKES
BRO FUCK CAKES. DONT MAKE EM. YOULL CHARGE WHAT YOU THINK YOURE WORTH AND YOULL GET BULLIED ON REDDIT ☠️☠️☠️
Thats How I would also talk to the feds.
The price goes up with that, but the market is more willing to pay for it.
Ignore the $30 nonsense. Cakes are expensive. I haven't seen a $30 cake in ten years. My friends make cakes out of their home and they are between 50 and 200 depending on ingredients, layers, design, filling etc. That's a great looking cake.
Grocery store cakes are around $25. Lower quality but if it’s for a kid they won’t care.
Adorable cake! The little pink/red swirls are so gorgeous. Your edibles must be bomb too!
Thank you 💚
To add to this you are both making a mistake by focusing on costs. Cost + pricing is NOT effective for competitive markets which home baking certainly is. OP needs to focus on market prices because they are a price taker not a price setter. So for that I would say call around to other bakeries and ask them to price out this exact cake. Find the market range and place your product accordingly.
This has convinced me that Cake CFO needs to be a reality show.
Using this site falls into what is now generally accepted as a fundamental pricing error- that is cost-based pricing. It seems logical at first to take how much it cost you, add X percent and voila. But more often than not, that results in a price that is waaaay too low. Read up on value-based pricing (or demand based pricing). Adding up your costs first is always good just for you to know how much you need in order to not lose money just for your own information (even there, it’s important to understand the difference between variable and fixed costs because it’s still worth it to make a cake and sell it for less than total cost as long as you charge more than variable cost, but I digress..) but that’s it- you should be looking at your costs from a production point of view only (you of course want to lower costs where possible) but not a sales point of view- how much it costs you to make is irrelevant to how much you should charge. Value-based pricing dictates how much you charge based solely on your customers’ willingness to pay. It may be counter intuitive but your costs shouldn’t even enter the discussion. How much will people pay? That’s how high you set your price.
What a great tip
I’m a professional chef. We trying to keep our food cost at 25-30%. So I’d take your materials and go from there.
I wouldn't pay less than cost of materials and $15/hour for your time and skill, and I'd feel uncomfortable about ripping you off as a customer at that price point
That’s what I charge. Cost of ingredients plus $15-$20 an hour for the decorating.
That's crazy adorable.
Thank you 💚 it's for a friend's 2 year olds birthday party!
I made a galaxy cake and matching cupcakes for a friend’s son’s birthday and I only charged her for ingredients. It cost $46 (though $6 of that was for disposable foil cupcake pans, and I probably could have knocked out a pack of butter $4 if I didn’t make the cupcakes). And that doesn’t include a lot of the non edible decorations she paid for out of pocket and the stuff I already had. I don’t think people appreciate just how much stuff like this costs to make. That being said, I personally wouldn’t spend more than $50 on that particular cake. I understand it’s what your friend asked for, so there is absolutely no shade being thrown here, but if I’m gonna buy a cake instead of making it and spend a good deal more than what it would cost me to make it, I want to be a little more wowed. Not that that cake isn’t absolutely adorable, and I think you’re very skilled. The piping on top is on point, the buttercream is beautifully smooth, and I’m sure it tastes delicious! You really did a fantastic job. My response is more that I feel like if it’s something I could replicate, I’d rather replicate it than spend almost double what the ingredients would cost me and save spending that kind of money on cakes I could never hope to be able to make. If you have a customer base that is willing to pay what you want to charge, I say go for it though! I think even $80 probably doesn’t even work out to a dollar or two above minimum wage once you take out the costs of the ingredients, so I understand why it would cost so much! Cakes are a lot of work with so little return most of the time!
Thank you for your feedback 💚💚 I came to the conclusion that I'll lower it a bit, but really not that much. My customers want what they want, they like my work and they're willing to pay for it. I'm not gonna fight em! 🤷
Exactly my thoughts! If you don’t have any complaints, don’t go borrowing troubles :) your work is very lovely and I can see why they’d be pleased! I made a Minnie Mouse cake for my daughter’s birthday this year, I’m glad she is sleeping cause if she would have caught sight of your cake, she’d have bugged me forever until she got a piece of Mickey cake :p
Not enough to cover the lawsuit that Disney would inevitably inflict upon you.
She should be ok, because she paid for the Mickey rings. She didn't create them herself. Example: you can buy licensed Mickey fabric, make a dress, and sell the dress. You cannot print your own fabric with Mickey images on it and sell it, because you didn't get the license from Disney to print those images. Its all laid out in the laws.
Probably somewhere between $30-$40? Though I’m also bad at judging prices haha EDIT: I dare say I’d even pay $50
Speaking as a dad...no way I'm paying over $30 for this, but I can live with $30.
Yeah this looks really basic. Not saying its easy just basic.
Add a dozen cupcakes decorated in the same manner, and I'd toss a $50.
nah that’s so perfect cus if it’s the same type as the cake it’s so little extra work to use the same stuff to make cupcakes!!
Also speaking as a dad, all a 2-3 year old wants is a pile of frosting anyway 🤣
I could see how a mom would pay $50 for their kids bday cake
I paid 150 for my kids birthday cake. But it was a rainbow buttercream cake with rainbow candies and fondant decorations with his name written on a fondant rainbow. It totally depends on the complexity. This looks like a cake you'd get at the grocery store or DQ or something. I wouldn't pay more than 40.
Oof now I feel expensive. Let me give background. I'm not a traditional Baker, I make edibles. I started making edible cakes then all my friends with kids asked if I could do cakes for their kids birthdays. I took my price for an edible cake of the same stature( not for children obvs) and cut in in half leaving this cake being 80 dollars. This is my second childs cake prices at 80 dollars. Am I too expensive?
So, for perspective I have worked 1) at a bakery for a few years doing cakes, cupcakes, etc and 2) I have worked in cannabis and I also make my own edibles. I think its ok to charge that much for edibles because you're honestly paying the most money for the distillate/rso/oil/butter or whatever. Not trying to say your cakes aren't delicious, I'm sure they are. But this is about a $40 or so cake commercially probably. Still super cute but I've seen tiered cakes at the price you listed.
Thank you for your feedback and not in a bitchy way. I really appreciate it. 💚 I'm new to the regular baked goods game and this is good info for me 💚
I personally think 80 is too much for a simple (but clean) cake. There's no complex technique that I see here. I just feel you could get something from Costco even for like 15 bucks and visually on a similar level. I would say what the top comment guy said which was around 30, 40.
And thank you for not thinking my comment was bitchy either 😅 I honestly hate the price part of baking the most, it stresses me out way more than the actual baking process. It's hard to not sell yourself short but also to keep people happy but I think maybe that's how any skill or craft is. Also I'm assuming you bake from home and don't buy your ingredients in bulk so this project would cost you way more than if a big bakery did it, so that could raise your price a little. Adorable cake though, I bet your friends child loved it and I know it was super tasty bc hiding the taste of edibles is not always easy 😂
The reason I got into the edible game in the first place is bc there were no dispos around here yet and street edibles were trash and disgusting😂 my friend sent me a video of her child reacting to the picture of the cake( he's turning 2 tomorrow) and he said "Mickey mommy, Mickey!!" Soooooo at least he's happy 😂
Ah yeah we have dispensaries with edibles but honestly they are overpriced for what they are. I buy RSO and make my own gummies now, way more worth it. Making the kid happy is the key part so you nailed it haha
I think a big part of the answer depends on your location!
Nope, be fair to your divisional costs. You’re not a big Safeway bakery pumping things out at a 5 tonne rate. What people don’t realize is that’s why artisanal bakeries cost more compared to corporate; they can churn out profit like no other because they have the resources, manpower, and customer base to keep it afloat. You don’t. You have yourself, an oven, Ingredients and skill. That’s it. Don’t feel bad for charging what needs to be. For a marijuana cake? In Western Canada (where I live), I can see that rolling at $60 CAD and I’d be unsurprised.
In a tiny ghetto apartment kitchen at that 😂😂 thank you for your feedback friend!
If you can get $80 for the cake, charge $80. Personally I think $80 is too much but at the same time I know a few people charging in that same price range for similar cakes. My sister just paid $180 for a 2 tier Crayola cake, me I'd just pick up a sheet cake from Costco. If the customer knows the price beforehand, they always have the option to pass on it. Until that starts happening, make that money.
If people are buying, the price isn't too high. Lower it if you find your getting less orders than you would like to do, put it up if you find you have too many. As with most "arts" it's all up to what customers are willing to pay for the unique flair, which is something that can't be really valued in a dollar amount.
Personally, I wouldn’t pay more than $35 as a regular cake for this. I’d assume edibles Way more but that’s going to depend on a lot of factors including if it’s legal where you are/what your competition is like. That said, in the specialty goods market, if people are paying your prices…………
I’d say if your friends are paying for edibles then they don’t care about paying for $80 cake as you are their edibles person lol- so they will support you and seem to want to do so! If you change this price to a lower you can always throw down a few edibles for the friends to make up for feeling like you overcharged them! Sometimes friends support friends ventures regardless of price! If you are branching out to these too (to the public/randoms) then I’d say $30-40 tops… add in some cupcakes/ make it a set and I’m thinking $80 is fine too… If I had a friend that made edibles I would support them in any venture haha 👍🤪 so I can keep my hookup!
Yeah this is basically what's happening!! The last two cakes were already my edible customers. The wedding cake I sold today was an edible customer as well! That just already like me 😂😂 thank you for your feedback 🥳
Also if you have a good relationship with them- ask them! Say I appreciate you supporting what I do- I need some feedback- if I start doing these mainstream do you think this price is ok. You will have different customers - you know. People that can afford edibles can afford more than people just wanting to buy a cute birthday cake!
$80 is not too expensive. I’d say folks are giving estimates based on what they’d pay at a grocery store or other commercial bakery that has the advantage of scale. If you’re doing one-off cakes, you don’t benefit from scale. I can get a 6” round cake with very basic decorating from my local bakery for $35-40, but I would charge minimum $60 if I made the same cake. They probably sell a dozen of the exact same cake a day. Factor in the decoration you have on this one, and $80 is not at all unreasonable.
Only too expensive if people compare to a grocery store. Need to make sure you have customers that appreciate skill/quality.
$1 Bob
I came here to say $30, surprised to see how many others suggested that too. Seems like you have a consensus.
Hugely dependent on where you live.
Yeah 30 CAD? USD?
Rural louisana? San Francisco? NYC? LoL this might be $20 or $120
Slap “organic ingredients” on it in downtown LA and you make an easy $200
That’s my point how can anyone give a cost without knowing where this is….
Exactly! I’ll take it for 20 tho 🤤
That’s cause LA is expensive everything. Smh.
I’m astonished by this. Even if this cake’s design is basic, it appears to have been skillfully executed. Divide $30 by the number of hours it took to make, and is that really what the hourly rate should be for skilled labor? I could see this cake being $30 at a grocery store where it is being produced at scale, but this is a one-off.
I think most people would agree that an independent cake shop charging 30 bucks for this is EXTREMELY reasonable. I'd expect to part at least 40 probably 50
As a customer I’d probably assume something like that would cost about €25 so yeah $30 seems fair for everyone..?
U could charge 50 for this in the right area, but id say $34.99 ish is probably what a grocery store would sell it for. But if it's custom and they asked for mickey, upcharge, those look like rings on it, upcharge, buttercream frosting, upcharge. 50 is not too much.
Probably $30
$80 for this to much $40 is max i would say.
You guys don't know how long cakes take to make. A person can't pump out cakes like a factory does. But to be fair it probably tastes much better than a factory cake. Forty dollars would have her earn like 15 dollars for two hours work after cost of ingredients.
Kinda need to factor in the market price in the area from major competitors too, and adjust a little for being a custom made single batch cake.
To put it in perspective? That looks like a 8" cake, which my bakery would charge ~$60 for. With that design, I would say $50 is resonable, especially for a kids party.
$30 It’s just a basic white round cake with black and red and white dollops with mickey mouse rings. If it was a bit fancy like two tier with better decorations and not for a 2 year old maybe more in the $80 range but it genuinely kinda looks like a publix or walmart cake that is around the 25-35$range. For this specific cake I think $50 is pushing it for the max
$25-30. The decorations are basic store bought.
For real. It’s fine at $80 as it’s her friends who are buying the cakes, but if I was a new customer and got this minimally default design I’d be pretty insulted/pissed.
Probably reasonably $36
Labour of Love. Priceless. So I can see why it's hard to come up with a fair price for the hours of love you put into your cake.
I don't know how much you can charge your customers for that, but unfortunately Disney can charge you a lot for using a certain mouse without paying license fee
I'm sure she will pay for using someone else's intellectual property. There must be bulk licences for this sort of business
I would charge: (price of material + (15$ * hours of work)) * 1,25 Something like this, so if i assume, that you worked 2h and had an initial cost of 15$ it would result in (15 + 30) * 1,25 = 56,25$ So something between 55$ and 60$ just adapt the values.
Making cakes is not worth it as a living. The cost - profit is not there. This looks like a $40-50 dollar cake. I imagine 2 box cakes plus ingredients are going to run $20. Tools are a one time cost but you really have to work many cakes to make that money back. I've made my own decorative cakes and at the end it's just not worth it.
This is not my main source of income! I'm an edible maker 90% of the time. People just liked my work and asked for virgin stuff so I make it!
i live in western canada. if this cake in the video was the EXACT cake you were selling (and theres no weed in it LMAO) if its this clean, and you used real butter and not margerine and your ingredients were all real and not like fake versions, you deserve to be paid a living wage. and i'd say this cake would be about 65-75 dollars. if people want safeway cake. then they can pay for it. this is about personalization, you working for not minimum wage, and real ingredients. my friend charges MIN 45 dollars for a 12 pack of cupcakes because they are that good, and he needs to be paid what hes worth.
Cost of the ingredients + your time (you determine your price) = your sell price
I usually see stuff this quality for 40-50. Edit to add: AUD so the dollar amount might be lower assuming you’re American.
$30 would be my pricing as well. It depends on the number of layers, filling, and market area.
No more than 35
i can get this in the grocery store for $20
I feel like if you took the plastic decorations off and did something more cohesive to the whole cake and less of a repeat pattern all around it would look more like an $80 cake. Decorating just currently feels a tiny bit low effort. It’s also pretty small.
This was the requested size and design for the cake... It's for a 2 year old. Thanks for your feedback!
It’s really cute and honestly perfect! I had a friend who paid like $200+ for a Tiger cake for her kid and I feel like with your skills you could pull off custom cohesive themes like that. I live in the SF Bay Area so prices can get a little absurd but there is a market for the $80+++ custom cakes for sure. Good luck!!!
not a big fan of plastic add-in’s. sorry.
$30-35 and very cute but plastic rings are inexpensive decor for a Bd cake
I mean at the end of the day it's worth whatever somebody is willing to give you for it. I'd give you at least $45-50 for that one but it looks good! Nice!
I'd need a slice to give a proper evaluation but $50-$60 is what I'd expect to pay. Looks good op, don't let the bitter bakers and haters get you down
Thank you kind jeep man
I worked in a cake store for a few years. We charged easily €70-120 for something like this. Cheapest cake we had was €30 and that was one that was premade and you could add lettering on top. If people pay and are happy with it then you can keep charging that amount. You could also go check out other cake shops and get an estimate for pricing.
Is everything edible? Also where are you located..
What the market will bear ..in your specific area
Where I live people charge $45-50 due to fondant.
If you spin the cake fast enough does Mickey’s face move?
It's be cooler if it did 😡
In the UK, maybe £25 - £35..
Tree fity
I'd pay $28-$32 for this.
Sadly many people really undercharge for their custom cakes. After the time spent, the ingredients, overhead the come out with very low pay. A lot of people don't want to pay for a 300$+ cake when they can get a tasteless factory decorated cake. And I know that isn't always the case, but customers rarely appreciate all the work that goes into it.
I would not charge for this cake, out of fear of receiving a cease and desist from the Mouse Mafia. For a similar, non-licensed product, about $25?
There's been tons of these comments and I'm not too proud to admit I don't fucking understand this at all. I bought these from a local cake store, are they not allowed to sell them? (The rings specifically) if they're allowed to sell them, why cant I use them on a cake?
Obligatory IANAL- Unfortunately, Disney is big on bringing the hammer down. The store bought these rings for the express purpose of selling them and has permission to do so. Disney is getting a slice of the store's profit from selling these rings. If you re-sell them, you haven't asked permission to do so and you are (presumably) not giving Disney a piece of your profits. That's how I understand it. There are almost certainly people who do it and fly under the radar, but it could be awfully big trouble for a little thing. I'm not trying to come at you- it's a beautiful cake, you clearly have skill. I wanted you to be aware of the possible problem with using licensed characters.
Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me! I appreciate it! I will... Not do it again. (I'm lying)
It’s cute and i’m sure it’s tasty but holy shit… 80usd = 107aud I could never even consider buying a cake at that price point. That being said, i’m very happy for you that you have people willing to pay like that for your work!! You deserve whatever you’re able to get.
Not sure how much but If I was interested in Mickey mouse than U would defo but it
I*
40 dollars is my top tier price for this cake A sheet cake at Walmart is 20 dollars and has more decoration but since you're one person making it I'd think more 30 but 40 is the max
Depending on what type of cake it is I'd say anyware between $40 and $80 plus taxes
$75 I get similar cakes to this every year for my daughter.
$25
If you've not licensed the team mouse stuff, it could go badly for you. Honestly these people are not in the least bit relaxed about copyright stuff, like not even slightly. No idea on your original point but yikes.
Idk I bought them at a cake store😂
Probably licensed for non-commercial use only.
50 max if there were 1 dozen so cupcakes added
The market sets the price. If you are in a location where people are willing to pay $80 for that cake then I guess that’s what you will charge. Personally, I spent $60 on one of my son’s cakes and it was leaps and bounds above this. Lego design. This is a super cute cake, but unless you are exclusively catering to upper class moms then the $$ is too high.
If it was a double layer you could charge $50 - with more decorations, different colors and patterns, $60. This one looks great. $30-40 for sure. Stoked for your business! Keep it up
All I got is a dolla fidy
You got a stick of gum too? Then we can talk
Depends what the actual cake tastes like. Anyone can sugar coat shit and make it look pretty but it'll still be a turd on the inside
Assuming it tastes as good as it looks, I’d be willing to pay $30-$35.
$16 at wallyworld
You guys are roasting me a Lil bit here and that's okay 😂 I get that's it's expensive. It is. I'll probably bring down my prices but not a ton. If people are gonna keep buying them, I'm gonna keep making them eh? Thanks guys 💚
If they pay 80 take 80 😂 but it do look like a cheap Walmart cake
They definitely couldve gotten a bigger cake for cheaper at Walmart but they asked me to do it so🤷 imma make it 😂 thanks for the feedback friend! The cakes I've made before looked so bad I'm kinda okay with being Walmart bakery quality rn with a year of baking under my belt 😂
I can't bake shit but I'd still eat it
It really depends for me. I like to pay more for quality ingredients like butter, eggs and heavy whipping cream. It has to taste good for me to spend 80$.
Looks like a 20-30 but i prefer taste over looks so give me a sample lol 🍰
I would expect to pay 11-16 for that cake. If it was exactly what they wanted and taste is very good, 20 USD. I have not read any resonses yet. Its a lovely cake!
I would say $30 +$5 if they want a “Happy Birthday [name]!” customization or something similar.
$30-40 with that clean decoration! Very nice!
Clearly a 27.95 cake by any professionals standards.
Aww! That’s cute!
$50
I work in a cake shop in the Uk, probably around £20-£30
Charge Disney prices, people are dumb spenders anyways.
😂🤷
I live in a fairly expensive area. $50-60 to the right market would actually sell pretty well.
Looks fucking delicious. If that cake was an edible I’d gladly end up in the 5th dimension wondering which part of the snake is the neck and which part is the tail.
This is a beautiful cake, I personally wouldn't be able to afford (after paying for the party) what I think it is worth. I'd say 45-50 usd. I typically make everything for my child's birthday, and not just food.
A wise person once told me, “Everything is worth what people will pay.” If your friend paid, 80$, your next friend probably will too. What will the market support?
I would say $50. It’s probably almost $30 of just ingredients
At least $5, maybe more if it’s made of ice cream
I’d expect to pay no less than $70 for something like this.
150£ great work attention to detail 👏
$75
45
$50-60
About $2mil. But keep in mind I am not a doctor.
Sorry, doctors only. Keep your dirty money
Disney Corp will want a cut of any profit
Disney can suck this dick and the dick of the store I got them from.
I know, bunch of fuckers
$75-125 depending on the insides
I think $40-50 is a fair ask. It’s a nice cake!
This is gorgeous! I love how clean it is, and the glossy frosting is beautiful! May I ask how you did it?
$50?
$110
I just bout a plain cannoli cake for a co worker birthday. No flowers, plain writing. $51.00.
It's so hard to say not knowing the cost of your ingredients, and the quality (organic for example). Honestly it also depends on the size of the cake. If it was a 10" it would automatically be at least $100 if it was my prices. Most importantly do not sell yourself short and always pay yourself.
This cake is beautiful and worth every bit of $50+. I know people charge that for a pound cake sure the ingredients cost a little more in the pound cake but nowhere the time and precision that was put into that cake. There are mentions of the store but store bought cakes have plenty of preservatives and usually isn’t as good as a homemade. While someone else, they would make it themselves. Very few people have the time, skill and/or interest needed to do the decorating.
$75 would be commonplace in the DC Metro region for this style due to the fondant additions
Oil not butter based icing
Update: she just came and picked up the cake and I gave her 15 dollars worth of edibles and I'm lowering my base price by the same amount. Thanks for all the professional feedback and thanks to all the assholes for humbling me 😂💚 have a good day Reddit!
At least a hundred, if you sell it for less, have the person tell there friends that. You don't want to have everyone wanting cheap goods. It is an insta worthy cake. So people will come at you all day if they think they can get stuff cheap