The subject of $ is always tricky when it comes to cakes. I started (like many other cakers) making cakes for my own family...then some extended family cakes which led into cakes for friends and so on. Charging is tricky b/c, really, how can you charge family & friends?
But then my cakes were being ordered by friends of friends...so I charge. I have to. We have 3 kids, a big ol mortgage on a not so big house, and we're both teachers...so you know we're not ever going to make HUGE salaries. But I never knew or know for that matter, what to charge. So I checked out websites, other local bakeries who do custom-cakes, and even talked to some ladies I know who are like me, working moms who love to create custom cakes.
I look at things with 2 different perspectives - what I do (even though I love it) can't just be bought at your local Fortinos or Costco. It takes a great deal of time, patience and skill (though some could argue that I have limited amounts of this). I have no formal training aside from a couple of courses from Michael's. I have oodles of cake decorating books, check out websites constantly, and have a small fortune in tools for the task. So I charge.
My husband's perspective (which I try to share b/c he is mostly supportive of me using so much of our family time for my cake passion) is that I don't charge enough. Do I consider our additional costs on groceries for supplies, our power bill, water bill, heating bill, wear & tear on our new oven or dishwasher, etc? Nope. I never really thought about it.
So I guess I can appreicate why a business that has a storefront (such as a local bakery) would have higher prices than I would...they need to cover a lot more costs than me. That being said - I need to make sure when I fill a cake order, that I'm definately paying for the cost of creating the cake (from ingredients to electricity needs) and a little bit for my artistry.
I hate coming up with prices...but I'm starting to understand that what I do is somewhat exclusive. That being said, I did a cake topper the other day which took limited supplies and a whole lot of time. I can see how that might work better for people who want a custom-cake without the cost of doing the whole cake, stacked, tiered & filled. So, if your special occasion is limited by a budget, perhaps a special "topper" for a cake that you buy at Fortinos or Walmart might just be the right answer. Message me and we can work it out.
Why I mentioned this topic tonight on my blog is because I was looking at a course that is being offered next year in Kitchener. It's by Rick from Cake Lava and they just had a very successful course this past month. It was very well attended by some great local cakers so I considered going to the next one...until I saw that it costs $825 for the 3-day course. The projects are TBA so if you don't like them and want to back out of the course, you lose your $100 deposit. Spots are limited and the first course sold out in 48 hrs. Gee whiz!!! I want to get better at caking, but honestly, I can't spend almost a grand on a course that I am not even sure will help me with any skills I currently need given my rate of cake orders.
So for now, I'll cake b/c I LOVE it and hopefully charge my clients a fee that is reasonable but also one that my husband is "ok" with. I can't please everyone, all of the time!!
Happy Caking,
C
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