To ask how much you would expect to pay for this cake?

[Badger84]

So I've started up a cake business and I'm struggling with pricing. There is quite a lot of competition in my area so want to price competitively but also want to make a profit! Some of the people I've quoted have been fine with my prices, others have scoffed and said far too expensive. I've attached a picture. Can you tell me how much you would expect to pay? I won't tell you how much I would charge to influence you

£25

Aren't you tackling this from the wrong end though?

How much did the cake cost to make? Factoring in materials, ingredients, petrol costs, electricity.

And how long did it take?

You make be actually making a loss- or working for a pittance.

As much as you enjoy making these cakes is it worthwhile from a financial perspective?

Turnover is vanity if you are making no profit.

I had a cake business and charged £35 for 6", £45 for an 8", £60 for a 10". This was for very plain, iced and with ribbon and a simple message. It's a fairy simple cake so I would have charged £50 for an 8". I didn't really do 9" cakes - it's a strange request.

However, you need to work it out properly yourself. No one can tell you what to charge - we don't know your costs. My business was really just a hobby, I didnt do it to make a living. I didn't make a lot of money from it at all, so my prices would be too low for you if you want to take a proper wage from it.

I used to think people where mad paying so much for cakes, until I made a birthday cake from scratch with all the homemade buttercream, icing and decorations. Can honestly say Wallpapering with glitter is easier! and when I added up all the ingredients it was expensive.

Beautiful cake. It's almost a shame supermarkets offer ready made birthday cakes for under £10 because without the supermarket cakes, more people wd choose yours! I wd expect to pay £35 - £45 for this cake from our local cake shop (not London or south). But although that seems expensive compared to supermarket cakes, I'm aware your ingredients, cake board and delivery box all cost you money. The cake will take at least two hours work - I would spend about 4 or 5 hours making the cake in the picture. If you also factor in your advertising costs, your hourly rate of pay will be tiny

I would say £50 too.

But as others have said people expect to pay supermarket prices for cakes so anything over about £15 seems too much.

Did you actually make this cake or copy the picture as something like what you make?

So if the op were to charge £45 and it took her 4 hours then she could be working for £4 or even less?

I don't bake so have no idea about icing or ingredient costs- but I know I wouldn't work for that kind of money. I am self employed too.

£50

That would cost £50 from the lady who has just done my dd birthday cake.

I can't understand how you're making a proper profit to cover your time if you're charging £40.

This is the reason I don't bake for money-people don't understand the cost of ingredients plus cake boxes, ribbons etc or the time and skill to make a cake look that neat.

£3.73

For a cake that size and the decoration, I'd say between £30 to £40 around here.
People tend not to take into account costs, time and expertise and think they can get one for under a tenner like they can down Tesco or Asda or wherever!

Molly I had to buy a supermarket cake recently as I wasn't able to make one at the time. I was shit and certainly not worth a £10. Have a lot of respect for those that make them I certainly couldn't do other than for my own kids birthdays

Depends on if the cake maker has bothered to get the copyright for using Disney or other characters they created.

Try this it will help!

Oh god honestly Disney copyright? For one cake?

Whether supermarket or home baked it's still a huge mouthful of sugar and fat.

£50 for that in Manchester.
Looks fab btw. I make cakes for friends and family birthdays, got a shopkins one to do this week, I give them as their presents.

If I wanted a cheap (and cheap tasting) cake then I'd buy one from a supermarket.

This cake however will probably taste 10x as good as a supermarket cake.

£30 is my guess, assuming it's sponge not fruit.

But I'm not an experienced cake commissioner/buyer....

Ha got visions of a Disney lawyer busting in mid pass the parcel .....

£40

Thankyou to all those that have contributed and to all those with the ridiculous comments - oh dear!!!

chelazla actually PMSL!!

Mindtrope, i'd hope so, or else they'd be better off getting a potato and sticking a candle in it. Mmmm birthday potato.