How Much?

The dreaded question ... how much?


Customs Cakes or Customized cakes are mostly done with the best tool there is.... the HAND! From mixing the fondant, kneading it into a ball, then flattening it with a rolling pin. Modelling figures doesnt come out of a silicone molder, even if they did, the hand has a lot of work on it. Sugar arts are done with HANDS. 

At first I didn't know how to price a customized fondant cake. I searched the internet, I canvassed from local bakeries and cake shops and I did some calculations. I also have to know my market. Can they afford it? Will they appreciate it?In short, Is there a market for it?

One bakeshop price it way too much that customers think when they hear FONDANT, it's synonymous to EXPENSIVE.  

I do get the remark every time. 

I ask: "Would you prefer it in fondant?"

Customer: " NO, its EXPENSIVE."

I say: "This is better in fondant."

Customer: " Oh NO, I cannot afford it, its EXPENSIVE."

See, fondant, just a word itself, means expensive. BUT WHY IS IT EXPENSIVE? ( but for my cakes, still very affordable compared to the others, not short-listing myself or my skills, being a beginner, I think it is just the right price.) 

Let me tell you how much work and hours are put into each and every cake just to meet the clients preferences. And please take note that I study the design all on my own. I google everything I don't know. The internet is my school. The cake decorating bloggers my teachers and food bloggers my inspiration. Youtube is my sit-in class and facebook is my store. 

My client for this castle cake is my daughter. She insisted, demanded and coerce me to do this! Joke! I love my baby and I'll do anything for her. This cake took around 5 to 6 hours of work in decorating it. The vines were hand painted, my first time actually to really paint on fondant. Covering the tubes took a lot of work too, the castle cake wasn't all edible, I dread making the towers edible like the one I saw on Cake Boss. 

The Barbie Cake skirt were made of cut fondant flowers, attached one by one. Took me around 2 hrs just to cut and paste each flower onto the skirt.

This Jack Sparrow Pirate Cake took all of my powers. There is no tutorial of it on the web. I just had to approximate the head, the body and the extremities. I printed the face just exactly the size of the head I want, then cut out the eyes, mustache so I don't have to worry if I get the eyes right. Took me the whole day. I started to cut the head and torso around 3 in the morning before I go to sleep, covered in fondant the following day around 7am. Worked on it until 3pm. Total hours spent? 8 to 9 hours.

The cherry blossoms were done a day ahead to make the petals stay curved as they are. Did the covering of the cake and the branches in the night, the attaching the flowers around 2am before I dozed off then piped the yellow stamens before delivering the cake around 8:30 in the morning. Please take note that I do this all by myself. No helpers, no assistants. Its all me. I still have to do the cleaning up and washing the tools after delivering the cake. Me, myself and I. 

The keyboard took me half day just to cut per key, then pipe every letter, number and symbols on the keyboard.

Making figures like Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head made me pay extremely focused on details. Its one thing looking at pictures, and another thing looking at details. How long are their ears? How big are their noses? How to make Mr. Potato eyes angry? and How to make Mrs. Potato eyes smile?

Since it was my first time to do a Lightning McQueen Car Cake, I did this for 2 days and studied how to make it for 5 days. 

My first ever fondant 3D Spongbob Cake. It made my whole household turn in a frenzy. With all the trials and the errors, took me a day and a half to prepare it.

It is not just time. Its the thinking time. The stress of thinking and thinking. How will I do this? How will I achieve the design without stencils, cutters or molders or special tools?

It takes extra effort to put everything together. I make my own cake boards, cake box and deliver them personally and do the set up at the event. ME, MYSELF, and I. Again.

I just price my fondant cakes just about 20% higher than icing cakes. If it requires modelling figures and some extra decorations, I just add extra too. As I have said before, icing is limiting. 3D cakes are exciting.

So HOW MUCH?

One friend said, double the cost of ingredients, add up number of hours spent then add 20 to 30% profit....
hmmmmm..... maybe.... how about you?  how do you compute your selling price?