An Insider Report: How To Decode Wedding Cake Prices
Why do wedding cakes cost so much? They're made out of flour, not gold. Do you suspect you're being gouged? Here is the quick and dirty on wedding cake prices.
First off, know the lingo. Wedding cake prices are calculated by serving. Most cakes are priced from $1.50-$6.00 per serving. Do the math before you fall in love and avoid sticker shock.
Here's what goes into a wedding cake, and how it affects the cost.
Yes, Virginia, Size Matters
The bigger the cake, the higher the price. We're not talking just diameter here. Six tiers of sugary perfection are great. But you better be willing to pay extra for it.A three-tiered cake is standard. Anything more involves more work for the baker: baking, frosting, assembling. Keeping a tall cake upright is a trick, and the baker will pass that price on to you.
Now you know why sheet cakes are so cheap. If your budget is tight, buy a small wedding cake. Make up the difference with sheet cakes.
What's In The Mix
The most basic building block in cake-ology is the cake itself. And the type of wedding cake you choose can drastically affect its price.The most basic cake is a twist on a sponge cake — often a genoise. Think flavors like chocolate, vanilla ... or even banana or carrot. They're safe, crowd-pleasers, and the least expensive.
Cheesecakes are at the other end of the spectrum (in price, not flavor). They're absolutely decadent — and time-intensive to make. You'll be lucky to find a cheesecake at $6 a serving. Most of them are quite a bit more.
It's impossible to name every type of wedding cake out there. We haven't even touched pound cake, whose price is somewhere between a sponge and cheesecake.
But here's a rule of thumb: The more time-intensive a cake is to make, the steeper the price.
And here's a rule for the other thumb: The more "stuff" in your cake (liquers, fruit, nuts), the higher the price.
Beauty That's Precisely Skin Deep
Ah, icing. You either love it or you hate it. Your choice of frosting will have to reflect your personal tastes, and your budget.Pro: It tastes great. It's easy to use. That makes it inexpensive.
Con: It's harder to get that perfectly smooth look so popular these days, and it doesn't do well in the heat.
CREAM CHEESE. This is the traditional frosting for a carrot cake.
Pro: The price is about the same as Buttercream. It tastes great.
Con: You can't have intricate designs. But if you use live flowers on your cake that doesn't matter.
FONDANT. Think of this as sugar playdough. It's used in ultra-hip wedding cakes.
Pro: A good cake designer can do almost anything with it. It pleats. It folds. It does everything but cut the cake for you.
Con: It's expensive. And the least tasty of the frostings.
It's Hip to be Square
Square cakes are very cool, but they'll cost you.A square cake requires special pans (this you knew). They're also harder to frost. The edges have to be built up, and look even. And as you know by now, more work means more money.
So there you have it. The basic parts of your wedding cake, and how they affect the price. What you spend on your cake is a personal decision. Armed with this information, sally forth into the wedding cake world and get the most for your money.
It's your day. You deserve it.
Any tiered cake is a lot of work. Even a regular, non-tired birthday cake starts at $75 from me. It is just not worth the time to go shopping for special ingredients, rent any special pans you may not have in your vast collection, and then bake, decorate, clean up for pennies. I ensure that I’m making at least $25/hour on my labour (after the cost of my materials). Don’t forget about the time it takes to meet with clients and to deliever and set up their cake at the venue and include that in your quote. So, a 3 tiered cake in a 6″, 8″, 10″ rounds covered in white fondant and then with fondant roses decorating it, for example, would take me the better part of 2 days when I include the shopping, the time spent before hand with the client, the prep, etc etc etc. If each of those days I work 5 hours (ie, baking day 1, mixing up icings, making the roses and day 2 assembling and decorating and delivering)then I’m at $250 on labour plus the cost of ingredients, dowel rods, cake boards, ribbons – usually comes to around $90 on a cake that size for me, means that at minimum I can charge $340. However, it is important to over estimate a bit on your hours, because things can and do go wrong and a 10 hour cake can easily become a 12 hour cake. Hope this info helps. More pricing examples on my website.
Hi, I need a cake in October 2010 for a wedding on the Eastern Shore of the Cheasapeake Bay (MD…1.5 hrs from Balt or Wash DC). Does anyone know of a baker with good recommendations in that area?
Brides, please keep in mind that bakers spend many many hours creating the cake of your dreams. So although the ingredients may not be that expensive, the time is. Would you want to only be paid $2 an hour for your work? Neither does the baker. Also, they have spent many years and a lot of money on training, clinics, classes, etc.
Sure there are some bakers that might try to gouge you, that’s why you shop around.
Hi, My son and soon to be D-I-L are doing a destination wedding in the Florida keys. They are working with a wedding planner who has told them that their wedding cake will be $600 dollars. There will only be 20 guests at the wedding but she says the smallest cake she can get feeds 80 people. What do you think? How does a person find a reasonable priced cake when you don’t live there and are relying on the wedding planner. I think the guests could just order dessert at the restaurant where the reception a lot cheaper but D-I-L has her heart set on a wedding cake.
Help!
I cannot imagine there is really no place that can create a smaller wedding cake. Go online and contact some bakeries. Contact Key West Cakes, Cake Walk, Cakes by Karol, Cakes by Joey and Paulie. You can find all of these on the internet. As far as I know, every cake shop will make a smaller cake, and they charge by serving size. Remember a serving is 1″ x 2″ and if your daughter-in-law wants a traditional tiered wedding cake she will be paying for the servings. She might also ask them to do a dummy cake for one of the tiers..it won’t be free but it may be less expensive.
have fun shopping. I think the places I mentioned should have websites. Just call around. You’ll be able to find something. And just tell the wedding planner that is ridiculous and you’ll get your own cake…
Maybe she has an agreement with the bakery????
Diane,
(She must be getting a kick back from all the vendors she works with 
)
I have forwarded on the names of the bakers to son and D-I-L, appreciate your suggestions! Now if we can just figure out what to do about quote for the ,almost $1000, for hair/makeup WP gave them!!!
I think you may be correct about the vendors. They need to give the planner the amount they want to spend, low ball the amout majorly, and tell her if she can’t plan the wedding within their budget, to let them know now so they can find someone that will be happy to work with them. A professional wedding planner should know how to save the bride money. Including a dummy cake for display with only one edible layer for a small party. How many people are getting hair and make-up for $1000? If its less than 10 she is being taken advantage of.
The kids pushed back and the WP has found someone to do the hair for less with no makeup. I say, they are all young and beautiful, why do they need makeup! I’ve decided to take the advice I read on another post,wear beige and shut up
There is a lovely mom/daughter team located in Central Florida that do an incredible job on hair (not sure about makeup) and have been featured in local wedding mags. They are amazing and called Graceful Strands. I am pretty sure they have a website. I can’t imagine it would cost $1000 unless you are paying for travel costs/hotel?? Check them out. And I agree that you are probably at a disadvantage by being out of town and relying on a wedding planner who sounds like she is taking advantage of you.
craigslist.org! find a home baker
what most people forget,,If you are ordering a cake from an established bakery or pastesserie you will be getting a cake from a place that is monitored by the health department and are under strict guidelines from government agencies,meaning they are licensed and legite verses people who trust someone making it out of there home..most banquets halls would require you provide insurance policies and copies of licenses they do not want to be responsible for guests getting sick….
I have such a hard time charging for my cakes, I do fondant cakes, every decoration,figurine is handcrafted,(fondant or gumpaste) I add a lots of details, every single person that I made a cake is very satisfied, but when is time to pay they think I’m taking avantage, when usually I don’t even cover the cost of the material, I have a passion for this, but I can’t help feeling desapointed when people take avantage.
Have you thought of making up contracts with the price all layed out. Also, a deposit that more than covers your supplies. People are seriously out of their minds these days. I just had a woman call and curse me out because she didn’t like the price I quoted her for specialty cupcakes. Not only did she leave it till 5 days before her event before asking for a quote, but she expected me to do them at cost. Each cupcake was to be a gerber daisy, she wanted 3 different colors and two different flavors.
This is the very reason I have decided to go ahead and get out of the cake business. For starters, it’s an EXTREMELY messy business and takes HOURS to clean up after you’re done making the cake. Plus, it’s a ton of working hours and sometimes backbreaking work with rolling out fondant, making figurines, etc.
Then comes the biggest blow of all… They think you’re charging way to much when you quote them 550.00 for a basic wedding cake even before you’ve added on the bells and whistles. What an insult is all I can say. Most people are wilfully ignorant when it comes to a custom cake. I have finally become exhausted from all the brides that want something for nothing.
Then the newest thing is to complain even if the cake is perfect and then demand some if not all of their money back. I never had that problem in the beginning of my cake career until shows like Bridezilla came out, giving brides the go ahead to be total BI%&^ES..
It’s just became too much for me. Too much drama and waaay too much stress for VERY little pay! I suggest you do something else unless you have built up a nice clientel and are happy with that.
Good luck and good riddance to the ridiculous and unfair business of cakes (in my opinion).
Hey, I just put down a deposit on a cake and then after signing it saw a price sheet at the cake place that had cake flats for $40 dollars less then what I was charged and circular cakes were about $45 less than I was charged. I asked the baker and she said those prices have changed. After seeing her other price list I feel like she misrepresented the prices to me. Do they have an obligation to charge everyone the same price or can they price gouge? What should I do now. Stuck with a cake for twice the price in WI.
Most cakes are worked out on servinf size, level of decoration, type of descoration, how many flavours, what type of flavours, portions type (coffee/desert), and delivery. so every cake is different a ‘price sheet’ is usually just to give clients a basic idea of starting prices. i wouls think that the above factors have been added on to the basic cake price resulting in the price difference. if you are unhappy you could cancel? but i would think that your deposit loss would be higher than the price difference in the first place. i would quesiton them more thoroughly though and ask to speak to the owner/manager as if they have just tried to ‘upprice’ there design for you to make more money they may back down quickly, you couls also get someone else to get another quote for them for basically the same thing to compare :-)
When ordering a wedding cake, you are asking for a specific shape, design, flavors,etc. You are expecting the bakery to provide a cake that is moist, delicious, and beautiful. You are also asking the baker to take on alot of responsibility in creating the cake you desire, delivered and set up without problems i.e. the cake falling over, the baker not getting injured or sick begore the wedding, or crashing the delivery vehicle with your cake inside. You’re not buying an 8″ round birthday cake, but an elaborately decorated cake. (Remember, even if the design looks simple that doesn’t mean that it is not very labor intensive.) There are extensive hours in decorating and baking the cakes. Don’t think of it as baking a box cake in your own kitchen. There’s alot more involved in creating a wedding cake than meets the eye. I have made wedding cakes for 27 years and I know all of the things that can happen, and all the work that they involve. Most people try to ask a fair price for both the customer and themselves. If you truly feel that you are being taken advantage of, call around and price cakes in your area. But make sure that you are getting the same cake, and by that I mean make sure other’s cake will taste as good and look as good as what you have chosen. Not everyone can produce a delicious and beautiful cake. Quality of ingredients truly does matter. I would imagine what you saw was a price list of birthday cakes or cakes that are not for such an important event. The wedding cake is the centerpiece of your reception and should reflect your taste and style. To achieve this, your baker has alot of hard work ahead of him or her.
I am really struggling with this. I cannot find a bakery in the area where I am getting married that will do a cake for less than $8 a slice. This seems outrageous to me. I just want a simple vanilla cake…don’t care what kind of icing with a seashell motif. I am pretty easy as far as what i am looking for..just want a reasonable price. Any suggestions?
what area of the country do you live in? And how big an event are you hosting? diane@sugarcelebration.com
Yes, there are people where you live or close by that someone will know who can make cakes that will look as good as bakery made cakes. The key is how soon you need the cake and whether or not they are available, how you want the cake to look, and whether they have the materials. You may have to be a little flexible in your choice. Always ask for references, ask for the price up front, ask to see pictures of other cakes they have made. Usually if someone you know refers them, they would be fine.
Where do you live? I am a cake decorator in southern california and I will do it less than 8 dollars a serving. Hit me up for pictures and pricing.
hello my name is Nancy-Jo and I am just starting to make my cakes and I don’t know how to price my cakes I have about 10 cakes to make in the next 6 months, I need help I don’t want to all of them for free but I dont know how to charge, I have 3 wedding cakes to do and they are all 4 teirs high, can you please help me out by telling me…. thanks for your help. my email is … nancyjowilliams1@gmail.com. I am from Kentucky.
No less than $4/serving. Tiered cakes can range from $4 – $15/serving depending on how crazy they get. My cost as at at-home cake decorator is $1/serving. That is just my out of pocket expense – that does not include all my hours of labour. What is your per-hour salary rate? Try to price a cake so that you are going to make your per-hour rate. And, remember, cakes always take more time than we estimate!!
I need a traditional English wedding cake, which is usually made with a fruit cake and decorated with marzipan and fondant icing. Does anyone know of a place where they make them in Florida?Thanks.
rose, i couldnt find a link for one but here is the recipe. maybe you can find someone who will make it for you, even a bakery willing to. good luck!!
* Recipe for traditional English wedding cake?
Hi Rose,
I specialise in traditional English Fruit Cakes. I usually sell them during Christmas and the Easter. This is the first time I see someone asking for a Fruit Cake as the wedding cake. It would be great if we can get in touch. I am in Palm Harbor, Florida.
We have a wedding in August 2011 and we ordered the cake but need a single layer traditional fruit cake to insert. Thge wedding is in Orlando at the Gaylord. Can you help or give me a suggestion.
Thanks
Lynda,
Are you looking for a recipe?
Not everyone charges more for square cakes. Some decorators prefer them over round!
There is a really good article on how to price your cakes here:
where is a site for pricing of the cakes? thanks!
I did not see the website for the pricing of cakes when first starting out…can you post it or send it to me please?
hi,
your site is very helpful, thank you for the information. i wanted to know how long i can keep a carrot cake, because i’m planning on making one for my sisters wedding.
Hi i have just found this site and think its great.I went to a local cake decoratin class for about a year.It was only one night a week but i found a had a flair for cake decorating and i love it. I was wondering if anyone could help me ?Do u have to have some form of qualification in cake decorating to start your own buisness ? I make cakes for family and friends and they keep telling me to start a buisness but i dont know if i can ?
No. The next time you’re asked to make a cake for an event like a wedding or party, tell them, “Yes! I do have time for that and I charge $X per serving.” Or whatever you determine is a good and fair price for your skill. It’s hard to do at first (I know. I’m still at the beginning part.) but if they want it, they will pay. If not, then you have more free time. Make sure you calculate how much your recipes cost you in money AND time. Figure in the assembly and decorating time for different cake styles, and then decide prices accordingly.
A tip I learned from my first cake teacher: Limit your designs. She did cake decorating full-time when she taught me. When she began she had ONE cake design that she was confident in and that is all she would do. Start somewhere.
Best of luck!
thank you so much for your help x x
forgot to add i am in australia not sure if that makes a difference (as in AUS dollars not US dollars)