cost for wedding cake

[RSteve]

I do not consider myself a skilled baker. As with most experienced caterers, I can, with good staff, prepare desserts that hopefully are appropriate and tastey. On occasion, I have consented to assembling a wedding cake. You'll note the word..."assembling."

As I've posted elsewhere, I've been retired for eight years, although occasionally, for a special occasion or friend, I will go back into the kitchen. Several months ago, I was approached by a close friend/clergyman and asked if I would cater a buffet luncheon for a young couple whom he was marrying. Both are college students and the wedding was without parents' financial help. Several individuals in the community were providing the means to purchase supplies and volunteering to assist in set-up and service. My capacity was as a volunteer, as well.

As we reviewed the menu, my friend the "preacher" asked if I'd make a wedding cake. I explained that I would be happy to bake the layers, lay down the scrub/base coat of frosting, but that my decorating skills were rudimentary. He said, "Don't worry, I'm sure I can find someone with decorating skills." Long story...SHORT. The church has a multi-level faux silver structure that holds four graduated cake layers on glass platters. I baked four rounds using your basic Duncan Hines mixes with added instant pudding mixes, additional eggs, a mixture of two viscosity oils, almond extract and a water/milk/cream blend. I slightly overmixed, so the cake would slice easily and hold its body. I secured several pounds of white butter and made a simple buttercream frosting. (I did cheat a bit with some palm kernel oil, so the frosting would hold up without a stabilizer.) My volunteer cake decorator, as I expected, was imaginary. I frosted the cake, piped on some white lacing, added some fresh flowers to the metal standard, and stuck a remnant bride and groom from a previous wedding atop it. I'd estimate that the cake's ingredients cost less than $100.00. It was made on the premises, so there was no transportation cost.

I thought that it looked and tasted very good; simple, tasteful and tastey.
Several guests asked which bakery had made the "delicious" cake. I gave them a ficticious name. I don't like baking these things and had no intention of fielding requests for wedding cakes.

The long and short. In a pinch, you can produce a very acceptable wedding cake for a modest wedding at a very reasonable cost to you and your clients.

If you're talking fondant and custom precision decorating; that's an entirely different arena.

[jonesg]

I had a freind get a quote for his wedding cake , it was $1000.

So I did it for $175 and made some profit.
It was 125 pp and I costed it out to around $60.

$1000 for wedding cakes can be a great scam but some are worth it.
Many aren't, just my opinion.
Not that I am one to judge,

I did a $1200 wedding cake that cost me $40 and took 6 hrs total time from raw ingredients to out the door.
What they were paying for is what can't be bottled, skill.

[chefjune]

but Gerard, that is the whole point. SKILL!

[RSteve]

Originally Posted by chefjune

but Gerard, that is the whole point. SKILL!

, Without a doubt!

[chubyalaskagriz]

...though I certainly don't intend to- so any necessary apologies are offered ahead of time.

It seems the person requiring the cake is extra concerned with budget- which I understand. Anyone with so many reservations- but who also has 8 years of kitchen experience, MAY just want to venture an attempt to make his own cake. Afterall, if you were to plan a very basic cake using a simple recipe and very little, if any, piped work- maybe go to a florist and arrange fresh flowers to decorate the tiers... a decadent cake hired done by a pastry chef/cake designer is well worth the price, BUT comes at an extravegant cost. A cake such as this can easily be replaced with a far easier/cheaper one made by yourself- or even a Mom, Auntie or Gramma with some kitchen skills. And perhaps it may even have more sentimental value than a fancy, pricey one. But, only YOU can decide this.

[cakegrl]

Originally Posted by damack

i understand that it is a lot of work im just not sure if i can bring my self to pay 1000 for a cake. like some one said about the cupcakes, if im going to do a cake i want to do it right, i would rather have no cake then cupcakes i think they look very tacky. i am going to call a few caters that i have worked for in the past and one of them is good with pastries. so well see if she will cut me a deal. i got a good deal on food. so im hopping to find it here too.

Then don't.

Have a sit down with your bride to be and figure out what your priorities are for cake, discuss a realistic budget and then search for a cake that fits in it. There are options out there if cake is not that important to you, but the price is affected by a lot more than just the flour and sugar, you're paying for experience, talent, and quality. And just like it was mentioned "you get what you pay for".

I know I haven't been here for ages, but it's funny I just got done blogging about this and your comment about the bakeries wanting to get in on the money made me reply. I for one, as in independent cake artist, have already learned this is not the business to be in if I were in it for the money.

Good luck with your friend who is making the cake, I'm sure it will be delicious but I'm also sure she's gifting much of her time at whatever rate you're paying her. Oh and for another reference point - a plain buttercream white cake from me is $6.00 per and the area bakeries near me are about 3.50 - 4.00 per. In the boonies, in the middle of New York state (not NYC).

[QOS]

I agree with CakeScraps. I do wedding cakes...got a 4 tiered one sitting on the counter waiting to be finished right now. Cake is the CHEAPEST thing just about that a bride orders....the photography is out the kazoo....the sit-down dinner or even just finger foods cost a poop load. The flowers, the decorating, the DJ or band...the list goes on and on. Most of my brides tell me the cheapest thing is the cake and I am not cheap! Most of my weddings average $990 so I have done them for as little as $300 and a little over $2000.

I have a fortune invested in cake tools...impression rolling pins, gum paste cutters that cost a bazillion $$$, support systems so that my cakes doen't lean or fall over, 20 qt. Hobart wasn't cheap....and my ingredients aren't cheap either. I make my own white chocolate fondant and my buttercream is just that BUTTER. I also take classes as often as I can and from the top cream of the crop teachers in the world. That isn't cheap either.

What people have to remember is that when you buy a wedding cake you are essentially buying DESSERT for all of your guests. Make it one that tastes good and looks good. I spend hours baking and decorating my cakes so that they are a work of art for my brides.

You do get what you pay for.

I just had a bride not pay even though she had signed a contract. Her mother paid for her cousin to take the Wilton course and the cousin was going to make the cake. I was not amused. This is June...I turned down 3 other cakes because I had a cake for this darling bride. I would have gave a pretty penny to see that cake. You get what you pay for.

[chubyalaskagriz]

Ms. Martha Stewart, is well-known for her cakes and there's probably no one who was ever in higher demand when she was still catering. But if you look at the pics of her many cakes- compared to those created by those w/ a far different style- her's were very "flawwed" and possessed a very raw "natural beauty". I am not knocking her style at all, in fact, I prefer her style. But her cakes, though to me were stunningly lovely- were not the polished, flawless, morsels of sculpted perfection that many are.

I tell folks- if you can frost ONE child's birthday cake- then you can frost 5 larger cakes. One can even leave the pipe-work completely off and spend some time at a flower shop and voila- a very handsome, indeed, beautiful cake can be had. And if done correctly, it can be done at nearly no cost at all. Fancy high-priced pastry-chefs work hard at their craft and are true artists- and they are worth every penny- but one need not spend a thousand bucks to have a beautiful, delicious cake. In my view, there's nothing lovlier than simplicity- that's just me, though.

[chefpeon]

I tell folks- if you can frost ONE child's birthday cake- then you can frost 5 larger cakes. One can even leave the pipe-work completely off and spend some time at a flower shop and voila- a very handsome, indeed, beautiful cake can be had. And if done correctly, it can be done at nearly no cost at all. Fancy high-priced pastry-chefs work hard at their craft and are true artists- and they are worth every penny- but one need not spend a thousand bucks to have a beautiful, delicious cake. In my view, there's nothing lovlier than simplicity- that's just me, though.

I agree with what you're saying.....if a person wants to make a wedding cake themselves to save money, that is certainly their prerogative.

I think what we pastry chef/cake artists are saying though, is that we REALLY don't want to have people come into our shops and try to negotiate prices with us by saying, "my grandma can do it cheaper" or " X cake shop down the street isn't so expensive." Fine, then go there. I'm not in business to negotiate. I have to charge what I charge just to cover my expenses and make enough profit so I can pay my own bills, just like everyone else.

On another note, do you know how many times I've been called up by people who are panicked and have realized at the last minute they are over their heads when their wedding cakes start falling apart on them? They want me to fix it. Depending on my workload and the time frame I have done that on occasion, only to be deeply offended when these same people balk at the fact that I charge them for the fix. To that, I say, WTF? I bailed you out, rearranged my workload although I didn't have to, and you expect this for FREE? As the years have passed, I'm not nearly so nice anymore. This might help explain why we feel the need to defend ourselves, our businesses and our skills.

[chubyalaskagriz]

I think we're in agreement, chefpeon... I certainly appreciate your every point. Every one of us are in business one way or another, and have to charge accordingly to cover our costs. But we dang sure don't tell folks "I'm charging you $600.00 for this cake that has $40.00 worth of materials in it because my electric bill was outrageous last month and I'm behind on my rent". The last thing we need customers to do is feel like they need to check a chef's credit report before contracting them to create a cake, to perceive that they're getting a fair price. One must cover costs, for sure, but the value and fee need to balance properly. Some pastry chefs or even housewives who make nice cakes in a home-basement kitchen, have over-the-top talent and are extemely reputable, have tons of experience, can guarantee an incredible product... and if they are well-known they can charge a huge minimum and get away with it. But we must keep it in perspective- just because Tom Cruise or Nicole Kidman get 50 Mil a picture now doesn't mean they could demand that 20 years ago when they were extras in films.

I too have been called-in at the 11th hour to clean up cake messes and catering/cooking messes in general. And it's always a pain- but it's part of the gig. heck, plumbers, mechanics and ditch-diggers deal with the same thing. My biggest pet peeve in the world is cheap, something-for-nothing people. I'll do anything for any customer- but nothing is free- ever. Loved ones? That's a different story. But customers? Nope!

[1dessertdiva]

As a veteran Caterer, Restaurant owner and Pastry Chef, I have Catered Weddings where the cake actually cost more than the entire event I produced (food,staff etc..) and to my disbelief and horror, I have been in charge of cake cutting where the cake was not only disgusting in flavor but incredibly dry and crumbly, falling apart at first cut, I had to magically morph the crumbles into something that resembles a slice of cake. Hence the calling for me to got to the Culinary Institute to take the P&B program, now I recently attended a Wedding (Friend) at which I made the cake and watched in horror as the Caterer massacred my creation to the point each slice was a microscopic piece because no one informed the "cake cutter" of the additional sheet cakes in the kitchen, when I left there were 2 full cakes sitting on the table. I think when everything is said and done, the ultimate question is: how important is the cake in the equation? It differs with every couple, I just recently did a Wedding cake for a couple that chose not to have food so they could go for the WOW factor with the cake being the focal point and yet another Bride is having me hand sculpt cats for her cake ( they will be painted to look like her own). I have several huge Caters this summer where I am doing all the food as well as the cake and others where I am doing the food with a Dessert bar and or fondue. So the bottom line is..... the cake is as important as the client makes it out to be. However there are times when things go wrong (as they sometimes will) when no amount of money can eliminate or compensate for the STRESS!!!!!
So all you Cake Designers, sculptors and artists pat yourselves on the back for a job well done, I sympathize!
Joan

[QOS]

I agree with Joan. There is a ton of stress involved in making a wedding cake. Most people with some cake experience can make a wonderfully decorated single tier cake....the stress comes in from stacking and transporting those little darling to the site which can be through potholed roads (yeah...that is great for cake) crazy drivers, uneven paths to get to the site, stairs, steps, junk in the way, etc, and the always fun one...dealing with other vendors.

I delivered a 5 tier wedding cake in 3 cakes. The bottom two and the top two were already stacked and had their borders. The Groom's cake needed its sugared fruit done. Caterer lady was NOT there and she was also doing the table clothes. I was on time because I still had to make bead borders and dust them. I had to wait 45 minutes for this chick to get there. No apology - "so sorry if I caused you problems". Thank God I had a cake buddy with me. I left 10 minutes before the bride was due. That burnt me up. I do not EVER want to do business with a bride that uses that caterer if she is also decorating. I don't need the stress.

[chubyalaskagriz]

Golly-Moses, folks- as we whine and complain about our misadventures, we really need to remember where we are. This is a forum of many other talented professionals who do the exact same thing we do- our peers, who deal with the same craziness and stress day-in and day-out. I identify with your stories... but, this all goes with the territory and is par for the course. Novices and the general public who think we are magicians- who simply have no clue about our skills and our work are impressed by our heoric tales, but we are not amateurs- we have and frequently do see it all. I won't listen to my auto-mechanic whine to me about the woes of putting new brakes on my truck when he charges me $600.00 for the job and I know darn well I coulda bought the materials for $80.00 and done it myself. And if my brain surgeon had such serious stress issues while he had people's skulls opened-up, I'd likely prefer a surgeon w/ slightly better coping mechanisms for my own surgery. The craziest stress in the world is more than reciprocated by the phenomenal rates I (and most) can and do charge for our fantastic cakes. Save the drama for the books you write that are intended to impress the general public- crying here with this group don't cut it. Pul-lease!

[izbnso]

In my opinion, the reason why people cringe at the expense of the cake as opposed to the other food, the site rental, and the photographer is… it is a single item that once eaten is gone. They see it as a big ticket item that won’t be there in an hour. Photographers leave them with pictures, the caterer feeds the masses and they have rent or a mortgage to pay themselves so they understand site rental.

They don’t consider that if they have 150 guests, it would cost them one dollar (plus tax) to buy each guest a hot apple pie from McDonalds, $150. Surely they would want something at least twice as tasty/valuable…$300, minimum. How many of you in smaller markets have had clients balk at $300 dollars for a wedding cake? I have. But everybody wants something ten times the worth of a “hot apple pie” but for the same price.

Now I see a bunch of folks here saying that they can buy materials for a wedding cake for well under a hundred dollars. I can’t imagine what kind of cake could be made for that, I’m not knocking cake mix and Crisco icing (okay, yes I am but only because I wouldn’t want to eat it) but please remember that for those of us who insist on real butter (not oil in a mix or Crisco in the icing), even wholesale butter hasn’t been under $2 a pound in years. Add to that gourmet fillings and washes and $40-60 will not yield a three tiered cake, maybe not even a two tiered cake. And that doesn’t include pastry bags, food coloring, and all the dish washing and the tedious task of cleaning tips and couplers. Thanks to Food Network, every body has seen gum paste flowers. They want them and fondant bows and other decorations that have to be made days and weeks in advance. Meaning a cake that has weeks of preparation involved as opposed to days.

Speaking of Martha Stewart, she “ain’t got nuthin on me”, not only do I cater and do wedding cakes, I’m a seamstress. The only gig I haven’t done at a wedding is photography and pronouncing the couple man and wife. I long ago gave up wedding gowns because some brides don’t realize that the reason the gown doesn’t look like they thought it would is because I’m a seamstress, not a plastic surgeon. If you think getting her cake perfect is stressful, try steering the five foot tall four foot wide bride to be away from a form fitting shiny white satin dress with out saying “But honey, you’ll look like the Michelin Man.”
No one balks at several hundred dollars over and above the cost of materials for a dress made from a McCall’s or Simplicity pattern (Vogue patterns are much more challenging and I always tack on a pain in the bum fee for those), that takes the same amount energy, or less, as a cake.

I have had one great success story in getting a bride to be to understand the cost. She wanted a three tiered cake: 14 inch on bottom with a 10 inch dummy and six inch on top. She wanted three tiers but it was a small wedding and didn’t need that much cake. Yellow cake, butter cream filling flavored with triple sec and orange zest with a triple sec wash, iced lavender (white chocolate icing) with white over piping and bead border on a display board that was flooded with lavender royal icing and decorated to match the cake: $375. It was what my market at the time would bear.

She almost died. Fortunately for me, she was a pottery artist. I think I calculated a minimum of ten pounds of butter being used (Never mind flour, sugar and eggs). I asked her how much she would charge for a piece that used ten pounds of clay worked over the course of three days, fired to perfection and painstakingly decorated. The answer was about what you could buy a good used car for, and clay cost 13 CENTS a pound. She had to acknowledge that $375 was an absolute bargain. In fact, she gifted me a piece of pottery as well as paying in full.

Some people can’t ever wrap their heads around paying a large sum of money for what they view to be a single dessert, even if it feeds two hundred people. They think it’s a gimmick, a rip off or them being suckered especially when they don’t understand what the process entails. Such is the nature of the beast.

[1dessertdiva]

Don't you get sick and tired of having to justify yourself? I know I do, I use McDonalds and Starbucks as my examples constantly (how sad is that) I am an award winning Le Cordon Bleu Chef and Cake Designer with 15 years experience in Catering and Restaurant ownership and yet I find myself explaining the cost of my trade. I know a lot of other Wedding professionals (Florists, photographers etc) that do not have to make the effort, they hand over the brochure and that is that. I guess it is the nature of the beast and I know I am about to be more abrupt about things (not rude) these are my prices, which are comparable with my professional peers and I wont be explaining anymore.