Why Are Custom Cakes 'So Expensive'?
I get asked all the time, "How much are your cakes?"
Me: "That's a really broad question! Each cake is so unique on size and design, it really just
depends on the cake."
"Ok, what about for that unicorn cake?"
Me: "$135"
"$135?! For a cake?! Wow.. that's a lot for a cake!"
Me: "Well, the unicorn cake takes 7 hours to make.....there's a lot of small details that take
longer than you may think."
Most people are shocked to learn how many hours goes into a custom cake.
And it's important to me that my customers understand how my pricing works.
So, in order to explain where all the time goes into a cake,
I timed myself from start to finish and recorded what I was doing in each step of the process.
I'm not getting rich off of making cakes. But the truth is,
I love what I do and cake decorating has been a great way to channel my creativity.
I think I have fair rates and I want you to feel the same way too!
The First 3 Hours of Every Cake Starts Here:
1. Prep Time: 30 minutes
In this step, I'm greasing my cake rounds and cutting parchment paper to line them with, I'm also measuring out ingredients for the cake and sifting flour. Once everything has been blended together, I measure and weigh out the batter into the prepared pans and place in oven.
2. Baking Time: 15 minutes
For this step, I'm only including 15 minutes here even though cakes bake longer than 15 minutes. The 15 minutes accounts for the cleaning and dishes that I'm doing in this time. I DO NOT charge for baking time. I'm always cleaning as I go! So I'm washing the utensils and bowls I used from step 1.
3. Buttercream: 25-35 minutes
More often than not, the cake is still baking at this point so I start making the buttercream. American
buttercream takes less time that Swiss merengue or Italian but requires all the powdered sugar to be sifted. Usually, this is 8 cups or more that needs to be sifted which is a pain in the butt, but it needs to be done! Swiss Merengue and Italian buttercream require using a stove top and the use of a double-boiler which takes additional time.
4. Cake Cooling: 15-20 minutes
At this point, the cake is finished baking and is cooling on racks. If the buttercream isn't done yet, I'm finishing it up. Sometimes I need to color my buttercream with food coloring so I'll do this now. Once all that is done, I'm washing dishes again, typically the cake pans and buttercream bowls and spatulas.
5. Stacking Cake Rounds: 20 minutes
The cake is cooled and ready to get some buttercream and/or fillings between each layer. This involves cutting and leveling the cake rounds with a serrated knife, filling a piping bag with buttercream and applying the buttercream to each layer. All my cakes are usually 3-4 layers thick. Any filings like custard, Bavarian cream, marshmallow fluff, and toppings, add on another 10 minutes of time.
6. Freezer: 10-15 minutes
This is such an important step to chill the cake in the freezer to get the buttercream firm and strong. Otherwise, what's called a cake 'avalanche' can happen where the weight of the cake layers forces the buttercream to ooze out the sides of the cake, creating the cake to fall, or 'avalanche'. When the buttercream is cold, it's very firm and it's much easier to apply the crumb coat after this step. Again, more cleaning, while I'm waiting for the cake to chill.
7. Crumb Coat: 10 minutes
Another really important step. After I pull the cake out from the freezer, I apply a thin coat of buttercream to the entire cake to seal in the crumbs. This step ensures a smooth finish with no cake crumbs showing in the final coat of frosting.
8. More Freezer time: 10 minutes
For the second time, the cake goes back into the freezer to harden the buttercream and seal in the crumbs. Another very important step in the process. And, if you can believe it, I'm doing more cleaning during this time!
9. Final Coat of Buttercream: 15-30 minutes
This is the last step I take before I can start decorating the cake and I like to take my time here to make sure I achieve the smoothest and cleanest look possible. If there's multiple colors, cake textures that use cake combs, cake pattern transfers, ect, this step can take longer, it just depends on the cake.
As you can see, all of these steps add up to 3 hours of work or so just to get to the point where the cake is ready to begin decorating. Once the cake has gotten to this step, I charge for the amount of time it takes to decorate. Cake toppers and any fondant work are priced out separately.
And, just like any other legitimate business, there are other expenses that are factored into my base price that include business insurance, Arizona food licenses, food safety training, taxes,
utilities, rent, marketing and software.
Let's Talk About Quality!
Quality ingredients are a huge factor that separate
homemade cakes from grocery store cakes.
Have you ever read the nutritional label of a store bought cake??
Most of the time, they don't even use any butter in 'buttercream' cakes!
And this is because real butter is too expensive when they can make
imitation 'buttercream' for less.
These cakes are filled with unhealthy preservatives and low-end ingredients that are cost effective and mass produced. Grocery store 'buttercream' comes from huge buckets that are shipped to them frozen and in my opinion, taste gross. There are so many more additives and crap in these cakes... like locust bean gum?! What the heck is that?! Mono-diaculum phosphate...artificial flavors (you should run anytime you see that one) Not to mention all the unnatural food dyes like red number 5 among many more... don't even get me started! They are SO bad for you!
You also won't see any real vanilla extract used. Again, the cost of vanilla extract is just too expensive at $35 dollars or more for a 16oz bottle.
My cakes use real, quality ingredients and they taste that much better
because of it. Don't get me wrong, I grew up on grocery store cakes and they
can be a great option when you need something quick and don't want to spend the money
on anything custom. Just understand the difference of what you're getting at
that price point in quality and design.
Custom Design/Consultation
The final factor in separating custom cakes from grocery store cakes is the quality of the execution and overall design. When a new customer reaches out to me, I try to find out as much as I can about what they're looking for. This often involves researching inspiration cake photos, looking up new and trendy cake decorating techniques and most of the time, I draw up a cake sketch to better help visualize what the cake will look like.
Sometimes when I give a quote to a new customer from a photo they sent me exactly as shown, it's often out of their price range. So I'll ask if they have a budget in mind so I can better design a cake based off of the inspiration photo. This doesn't mean that I'm trying to charge as much as possible for the cake. This really helps me save time and not over design a cake that's out of their price range. So, if you have a budget of $50 and are looking for a two tier cake with fondant work, then my cakes are probably not for you. And that's ok, my cakes aren't for everyone...
but I will say, everyone that has had my cake almost always comes back for more;)
And returning customers get cake discounts!
So you see, quality, time, ingredients, consultation, taxes, licenses, design, execution and more all factor into the cost of a custom cake. I really care about each cake I make and who it's for and I think my cakes are extra special because of that. And for anyone who chooses Dolly's Kitchen for their special event, I am truly honored.
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