When you walk into a bakery how are you supposed to know what to expect for pricing? And what is a reasonable budget when you order a cake?
With all of the cake shows on TV these days we've noticed that all of YOU know exactly what we CAN MAKE out of cake!
We love watching too- cakes being created for drama and for well....good TV!
The problem: All of these shows omit some really significant parts of the process:
-Time: the advance notice that the client gives the bakery --Labor: how much time it takes us to bake, prepare, engineer, and finally decorate
-Material costs: the artist who is talented enough to create the masterpiece, the ingredients: fondant, butter, sugar, etc!
All of these pieces of the puzzle translate into the prices of these works of art. No wonder you don't know what to expect!
In the industry we're a bit more knowledgeable and aware about pricing that's out there. To put things in perspective for you, here are some points of reference--at Carlo's Bakery (Buddy Valastro's Cake Boss) a consultation costs $100, which includes cake samples and refreshments. This $100 is then deducted from the cake order total once you order.
Cake Boss's pricing for wedding and specialty cakes, with basic buttercream, starts at $8.00 per person. For more complex cake designs (things you've seen featured on TV or in a magazine), cost is closer to $12.00 to $18.00 per person. Adding unique design requests and creative artwork to the cake order then increases the price from there. We've heard that they use a cake mix for their red velvet cake too-- YUCK!!
Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes (Charm City Cakes) provides the following pricing: "Wedding and tiered cakes start at $7 a serving. We find that most of our clients choose designs that start at about $15 per serving. There is a 50 serving minimum on wedding and tiered cakes. Minimum price for 3D [and] sculptural cakes $1,000." Delivery is priced at $175/hr. We want to share these things with you not to discourage, but to educate you about our industry!
WAIT THERE'S GOOD NEWS TOO!! You don't have to spend all of that money, and you don't have to drive to Baltimore, MD or Hoboken, NJ!!
At Artisan Bake Shop our 3D and Sculpted sugar figures start at $25.00 and our 3D Sculpted Cakes start at $150.00!!
Wedding Cakes start at any AMAZING $3.75. Delivery for cakes start at the CHEAP price of $25. Pretty reasonable, no? Our prices include complimentary consultations, excellent service, and attention to details and oh yeah -- THEY TASTE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK!
We're able to offer competitive pricing by offering "standard" designs and commonly requested themes at rates lower than completely custom cakes would be priced. Custom, and very special designs may be subject to individual pricing. Please call us (508-763-4905) or email artisanbakeshop@gmail.com to talk further! We'd love to hear from you and talk about your specific cake ideas more!
