If a bride wants part of her cake in styro to lessen the servings on a large cake. Do I charge full price for the dummy tiers? Or, labor+ materials. TIA for your input.

By Amy on Monday, August 21, 2000 - 09:02 pm: Edit

I charge Full price. By the time you buy the stryofoam, and take the time to decorate it, in either buttercream or royal, or Fondant, the time is the same if not more than a reg. cake.

Amy

By Peachcreek (Peachcreek) on Monday, August 21, 2000 - 09:06 pm: Edit

I would price it as:
regular price-
discount for materials=
price of cake
She has to understand that the only savings are for the difference between styrofoam and cost of the cake layer. It will take about the same amount of decorating time and materials, and that is the majority of the cost of the cake. I hope she isn't thinking she can save alot of money doing it this way. Good luck.

By W.DeBord on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 - 08:27 am: Edit

NO PRICE DIFFERENCE! It won't really be less time or costs for you. In my experience (having done this before) the time and cost it would have took to bake a couple cakes vs. playing with the styrofoam will come out equal.

By the time you play with rounding out the edge of the styrofoam to look more like your real cake layers and the time you play with getting your cake layers exactly the same in height to the styrofoam....you will have spent more time making adjustments then normal. Evaporating the small cost savings of the ingredients you would have used.

Not to mention you have to take time out of your day to shop for the styrofoam (a change in your personal production level costs you money).

By Panini (Panini) on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 - 04:58 pm: Edit

We dummy up small cakes all the time. I'm assuming that your bride want a cake to look bigger than she really needs,not a cost thing.
We only dummy bottom layers and our pricing varies from layer to layer. A 20" dummy is 100.,
a 18 is 80. and so forth.
We dummy the bottom so we don't have to deal with height and shaping, heck, we don't even frost the middle of the top. The next layer goes directly on the styro.
good luck
panini

By raine on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 - 10:52 pm: Edit

The cake in question has 4-10" rounds as a base. Those are the ones in styro. With a 6-10-14 cake on top. I think she's leaning towards fresh flowers, with a whipped icing. The decos are very simple, pretty much just a basic boarder with scrolls on the side. She only needs servings for 75. Don't remember the exact price but approximately $250 for the 6-10-14. Maybe I'm just too nice, but I think $160-200 is a bit much for styro w/ simple deco. Maybe It's a good thing I didn't open my own shop. I'm way too price conscience.

By Amy on Wednesday, August 23, 2000 - 07:41 am: Edit

Raine,
You have to remember that you will be putting in as much time on those 4 dummies, than on o real cake. They are lightere than cake, so I always have a little bit of trouble with them sliding when I ice them. Also ontop of time you have the cost of the stryofoam, and unless you buy them precut, you also have the time to make sure they are all the exact same height. I would let the bride know what you are charging, then let her make the choice.

JMHO

Amy

By raine on Wednesday, August 23, 2000 - 11:59 am: Edit

Thankfully, my styros come in precut, the 10" are about $4 each. I remember all to well having to cut them out. It took forever to collect all the little stray pieces from my work area.

FYI it is easier to ice a styro, if you take flathead nails and push them through the cardboard base into the styro. That way you can hold on to the lip of the board to keep it from slipping around. Also works to put a rubber pad underneath.

but you are right it takes just as long to decorate as a normal cake would.

By Panini (Panini) on Wednesday, August 23, 2000 - 05:28 pm: Edit

raine,
We would charge 325. for that cake with a depo. on the styro's. We would not upcharge 50-75% of the total price for dummies. Do what you think is right. 75. for 45 minutes work is fine with us, of course we use mousse fillings so our cakes cost more that 4. per.