Cake & Cupcake Pricing Guidelines
Every cake is unique, from occasion to flavor to design, and that means each cake is priced to order. Here are some guidelines for what you can expect. If you have a price point where you are comfortable, please make sure to mention it in your inquiry.
What determines the cost of a Custom Cake?
A custom cake is, well, custom-made! Our prices reflect the following formula:
Ingredients - flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla, cocoa & chocolate, pistachios & pecans, coconut, and more, all the things that make your cake delicious, broken down into grams, ounces, pounds, cups, teaspoons - whatever individual measurement is necessary, per recipe.
Supplies - boards, boxes, piping bags, ingredient labels, plastic wrap & parchment paper, cake toppers, ribbons, dowels, etc; these are the inedible items, ones without which your cake cannot be made or sold.
Electric & Water - because cakes can't be made in the dark without an oven, and dishes ALWAYS have to be washed. (SO. MANY. DISHES.)
Labor - the hours & days it takes for me to make your cake, from mixing the batter and frosting to making gumpaste toppers to stacking, filling, and decorating to clean up, and everything in between. Don't forget the shopping, designing, ordering, photographing, and delivery, too!
Administrative Costs - the fees that I pay to stay in business, like home & business insurance, my license from the State, credit card processing fees, website hosting, QuickBooks subscription, and more.
Profit - "But hey!" you might say, "Isn't that Labor?" Nope! While the Kitchen is a small (micro) business, it is still a business, and Profit is the percentage per order that the business takes for itself. If the oven or mixer breaks down and needs replacing, or I want to take a class to learn a new skill, or I want to invest in new decorating tools - these are the kinds of things that a business uses Profit to cover.
​
All these line items get added up to determine the cost per cake, cupcake, and cookie - and everything else I make in the Kitchen. (There are LOTS of spreadsheets involved too!) This is why I cannot quote prices without ALL the information, because the answer depends on each of these items. The numbers for a plain vanilla cake to serve 10 are going to look a lot different than the ones for a red velvet, ganache-filled, fresh floral-covered cake to serve 50.
​
Below are the base pricing guidelines for Cakes & Cupcakes, also listed on the Menu.
Single Tier Round Cakes
6" - Starting at $100. Most 6" cakes fall into the $125 to $175 range.
8" - Starting at $135. Most 8" cakes fall into the $150 to $200 range.
10" - Starting at $200. Most 10" cakes fall in to the $225 to $300 range.
12" - starting at $250. *These extra large rounds are typically only used as bases in multi-tiered cakes, as they are VERY large.
Single Tier Vintage Heart Cakes
6" - Starting at $75. Most fall in the $85 to $100 range.
8" - Starting at $115. Most fall in the $125 to $150 range.
**Heart Cakes are composed of TWO layers (cake/filling/cake) instead of three.**
Multi Tier Cakes
Tiered Cakes are typically priced by consultation only, as these involve a great deal more time, energy, supplies, and space. For a general idea:
2 Tiers - Starting at $275
3 Tiers - Starting at $450
4 Tiers - Starting at $700
5 or more Tiers - Starting at $1,000
Wedding Cakes
There is no "wedding tax" in the Kitchen. Birthday, anniversary, wedding, baby shower - all cakes are priced in the same way using the formula above. However, due to the nature of the event and the size, style, and design of cakes requested (multiple tiers, extra piping, fresh flowers, delivery to event spaces, set up, equipment rental, etc), wedding orders tend to be more expensive than a birthday cake, but are NOT priced at a premium simply because of the word "wedding."​
Cupcakes
All cupcakes come by the dozen per flavor, starting at $45 per dozen.
Cupcakes with custom toppers, hand-made items, and specialty candy toppers typically fall into the $65-75 per dozen range.