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Monday, July 25, 2011

The cake costs how much??!?!?!? - Epilogue

I just wanted to clarify and discuss a few more items concerning my previous blog post.  This is probably going to be a bit of a bullet point list since this is the way I usually think...

- I thought about that blog post for a while... a really long time and tried to figure out how to attack it.  Yes, I know I didn't discuss the other major side of the coin... the cost of ingredients, pans, cutters, tips, overhead, etc. I chose not to add this in because there are a TON of variables there.  Obviously having a storefront has more overhead than running a business out of your home.  Using only organic ingredients costs more than non-organic.  Getting equipment wholesale costs less than buying it at retail, etc.

- Another thing I wanted to discuss was hourly wage/experience and how they play into the price of a cake, but I didn't want to my blog post to end up being a short story.

- Kids... yes kids... I have 2.  Most of the time I work when the little one naps or the both of them are in bed for the night.  Occasionally I need to hire a sitter to watch the kids so I can get things done.  In my opinion, it is something else that needs to be factored into the cost of the cake.  Most folks, most of the time wouldn't take a job where they would bring home a $300 weekly paycheck and have to pay $150 a week in daycare expenses.

- I hope it didn't sound like I was complaining about how long it takes to make a cake.  I just wanted to make it clear that it takes hours, not minutes to do a cake.  And yes, because I typically have to stop and start things because of the kids and the fact I don't have a commercial kitchen, it takes me longer to complete things.  So for me, it may take me 5 hours to make cake a particular cake, but only 3-4 hours without the interruptions.  This is something I accept, and don't figure that extra time into my costs.

- My To Do list my differ from other cakers.  I know some make their own fondant and others who buy their buttercream and all their fillings.  While purchasing pre-made things are a time saver, they also typically cost more.

- I guess the last thing I wanted to mention was doing things assembly line and speed.  I usually group similar things together to save time, I don't do one cake from start to finish.... just wanted to clarify this.  And no, I don't work at the speed of those on Food Network Challenge all the time.  Just like everyone else I have days where I get things done faster and other days, stuff just seems to go all wrong.

Alright, I think I covered everything else I was thinking about since I posted the previous entry.  I will now lay the cost of cake to rest... at least until I encounter a new situation.

2 comments:

  1. It is interesting to actually realize what goes into the art of making a cake. I knew when buying our wedding/groom cake (the last expensive cake I purchased) that it wasn't going to be cheap, but I didn't realize everything that went into it!

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  2. Most people don't, but it's just like any other job where there are a lot of little things that need to be done to complete a task.

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