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Lady Bug Cake

7 Nov

Thought I would share my Lady Bug cake that I created for my niece who turned 3, she is just adorable….she gets so into helping her mom decide the theme for her party. Last yr she had a Barbie theme so I had created her a Barbie head cake like those that you could put make up on and fix the hair ( I actually had one of those as a child, and loved it). This year she had a few ideas but decided on a lady bug theme, I was in a big hurry so the cake did not turn out as best as it could, the mouth area was giving me problems but I made it work and had to get moving, I also wanted to do the eyelashes in a 3D form but did not have the time. I could literally spend ALL day on a small cake like this since I am always so into the details, my husband says I really need to do something about this and be done. He really gets soo irritated when I sit and work on each area of a cake until it is perfect. He always tell me no one is going to say, you know that cake is not perfect Donna you really need to put more time into it…..but I am just crazy about these things and not fixing the mouth on this cake almost gave me nightmares, lol. Oh well I moved on and dealt with it but to be honest my niece went crazyyyy when she saw the cake, she said it was the best ever, and of course that made me feel much better about it. I know that many of us have those times when we feel we could have done so much better on a cake but I guess we have to just know that we did our best and let it go.

 

Join me…In Cols. OH for a Figurine Class

14 Sep

For those who may be interested, I will be teaching a Figurine Class  at the Columbus, Ohio ICES,  Day of Sharing on Saturday Sept. 24th

Here is a photo of what I will be teaching…… this adorable little girl eating cookies, called ” The Cookie Jar”.

 For additional info regarding class time, cost and to sign up for the class here is the link…….  http://www.ohioices.org/classes.html

I do hope that some of you who have been asking for me to do a class will be able to attend……….I look forward to finally meeting  you in person. We will have a great time, and I will get to show in person how to do some of the more important aspects of creating figurines in person which makes it soo much easier when you see it done in person. Soo excited, cannot wait!!!

“The Cookie Jar”

 

In addition, I will be doing a demo on Sunday for all of those who plan to attend the Day of Sharing. My demo will show how I created my “Bruty Buckeye Guy”.  Here is a photo of him….many have asked for yrs how to create him, so I will finally get the opportunity to show just how its done!

“Bruty Buckeye Guy”

 

For those of you who are newer to cake decorating you may be wondering what ICES means, well it is the International Cake Exploration Society and let me tell you if you have the opportunity to sign up with your local Ices chapter, it is a great way to join a group of cake decorators that you can share with and learn from. I have not met a better group of people who are soo willing to share their tips, techniques and answer those cake questions we have all had. For additional info for the Ices chapter in your area check out this link…..http://www.ices.org/index.html

Shoebox Cake and Zebra Print High Heel Sugar Shoe

6 May

 

I recently made a Shoe Box Cake along with a Gum Paste High Heel with a Zebra Print decoration…..this was a fun cake to create and the first time that I created a zebra print shoe. I made this cake for a very good friend of mine who has been going through some tough times in life and I was so excited to make a cake that was all about her. She is one of those people that loves shoes!!!  I created a label for the shoe box from my edible printer and attached to the end of the cake. To add a little pizzazz to the box shape I decided to add edible sugar diamonds across the front side of the cake and I think that it turned out pretty cute. There were some areas on the cake that I was not too happy with but overall I guess it isn’t too bad. To create the zebra print….I rolled out black Satin Ice Fondant and took an exacto knife to cut squiggly lines and placed those shapes into place on the shoe which you can see in the pics that I have attached.

I purchased the edible sugar diamonds at www.globalsugarart.com for those who are interested……

Shoebox Cake With Sugar ShoeGumpaste Zebra Print High Heel

 

Clear Edible Spray for Cake Decorating

6 May

I found a very cool product that is awesome and works great for getting that shiny look alot of us in cake decorating are always trying to achieve for our creations. This product is edible and can be sprayed on fondant or gumpaste creations.

Here is the link for those who are interested in purchasing this product…i will say it is kinda pricey at $24 however a little goes a long way so it should last you quite a while.

http://www.shopchefrubber.com/product.php?productid=15816&cat=1186&page=1

Making Perfect Cut Out Cookies

21 Apr

From time to time I receive a question that requires more info than a typical cake decorating question…so below is a question from the comments section here on my blog that was asked regarding making cut out cookies along with the answer. I hope this makes everything much clearer for you Gerri as well as anyone else who has trouble making perfect cut out cookies.


Question—-Hi Donna, I love these onesie cookie baby shower favors and elected myself to make 40 for a baby shower next weekend. I have tried to make them already and it way harder than I thought (way harder!) I used already made sugar cookie dough and did not roll it out so 4 out of 10 cookies looked like a onesie where the remaining cookies shape were hard to figure out. Then decorating was tough – I used frosting in a bag with the wilton tip. My question is it will take me a long time to cook and decorate, how far ahead can I make the cookies so they won’t be stale? Thanks and any other advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Gerri Dando

Answer—-It can be very tough at times to get started trying to create something that you may have found on a website or in a book, but with the correct information and tools you should be right on your way to creating the best looking cut out cookies, regardless of the shape. I usually try to make my cookie up about 3 to 4 days ahead of time so that I will have plenty of time to decorate them and making sure that they hold their freshness. I store them in a container with a sealed lid until I need them for a special occasion or an order.

Getting started with cut out cookies……

1). It doesn’t matter if you use a pre-made cookie dough or one that you made from a recipe. It is entirely up to you.

2). If  you’re using a cookie recipe allow your dough to sit in the fridge for about an hour, because when you go to work with the dough the heat from your hands with make the dough too soft. You need dough that is cold for the best results!

3). Split your dough in half, leaving one half in the fridge while you prepare to make your cookies.

4). You will want to prepare your work surface…..you can use your counter top area, (just make sure that you wipe it down very well before beginning) or you can use a silicone mat that is specially made for baking. Both ways work just fine. I will say that if you have a tough time picking up the cookie shape and transferring it to the cookie sheet then using the silicone mat may be the best way for you to cut out your cookie dough.

5). Lightly dust your work surface with flour or powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) which I use.

6). Dip the  edges of your cookie cutters into some flour (I actually use powdered sugar instead, it is up to you as to what you use). This will help to prevent your cutters from sticking to the dough.


7). Lightly flour your rolling pin also and begin rolling out your cookie dough. 

8). Its best to always begin in the middle of your dough and roll outward towards the edge areas.

9). If you begin to notice that your cookie dough is a little sticky, try lightly flouring your work surface and/or rolling pin a little more, depending on where it is sticking. (FYI–Do not over flour your dough, use as little as possible because the additional flour will affect the final taste of your cookies).

NOTE: How do I get my dough level….I use a product called Perfection Strips, really all they are is 2 strips of a flexible plastic material that I laid on each side of the dough and you roll your rolling pin over the dough to get the perfect thickness and level piece of cookie dough to create the perfect sized cookies. These plastic strips come in pairs with the following thickness: 2mm (1/16″); 4mm (1/8″) and 6mm (1/4″)…..Now if you don’t want to purchase this sort of product which is available as a set of 3 different thicknesses. You could try using a piece of flat trim cut into 2 pieces. I have inserted a picture so that you can see exactly how to use the perfection strips below.


10). Cut the shapes into your dough by applying even pressure with your entire hand on top of your cookie cutter, making sure to press all the way through the dough with a nice even cut around the entire edge for a perfect cut. Before lifting the cookie cutter away from the dough, give it a little twisting motion which helps to give you a very nice clean edge to your cookie shape, honestly this makes all the difference for achieving perfect cut out cookies……

  11). Use a thin metal spatula to carefully lift your cookie cutout off your work surface. I dip my spatula into a pile of powdered sugar  ( or flour if that is what your using) so that the cookie dough will not stick to it…….. Try to slide the spatula as far under the cookie as possible to help maintain its shape when transferring to the cookie sheet. Place the cutout cookies on a cookie sheet.

IDEA…..I leave the cookie cutter around the shape I have just cut out so that I don’t loose the shape of the cookie as I transfer it to the cookie sheet!

Once your cutouts are on the cookie sheet, place your cookie sheet into the freezer for approx. 10 minutes so that the cookies can firm up…….then into the oven to bake.


NOTE: If you would like to use a silicone baking mat you can roll out your dough right on the mat itself, then after cutting the cookies out just leave them in place and remove the remaining cookie dough. Once you have cut out all the cookie cutouts just transfer the baking mat to the cookie sheet. Anoher way of doing this is to roll out your dough on the mat, when finished transfer the mat to your cookie sheet, and finally cut out your cookies shapes with your cutters and remove any excess dough from the mat, then place the cookie sheet into the freezer for approx. 10 minutes allowing the dough to firm up. Then you can bake as usual, following the baking directions.


Entering a cake show, my fondant animal book and some other ramblings from my world.

5 Feb

Hello to everyone out there in the wonderful world of Sugar!!!  I hope that you are doing well, and things are going as best as possible with the way things are in the world today. I have learned that I cannot worry about it all and must keep myself focused on the things that are most important. So my focus is on God, my family, friends, relationships, and my cake world….and all the rest well I refuse to allow it to stop me from being who God created me to be.

 I am working on some ideas for an upcoming cake show I want to enter…this will be my second one. I am soo stressed trying to figure out what categories to enter, then how many I should enter. Last year I entered 2 cakes and did rather well. Most importantly I need to decide what kinds of cakes I should make.  I’m not sure if you do this but when I have the opportunity to do whatever kind of cake that I want I get myself all worked up. If I could draw you a map of all the different ideas I have had in mind you would just flip, I am literally ALL over the board as they say. I think the issue is that I have soo many ideas.

I keep a notebook for cake decorating with pictures of cakes that I want to do, lists of ideas that I have come up with, and then drawings of ideas that I have had from time to time so I keep all this info together in a notebook.  Since back in the beginning I would have an idea only to let a few days pass and I could not for the life of me remember what the idea was. So that was when I decided to keep it all together in a notebook which 2 years later this thing has quite a collection of ideas. Now that I want to enter the cake show as I have said I am all over the place with ideas and I can’t seem to make a decision because there are soo many great ideas. I asked my family and boy were they alot of help, they told me whatever I decide will be great.

So this is a little of whats going on in my world right now along with making new how to videos, online tutorials and my top priority which I have been working on for some time, my book! I am so excited that I am finally almost there…I had started this project and intended it to be done last year but my computer crashed and I lost every photo that I had for the book, as you can imagine I was devastated and cried for days. I felt that maybe I was not supposed to do the book but after much encouragement from my family and of course all my great cake friends I started ALL over….ughhh what a chore. Wow putting a book together is sooo much work, I had no idea. I believe that in the end it will be worth it, there are so many that have written me and said please don’t give up on the idea, they feel that there are no other great fondant animals book on the market and are waiting for me to get mine finished. I guess I should get moving just wanted to check in with you all and give you a quick update. I have some more cake pictures to share just need to find time to get them uploaded…….

Learn to create Gumpaste Arms, Hands and Fingers

14 Sep

In this how to video I take you through the steps to showing how simple it is to create realistic looking gumpaste Arms, Hands and Fingers for your Gumpaste/Fondant Figurines…….

Video will be posted very soon!!

Airbrushing on Cakes

27 Mar

I have had many of you ask me about airbrushing on cakes, so I have decided to put together a free how to video for all of you. It will be available soon and I will post here when I have it uploaded and ready to view…… If there is something in particular you would like to know and have me include in the how to video then be sure to respond to this post and I will do my best to include it in the how to video for you.

I will be covering……

Where to Purchase an Airbrush

What to look for in an Airbrush as well as an air compressor

Getting started with Airbrushing on cakes

Ways to practice using an Airbrush

Using Stencils on a cake

And then finally I will demo a few cake designs using the airbrush so that you can watch exactly how to do different techniques.

Talk to you all soon!!!!

Information regarding my Gumpaste Figurines

26 Feb

 

 

Bride and Groom Cake Topper

 

I receive literally hundreds of emails each week asking for prices on my figurines, since I am unable to answer each and every email due to the time it takes……I just wanted to let everyone know that at this time I am unable to sell my figurines outside of the state of Ohio due to the time that it requires to hand sculpt each one. I soooo appreciate each and every one of your kind comments on my work, as most of you know I LOVE what I do and have soo many ideas swimming around in my head just waiting to come to life in the form of an Edible Sugar Creation.

I have created and shipped many of my hand sculpted figurines across the United States in the past but with my schedule of keeping up with the Tapings of  my How-To Videos, doing my Figurine Workshops all over the U.S., and being in the middle of writing my first Book detailing how to create my Gumpaste Figurines. So with all of this along with being and wife and a mom there is just no extra time at this time….but once I get this book finished and things ease of a bit I hope to be able to create a sell my hand sculpted figurines again.

I have heard from soo many of you who are new to working with gumpaste and creating figurines asking for my advice to getting your figurines to look just right, the key is to sit and practice, practice, practice……it took me quite a while to get my creations to the point of looking some what normal, for quite some time mine literally looked like aliens. In the Book I am working on I am addressing alot of the questions that I receive here on my blog and emails. The book is being created with beginners in mind as well as someone who has been creating gumpaste figurines for some time. This book will be about creating people in gumpaste. I will be showing adults as well as kids since that is the most requested info I am asked about as far as creating gumpaste figurines. I will keep all of you updated as to the progress of the book, and in the meantime will be creating some great cakes and figurines along with some more free how to videos for all of my sugar friends out there!!

I hope that you are all getting through the cold…..just think spring really is not that far off and believe me I CANNOT wait!

Legalities of Baking and Selling Cakes in Ohio

2 Feb

   

Many often ask me questions about getting started baking and selling cakes from home, and the legalities of doing so along with who to contact. I have provided all the information that is available for the state of Ohio, but those in other states you will have to research and find the laws for your particular area.  

  There are many laws when it comes to creating food products for the public. Some states require you to have a license to do cakes from your home, they may require a commercial kitchen which is inspected by the local health dept. Some states may allow you to bake certain kinds of things from your home without a license.   

Not all states are created equal when it comes to Baking from Home…..It is your responsibility to find out the laws in your particular state regarding baking and selling cakes from your home. To begin your research about the laws in your states for those interested in home baking you can contact your local Health Dept. or the Dept. of Agriculture.  

Here in Ohio you can bake and sell cakes from home as long as you don’t create cakes or pies that could spoil, it’s actually called the Cottage Food Regulations. You are permitted to bake non-potentially hazardous baked goods in your home and sell them anywhere in Ohio as long as they are properly labeled. Non-potentially hazardous baked goods include baked goods that do not need refrigeration to keep them from spoiling such as cheese cakes and cream pies. Regular cakes and cookies do fall under the Cottage Foods Regulations. You must label everything that you sell from your home, I have included the Factsheet from the Dept of Agriculture on this subject for those in Ohio who want all the details!!  

For further information contact,  

Ohio Dept of Agriculture and Food Safety/  

8995 E. Main St  

Reynoldsburg, OH 43068  

614-728-6250  

Email: foodsafety@agri.ohio.gov  

Below is the Factsheet regarding all the details of Baking and Selling Cakes from Home to the Public within the State of Ohio……..

 Ohio Department of Agriculture – Updated as of June 22, 2009 

   

 A “Cottage Food Production Operation” is defined in Chapter 3715 of the Ohio Revised Code to mean a person who,  

“Home” means the primary residence occupied by the residence’s owner, on the condition that the residence contains only one stove or oven used for cooking, which may be a double oven, designed for common residence usage and not for commercial usage, and that the stove or oven be operated in an ordinary kitchen within the residence.  

in the person’s home, produces food items that are not potentially hazardous foods, including bakery products, jams, jellies, candy, fruit butter, and similar products specified in the rule. These foods must be labeled properly or they will be considered misbranded or adulterated.

Manufactured for Sale or Distribution by a Cottage Food Production Operation? to be are PermittedWhat Foods

  

Bakery products (such as cookies, breads, brownies, cakes, pies, etc.); candy (including no-bake cookies, chocolate covered pretzels or similar chocolate covered non-perishable items); jams; jellies and fruit butter as defined in Chapter 3715 of the Ohio Revised Code. 

  

The new cottage food rule has expanded allowable products to include: granola, granola bars, granola bars dipped in candy; popcorn, flavored popcorn, kettle corn, popcorn balls, caramel corn; unfilled baked donuts; waffle cones; pizzelles; dry cereal and nut snack mixes with seasonings; roasted coffee, whole beans or ground; dry baking mixes in a jar, including cookie mix in a jar; dry herbs and herb blends; dry seasoning blends; and dry tea blends.  

What Foods are Not Allowed to be Manufactured for Sale or Distribution by a Cottage Food Production Operation? 

  

A “Cottage Food Production Operation” is 

  

not permitted to process acidified foods, low-acid canned foods, potentially hazardous foods or non-potentially hazardous foods not listed above

. Low acid food means any food with a finished equilibrium pH greater than 4.6 and a water activity greater than 0.85. Acidified food means a low acid food to which acids or acid foods are added (Ex. Beans, cucumbers, cabbage, puddings, etc.). Potentially hazardous food means it requires temperature control because it is in a form capable of supporting the rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms (Ex. Raw or cooked animal products, cooked vegetables, garlic in oil, cheese cakes, pumpkin pies, custard pies, cream pies, etc.). What are the Requirements for the Labeling of Cottage Food Products? 

  

A “Cottage Food Production Operation” is required to label all of their food products and include the following information on the label of each unit of food product offered or distributed for sale: 

  

1. The name and address of the business of the “Cottage Food Production Operation”;  

2. The name of the food product;  

3. The ingredients of the food product, in descending order of predominance by weight;  

4. The net weight or net volume of the food product;  

5. The following statement in ten-point type:  

“This Product is Home Produced.” Note: If a nutritional claim is made (i.e. low fat, salt free, etc.) federal labeling requirements must be met. Specific food labeling information is available at the ODA web site: http://www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/FoodSafety 

  

Allergen labeling must be followed as specified in the federal labeling requirements.  

What Does the Statement “This Product is Home Produced” Mean? 

  

in a private home that is not subject to inspection by a food regulatory authority. was producedThe statement means that the food product

  

Where may Cottage Food Production Operations Sell Their Food Products? 

  

Cottage Food Products may 

only be sold in Ohio. Cottage Food Products that are properly identified and labeled may be sold directly to the consumer from the site where the products are produced; sold through grocery stores, farm markets, farmers markets; and sold and/or used in preparing food in a restaurant.

 

Does A Cottage Food Production Operation Need to Acquire a License to Process and Package Food Products?  

or adulterated. is misbranded if a food product determineNo. A “Cottage Food Production Operation” is exempt from inspection and licensing by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. However, all food products, including those produced and packaged by “Cottage Food Production Operations”, are subject to food sampling conducted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture to

  

Questions? 

  

Contact ODA Division of Food Safety: 1-800-282-1955 Ext 4366;  

Email: foodsafety@agri.ohio.gov   

Decorating Christmas Cookies with the Family and some great Friends

25 Dec

Last weekend me and the family got together to do our yearly tradition of decorating Christmas Cookies together…this year we had some of my cousins join us as well as my sons good friends from school. We had the time of our lives and this day will be one that I will forever remember! I love nothing better than to hang out with family and friends, to me there is just nothing better! For some of those who joined us for Cookie Decorating this was their very first time decorating cookies and I feel that they truly did a great job!! I worked all morning preparing my favorite sugar cookie recipe,  my homemade Cream Cheese recipe,  I also whippped up some poured fondant which is soo tasty on Cookies and  we also used Royal Icing too!  With lots of colored sprinkles and some pretty colored sugars we got busy decorating christmas cookies, ohh and eating a few in the process, lol.

Below are some of the photos from our fantastic day of Decorating Sugar Cookies 2009 ….I just love sharing photos with all of you so I hope that you enjoy looking at all of our them!!!!

 

Top Row….Mike D, Andy, Evan, Jake

Bottom Row…..Scott, Me  Jeff, Ryan

Me and my Cousin Greg he is sooo Cute isn’t he!!! 

Mike, Andy, Evan, Jake

Scott, Me, Jeff, Ryan

 

Scott, Andy and my Cousin Sue

Ohhh my gosh that table is such a mess…I will say the kitchen was a nightmare to clean up when we were finished..thanks to my mommy for cleaning it all up for me, I was soo wore out I did not have the energy to clean it up after working on everything all day long.

Evan, Andy and Jake

 

My cousin Kelly, She is into those Cookies

 

A little Chatting and Cookie Eating!!!

 

Jake with his Character Cookie that he decorated…he is soo proud!!

 

Me and my Favorite Cousin Sue

 

Me with my cousins Rachel, Kelly, and Rhonda

 

My mom Checking in on the Boys decorating their cookies

 

Evan and Andy working away on cookies!

 

Evan in a serious conversation here!

 

The following pics are some of the cookies the boys decorated!!

 

My little Gingerbread Cookie I did…he is soo cute!

 

Some of my other cookies

 

More cookies done by the kids!

 

Cookies my cousins decorated

 

My son Ryan’s cookie

 

My large cucake cookie!!

Sugar Cookie Christmas Scene makes a great Centerpiece for the Holidays

8 Dec

I taught my members how to create this Sugar Cookie Scene Centerpiece during one of my live web classes recently for my cake decorating friends over at www.cakedecoratingwithdonna.com

I baked 2 large square sugar cookies and cut a window in one of the cookies so that I could showcase my gumpaste Snowman…then I stood the 2 pieces of sugar cookie up to resemble an open book and secured them to my cake board with royal icing, ohh what would we do without royal icing at Christmas time….. once setup I covered them in white buttercream icing to give the look of snow….. I then added a gumpaste santa that is taking a break from delivering Christmas gifts so he is sitting back having some tasty snow cookies which the snowman is very busy making and selling…lol. The christmas tree is gumpaste and cut from a cookie cutter and small squares of gumpaste give the look of presents under the tree…and the snow cookies are just snowballs in a basket all made from gumpaste. I had the best time sharing with all my members how to create this adorable Cookie Scene that would make a great Centerpiece for the Holidays…..

This project is also something that I am sure the children would have a blast making and adding their own special touches. I hope that you enjoyed seeing my latest creation and I pray that all is well with you and your household this holiday season…. May you be Blessed!!!!!!!

                   

 

Snowmen Cupcake Toppers

8 Dec

I am soo excited to share with all of you…my sugar friends my latest creation, they are my adorable snowmen cupcake toppers that are just too cute to eat!  My Snowmen fondant toppers can be made to match any theme or decor for that special Holiday Celebration. They are so cute sitting on a soft base of sweet buttercream icing…..I will post pictures of them sitting on cupcakes for you to see a little later!

Gumpaste Gingerbread Man Figurine

2 Dec

Baking Gumpaste Gingerbread Man Figurine

With Christmas just around the corner I have been creating some Holiday Gumpaste Figurines and this baking gingerbread man is one of my first ones this season….I created a grey cookie sheet and used a pastry tip to cut out the round gumpaste cookies and a miniature flower blossom to create little gingerbread cookies….to create the icing for the gumpaste cookies I took gumpaste and tore it in small pieces then added water to it to create a look of royal icing for my gumpaste cookies. The sprinkles were the real sprinkles that you would use on real cookies, I had the best time with the gumpaste cookies I have always loves creating miniatures since I started working with fondant and gumpaste so they were alot of fun!!!

 

I have a dvd coming out very soon that will take you through the steps to create a Gumpaste Santa, the Gingerbread Man below and an Elf that is nothing but adorable…When the dvd is available the information will be posted here on my blog.

 

                                                                                              

Pricing your Cakes as a Home Baker

22 Nov

Pricing your Cakes as a Home Baker
The most important thing to remember when pricing your cakes is that no one can bake a cake quite like you. Therefore, what you charge is totally independent of what other bakers charge. However, it is important to research what is going on in the market with others within the cake world. This information will help you set the best market value for your cakes.

Step One: Call local grocery stores, bakeries, and home bakers

The best way to get an idea of what others are charging is to call various places in your local area. This research will give you an idea of what the market is willing to pay. When you call, you simply want to ask, “What is your price for ????” Act as if you are a customer inquiring about an actual cake so that you can get an idea of what they are charging! Its important to get an idea for cakes in Buttercream as well as cake in Fondant (Sugarpaste)…..then you need to make note of all this info that they give you on paper so that you can get an idea of what others are charging. Take several of the prices they give you and come up with an average.

 Here are a few cake cakes you might want to get pricing for:

· A typical sheet cake (1/4 sheetcakes are regularly used for birthday cakes in most areas)
· A special occasion cake…. say for example an 8 in round cake in buttercream with with icing flowers on it 
· A wedding cake –Per serving pricing! Ask what their pricing is for a round wedding cake iced in buttercream for 100 people…… some may give you a base price or a per serving price!
Step Two: Figure out what Your Actual Cost Per Cake is

For a typical 8 in birthday cake, a sheet-cake and then a tiered wedding cake….

After completing step one, you should have a better idea of cake prices in your local area. As stated earlier, you’ll only use this information as a reference because your cakes are unique and what you charge is based on your time, ingredients, and expertise.

However, you should price your cakes according to your local area. Just because I may be able to get $6 per serving for a wedding cake does not necessarily mean that is what the local prices in your area will be….

Here are some things you need to consider for your individual local area!

· Wages
· Housing
· Average annual income

Are things higher in your area than most other places? If so, you need to charge more. Do people on average earn higher salaries? If that’s the case, you need to charge accordingly. Do you get the idea?
The next thing you need to do is calculate your actual cost per cake. This includes all ingredients and packing materials such as cake boards, boxes and so on!

Most people charge 3-4 times what the cake cost them to make.

Here’s another way to come up with your prices.

If your goal is to make $25 on every cake, simply figure your total cost per cake and add $25 to it. This strategy works well for birthday and special holiday cakes.

Wedding cakes are usually sold by the slice and your price is totally up to you based on your time and expertise.

As you make the decision for what you’re going to charge for your cakes, you need to consider the factors that make your cakes unique. Although, you researched what other bakers charge, their prices should not be the basis of how you set your prices. To put it plainly, they are not your competition. You must think of yourself in a separate class of your own. Here are a few things that could make you different:

· You may offer original and customized designs for your customers. You take the time to find out what the client wants and you come to as close as you can to what is agreed upon. Unlike some bakeries and grocery stores who offer templated cakes with just a few changes.

· You may use family recipes with your cakes. This is why your cakes are extremely unique. No one else uses your recipe.

· You may offer the best ingredients. Some even bake their cakes with the freshest ingredients and some of them are shipped directly from the manufacturer because you can’t get it in stores.

· You may deliver and set up your cakes. This is a valuable service for those who are planning events such as weddings, anniversaries, and large birthday parties.

· You offer the best customer service. You listen to your clients and follow up to make sure they’re satisfied. You build relationships with those who buy your cakes.
There is no one formula to use when pricing your cakes. Every area is different. However, as a cake baker, you must charge what you’re worth. Regardless of your price, if you bake a great tasting cake and love your customers, they’ll become raving fans and beg for more.

You must believe in your decorating ability if you are going to get a fair price for your cake. If you don’t believe in yourself its tough to expect anyone else to. You must know that your cakes taste great and that your abilities warrant being paid a fair price. When someone gives you compliment on your cakes that should show you that your cakes taste great and beautiful as well so you deserve to be paid for your hard work. A lot of us are not used to getting compliments and we are not sure how to take a compliment. Next time someone gives you a compliment remember to politely say Thank You I do appreciate that. And know that YOU are a great decorator.

We must remember as home bakers that we work very hard on each cake we create. When you turn on your oven it costs you money, when you are decorating a cake you are not able to spend that time with your family. You should be paid for your hard work. When we hire an attorney or anyone else to provide a service for us we don’t tell them, well you know I could go down the road and get a cheaper attorney, like people say to us often times regarding walmart and other large retails grocery stores. You must realize with every cake your creating it costs YOU in one way or another, maybe the costs are minimal however your time away from your family is something you will never get back. Therefore make sure that you charge for your time to create those one of a kind cakes that most cannot purchase from walmart or other local grocery stores. Just a little something to think about the next time a friend or family member wants a free cake from you!!

What I have done myself to price my cakes is, I called around and got local prices especially local home bakers. I priced my cakes just under theirs in the beginning, once I got more experience I priced mine just above theirs, because I could create cakes and do things that they did not.

Realize you may get a lot of ohh my, your prices are too expensive!!! But hang in there you will find those who are willing to pay what you are worth. Don’t let it get to you, it is not a personal attack on your abilities, people are so used to going to Walmart and paying for a cheaper cake, but if you can educate them and show them how your cakes and your expertise is different from Walmart, people will begin to see the quality that you can offer them..

I wish you the best and may you realize just how valuable you are to the world of cake decorating!!

 

Mini Purse Cakes, perfect for that Sweet Sixteen Party!

18 Nov

I recently made some miniature purse cakes for a how to video for my members on my website so I thought that you would like to see how they turned out!! I really had a great time making these they are not as tough as one may think to create however I will tell you they are very time consuming and once you have created some miniature cakes you will notice that they seem to take more time than a regular sized cake would have taken.

The nice thing it that you can create many different designs which are great if creating for a themed party, you could get very detailed for a Sweet Sixteen Party, omg how cute would that be. Most teen girls just love handbags and such so this is one idea that I could see being very popular for that sort of occasion.

Well I gotta run….. I will chat with you again very soon, I have some very cool Christmas Cake ideas that I am working on and will surely share them with all of you when they are all completed, until next time….you all have a caketasic week

Donna

Teddy Bear Halloween Cake How to Video

28 Oct

I have a 3 part how to Video that  just put on youtube that I thought you may want to watch…….

 

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Gumpaste Sock Monkey

27 Oct

Growing up I had a sock monkey which I loved!! However over the yrs I have tried to remember what happened to that thing and cannot for the life of me figure out what happened to it! I recently decided I would try my hand at creating one out of gumpaste and below is a picture of what I ended up with……

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Making a baby blanket from a Patchwork Cutter how to video

9 Oct

Here is a new how to video that I posted to youtube showing how to create a baby blanket from a patchwork cutter, I hope that you enjoy learning how to create this project!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Trick or Treat Figurine

9 Oct

The fall season has officially begun and we are now seeing colder weather and the holidays are just around the corner which has me thinking of some great cake projects. I love creating holiday themed cakes and such. Right now I am working on a upright standing Trick or Treat Bag Cake it is a fun cake to make and one that is soo exciting to decorate!! I will be sharing this cake with all of you very soon once I finally get it all finished and ready for viewing….

I have been making my favorite halloween figurine again this year and that is my little trick or treater….. here is a picture of him in case you did not get to see him last year!

 

trickortreatfigurineby donna lane

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