Vendor Spotlight from CakeAPig

CakeAPig Emily Lopez Tampa Vendor Vendor spotlight

On this week's blog we have our "friendor"  Emily Lopez with CakeAPig providing with us her expert advice on why you should hire an experienced Cake Decorator and why they cost the price that they do.
Why are Wedding Cakes So Expensive?
Hire an Experienced Baker/ Cake Decorator


    Many bakers view wedding cakes as a right of passage, and something that isn't usually attempted (or probably shouldn't be) by new or inexperienced bakers. With the large amount of home-bakers that try their hand at this craft every year, it’s more important than ever to do your research, look at previous work, and read all the reviews you can to make sure the baker you choose will be a good fit for what you’re envisioning. Every artist naturally has a different artistic style!


    This is about more than just decorating a beautiful cake though. Tiered cakes must be stacked and supported properly to ensure a safe delivery, and need to hold their shape throughout the wedding and reception. This rings true especially in Florida’s humid weather! This skill is something that is learned over time and through a bit of necessary trial and error. Of course accidents could happen to anyone, but hiring someone who has experience delivering tiered cakes with knowledge on how to mend any minor accidents can put your mind at ease on your wedding day.


This is the most important day of your life, right?
How much should my cake cost?

    While we may not charge as much as photographers, or other wedding professionals, bakers still prefer to make a decent hourly wage.

Wedding cake consultations, planning, sketching, e-mailing, shopping, ordering specialty ingredients can take up many of our precious hours. And that all comes before we even turn on the oven. The average time taken to bake and decorate a moderately decorated tiered wedding cake is about 8-12 hours. This doesn’t include the hours spent on more intricate decorations, like handcrafting delicate sugar flowers, or modeling life-like figurines of the happy couple and their fluffy dogs.


    Pricing also largely depends on the experience of the cake artist themselves. Inexperienced bakers do tend to charge less, while those of us who have been perfecting our craft for a decent amount of time tend to fall on the more expensive side. Pricing standard for the cake industry is per serving, so you can expect your cake to cost anywhere from $7- $16 per serving. Cake artists who have developed a distinct or unique style will most likely be on the higher side of that price range.


Can I find someone cheaper?

    Like any other profession, pricing our products is not something bakers excel at right away. This rings true even more for custom designed items, such as a Wedding cake. By the time professional bakers are experienced enough to bake, decorate and deliver a wedding cake with confidence and ease, they usually have realized how valuable their time and skills are and charge accordingly.  This is why you can most likely find someone who will make it cheaper.


    Not everyone yearns for a one-of-a-kind stunner of a wedding cake, and that’s fine! If you feel your budget is better spent elsewhere than you can certainly find someone newer to the industry who may be more affordable for you. But, like many other things you get what you pay for, so please choose wisely!


A few Tips to save some $$

    Bakers will most likely have a few tricks up their sleeves on ways to shave off some costs if need be. We want your business, and would love for you to be happy as well! Win-win!


    One way to save a bit of money on your cake is to order less servings. This can work in two ways. 1)You can ask the caterer to cut slightly smaller slices so that the cake goes a bit further. 2) Trust that not all of your guests will eat cake. It’s not unusual for a baker to suggest that you only order enough cake for 85% of your guests. This works better for larger weddings, rather than more intimate weddings where there’s a smaller margin for error.

Many bakers do offer slightly less expensive kitchen cakes for larger weddings, but will have a minimum order for the main cake in order to qualify for this.

Please do not assume ordering a “Dummy cake” and kitchen cakes will be any less expensive than a real cake. There’s still the same amount of baking and decorating involved, plus the cost of the dummy tiers, and the extra boards! Not to mention it takes away all the excitement when your guests ask “Wow, is that a real cake?!” You want to be able to say “Yes, of course it is!”.

 To see and order some of her cakes please visit Cakeapig at .

Image Credit: Dewitt for LoveImage Credit: Shauna and Jordan Photography

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