The Timeframe and Cost of Decorated Cookies and Cakes

The Timeframe and Cost of Decorated Cookies and Cakes

Timeframe:

Customer: “Could you make me 2 dozen decorated cookies for a baby shower?”
Sweet Ivy: “Absolutely! When do you need them?”
Customer: “In 2 days.”

Ok, here is where the timeframe for decorated cookies and cakes comes into play.  Most generally, a baker/decorator cannot bake/decorate custom cookies/cakes in two days.  First we must gather all of the information about the baked good from the customer (flavors, icing types, colors, designs, themes, etc.). We then sit down and design/sketch a possible cookie/cake for the customer and get back with them.  Next, we shop for supplies and ingredients.  Then we bake the cookies/cake.  Next, comes the icing/decorating.  The icing and decorating of cookies and cakes can literally take days in itself depending on the project.  These are some of the reasons bakers will ask for 2-4 weeks notice (sometimes more) when doing a project, as there are sometimes multiple customers/projects going on at once.

Cost:

Customer: “Can you make a birthday cake for my son?”

Sweet Ivy: “Absolutely!”
Customer: “How much will it cost?”

Sweet Ivy: (never hears back from customer)

The cost of custom cookies and cakes tends to scare a lot of people away.  We get the, “But I could go to WalMart and get it for half that price!”  You are more than welcome to go to WalMart (or other grocer).  However many bakeries in superstores get their cakes in frozen and use a tub of premade icing. The employee (who has little training and is making minimum wage and cares little about the finished product) will just slap on the icing, an edible image, pipe a border and not worry about the finished result.  Most superstore bakers won’t even TOUCH custom cookies.  With a home-based baker, you will be getting fresh ingredients, constant communication, attention to detail, along with our heart put into each dessert.  We want you to be happy!  By the time a home-based baker designs/sketches the cookies/cake, shops for

supplies/ingredients, bakes, and decorates the cookies/cakes…many of us end up making LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE on the desserts we create.  There is not much profit for home-

based bakers.  If a baker quotes you $50.00 for a cake, he/she is not “pocketing” $50.00 by the time all of the shopping/time/work is factored in.  We do what we do because we LOVE it!  It is our creative outlet!  It brings us joy to see people happy with their desserts!  We are not offended when people walk away due to “sticker shock”.  But we just want to assure people we are not getting rich off of our desserts.  This post is also not intended to be a “woe is me” post.  It’s just to explain what goes into home-baked goods.

We understand that some folks are on a budget (who isn’t these days) and custom cookies/cakes may not be in the budget right now.  We completely understand and hope that you’ll consider us in the future!

I started my baking journey in 2010 and still consider myself a “learner”, as I’m learning new things each day!  I take that into account and tend to price my baked goods a tad bit lower than my experienced friends.  If there is ever something you request that I feel I am unable to help you with, I am happy to refer you to one of my more experienced local baker friends.

We hope you enjoy our cookies, cakes, and desserts!

The biggest compliment we can receive is a referral!
Thank-you for your support!

Sweet Ivy Confections