Typical Cake Costs
*The average cost of a wedding cake is $560, according to the 2012 numbers from The Bridal Association of America.
*For wedding cakes, most bakeries and pastry chefs charge by the slice. A low-end option would be a smaller tiered cake ($3.50 a slice for up to 2 tiers/$4 a slice for 3 tiers) in chocolate or vanilla, covered in buttercream only.
*A mid-range three+ -tiered cake in a flavor such as vanilla almond, vanilla almond blueberry, lemon zest, coconut, pumpkin spice, red velvet, carrot cake or Key Lime Pound Cake with buttercream icing, a variety of fillings, and minimal fondant decorations can run $4.50 to $6 or more a slice.
*A high-end multi-tiered gourmet cake with flavored fillings, fondant icing and elaborate fondant, gum paste and sugar decorations can run $8 or more per slice.
*A carved, 3-D cake, with a frame built as an internal structure can run $10 or more per slice. In many cases, this is the groom’s cake.
*More elaborate weddings cakes, along with many groom’s cakes, are extremely labor intensive, sometimes taking days, even weeks, to complete. One is paying for the amount of time and physical labor it takes to accomplish the desired look. So price is not only about the “amount of cake” but many times about how much time and labor it takes to create or achieve the finished product. Quoting “by-the-slice” pricing, in most cases, does not necessarily apply to custom “cake art!”
*Most tiered wedding cakes must be delivered and/or assembled on site by the baker or a staff member to prevent a cake mishap, and delivery charges can be $50 to $100 or more, depending on distance and size of cake.
*Some caterers charge a cake-cutting fee when figuring the total cost of your wedding cake. Cake-cutting fees can run $1 or more per slice.
*The information listed above is to be used as a guideline to help give a general idea on pricing and is by no means a definitive pricing structure. Prices will vary according to location and cake artist. In the end, all custom cakes are priced out individually, according to the specific needs and desires of the bride.
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