# Unusual cake requests



## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

So far this year I (a collective I for our pastry kitchen) have had the following cake requests:

Dom Perignon champagne bottle
Tiffany and Co shopping bag
Louis Vuitton bag
Playboy bunny logo
Mega Giant cup cake(s)
Hewlett Packard defibrilator - just like the one they use on "House".
Prada shoe boxes

I would love to post some photos but I am sure it will violate the intellectual property rights that I agreed to when I signed my contract.
We keep wondering what will come next?


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

wow - did any of these clients care how these tasted???


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

We have those all the time. 
Where are you located? In NY I get these and more!

a Nose (human nose)
Jimmy Cho Shoes
Motorcycle
F-14
Varied body parts
Designer hand bags
The Tiffany Box*

*Biggest seller by far.

:bounce:


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

I've done an all-black bridal shower party, even the balloons, table cloths, and cake were black, and a 18 x 26 buttercream and Lindt bitter chocolate mousse slab cake for a law firm with "Uhhn!" written on a marzipan ribbon with 22 ct gold flakes... but alas, no, No body parts....


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

Siduri,
The rule is that the cake must taste at least as good as it looks - if not better. :lips: 
No point having a fantastic looking cake that tastes like [email protected], otherwise we would not get return customers. (Besides I would be the first to criticise someone else who did this so I can't be doing it myself!)

M Brown, I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets these requests 

Once it starts it just seems to snowball into something bigger, the only body part request so far has been a set of tits for the local adult store, we refused - too tacky!


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

felixe the dog said:


> Siduri,
> The rule is that the cake must taste at least as good as it looks - if not better.
> 
> "tastes as good as it looks" - anyone ever eat a vuitton bag? Or a body part? Or a shoe box? They don;t taste so good!
> ...


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

It's still cake so it should still taste gooood!!


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## momoreg (Mar 4, 2000)

Here are some of the requests I've had:

A tarantula
The white house
A PT Cruiser
A Chrysler crossfire
A Harley Fatboy
A Porsche
A scene from The Wizard of Oz
The Eiffel Tower
A cigar
A Hot air balloon
A drum set
A hat (Several times)
A Faberge Egg
etc., etc., etc.

I love it!!!:crazy:


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## retrevr (Sep 18, 2006)

Sure,....too tacky...
Or was it that they would look better than they taste??:blush:


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## harpua (May 4, 2005)

Who ARE these people?


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## jox (Sep 22, 2006)

Gr8 imagination and a lot of hours have gone into weird cake creations.Pity I dont get payed per hour (in a home based business !)


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Our grooms cakes get wild. 
brain
toilet
hand with wrinkles
stadium
cars
bon fire
cauldren
shoes
sneakers
balls ie basket, soccer
hats
spaceships
rockers
dog poop
mobile home
trailors
goes on and on an on and on


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## retrevr (Sep 18, 2006)

I Just did a party with a plated dessert. They wanted it to be chocolate and orange and with a horse theme.
I ended up doing a choc torte in sheets, covering them with ganache with a transfer of stars, then cutting them with a horse cookie cutter, and serving them with orange creme anglaise.
Sort of a pain for 220 people.


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## trulys (Sep 27, 2006)

speaking of paid by the hour I just finished a wedding cake 3 teired stacked,with sugar roses, calla lilies on top and a few clusters on the tiers. I figured it took me approx. 20hrs from start to finish I pulled an all nighter and haven't gone to bed yet. I'm really reconcidering doing cakes, I'm not sure they are worth it. Is this a reasonable amount of time to do one and what is the average price? I find I'm making more money in doing desserts and running my chocolate fountain than cakes and I'm totally stressed out even though I love doing them but my kids are suffering and I've got no life ,time to eat and well forget about sleeping.Is this normal for cake decorators or do I just need more experience I am self taught in all my facets of my company.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Trulys,
20 hrs @ $15.00.= 300.-------------15.00 hr. is cheap
20% labor
should be realizing approx 1500. retail
It's sometimes easier to secure a great bakery that does a little volume and just have them brought in. Mark it up a little.
Although we do ours in stages, I really can't put more then 3 hrs. into a small 3 tier. 1-2max for deco.
pan
need a bakery 
A realistic formula is 
9-11% cogs
16-23% labor
35% overhead
should realize a profit


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## trulys (Sep 27, 2006)

:crazy: thanx panini, so your saying that at20hrs @15$/hr =300$ I should retail this out at 1500$ and what does cogs. stand for ? ok , this is what i do , the owner of the resort rents the banquet facilities for weddings and since we are out of the way he has a kind of one stop shop going on with other venders sub-contracted. Now, i'm the pastry chef (also sub contracted) so i can make custom desserts for the party and i charge the resort by the piece (eg.14 lemon tarts @18.$each) he then upcharges the couple for his cut plus plating. now the cakes have come up because no one delivers from winnipeg to our dirt road and there are no bakeries in our small towm or any where around who do homemade quality cakes, hand made sugar flowers etc.now the resturant is booking up fast (this is it's second year) as people are finding out about us .Brides are excited to know that someone is doing cakes cause that is one less thing they need to worry about so now i'm getting very booked with the resurants 6 desserts 5 homemade icecreams and all the sauces to go with them. plus custom desserts for those brides who don't want Sisco products and i just bought a chocolate fountain since they are hot and no one is doing that in my neck of the woods but that means i've got to be there to man it. so i charge very well for my desserts, and fountain i'm happy the owner is getting a profit and the brides are happy but the cakes are a diffrent story. the owner wants me to charge what ever will make me happy he just passes it on to the bride with his 10% cut, but i don't know what is reasonable for all the time (steps involved baking cake, filling,buttercream,fondant,flowers wiring, piping work, putting all together and then making sure it gets there i one piece) see the stress!do i just need more experience to be faster or just charge more?


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Well, you're just not in any routine now.
In business, You build your box, which includes dessert, etc. as you said.
whenever you venture outside you're box, it's usually not profitable.
Your descision is whether you bring the cakes into your box. 
If you do, then you organize differently then you would for the once in a while order. As you organize and get into a routine they will start to be easier and faster. Then they become profitable.
Create the styles you like to do. Build a box. You can then produce multiple decors and have them ready.
SELLING.
The key is to be able to redirect clients away from the undoable/unprofitable projects. Then bring them inside your box and still please them in every way.
hth pan
I don't post our site.It's 6 yrs old and under construction now. but if you browse through ours brides cakes you should be able to see our BOX. and! if you see something outside our box, you can best believe we were compensated for the product.
paninicakes.com


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## trulys (Sep 27, 2006)

thanx panini, so you are saying that at 20hrs of work that cake should retail at $1500. how do i know what a cake will cost me to quote a bride this one seemed easy enough but man it took me 3 days no life,food or sleep. does it get better or is this the life of a cake designer? and how long should a cake like that have taken me to make and finish cause i've just started to do this and i'm learning along the way so any advise would be very much apreciated cause it looks like next wedding season is going to be busy!


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

"thanx panini, so you are saying that at 20hrs of work that cake should retail at $1500." 

No. 
That is definately not a pricing formula, just a factor. Pricing on that basis would be unfare to the customer and you. You may someday make that cake in 2 hours as someone else may do also.
There are many calculations and factors in pricing.
Most important is what your market will bear.
If your market is 300. for a small 3 tier, then 1500. is out of the question.
There is really too many variables for figuring someone elses prices.
Do some homework and see what you will have to pay for cakes in your area.
Sometimes getting something off the ground will require free labor.
You price should not be based on labor. If you are self-employed ,your more important factors would be Cost Of Goods Sold (cogs), overhead and operating expenses. Once you establish those, it is easier to calculate price.

When starting out I only calculated in labor for the people helping. I was free. But I also realized monies in the profit.

try the search option here and see what you come up with. This is vering of the thread subject.
There are many decorators here. I know we have gone into detail on this very subjectr. I'll also look
pan


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## jox (Sep 22, 2006)

Panini,you are so on the ball...I am a big chicken when it comes to pricing...Sometimes I wonder too if it is worth it juggling kids, hubby, job around cakes.:blush:


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## villagecakelady (May 28, 2005)

The more far out the better!!!!!!!!!!


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## villagecakelady (May 28, 2005)

The more far out the better!!!!!!!!!!


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