Cake Pricing Calculator
Custom cakes are sold whole but priced by the hour and the serving. Enter everything that goes into one cake — ingredients, decorations, board, delivery and all your time — to get a total quote and a price per serving.
Profitability breakdown
Price ladder
Compare your recommended price across target margins.
| Target margin | Selling price | Profit / unit | Markup | Hourly earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | $177.50 | $35.50 | 25.0% | $6.45 |
| 30% | $202.86 | $60.86 | 42.9% | $11.06 |
| 40% | $236.67 | $94.67 | 66.7% | $17.21 |
| 50% | $284.00 | $142.00 | 100.0% | $25.82 |
Discount floor
Based on your recommended retail price of $202.86.
Any discount below the recommended price reduces your margin below target. Fixed business costs you have not entered here (insurance, software, etc.) are not captured by this calculator.
The formula
All materials (including board and delivery) plus all labour (planning + baking + decorating) form the loaded cost for one cake. The formula solves for a total that protects your margin. Divide by servings for the per-serving price.
Worked example
Ingredients $14, decorations $6, board $3, delivery $5, planning + baking + decorating = 5.5h at $20/h = $110.00, overhead $4. Loaded cost = $142.00. With a 30% margin and no fees, the recommended total = $202.86. For 20 servings that's $10.14 per serving; effective hourly earnings = $11.06.
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Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for a custom cake?⌄
Cost the whole cake: ingredients, decorations, board, delivery, and every hour from planning to decorating. Add overhead and your target margin, then divide by servings to sanity-check the per-serving price against what your market accepts.
Should I charge for planning time?⌄
Yes. Consultations, sketches and shopping are real labour. If you don't price them in, you're donating that time.
How do I price delivery?⌄
Enter the real cost of fuel, parking and your travel time at your hourly rate. Delivery is often the most underpriced part of a cake order.
What if my per-serving price feels too high?⌄
That's a market question, not a math question. The calculator shows what the cake must charge to be sustainable. If the market won't pay it, you may need to reduce decorating time, simplify designs, or raise your volume — not silently drop your margin.