This blog entry is from an incredibly talented cake designer in Las Vegas, that I call a Myspace friend. She's incredibly talented, and someone I love to hear from.
"The best place to start is to discuss why cakes DON'T cost so much. You can find your cheap cakes readily available at grocery stores, price cutter stores, like your "W-Marts", and some bakeries. They use cheap ingredients, such as dairy products that contain "Growth Hormone", bleached flours, eggs from chicken farms that have deplorable conditions....The icings are either Non Dairy Whipped Cream (yuck) or a shortening based icing that I call, "cupcake icing" (double yuck) ...basically the most cost effective way to make a cake. The cakes are made at a central bakery from a "mix", frozen and trucked all the way to your local grocery store. Upon arrival, the cakes are cut down into various sizes. The main question to ask is, "How Many People Have Touched The Cake?" The cakes are then decorated in some of the crustiest, filthiest environments known to man....The health department would quickly shut them down if it were not for the fact that the Health Department is typically understaffed, so they typically go "uninspected" for a period of time.
Why do cakes cost so much? I can tell you why I charge what I charge for my cakes. First and foremost, I use the finest ingredients available for all of my cakes and everything is made from scratch. I do not use dairy products that contain "growth hormone"...I use local, "free range" eggs. I only use the finest extracts( Nielsen Massey) and chocolates, such as Peter's, Calebaut or Valrhona. If I use a whipped icing, it's made from scratch and the cream is free of growth hormone and from a local dairy. I refuse to use "cupcake icing"...My cakes are either made with an Italian Meringue or Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I don't make my own fondant, but I use a wonderful brand, that tastes good and is from a reputable company. Every flower that I make, be it gumpaste, royal, fondant or buttercream...is made from my own hands. I use "kosher certified" gel colors to color my icings, fondant and gumpaste, and every detail is finished as if I was Michaelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel.
The cake process starts with gathering ingredients, mixing and preparing the cake. Then the cake is baked, cooled, torted, filled and iced. I use a crumb coat, then a regular coat of icing, which is more time consuming. My kitchen is pristine and I treat each cake as if I were baking it for myself.
Beautiful cakes take a lot of energy, time and effort to make. I have made cakes that have taken as much as a week to make. Not to mention the planning stages...the design and drawings.
When you order a cake, be sure to consider how much work is required of your baker. Also, be sure to respect their time by ordering your cake well in advance and don't nickel and dime them to death.
Kerry Vincent will not fire up her oven for less than $4,000...Cake Works in San Francisco has a $600 minimum charge..the Cake Girls in Chicago have a similar minimum....I'm postive that Ron Ben Israel, Colette Peters, Debbie Brown, Norm Davis, Toba Garrett and tons more charge in the thousands for their cakes.
I refuse to be a $10.00 cake whore. "
I came across this article and thought it was hilarious! It is by "Cake-A-Lore" found in the American Academy of Wedding Professionals Grand Wedding Cakes Magazine. Enjoy!ARIES:The ram is strong and the first sign of the Zodiac. Innovation is your second name and a cake that’s as daring and creative as you are should dominate your reception.Make it bright and sassy… don’t hold back!And don’t forget the cake beneath the frosting. It must send you to the outer limits of your imagination and thrill your taste-buds! Go for it!Color: Crimson Gemstone: Ruby Flower: Geranium Cake Flavor: RumDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!AQUARIUS:Based on your astrological sign--and your fiancé’s--what kind of cake should you have?Because of the yin and yang of your nature--the polarity of your spirit, the free yet traditional anchor of your personality--your cake must be a mixture of you, your whimsy and your classicism. Your independence and your love of the eccentric should play a big role in your cakedesign--but don’t forget the part of you that stays fixed. Wow! What a cake!Color: Violet Gemstone: Amethyst Flower: Orchid Cake Flavor: Red Velvet/RaspberryDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!CANCER:A total traditionalist, with a love of the past, your cake should be the ultimate culinary feat of classic excellence. Look in past bridal magazines and books to find the cakes of your ancestors. Focus on the beauty of that ten-tiered cake, topped by buttercream and glorious elegant, hand-crafted, edible sugar blooms. The cake itself? None other than fruit, its layers stuffed with the sensational taste of fresh, organic cream.Color: Pearly white Gemstone: Pearl Flower: Larkspur Cake Flavor: FruitDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!CAPRICORN:The most practical sign of the Zodiac and probably the most conservative, everything you do is well thought-out, organized and planned.Your cake should be no different. Over-the-top is not for you, but quality is. You appreciate the fine things in life and for that reason, your cake should not be too rich, but just right… and beautiful but not opulent.Color: Forrest Green Gemstone: Diamond Flower: Ivy Cake Flavor: CarrotDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!GEMINI:A light-hearted, social butterfly, with lots of fun in your soul, your cake should mirror your whimsy. Light, airy, fun, it should be a design of your imagination.Since you love new experiences and world travel, maybe your cake should mimic the places you’ve seen and experienced--along with your new husband. The world is your oyster--or should we say--cake!Color: Yellow Gemstone: Agate Flower: Lily of the Valley Cake Flavor: GenoiseDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!LEO:The Lion roars and the jungle knows who reigns! It’s the same for your cake! Make it a show stopper--the one-of-a-kind culinary delight that reflects your superiority as a person. Make it smile with brightness and radiate the warmth that you do. Make it tall and memorable--like the flower that represents your sign!Color: Gold Gemstone: Topaz Flower: Sunflower Cake Flavor: LemonDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!LIBRA:The true romantic of the Zodiac, with an incredible sense of taste, color and design,your cake should be an expression of your artistic talents. Whether an incredible feat of culinary design--the Taj Mahal, for example, made from spun sugar and genoise--or a traditional cake that makes every other look tasteless, spare no effort on your cake. It represents the soul of your talent!Color: Pink Gemstone: Opal Flower: Rose Cake Flavor: Strawberry ShortcakeDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!PISCES:Based on your astrological sign--and your fiancé’s--what kind of cake should you have?You are a romantic, love the traditional, and admire beautiful things. Why should your cake look like the leaning Tower of Pisa? It shouldn’t. You have a very sensitive nature and soul with a tough backbone. And while your cake should be romantic and elegant, it should stand strong and tall--no wimpy cake for you!Color: Sea Green Gemstone: Aquamarine Flower: Water Lily Cake Flavor: CheesecakeDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!SAGITARIUSThe true free spirit of the Zodiac, your cake should be anything but traditional. Reach for the stars and make the galaxy your cake! You’re bigger than life and there’s no reason your cake shouldn’t be too. It should be filled with unique flavors that tickle the taste-buds, while its design should floor the senses!Color: Royal Blue Gemstone: Lapis Flower: Narcissus Cake Flavor: Passion FruitDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!SCORPIO:The fiery side of the Zodiac although your element is “water,” no one can dismiss a scorpion’s passion--which means that love is the foodstuff of your soul; you can’t live without it. Therefore, your cake must be inspirational, a mile-marker on the Yellow Brick Road of your love. Make it something you, your husband and guests will never forget!Color: Burgundy Gemstone: Garnet Flower: Rhododendron Cake Flavor: Chocolate MousseDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!TAURUS:Steadfast and true, you go with tradition and are so unwavering in your thoughts and ideals, it gives some the impression that you’re stubborn as a bull--no pun intended.The lover of good, rich food, your cake should be no different. Opulent and elegant, it should tower over your reception, the epitome of classicism and your good taste!Color: Green Gemstone: Emerald Flower: Violet Cake Flavor: VanillaDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!VIRGO:With your highly discerning personality and your attention to detail, your cake should be far from haphazard. It should be very “neat” and symmetrical; no “tipsy” cake for you. Your practicality should shine through your cake and it should be admired for its classical elegance and simplicity--perhaps a plain fondant with some dazzling, intricate sugar flowers to top it off.Color: Taupe Gemstone: Sapphire Flower: Pansy Cake Flavor: PoundDesign: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TRADITIONAL WILD!
