Menu
For kidsColoring pages with your business name
Pricing & profit / Cake Pricing Calculator

Cake Pricing Calculator

Price a cake from ingredients, packaging, your time, overhead and profit, and get a price per serving and what you earn per hour.
$

Enter a number of at least 0

Flour, butter, eggs, sugar, filling, frosting, fondant and decorations, at what you paid.

$

Enter a number of at least 0

h

Enter a number from 0 to 200

Include shopping, consultation and delivery time if you don't charge for them separately.

$

Enter a number of at least 0

$

Enter a number of at least 0

Electricity and gas, equipment wear, licences, insurance and marketing, spread over your orders.

%

Enter a number from 0 to 500%

Whole number, 0–10000

Charge for this cake
$216.00
$9.00per serving
$32.20you earn per hour
$36.00profit
$0price $216.00
  • Ingredients and packaging
  • Overhead
  • Your time
  • Profit
Ingredients$32.00
Board, box and packaging$8.00
Your time · 5 h × $25.00$125.00
Overhead share$15.00
Total cost$180.00
Profit · 20% of cost$36.00
Price$216.00
Price per serving · 24 servings$9.00

Use the per-serving price to quote other sizes, then adjust for extra decorating time.

Turn this into a quote

A one-page PDF for your customer, filled in from the numbers above. Your markup isn't shown.

Quote total
Job done? Make an invoice from this →
See breakdown

How the cake pricing calculation works

  1. Cost the ingredients at what you paid

    Work out what each recipe uses from its pack price, including frosting and decorations. Here, $32 plus $8 for the board and box.

  2. Pay yourself for every hour

    Baking, cooling, decorating and cleaning up all count. 5 hours at $25 is $125.

  3. Add a share of overhead

    Oven energy, equipment, licences and marketing cost money even when you're not baking. $15 per order covers them in this example.

  4. Add profit

    Cost is $180. 20% profit brings the price to $216, or $9.00 a serving for 24 servings.

Worked example. A 24-serving cake with $32 of ingredients, $8 of packaging, 5 hours at $25 an hour and a $15 overhead share costs $180 to make. With 20% profit the price is $216, which is $9.00 per serving and $32.20 for each hour you work.

Cake Pricing FAQ

How do I price my cakes?

Add ingredients, packaging, your hours at an hourly rate and a share of overhead, then add a profit percentage. The result covers your costs and pays you for your time.

How much should I charge per serving?

Divide the cake price by the servings. Per-serving prices let you quote other sizes quickly, as long as the decorating time is similar.

What hourly rate should a home baker use?

Use what you would need to earn doing other paid work. Check it against what local bakers charge, but don't drop it just to match lower prices.

How much should I charge for cupcakes?

Use the same method: cost a full batch, enter the hours and set servings to the number of cupcakes. The per-serving figure is your price per cupcake.

Should I charge for delivery?

Either add the driving time to your hours and the fuel to overhead, or charge a separate delivery fee.

How do I price a wedding cake?

Use the same method, but count every hour: consultation, tasting, baking each tier, stacking, decorating, delivery and set-up. Add the cost of supports, boards and any hired stand, then enter the guest count as servings to see the price per slice.

Can I use this for cookies?

Yes. Cost a full batch, enter the hours to bake, decorate and package it, and set servings to the number of cookies. The per-serving figure is your price per cookie, or multiply it by 12 for a dozen.

Do I need a licence to sell cakes from home?

Rules for selling home-baked food differ by state and sometimes by county, including what you can sell, where and how much. Check your state health or agriculture department's cottage food rules before you take orders, and add any permit or inspection fees to overhead.

Related calculators

Menu Price CalculatorTurn a dish's plate cost into a menu price that hits your target food cost percentage.Food Cost CalculatorFood cost percentage for a week or month from inventory and purchases, or for one dish from its plate cost and menu price.Markup CalculatorAdd a markup to your cost to get a selling price, or enter both to see the markup percentage and the margin it gives you.Freelance Hourly Rate CalculatorThe hourly rate that covers the pay you want, your business costs and self-employment tax, based on the hours you can bill.Unit Price CalculatorCompare two pack sizes by price per unit to see which is the better buy and how much cheaper it is.Photography Pricing CalculatorHow much to charge for photography, worked out from the income you want to keep, the sessions you can book, your business costs, gear wear and the hours each session really takes.Craft Pricing CalculatorPrice handmade crafts so they pay for your materials and time: cost per item, a wholesale price for shops, a retail price for selling direct, marketplace fees and what you really earn per hour.Recipe Cost CalculatorCost a recipe from its ingredients: what each pack costs, how much of it goes in, and how many portions the batch makes. Then see the food cost percentage at your menu price.