Let's be real – I find that so many cake designers have serious drama, pain, and confusion around pricing their cakes. Does this sound familiar?
You struggle with setting prices, feel uncomfortable asking for what you're worth, or simply don't know if your prices are right for your business.
Here's what I've discovered: when you don't have clarity about pricing your cakes, it usually means you don't have a good understanding of your money and how much it actually costs to operate your cake business.
Think about it – do you truly understand everything that goes into pricing your cakes? I'm talking about:
Your ingredients costs
Your supply expenses
Your time (design time, baking time, decorating time)
Administrative work
Utilities
Business overhead
Marketing costs
And so much more!
When you really understand everything involving money in your cake business, pricing actually becomes easier. You can make decisions based on facts rather than emotions or what you think the market will bear.
If you need help with this, I've created a free cake pricing checklist that you can download from my Cake Business Library (click here to access). This guide will help you check off everything you need to consider when pricing your cakes. It's completely free, so make sure you grab it!
Okay, let's dive into the signs for when it is time for you to raise your cake prices.
Sign #1: You're Not Making a Profit
The first clear sign you need to raise your prices is simple: you're not making a decent profit on each cake. I'm talking about at least a 30% profit margin after ALL expenses.
I see this scenario play out all the time. Many of us start our cake businesses because we love making cakes – it begins as a hobby that gradually transforms into a business. But the problem is, many cake designers keep that hobby mindset when it comes to pricing, believing they can't charge higher prices for their creations.
Does this sound familiar? Month after month, you're:
Barely scraping by
Not having enough money to operate your business
Using your personal funds to grow your cake business
Not seeing a meaningful profit
Feeling exhausted and underpaid
If that's happening, you are simply not charging enough for your cakes. In a real business, you MUST make a profit! You need to treat your cake business as a legitimate business that deserves to charge appropriate prices with good profit margins.
Your business should be supporting you and your family – not draining your personal resources. Remember, this isn't a hobby anymore; it's how you make your living.
Sign #2: You are Resenting Your Work
The second sign you need to raise your prices happened to me in my own cake business, and it might be happening to you too. You start to resent the cakes you've agreed to make because you're not charging enough for them.
It plays out like this: You quote a price for a cake design, the client books it, and then as you're working on it, you realize: "This is taking WAY longer than I thought. I should have charged so much more for this cake."
That sinking feeling when you realize you'll be making pennies per hour on a complex design? That's your intuition telling you your prices are too low.
When you find yourself thinking:
"I should have charged more for this cake"
"This is taking too long for what I'm being paid"
"There's so much going into this and I don't feel compensated properly"
That negative energy is actually valuable feedback! It's telling you exactly what you need to know – your prices need to go up.
I've used this feeling as motivation to raise my own prices, and it made a world of difference. When you're charging properly, you feel GOOD about the cakes you're creating. You're excited about the amount you've quoted, and you feel the cake is genuinely worth $800, $1,000, or $2,000 – whatever price point you're at.
If you don't feel that way about your prices, you're almost certainly undercharging and need to raise them immediately.
Sign #3: Your Prices Don't Match Your Vision
The third sign is about alignment with your bigger vision. Ask yourself: "Are my prices really a reflection of the cake designer I truly want to become?"
Think about this carefully.
How are you branding yourself?
What kind of cake designer are you aspiring to be?
Do you want to have a high-end, luxury cake business where you're only working on designs you love and charging what you're truly worth?
Those cake designers we all admire on Instagram and social media? I can guarantee they're charging their worth! They've become the type of cake designers they want to be, and their pricing reflects that vision.
Many of us want to be that type of business owner – creating stunning, high-end cakes that command premium prices. But here's the truth: you can't become that designer without aligning your prices to that vision.
If you want to be the cake designer who consistently charges $1,000+ for wedding cakes, you need to adopt that mindset first. You must truly believe:
"I deserve to be that type of cake designer"
"My work is worth premium prices"
"I am a luxury cake artist who provides exceptional value"
This is a mindset practice you need to embrace in your cake business. Your prices aren't just about covering costs – they're a statement about who you are as an artist and business owner.
It's time to Leap into a Price Increase, Now
I know raising your prices can feel scary. You might worry:
"Will anyone book me if I charge more?"
"What if my clients all disappear?"
"Do I really deserve these higher prices?"
Let me tell you what actually happens when you raise your prices appropriately:
You attract better clients who value your work and cause fewer headaches
You can afford to take fewer orders and give each cake more attention
Your work improves because you're not rushing through cakes to make ends meet
You have resources to invest in better tools, education, and ingredients
You start enjoying your business again instead of feeling trapped
Your confidence grows as you see clients happily paying your worth
The cake designers charging premium prices didn't get there by accident. They made a conscious decision to value their work appropriately and stick to it, even when it felt uncomfortable at first.
Pricing your Cakes is a Business Journey, Not a Destination
Remember, pricing is an ongoing journey in your cake business. As you grow your skills, as your demand increases, and as your business matures, your prices should continue to evolve.
I recommend reviewing your pricing structure at least twice a year. Look at your costs, your time investment, and your profit margins. Are they where they need to be? If not, it's time for an adjustment.
Many successful cake designers I've worked with implement regular, small price increases rather than dramatic jumps. This approach allows your market to adjust gradually while steadily improving your bottom line.
Your To-Do List to Raise your Prices, Today
If you've recognized that it's time to raise your prices, here's what to do next:
Download my free cake pricing checklist from the Cake Business Library (cakebusinesslibrary.com) to make sure you're accounting for all your costs
Calculate your current profit margins on different types of cakes
Determine what profit margin you want to achieve (aim for at least 30%)
Set your new prices based on those calculations, not on your emotions or fear
Implement your new pricing confidently – remember, you're worth it!
I hope these strategies have helped you think about whether you should be charging more for your cakes. This ongoing process will help you grow your cake business income, book more orders that you love, and feel that you're truly being paid your worth.
As always, I'm here to support you on your cake business journey.
Comment below, have you sigificantly raised your cake prices in your business? How did that feel?
I’d love to know.
You sharing helps the entire cake community collectively raise our prices together!