Cake Pricing Chart 2026 — Price Bands by Size & Style
Every baker eventually wants the shortcut: a chart on the wall that says what to charge. This is that chart — built from the cost-plus method, honest labor, and the 2026 US home-bakery market.
Quick answer: 2026 US home-bakery price bands: 6-inch round $30–50 · 8-inch $40–75 · 10-inch $55–90 · 12-inch $75–120 · 9×13 sheet $45–80 · sheet (half) $60–110 · cupcakes $12–25/dozen · decorated cookies $36–60/dozen · wedding cakes $4.50–12 per serving. Bands assume cost-plus with honest labor at 30–50% margin.
By size (custom layer cakes)
- 6-inch round (12 party servings): $30–50
- 8-inch round (20 servings): $40–75
- 9-inch round (24 servings): $50–85
- 10-inch round (28 servings): $55–90
- 12-inch round (40 servings): $75–120
- 9×13 sheet (24 servings): $45–80
- Half sheet 12×18 (40 servings): $60–110
By style (multipliers on the size band)
- Basic buttercream, simple finish — bottom of band
- Custom colors, textures, moderate detail — mid band
- Character/sculpted, heavy piping, fondant accents — top of band and beyond
- Wedding (per serving): $4.50–6 buttercream · $6–9 detailed · $9–12+ fondant/flowers
How the bands were built
Each band assumes the cost-plus method with ingredients at grocery retail, labor at $18–22/hour, 20% overhead and a 30–50% margin. Your exact numbers move the price: cheaper ingredients or faster hands push you to the bottom of a band; specialty diets (gluten-free, vegan) and premium ingredients push up. The bands are a sanity check for quotes, not a ceiling or a floor.
Using the chart with customers
Show the size line, not the spreadsheet. 'An 8-inch custom cake is $40–75 depending on design' answers the question and sets expectations in one sentence. When someone pushes below the band, the chart is your permission slip to say no — it's not you being expensive, it's the market.