"A cake, Franck, is made of flour and water."

I was out with some friends, when someone asked me about cakes. Then they asked about the price of an average cake for Austin wedding - which could range from $500-$700 (for something basic...not too fancy), BTW. Well the person looked at me like I was crazy and said "Why? It's just flour and water?"

That comment makes every cake decorator cringe. Yes, a cake consists of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and milk for the most part...but when you mix them together, a beautiful tiered cake does not magically appear. If that's what happens when you make a cake...then I must have been doing it wrong!

That statement is like saying why is a house so expensive? it's just wood and bricks! Or even better...why is a premium coffee $4 -$7 dollars. Coffee costs a few cents people!

You see where I am going? Just like a house, a tiered wedding cake is created in steps with a lot of attention to detail. Every time you create a tiered cake, steps have to be followed in order, each time, to get to the final product.

However, that is only half of it....the other part is skill. It takes a considerable amount of skill and technique to ice a cake so it is smooth, not oozing out a strawberry cream filling, or just falling apart!

If you think creating a decent cake is easy...just take a look at Cake Wrecks and see the hundreds of PROFESSIONAL cakes that have turned into disasters!

Anyway, the price of a (wedding) cake is high because of the time and skill involved, not the ingredients. Although premium ingredients will cost more, it is a negligible amount because it all depends on the size and final design of the cake.

Bottom line, when you purchase a wedding cake, or any custom cake that is not found in a grocery store or discount store, you are paying for the skill, craftsmanship, detail, time, and the gourmet flavors.