How to price a wedding cake in Nigeria
By Olusegun Osunrinde, Founder, Sentralbee · 4 October 2026
To price a wedding cake, cost each tier's ingredients, then add sugar flowers and decorations, boards, dowels and boxes, the gas and oven time, your decorating hours and delivery. Add those together for the true cost, then divide by one minus the margin you want. Take a deposit to lock the date.
The short version
A wedding cake is several cakes, a sculpture and a delivery job in one. Price all of it.
1. Cost each tier
For every tier, list what goes in at the price you paid: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, cream, flavourings. Bigger tiers use more, so cost them separately.
2. Add the decoration
Fondant, sugar flowers, colours, edible gold, ribbons. Flowers alone can cost as much as a tier.
3. Add boards, dowels and boxes
Every tier sits on a board and needs support. The finished cake needs a box. These are small costs that add up.
4. Add gas and oven time
This is the one most bakers miss. Long bakes and several tiers use real gas or power. Estimate it per cake and add it.
5. Add your hours
Baking, cooling, levelling, icing, decorating. Decorating a three-tier cake can take a full day. Multiply the hours by what an hour costs you.
6. Add delivery and set-up
A wedding cake usually needs careful delivery and set-up at the venue. Price the trip.
A worked example
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Flour, sugar, eggs | ₦24,000 |
| Butter and cream | ₦18,000 |
| Fondant | ₦18,000 |
| Sugar flowers | ₦15,000 |
| Cake board and box | ₦6,500 |
| Gas and oven hours | ₦9,500 |
| Decorating, 9 hours | ₦22,000 |
| True cost | ₦113,000 |
At ₦120,000, this cake makes ₦7,000. If you forgot the gas, you'd think you made ₦16,500.
To keep a 30% margin: ₦113,000 ÷ 0.7 = ₦161,429. Round it to ₦161,500. Delivery comes on top.
These are example figures. Your prices and quantities will differ.
Lock the date with a deposit
Once a couple accepts the price, take a deposit before you buy ingredients. Bill the balance before delivery.
Keep it up to date
Butter and sugar prices change often. A cake that paid well last quarter may not now. Re-cost your standard sizes whenever you buy at a new price.
Sentralbee keeps every cake's cost up to date from your ingredient prices. It warns you when a price drops below cost. Try the free true cost calculator, or see Sentralbee for cake studios.
Questions
Should I include gas and electricity in my cake price?
Yes. A long bake or several tiers can use more gas than you think. Estimate it per bake and add it to every cake.
How much deposit should I take for a wedding cake?
Enough to cover ingredients and lock the date. Many bakers ask for half or more up front, with the rest before delivery.
How do I price cakes of different sizes?
Cost each size once. In Sentralbee each size can be a variant that uses different amounts of each ingredient.