Realistic Budgets: Character Cakes

Cartoon or animated characters are always popular when it comes to children's birthday cakes. Whether you have a large budget or small there is an option for you. Take a look at these children's birthday cakes, can you guess which is the most expensive and the least? Could you guess the ballpark price to recreate these cakes?! Answers are found at the bottom of the blog-no peeking :) 

This fondant 3D minion will serve about 60
people- and don't forget the mini cake too!

This 12" fondant cake will
 serve about 50- with plastic figures.

This super cute 2 tier cake will serve
about 35 and is a buttercream base.

This 3D fondant figure is sitting on top of
 a 10" buttercream base and will feed 25.

Cake #1: Shaped cakes are much more expensive than your average round or square cake due to the labor involved in creating them. This minion is not only shaped but is quite large- this cake would cost in the ballpark of $350 to recreate.
Cake # 2: This cake is quite large and fondant, however, this customer brought in the figures. This is an inexpensive way to achieve a character cake- since it does not require a lot of labor. This cake would cost about $175 to recreate.
Cake # 3: To help save your budget opt to go with a edible printed image on a buttercream cake! This cake would only be about $150 to recreate.
Cake #4: Even though this cake is a buttercream base the fondant figure takes 1-2 weeks to create as it takes a very long time to dry. This cake would cost about $125.