SaucebookPrice your bakes and your truck menu so they pay you back
Whether you sell layer cakes from home, run a cottage food stand or work a food truck window, Saucebook shows what each item really costs and suggests a price. Free calculator, no signup.
How to price baked goods
Start with ingredient cost (butter and vanilla add up fast), add packaging, then pay yourself for your time. A common rule for home bakers is ingredients times three, plus an hourly rate for decorating work.
How to price homemade food to sell
Cottage food pricing follows the same idea: cost per item, packaging, your time, plus any market or permit fees spread across what you sell. Check your state's cottage food rules for what you're allowed to sell and how it must be labeled.
Food truck menu pricing
A food truck lives on a short menu and fast tickets. Cost each item, include the containers and the fryer oil, and aim for a food cost you can sustain on a slow day, not just a busy one.
Worked example: an 8-inch layer cake
Ana from Saucy's Sweet Shop, our sample bakery, bakes a vanilla layer cake for the dessert case and takes custom orders. Example prices, yours will vary.
| Ingredient | Amount used | Example price paid | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 2 cups (8.5 oz) | $3.20 for 5 lb | $0.34 |
| Sugar | 1 3/4 cups (12.25 oz) | $3.60 for 4 lb | $0.69 |
| Butter | 1 cup (8 oz) | $4.80 per lb | $2.40 |
| Eggs | 4 | $3.60 a dozen | $1.20 |
| Milk | 1 cup | $3.20 per gallon | $0.20 |
| Vanilla extract | 2 tsp | $9.00 for 2 fl oz (12 tsp) | $1.50 |
| Buttercream (butter, powdered sugar) | 4 cups | about $4.80 | $4.80 |
| Cake board and box | 1 set | $2.00 per set | $2.00 |
| Ingredients and packaging | $13.13 | ||
The cake costs $13.13 in ingredients and packaging. Ingredients times three is $39.39; with 2 hours of decorating at $20 an hour, a custom order would be about $79.39. Sold by the slice (12 slices), each slice costs $1.09 to make.
Inside the app
Screens use sample data and sample prices.
Know what every bake really costs.
Get our free price-your-bake worksheet. A 39¢ cookie should never sell for 50¢.
That email doesn't look quite right. Mind checking it?
You've hit the signup limit for now. It resets every hour, so please try again in an hour.
Your download is ready now. We'll also send occasional tips. Unsubscribe in one click.
Your recipes are never shared or sold. How we handle your email.
Free, no signup. Your recipe never leaves your phone.
Baker and food truck pricing questions
How do I price a cake?
Add up ingredients and packaging, multiply by about three, and add your hourly rate for decorating time. A cake pricing calculator does the ingredient math for you.
How do I price homemade food to sell?
Cost each item, add packaging and fees, then add a fair rate for your time. Check your state's cottage food rules before selling from home.
What food cost should a food truck aim for?
Many trucks aim for roughly 25 to 35 percent food cost, including containers and oil, so a slow day still covers fuel and commissary fees.
Does the calculator handle baking units like cups of flour?
Yes. Type cups, tablespoons, ounces or grams, and it converts between weight and volume for common baking ingredients.