Cash from Baking??

ButterflyX

Thanku for your replies. Im asuming you can buy trex from a normal supermarket? Does the buttercream still come out tasting the same?

Stardrops42 cake looks lovely also thanks for your info on tax.

yumyums

Hi everyone! Hope you don't mind a newbie joining in.
I'm also hoping to start getting some cash from baking. I'm at a very early stage - just want to build up some good recipes and photos to use as a portfolio.

I was wondering if everyone here used 'standard' buttercream on their cakes (ie. butter & icing sugar) or if anyone used different types of buttercream. I am very partial to a nice french buttercream or swiss meringue buttercream but the use of eggs concerns me. I always use free range and I know the eggs are partially cooked when making the meringue but what about storage? If I made a bunch of cupcakes would they have to be kept in the fridge?

I also wanted to say that everyone on here is so talented. Looking at all of your photos really gives me something to aspire to and it's also great that you all share tips with each other like a real community. Sorry if that sounded cheesy!

ButterflyX

Hi, another question...when covering a big cake in fondant how do you stop it from looking lumpy and bumpy? Is it all about the thickness of the fondant or how you crumb coat it or something else?

rubysmummy_2

Hi everyone,

ive been doing cupcakes and cupcake towers for family and friends recently and have been getting loads of compliments and people asking for my card to give out. Obviously i know how to get cards sorted but if i wanted to start it as a business can someone just point me in the right direction or give me a list of what i need to do and in what order etc. Im doing a cake course starting in July so i might be able to get some pointers from there. the thing is ive been asked to do a charity event next month and this would be a massive opportunity to hand out my cards but im worried in case this is illegal etc or if i need to get permission etc from the council. Sorry if i sound stupid and ive tried to read back but its a v.long thread and i couldnt see anything that actually made any sense to me.

Please be gentle with me

ButterflyX

rubysmummy wrote: »

Hi everyone,

ive been doing cupcakes and cupcake towers for family and friends recently and have been getting loads of compliments and people asking for my card to give out. Obviously i know how to get cards sorted but if i wanted to start it as a business can someone just point me in the right direction or give me a list of what i need to do and in what order etc. Im doing a cake course starting in July so i might be able to get some pointers from there. the thing is ive been asked to do a charity event next month and this would be a massive opportunity to hand out my cards but im worried in case this is illegal etc or if i need to get permission etc from the council. Sorry if i sound stupid and ive tried to read back but its a v.long thread and i couldnt see anything that actually made any sense to me.

Please be gentle with me

Hi, i posted a little while ago in reply to someone else asking the same question. This was the advice i had...

From what i know you need to register your business you do this thorugh your council, get your kitchen checked out by environmental health, register with the tax people as self employed possibly get some sort of insurance and as an option do your food hygeine certificate (i think this is optional im not sure). Anyone if i am wrong with any of this then let me know. it sounds alot but really it isnt, its just getting you butt into gear and sorting it out, like i need to. Hope this helps. The hard part im finding is coming up with a name for your business.

Hope this helps, im not a pro and i have not even set myself up in business yet which i must do soon, but after lots and lots of investigation and looking into it this is what i have found out.

ButterflyX

Me again, asking for some more advice. Once i am up and running, next year i plan on doing wedding fairs. Have any of you done wedding fairs before? Do you just make a load of cakes especially for the event? But then what do you do with them after? Seems abit of a waste. Im planning on making some bitesized cakes as testers for people but i want to display my full sized cupcakes and cutting cakes too. Anyone got any tips?

Thanks x

Bluefire

I did two wedding fairs earlier this year - I baked cupcakes especially for them (without vanilla extract etc, just the basics to get the right cupcake shape) iced them (again without the stuff that makes it taste good!) and let them go hard, now they sit in boxes in my dining room ready for if I do a fair again. I've attached a photo of one of my displays below

babyrut

Bluefire wrote: »

I did two wedding fairs earlier this year - I baked cupcakes especially for them (without vanilla extract etc, just the basics to get the right cupcake shape) iced them (again without the stuff that makes it taste good!) and let them go hard, now they sit in boxes in my dining room ready for if I do a fair again. I've attached a photo of one of my displays below

What a brilliant idea and thanks for the advice earlier on the carnival! I am the only one selling cakes apart from maybe brownies and guides!! Made some cakepops today and more tomorrow and will then decide on cupcakes and whoopie pies later on in week when I have more an idea of the weather. On the wedding fair thing, are the little ones at the front for tasting??

ButterflyX

Thank you for your advice Bluefire. Your stand looks amazing. I was wondering about making cakes and re-using them like you said, do they not go funny or lose colour? i guess its a try it and see thing and as long as the wedding fairs arnt too far apart i guess. Good idea though.

By the way that cutting cake is brilliant. Iv attempted doing rose swirl buttercream on the sides of cakes before and its ended in disaster, each rose swirl fell off one by one. Theres definately an art to it

Minxz

stardrops42 wrote: »

Hi Guys

Here is a couple of cakes I've made recently. One was for my sisters graduation and the gift box cake is for my niece and her friend who are having a joint 18th party tonight. I know this thread is called "cash from baking" but I'm thinking it should be changed to "debt from baking" as I always seem to be out of pocket instead of making any money:rotfl:

Hi Stardrops,

Please can you tell me how to make that amazing graduation cake??!

My son garduates this week, and we are all off on a big family do to celebrate his results next Tuesday, and I need some ideas that are do-able to make a cake!
I guess you don't live close enough to make me one?!!

Please can you give me some tips, I have decorated novelty cakes in the past, when the kids were younger, but not done anything other than cupcakes etc for ages!
Many thanks indeed