Cash from Baking??

skintbint_2

thanks Debs- unfortunately my nearest market is 106 miles away in Cumbria, dont think its cost effective for me!!! must see if i can find similar in Scotland dont mind 50 miles or so.

TashaC

Skintbint love the idea of matching cup cakes sound amazing, am thinking of making a cake for an ann summers party I'm having... a chance to showcase my talent (or lack of) am really enjoying the sugarcraft course although the lesson seem to fly by, not good when your a bit of a perfectionist!

Craftdaft I already have Lindsey's Cookie book, the designs look almost to good to eat!

Have been doing a bit of web browsing for supplies, can anybody recommend any good online site with quick delivery?

skintbint_2

Tasha - i tend to use the various shops on ebay and also Squires website but compare the prices as they tend to vary. Can recommend knightpilgrim on ebay - combined postage was fantastic and a quick delivery.

shala_moo

Hi Guys,

Really interested in this thread as I would love to open a cake business.

I did a Sugarcraft college course a few years back, did three years of evening classes and although it was helpful i've found once you learn the basics then understanding the books becomes much easier!!

I haven't yet done my hygiene course (did it years back from owning a deli but need to re do it) but i believe you can now do it online for around £30. Has anyone done this yet?

I use ebay for my equipment and also a couple of online shops which were recommended to me, if i'm desparate i use Hobbycraft but they are v. expensive!

will be watching this with interest and i hope you all do well with your plans.

Moo x

skintbint_2

welcome moo- not the busiest of threads but you are very welcome!, havent done the h&h course yet just dont have time at the moment. agree with you regarding hobbycraft popped into there new store in Aberdeen - not impressed with the stock or the prices.

shala_moo

Hi Skintbint - do you do novelty cakes or is it more sponge cakes for farmers markets?

I've done a fair few novelty cakes which i find are hard to cost(time/effort/unknown quantities of icing & flowerpaste being used for decorations) - although i don't really charge more than the ingredients + elecy.. do you have a way to work it out?

I've costed a fruit cake for a golden wedding anniversary at £50 - but i feel cheeky asking for that much! although when i told the person ordering how much it was she said "oh i expected it to be more"... i will make about £10 profit but this will work out for ""wages" at probably less than a £1 an hour!!:(

timmmers

My old Mum was a prolific baker, old style bread, pies and cakes..also pickles.
Where she lived there were a few small local businesses, a butcher, a grocer with various other foods. She had no commercial gear at home, just lots of victorian copper pans and domestic stuff....but after giving a few gifts to a bloke at the butcher's shop (owner)...she was invited to go and basically make and sell pies there...she made them once a week, he sold them. People loved them, both did well from it, and she was invited to set up a real bakery type premises by a guy willing to back her but she was only into a hobby in retirement so she declined.

If the home made taste and quality is good enough, this type of deal could work anywhere I'd imagine. People here were gutted when my mum stopped making pies due to illness, word of mouth was such a powerful force they were all gone the day they were made by lunchtime. IF she had been younger and ambitious she'd have been made.

The people with the premises and gear/outlets get a product made on site to sell, and the maker gets that gear they can't afford, an outlet, and access to trade prices on raw ingredients.

You would need a sample or two and some nerve to ask....hardly a massive expense and they can only say no. Some of the largest brands were once a small part of something else until they got established...The Simpsons were a little filler on the Tracy Ulman show...who's she again ?? lol

t

timmmers

shala_moo wrote: »

Hi Skintbint - do you do novelty cakes or is it more sponge cakes for farmers markets?

I've done a fair few novelty cakes which i find are hard to cost(time/effort/unknown quantities of icing & flowerpaste being used for decorations) - although i don't really charge more than the ingredients + elecy.. do you have a way to work it out?

I've costed a fruit cake for a golden wedding anniversary at £50 - but i feel cheeky asking for that much! although when i told the person ordering how much it was she said "oh i expected it to be more"... i will make about £10 profit but this will work out for ""wages" at probably less than a £1 an hour!!:(

Missed this one.

It can be hard, but try this.
Find someoe selling what you do...fimd the lowest priced GOOD local option. Charge less. Not miles less. Enough to make you a profit and keep you happy asking for it.
You offer a personal service, a unique one. Would you expect a suit tailered for nothing just because your friend was the tailor, or for them to lose money? You would probably apprecitate an obvious discount though, and it's likely you would tell anyone you could about that too wouldn't you?
Word of mouth and reasonable prices for a good quality service is a total winner against even huge companies.

The quality will be remembered long after the price has been forgotten .
t

skintbint_2

shala_moo wrote: »

Hi Skintbint - do you do novelty cakes or is it more sponge cakes for farmers markets?

I've done a fair few novelty cakes which i find are hard to cost(time/effort/unknown quantities of icing & flowerpaste being used for decorations) - although i don't really charge more than the ingredients + elecy.. do you have a way to work it out?

I've costed a fruit cake for a golden wedding anniversary at £50 - but i feel cheeky asking for that much! although when i told the person ordering how much it was she said "oh i expected it to be more"... i will make about £10 profit but this will work out for ""wages" at probably less than a £1 an hour!!:(

hi Shala, at the moment its novelty cakes and the odd "ordinary" birthday cake. i have an order for a 52nd wedding anniversary cake and because it is a girl at work i have quoted £40-£50 but thats for a two tier - 1 madeira and 1 fruit i know its cheap but i am hoping that will generate more orders, any i have sold to friends have been at cost but have said that it is a special price for them and not to quote what they paid as as soon as it get basically "2nd Generation" the prices will be a lot more. I often feel bad about the pricing bit too but know if they were to go to a bakers they would pay a lot more - 1 i have been looking at to do which i woukd charge £30-35 for is £75 in the bakers. i dont tend to take my time into account as i do it as a hobby and havent been doing it that long so am a bit slow - have never been to classes or anything. i keep meaning to do costings and will hopefully get round to that this week - i buy my icing in 5kg blocks from the bakers for about £12 and use powdered colourings, much cheaper than buying already coloured - only i always buy the black ready coloured, have got a dr who tardis to do this weekend and will charge £20-£25.. will eventually get round to posting my costings here hopefully by the end of the week.
take care

TashaC

Hi everybody, made my very 1st novelty cake... with a naughty theme... it was for my ann summers went down a treat, my friend asked if I could make one for her boyfriends birthday! Also bought an amazing book The International School of Sugarcraft: Beginners Bk.1 its on amazon for about £7.50 & is worth every single penny covers everything a beginner needs to know, such as what cakes are best to sugarpaste and how to model. Maybe a good place to start blue~skies