Preschool bake sale

[Discopanda]

Hi, I know it's a subject that's been done to death but would really like an opinion. Wednesday is DD1's preschool's Halloween bake sale. Last year was our first as she'd only started in the September, I got all excited and she helped to make spider cupcakes and gingerbread stars with Halloweeny colour icing because I thought the point was that your kids help make the cakes to sell. How wrong was I?! All the other mums brought in shop-bought cakes and DD1's efforts were sold at 20p for 3! I've got all the ingredients to make cupcakes, plus gel colours to do themed icing, shall I bother to bake or just get a couple of packs of cakes from the Co-op to donate? I'm very much swayed to put in the effort because that's what I did when my school had bake sales growing up and it all seems a bit sad buying a cake that's just been bought from the shop and brought in.

After reading the thread where a MNetter had scorn poured on her cornflake cakes I thought I'd fancy making some for my granddaughters birthday party.

Two packs of mars bars ( one of the mums had melted mars bars) and a pack of dairy milk , two packs of smarties and a packet of Kellogg's cornflakes later I realised it would have cost far less to have just bought some.

I struggled with the melted mars bar. Trying to work in the cornflakes when the mars bar just wanted to set again was a nightmare.

"The kids don't care", is quite a sweeping generalisation. Home baking is very popular at all the sales and fairs in our village and lots of the kids, my nine year old included, are quite discerning about home made cakes. DS and I have a favourite baker whose stuff we look out for.

Just do what you like! I will bake when the time comes because I enjoy it but don't care if others buy shop stuff. Who cares what they sell for.

That is rather ironic zzzzz considering your user name.

But yeah, society is going down the pan if people are too busy and knackered to knock out a few cupcakes. (Provided they like baking of course).

Our school ask for either. There are a lot of children with 2 full time working parents at DD's school. They charge more for homemade. When I was working I bought, now I'm not and if I'm sufficiently organised and can be arsed I bake. I don't think there's any idea that they're meant to be made by the children.

5foot5 I think it is a serious misuse of health and safety, hardly any parents bother with the cake sales since you may as well just go to the shop and buy them yourself and cut out the preschool. I enjoy baking and would rather provide homemade cakes, I'd also make a few different ones if I could make them but since I have to buy I just provide one box and leave it at that.

If I am homebaking for others then I do it, if it's a bonding session with my dd then we eat the results.

. I think the stress of it depends on how good you are at baking, how many kids you have and at what age, mine are manageable now but when I had three at about 2,5 and 6 baking was chaos. Also how often you had to bake, my were at a time at two different schools and a nursery that seemed to stagger the bakes.

Also it cost loads more to bake than buying them so when skint I tend to buy.

Personally I hate making cakes although they are pretty good when I do make the effort.

DS takes in shop bought cakes to the school cake sale. As I said, I hate making cakes and he is no help whatsoever, I also have lots of other things to do in the evening after work than make cupcakes when the kids are just as happy with shop ones. If I had lots of time and enjoyed making cakes then yes, I would make them. But at the end of the day, shop bought or home made all raise money the same so I don't get what the problem is tbh.

So zzzz I should come home at 9pm at night and just pop a cake in the oven.
No thanks I will have been on my feet in a physically and mentally demanding job and quite frankly just wanted to eat and go to bed.

I love making cake but I don't like the fussy decorating bit, so I discovered my very lovely cakes didn't sell very well - I bought them back . All that effort - so then I just bought cakes - i don't care whether shop bought sell or not.

Make your cupcakes and use up your gels - home made spider iced cakes will be a great hit and will taste great. I have learnt the hard way that letting the children help usually means that stuff looks terrible even if it tastes OK....unless I totally control what they do (ie let them place one smartie on the top of a fairy cake...)

Personally I love the home made stuff but at a recent school fair here the donated (swanky) cup cakes went well too and it is still the thought that counts (not everyone has time to bake or feels any good at it).

Tablet is the best seller here (my personal favourite) and at our fair the home made top hats and chocolate cornflakes, closely followed by Barbie pink iced fairy cakes went brilliantly.

Good luck!

I always buy cakes as I do not have time to make them. I don't even have cake ingredients. DD does baking with my mum so gets to do it and have fun with her.

Luckily the mums at our school don't give a toss whether a cake is made or bought, as long as you bring one.

Nooooo - skyskye - you'll upset zzzz! It's ok if you 'can't be arsed' - but start banging on about how 'busy' and/or 'tired' you are, and she can barely focus on her tiddlers!

Totally depends on your situation I think. In the days before I went back to work I'd knock out lots of homemade cakes and ice them beautifully, etc., planning it with thought. But now, yes! I am too busy and knackered sometimes, so have even missed cake sales altogether. I refuse to feel guilty though....Did enough years of homebaking.

I have to confess that I slightly resented the last batch I homemade though, as it was 830/9pm and I'd been on my feet since 630 including a day at work. It was purely to please my son the next day, not through some overflowing community spirit!!

In conclusion....do whatever feels right at the time! Why not make the cakes and keep some for you and give some in?

I say just buy some and be done with it.
I hate school bake sales. You spend a fortune on ingredients and time making them then they sell them for next to nothing.
I'd rather give the school £2 and be done with it to be honest.

Buy. It's easier for parents of children with allergies if they know it's bought and can have a look at the ingredients.

Here's a hint, by the way, to the artisan home-bakers.

A bit less time fussing over your frosting, and a bit more time turning up to the occasional PTA meeting, or coming up with fundraising ideas, or volunteering to project manage an event would be hugely appreciated.

Oh, what's that? You're too busy?

Gotcha.

sad packs of bought ones

Really?! Honestly? In what way were they 'sad'? They are cakes for heavens sake!

All this competitive never too tiredness,home bakedness, and I can bring up 12ty children, work split shifts and me and the kids can still knock up a batch of macaron topped cupcakes - ness, is the sort of thing that puts people off helping out with these things.

People have different lives, different priorities and home baked or shop bought - it is the contribution that counts.