To expect to be paid more than half? (Pic included)

[MrsA2015]

Background: I'm a home baker using decent/top quality ingredients in my cakes, friends and family buy off me for special events and am trying to kick start a little baking business from home ( after receiving loads of compliments and encouragement which I'm thankful for!) A friend has requested a cake (pictured) and offered well below the asking price knowing what quality I use and usually the one to berate others if they take the mick when it comes to price. I don't over charge and usually find I've undrecharged when adding up costs ( new to this). How much would you expect to pay for this cake? I'm just feeling a little upset really, I love her and will still make it just surprised at asking to pay less than half. I understand mates rates and all...
Before you ask
Yes she can afford it
I don't buy wholesale ingredients
No I didn't stick to my price (out of shock)

If people get something for free/very cheap then they won't value it.

Decide what you would charge to someone you don't know then offer her 10% friends and family discount. No negotiation.

Like others have said, she can always go to M&S and buy the chocolate caterpillar cake if she chooses....

Just asking but what is "good quality ingrediants"?
Sugar.
Flour
Butter
Eggs
More sugar
Icing
More sugar

I mean are you using eggs laid by golden hens?
Flour made by the hands of virgins?
Sugar grown on Mars?

Surely you tell her how much that would cost you to make, not wait for her to tell you how much she wants to pay for it?

Oh why did I start reading this thread.

Dear Lord, Bellend, I am never going to lose that image, I mean, seriously wtf? It's burned on my retinas and I've gone right off cake.scariest shit I have ever seen.

BellMcEnd

Bloody Hell!

That is . . . . unusual . . . .

RockinHippy I've decided on a lego cake so I've just ordered moulds to make all the bricks out of fondant. If I make a couple of lots every night I should have enough to cover the cake by the party. Cake will be a plain boring chocolate one since they are only 4/5. That Christmas cake looks amazing.

Is the word 'love' edible?

What's it made from?

What does love even mean? (wanders off to get a life...)

Just asking but what is "good quality ingrediants"?
^Sugar.
Flour
Butter
Eggs
More sugar
Icing
More sugar

I mean are you using eggs laid by golden hens?
Flour made by the hands of virgins?
Sugar grown on Mars?^

Izzy sorry, but you really show your ignorance there - a cheap cake will include the cheapest ingredients, so you can cross out butter fir starters, you will get cheap margarine & it will taste like crap compared to the real thing. There are also lots of variations of sugar, each has its own flavour, best free range eggs etc etc etc

But the biggest expense will always be the decorating ingredients, just have a look at the prices of that & imagine how much you need - then there is time - would you work for 20p an hour??

Starting to get the feeling that the cake is a lie

Izzy its not just the baking ingredients which are pretty much the same, apart from small variations such as organic eggs etc. Its the decorations that make all the difference. Good quality food colourings make a massive difference to the outcome of a cake, if you use cheaper ones then you dont get the depth of colour, especially if you are making those coloured sponge ones that are quite popular at the moment. The same with sugarcraft, cheap ones are cheap because they are mass produced and often dont have the quality of more expensive hand made ones. Glitter, sprays, toppers etc all increase in quality depending on what you spend, and all contribute to a cake looking professionally made.

Eva DS would love that cake! I cant decorate cakes in that way, I do not have the artistic ability, but I can put cakes together like the Iggle Piggle (which was PISS EASY btw, you make a pattern, or pinch one from the internet, cut the cake into the required shape, ice them individually and put them together). The golden snitch one took ages but it was the golden spray that did it really, without that it wouldnt have looked all that impressive!

Whipping up a basic cake isn't a big job. We've all done it before. However making a "proper" complicated cake with icing and decorations is a whole day's job. Not a working day - a whole day.

If you look at it in terms of how many hours it takes and an hourly wage, it gets to quite a big figure before you even factor in materials at cost.

I think I would have said it was worth quite a low amount until I had tried to make a novelty cake for a special occasion. All this talk of £150 isn't far off for the stress and time involved. It's a bigger job than many people realise!

My guess is an amount of £30 was offered.

Okay, I'm bored now so guessing at 50p offered.

That sounds lovely Baron - I'm getting cake making envy now, its a while since I had one to do - & thank you

I thought there would be an answer by now

A packet of peanut M&Ms and a handjob round the back of KFC?

And just discovered something wonderful!

I bought what I thought was solid sour cherry chocolate from Aldi, except it wasnt it had a syrupy centre. Ah fuck it, melted it anyway and stirred it into the chocolate buttercream filling and it tastes AMAZING! I have just had to double wrap the bowl in cling film to stop me eating it all! It has a really cherry flavour but it isnt so sweet that it makes the cream indeible!

Can't believe there's still no update! Dying to know before I go to sleep

J Lo's 45th birthday cake.

At what point did she think an almost life-size image of her bumming a lion was a good look?

First world problems

Bogey face, that's disgusting.

Could someone please PM me when we find out how much the cake's 'value' to the non-friend. My guess, £30.

I love this Billie Joe Armstrong cake. It's amazingly lifelike. Can you make me one of these? Anyone?

The risky thing with cakes is that people simply won't buy if it's too expensive, so you easily end up working for far less than minimum wage. Which is why I don't do them often, but I do happily do it for friends/colleagues for roughly double/triple the cost of the ingredients. This one earned me £50, a bottle of prosecco and an offer of dinner and a migraine. Could be worse.

And I don't have a hygiene cert and whatever else you need to make it a legit business. That makes a huge difference to what you can charge. Though whomever posted upthread with a breakdown of it all is spot on. A huge amount of effort goes in, yet people seem to forget that. Time is money, and if you don't get that you may as well buy a ready made supermarket cake for a tenner.

Oo, that sounds lovely Bogey scribbles down notes for next cake making session

I recently discovered "Natural Proffesionals" flavourings from Lakeland, not cheap, but so worth it - the buttery caramel knocks spots of even the best vanillas