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)

OP just say no. It will cost you more in time and ingredients than £40, possibly a friendship too because your mate is a tightarse with no concept of the cost of doing business. Send her the address of your nearest Costco.

Not to mention she wants one of those fancy nancy straight edged ombre cake creations. Does she know how much fannying about with icing grout and glittery shit that involves. For £40?!

Even if you don't want to ask her for more money, ask her to buy the ingredients. Give her £40, send her on her way and wait and see how much change she comes back with. If she doesn't look ashamed, crack the eggs over her head! You sound like a lovely person.

Pretend you thought the £40 was a deposit and drop hints about when the balance of £120 will be paid because it's your child's birthday soon and you need some cash for then . . .

Thank god for that! Just eaten a big bag of galaxy counters as I was traumatised waiting for an update.

My friends sister has a small cake "business" they are disgusting and I like cake a lot, I mean really cheap and nasty, uses stork and the kitchen is filthy dirty as is the house.
Fb page once showed a cake made for a wedding that was a white cake covered in diamanté saying "happy weeding day "
Friend got me a small cake made by her sister once for my birthday and even the dog wouldn't touch it and he eats anything...

Phew! Some questions answered...thanks OP, I can go to sleep now.

Asking for £40 plus ingredients is the perfect solution. Give her a list and the websites she can get them from if she would prefer to order them herself, and hopefully she will see how much of a piss take this is.

I do think though, as I said earlier, that a lot of people who have never made a "posh" cake just dont know how much decorations cost. I was shocked the first time I went shopping for some bits and that was just a couple of tubs of sparkly sprinkles for a unicorn cake (another photo I cant find!).

Bake Off has a lot to answer for in two ways. Firstly the explosion in price of decorations that people have to buy because they dont have the expertise in sugar craft to make them themselves (that would be me!) and Secondly because all the audience sees is incredible cakes all made in an hour, it doesnt give an accurate representation of how long it takes to make a show stopper.

Three ways (I am the Spanish Inquisition :o ), they make it look fucking easy! You see your average Joe/Josephine knocking up a three tiered wedding cake with (relative) ease, they dont show the 10 years of practise, the courses, the expensive equipment etc. So it looks like anyone can do it.

Four ways (Seriously, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition!)

They have nothing else to do so while yes, you can make a stunning cake in one day, that only works if thats all you are doing. When I am making a cake for the kids I do it over a couple of days because I dont have one clear day in which to create. I have school runs, housework, shopping, dinner to cook, parents to run around after, supermarket to visit three times to pick up the ingredients I forgot...... So I bake on one day and decorate the next, the kitchen looks like a fucking bombsite because I do not have runners doing the washing up and replenishing my bowls and utensils and I dont even get named star fucking baker!

That's awful OP please tell her it will cost more than!

more than that!*

my DH just said there's mates rates and then there's taking the piss I agree!

Please don't do it for that price, speaking from bitter, bitter experience, all that happens is word gets round, you constantly get badgered for cut price cakes that actually cost you to make, and because they're friends/friends of friends/some other tenuous link, you wind up feeling obligated. Then you get pushed off and depressed, and your lovely relaxing hobby suddenly leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

Be honest. Tell her how much it will cost, and tell her you cannot afford to do it for less. Because you really can't, for all of those reasons I said :(

That is seriously taking the piss OP!

Hope you don't mind, I've inboxed you.

So I bake on one day and decorate the next, the kitchen looks like a fucking bombsite because I do not have runners doing the washing up and replenishing my bowls and utensils and I dont even get named star fucking baker!

Oh boy can I relate to that - then there's the up all night painting & modelling bits, because its the only time you can do a clear run without a million interruptions & then theres the fights with DH to keep him out of the kitchen as he has no clue on food hygiene & I don't want his manky cat haired covered sweatshirt wafting anywhere near my cake, which means I then get lumbered with drink & food duties too, just to keep him out - I dream of a sealed, tiled room thats all mine, just for cake decorating

Pissed off, not pushed off DYAC

Well Im no chef or baker but I'm a shit hot cook and love a bit of relaxing baking with the kids. My dd wanted a rainbow cake for her birthday last year, it took 2 days. Labour of love for me but for anyone else, no! Charge what you expect for the quality you produce (and be honest with yourself, cake wrecks and all that).

:o Rockin

My lottery win house will have a baking kitchen. It will have a range of ovens suitable for different things, 3 Kitchen Aid mixers, a whole larder cupboard devoted to flour, another for sugars and a colour coordinated cupboard of food colourings and flavourings!

It. Will. Be. Beautiful.

And you will be allowed into it over my own family, who will not appreciate its wonderfulness!

That is, a normal family kitchen AND a baking kitchen, that will be locked and only accessible via thumbprint and retina recognition :o

Rockin will it be white and padded?!

I LOVE the sound of that

Bogeyface, I love your baking version of nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition :-D

bake-off version even

OP, I'd ask her to get the ingredients including decorations and cake board. Etc. Then have the £40 for labour.
If there is a topper then she should pay that also.

Please don't let her take advantage of you.

And it will have a wine fridge

Low I didnt think anyone would get that :o

like a Spinal Tap Stonehenge moment...

One of my favourite scenes!

Though I'm quite partial to the Spanish Inquisition sketch too ("Cardinal! Poke her with the soft cushions")