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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

817 replies

MrsA2015 · 10/10/2016 17:58

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)

To expect to be paid more than half? (Pic included)
OP posts:
Thread gallery
32
IceRoadDucker · 11/10/2016 08:01

LagunaBubbles Yes, but the cake in the picture? It's just two sponges with icing and a plastic 'love' on the top... and it isn't even OP's cake, so we have no idea whether hers was even that good.

icanthavepityforsnakes · 11/10/2016 08:08

She isn't your friend. She's a piss taking chancer don't do it OP

Oblomov16 · 11/10/2016 08:10

Ha ha love the baby cake and the cupcakes that look like a vulva.
I probably wouldn't pay £150 for a cake.
I don't know why OP didn't just hold firm and state her price.
Guess we'll never know ........

Oblomov16 · 11/10/2016 08:13

Sorry, just seen update.
Clearly no one goes into the cake baking business for the money then!! Hmm

FannyWincham · 11/10/2016 08:15

Ice the cake in the OP is made from numerous cakes carefully stacked and sandwiched together. I'd estimate five 9" cakes for the bottom tier and three or four 6" cakes for the top. Then she'll need dowels to support the layers. Ingredients alone could easily cost £30+ (those sprinkles will be expensive) and OP has already said that it will be two days' work. Are you suggesting that she do it for £5 a day?

Badbadbunny · 11/10/2016 08:18

People never appreciate the time and effort put into baking.

They never appreciate the time and effort put into ANYTHING. I run a service business and lost count years ago of the amount of people who say "it'll only take an hour or so" when I know for a fact the total time will be 5-10 hours.

If there's one rule of business, it's NEVER do mate's rates and never do freebies, even for good causes. The people who pay less (or nothing) can be some of the most demanding customers. Even worse is that often you don't do all the "paperwork", i.e. terms of business, job specification, etc., for mates or freebies so you can end up even worse off if things go wrong. (More likely because you're so miffed, you'll cut corners to cut the time).

Life's too short for all that. Friends/family and business just don't mix.

When I get any approach from someone wanting a cheap deal, I make it clear than any reduced price would mean reduced time spent which means cutting corners so it's not something I can do. End of story. I certainly don't get into a detailed conversation arguing about how much time it takes or costs etc - "fools give you reasons, wise men never try" - it is what it is, like it or not!

IceRoadDucker · 11/10/2016 08:18

FannyWincham How could it take two days? Not being argumentative, just genuinely confused.

Shakirasma · 11/10/2016 08:22

It's just two sponges with icing and a plastic 'love' on the top...

No, it's several sponges layered with buttercream inbetween, involving an absolute ton of eggs and butter, lots of baking time and prep time.

Then it's several hours of decoration time using skills which didn't get learned overnight and multiple pots of expensive edible glitter.

whothefuckhas5children · 11/10/2016 08:23

Good Luck today OP! You have mumsnet behind you on this one

Agiraffeisnotacat · 11/10/2016 08:27

I must admit I am struggling to see how it's two days work 'plus a day making buttercream plus a day baking.'

Surely you make the buttercream with a food processor while the cake is in the oven?, I'd have thought 1/2 a day for baking and making buttercream? Plus another half day to decorate?

Sorry, not trying to be rude but I just don't get it.

Shakirasma · 11/10/2016 08:28

Considering it would take most people a whole afternoon to make this, from getting the first pan out of the cupboard to putting the last washed pot away, how can anyone not understand it taking 2 days to make the cake in the OP?

To expect to be paid more than half? (Pic included)
Blondeshavemorefun · 11/10/2016 08:29

There is no point in you making a cake and being out of pocket. So agree message her and say about the ingredients /give her a list of what you need and see what she comes back with

Even I know £40 for a cake that size in depth and two layers is gonna cost

Agree with one poster thought - do you have hygiene/health certificates /allowed to charge for cakes

Blondeshavemorefun · 11/10/2016 08:31

And guess if no distractions - after watching gbbo you could make a cake like that in 6hrs and leave the mess for the crew to clean up 😂😂

LagunaBubbles · 11/10/2016 08:33

I've the cake in the oucture is tiered so will still require boards, card, box, dowels etc. It is covered in fondant which will be expensive. It looks airbrushed to. And the decorations look as if they've been put on by hand. Very time consuming.

Giraffe seriously? Half a day to decorate that cake?

LagunaBubbles · 11/10/2016 08:36

Fondant icing doesn't just "stick" to the cake either, I generally do 2 crumb coats of buttercream, after each it goes in the frdge for a few hours to harden up before next later. And then it has to come back to room temperature otherwise fondant will sweat and go sticky.

FannyWincham · 11/10/2016 08:36

Ice OP said upthread that it would be two days because she's also looking after her newly-walking DD.

The thing is, people who don't make elaborate cakes have no idea of what goes into making one, even deceptively simple designs (and this is not directed at you, Ice, but mostly at OP's thoughtless friend).

  • Make approximately nine sandwich cakes. Will need to be baked in batches unless OP has an enormous double oven and a lot of tins. Cakes must be completely cold before any decorating can be done.
  • Carefully trim and level cakes so that they are exactly the same size.
  • Make buttercream.
  • Stack and sandwich the layers with buttercream, sinking dowels to support the lower layer.
  • Crumb coat the entire cake.
  • Ice the cake with buttercream, creating a perfectly flat, sharp finish (this is the really time-consuming bit).
  • Airbrush the gradient colour scheme onto the cake.
  • Apply sprinkles.
  • Add topper and finish.

Presumably it's two days' work for OP because of her childcare demands, but even for a professional cake maker with no other jobs to do that day it's clearly a full day's work.

IceRoadDucker · 11/10/2016 08:38

Shakirasma That wouldn't take me a whole afternoon, and I'm no baker!

I have no idea how one would get the ombre effect in the cake pictured. Maybe that's what would take up the time?

FannyWincham · 11/10/2016 08:39

Laguna you're right, on closer inspection it is fondant. Another step to add.

IceRoadDucker · 11/10/2016 08:40

FannyWincham Thank you for the explanation; that makes much more sense.

Okay, so you can't charge customers time for looking after your children, so let's say it's one day's work. Somebody said the ingredients would cost £30ish. £10 for a day's work is very cheap, even if a lot of it is waiting around while the sponges bake/cool. For a friend, £20 for labour plus the ingredients seems fair.

Even for a stranger, charging £120-170 for labour seems extortionate.

LagunaBubbles · 11/10/2016 08:41

Bottom cake in picture is at least double height to. It's a 9 inch and 6 inch cake. Rough guide I would be using 25 free range eggs for those 2 cakes, 1.25kg of Lurpak for the cake and another 1kg for the buttercream. Lurpak is £1.70 for 250g - so that cake alone would cost £15.30 just for butter.

Crystal15 · 11/10/2016 08:43

We have a few local ladies who would charge about 65 for this. I paid 185 with delivery and set up of a beautiful 4 tier cake with 4 flavours. 14 inch, 12, 10 and 8 tiers. This was 1 year ago and I'm based Yorkshire. Im well aware I got a great deal though as some were quoting 400!

Tell her to bog off, hate when friends take the piss.

acatcalledjohn · 11/10/2016 08:44

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 describes me to a T.

Purplebluebird · 11/10/2016 08:44

That is a beautiful cake! For my son's name ceremony cake, I paid one of my very best friends £50 for ingredients, but she didn't charge me for the work, as we're super close (Grew up as sisters basically). For your cake I would expect to pay £100-120, however I am pretty ignorant when it comes to cake baking!

ChickenSalad · 11/10/2016 08:45

Okay, so you can't charge customers time for looking after your children

You can charge them whatever they will pay.

notagiraffe · 11/10/2016 08:54

I made a celebration cake recently, just enough to feed ten family members. Nothing too fancy but good ingredients. The ingredients alone came to over £30. I can't believe people are thinking that's all the ingredients for this cake would cost (I'd estimate £50-60?) And then two days work on top. £120-150 is not at all extortionate.