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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to buy a professional cake for ds birthday?

47 replies

PaperStars · 11/10/2016 14:56

It's my sons 4th birthday soon and so far I've always bought shop cakes as I am awful at making decorating cakes!

This year though my son is wanting a cake I cannot find in any shop. I have spoke to a local cake maker who said they can make it for £50 for a 8 inch cake which I think is very good as I know how much time and detail goes into these cakes. But I'm wondering if I can justify spending that much on cakes for a 4th birthday which isn't what I would call a 'big' birthday.

How many people buy professional cakes for their kids birthdays? I obviously want my child to have the cake they want but I know if I made it it would be rubbish!

OP posts:
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sirfredfredgeorge · 11/10/2016 14:58

You can do what you want, what else might he want for 50 quid that you'd be depriving him of?

For DD's 5th birthday, she made it herself... That was much easier!

RatOnnaStick · 11/10/2016 14:58

We have. I have the baking skills of a sleeping chimp so I never attempt to bake birthday cakes myself. We've only spent out when there are others to see it though

WeAllHaveWings · 11/10/2016 15:00

If you can afford it easily go for it, if you can't then spend money on something that he'll notice for more than 2 mins before it gets cut up.

I'd only ever buy a special cake for a milestone birthday 18,21,30 etc etc

myownprivateidaho · 11/10/2016 15:00

I would shop around to see if there's a better deal. That seems expensive to me, but I guess it depends where you are and how elaborate the decoration is etc. Whether it's worth it depends how well off you are and how much your DS would appreciate it.

SuperBoppy · 11/10/2016 15:08

I paid £65 for this cake for my DD's 1st birthday from a local cake maker. It was delicious and I thought really excellent value - try Facebook for local cake makers and ask them for quotes.

I don't know why I bought such a huge, she won't remember it. By the time she's at a stage where she can remember, she will be getting Colin the Caterpillar from M&S lol! Definitely more for me taking pictures than anything else.

AIBU to buy a professional cake for ds birthday?
OlennasWimple · 11/10/2016 15:13

If you can afford it, fine, spend the money on whatever you want.

If not, there really is nothing wrong with a Colin the Catepillar (my birthday cake of choice for the DC and myself...)

minipie · 11/10/2016 15:22

It has honestly never occurred to me to ask DD what cake she wants.

She's turning 4 soon and will get a chocolate cake, which I know she likes. It will be a basic round cake and I will decorate with smarties. I reckon that's good enough!

It depends on whether you think it's a good use of £50 - will it make your DS happier than a different use of the £50?

Excited101 · 11/10/2016 15:28

What are they after op? £50 is very reasonable for a 'proper' cake but many people just buy supermarket ones and save a bit of £££ or make something themselves.

Groovee · 11/10/2016 15:32

In 2003 shortly after Balamory came out, dd wanted a Josie Jump cake. Had to print off the colouring page and colour it in for the cake shop. But they did it for £40. Having just had Ds, it was worth the money as I was too exhausted to try my own.

BikeRunSki · 11/10/2016 15:40

£50 is a good price for a professional, theme-decorated cake. It's just more than I pay for a child's birthday cake.

Original poster
PaperStars · 11/10/2016 15:42

He wants a gruffalo cake, but he saw me looking at pictures on my phone when I could only find a Tesco one of gruffalo crumble so he wants this bronniebakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/215.jpg as he saw me look at it. There is a step by step guide on how to make the figures but my decorating skills are awful! I know my dh probably wouldn't be impressed at spending £50 on a cake but for me it would be worth it to see his little face, but then I wouldn't want to actually eat it.

OP posts:
MiddleClassProblem · 11/10/2016 15:44

This seems to be a question about your own personal family finances and decisions making. No one can answer this but you and your DH... Hmm

HeyNannyNanny · 11/10/2016 15:45

Could you perhaps buy some premade cupcakes, OP which you and DS could decorate together. £10\£15 would get you plenty of toppings etc and he'd likely really enjoy it. If you're having a party you could make it a party game?
£5 for shop bought cupcakes and £15 for toppings and you've got cake plus an activity and £30 to spend on wine other birthday stuff

Excited101 · 11/10/2016 15:46

Why not buy some gruffalo figures and put on a cheaper cake?

user1471441955 · 11/10/2016 15:50

I second putting figures on a cheaper cake- my kids love this as they can keep them

QuackDuckQuack · 11/10/2016 15:50

If you look on eBay, you can get the fondant characters to go on a cake. Search for Gruffalo cake topper. You could put them on a shop bought cake to save some money. But I don't think you'd get the full effect compared to getting the whole cake made by a professional.

StarsandSparkles · 11/10/2016 15:50

Apologies i didnt realise the link would be so big Blush its for gruffalo cupcake toppers that are made of rice wafer

Sugarcoma · 11/10/2016 16:16

Out of curiosity what kind of cake does he want?

Sugarcoma · 11/10/2016 16:17

Whoops - didn't update the thread before I posted!

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 11/10/2016 16:21

I agree with those suggesting you could just buy the figures and put them on top of a simple bought cake - you could probably get chocolate icing easily enough as well, in a packet, if the cake isn't already covered.

£50 isn't extortionate for what you want, it's quite a reasonable price for the work involved; but yes, it does seem a bit excessive for a 4th birthday, I suppose. Does rather depend how much of a hole it would make in your bank balance though!

LetsJunglyJumpToIt · 11/10/2016 16:25

There are parents asking about getting cakes made on all the local FB groups I belong to so you aren't alone OP. Infact it's a really good way of sourcing someone to make it for you.

Morporkia · 11/10/2016 16:29

some places do photo cakes, asda used to, but not sure if they still do...it was basically a sponge covered in white royal icing with the pic of your choice transferred on to the icing...tbf, he's 4...if the gruffalo is his very favourite thing...ANYTHING with the gruffalo on it will be acceptable.

Sparklesilverglitter · 11/10/2016 16:32

Can you afford to buy the cake? If so YANBU

If your going to live on beans on toast for a month to afford it yabu

Nothing wrong with paying for a baker to make a cake YUM