AIBU to buy a professional cake for ds birthday?

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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!

Its honestly never occurred to me to make dd's birthday cake.
Years 1 and 3 were shop bought. Year 2 MiL wanted to make it.
Year 4 we had one made as dd had her heart set on a 'T-Rex rampage' cake (don't ask why).

It's not compulsory to sweat over making a cake and post pics on FB at midnight with your finished creation for everyone to oooh over .
Do it if you enjoy that sort of thing. Don't if you don't. Your child is unlikely to give a toss either way.

I personally wouldn't spend £50 on a 4 yr olds birthday cake as you're only going to cut it up and eat it. It's not an unreasonable price for the work, it's just not a milestone birthday or occasion. I'd buy a cake, smother it with Betty Crocker choc fudge icing and decorate with smarties, and other chocolatey things and let DS help.
Obviously, if you really want to buy it, do it, but if you think DH will thinks it's a stupid price, then it probably is.
Seriously, buy any cake and then add your own toppers. Most importantly spend the £50 on wine and takeaway for after the party when everyone's gone home.

Loving the wine idea ;) will have a look at eBay. Last year he wanted bing and I got someone to make clay figures of bing, flop and Shula and his name in those cube things and paid about £20 then bought a Thornton cake for £10 and put them on there which he loved. Just wondered if it was worth £20 more to have a professionally made cake I'm sure it tastes much better

4 year olds won't have such a discerning palate. So do you want a slice of cake that's cost you approx £25?

Only you can decide whether something is worth it. Everyone in our family gets caterpillar cake(adults and children)

Probably stating the obvious here but if you do go down the professional route ask for a sample of the actual cake first. I've been to countless birthdays, weddings etc in the past couple of years that have had gorgeous looking cakes all intricately decorated masterpieces that underneath all the icing actually tasted crap and dry.

I doubt very much that any cake maker who will charge as little as £50 will have cake samples to try frikadela01 it's not something I've ever come across and wedding planning in this county doesn't seem to ever include cake tasting though I'm sure there are a few that do it.

Tesco do a Gruffalo cake www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=291197091

True Excited. I think gather the cake testing is a more of an American an thing.

I would, and have in the past, buy a plain cake and decorate with figures of choice from eBay or amazon, that way you get to keep the toys after the cake has been demolished. Or ask the cake maker how much just for the figures then put onto a chocolate pre made cake

I tasted my wedding cake but not heard of it for birthday cake, doesn't mean you can't though

I cant make cakes either. DD had a party recently for her 4th birthday and I paid someone I know to make a cake. She does it professionally, it was massive, amazing and she only charged me £30. Well worth it. I would have had to spend £20 on two bland tasting supermarket cakes to feed everyone.

I make my own, but can easily spend £50 making a cake.

My DD is having a gruffalo cake for her 3Rd birthday - I'm buying the rainbow cake from Asda for £12 and then a 7.5" cake topper with a picture of the gruffalo and 'happy birthday DD' on it. It's going to be eaten in a heartbeat so I don't see the point in getting one made and she's not going to be bothered that it doesn't do star jumps and have fireworks going off!

I spent £100 on my 3yr olds cake, it was a massive truck and he absolutely loved it. Not boasting but cakes arent cheap and if you can afford it why not.

What's wrong with making a regular cake? Big professional jobbies are not necessary!

Anyone can make a make.

Buy a chocolate cake and shove the Thornton's gruffalo on top?

This looks simple and effective. Sweets and icing cover a multitude of baking sins!

Love this.

Simple and effective.

I always did a tray bake with bought figures (toys) that the birthday child can keep at that age. Always went down well because to small kids the toys make the cake look amazing.

The really beautiful professional looking very fancy birthday cakes I've eaten at other parties have always, always tasted a bit rubbish - I think maybe because it has to be a certain kind of cake to have the structural integrity to stand up to being worked on intensively and still look good - the cake professional cake baker's use is basically a building/ artistic material first and foremost.

I made this for my 2 yr old DD and she doesn't remember it at all!! Happy to talk you through it if you want a go. It was the second cake I'd ever made.