To spend £100 on a 1st birthday cake?

[FannyTheFlamingo]

DD is almost 1 and we're having a small family get together to celebrate. I've seen a couple of beautiful cakes and would like to have one made, but it costs around £100. DP says this is ridiculous and wants me to get a cheap(er), supermarket cake. I'm so excited for her 1st birthday and just wanted a special, unique cake. I know she won't remember, but she'll see the pictures one day.

For info, we can afford it, so it's not a budget issue. The small party isn't really costing us anything as it's at home with a bit of party food and some balloons. If I had the time and the skill I'd love to be able to make my own, but it would be a disaster!

FWIW, DP thinks a family party is a silly idea and I should have a get together with mums and babies from the baby groups I go to, which I've tried to explain is a silly idea because I only talk to a couple of the mums, so it would just be awkward!

I can safely say that is the least cheeky question that Bertrand has ever been asked on MN

YANBU. It's your money and your DD.

Also, aren't first birthday parties usually family parties?

If you can afford it good on you.
Champagne must be drunk too, to celebrate the fact that you've survived the first year.
I've always made the DC's birthday cakes, with some less than successful results but they do love looking at the photos. Another year its definitely worth a go.

I know you've ordered the cake already but I've just found the thread and wanted to give my support. If you have the money, £100 for a cake isn't unreasonable. What is probably more unreasonable is what I did - learnt how to make novelty cakes myself, spent a lot of money on equipment, made loads of people cakes for free and when we had a new kitchen included my baking habit in the design (even more money). £100 is the cheap option! Although I love being able to make whatever crazy thing my ds wants each year.
Plus you're celebrating the first year of your child's life - that's huge!
Enjoy the cake and have a great time x

How much do you charge for your time and expertise?

It isn't about wanting cheap labour - a cake which takes hours to make should be fairly priced. Its about the idea of £100 for a first birthday cake which seems an awful lot to me.

A £100+ cake is more for weddings, major anniversaries, possibly 21sts in my head. I'm also in the camp which loathes the concept of cake smashes.

I wouldn't spend several hundred quid on a handbag either but have spent money others think outrageous in my areas of interest. Looking at this thread I'd have to say I'm no baker - possibly the keen bakers value a good cake more because they understand the work in it?

I bake cakes for a living.

Why stop at £100?

I wouldn’t spend £100 on a cake but if it gives you pleasure and you can afford it why not? I’ve spent similar amounts on things for myself, scent, cosmetics etc that are unnecessary but give me pleasure. At least you’ll be sharing the cake.

M&S do really nice personalised cakes for about £25.

It isn't about wanting cheap labour - a cake which takes hours to make should be fairly priced
£100!? Is cake being baked by a Philadelphia lawyer?

I hope not!! Unless they were an expert cake maker in their spare time and didn't have to send the cake over on a plane. Bit of an insulting comment when there's a few people on this thread that actually do bake wonderful cakes...would you have them on minimum wage?

Some cake makers use those horrid cheap packet mixes for the actual cake. The time and effort spent on the decoration makes it look as if it’s worth the money, but the taste? Nope.

I made my kids first cakes, and really didn’t know what I was doing. But it turned out great. Are you sure you don’t want to give that a bash?

I don't see the point of putting myself under unnecessary stress. I hate cooking and I'm not very good at it, plus surviving on about 4.5hrs sleep most nights, I'm pretty sure I'd end up using salt instead of sugar, forgetting to turn the oven on or forgetting I'd put it in the oven!

I've checked the credentials of the person making the cake and she seems very good, has won a couple of awards etc, so I can't see her using a packet mix!

"Some cake makers use those horrid cheap packet mixes for the actual cake."

That's why you should always ask for a taste.
But if you want quality cake as well as quality decorating it will cost you more.

I make cakes although I do it part time and have another job too. I'm surprised at how many people have said to demand samples. I only do one or two orders a week and don't have loads of spare cake hanging around - I would offer samples for higher value orders eg wedding cakes over £300 during a consultation. I'm friendly with other bakers in my area and none of them provide samples either below a minimum order value. Unless you actually work from a shop you would have to bake extra specially which would eat into your already meagre profits. I've never even been asked for a sample. However my cakes do taste far better than anything shop bought. No packet mixes/synthetic rubbish here.

I wish everyone wanted to spend £100 on a 1st birthday cake!

I keep samples in the freezer.

Some cake makers use those horrid cheap packet mixes for the actual cake. The time and effort spent on the decoration makes it look as if it’s worth the money, but the taste? Nope

Not in the UK they dont tend to, packet mixes are quite common in the USA though. People wouldnt be seelling their cakes if they tasted rubbish.

I never had birthday parties as a child, actually I think I had one. If I did I wouldn't really be omg how exciting at the prospect of the cakes I had. Especially given both DC get supermarket or insist on baking their own cakes.

I like the idea of maybe spending half that and the other half on groceries for a food bank. Or some goodies for a homeless shelter.

The idea of it being a reward for the first year of parenting, I'd be more inclined to still split the cake budget in half and get some prosecco to share around possibly with orange juice for those who aren't really fans as Buck's Fizz usually goes down well.

I recall our wedding cake, cost a fortune, tasted like

I don't get all this 'spend half on the cake and the other half on the poor' malarkey! Do people see a lovely pair of shoes and then buy a similar pair from Primark and donate the rest of the money to charity? Probably not.

FWIW I donate £50 a month to a particular charity and have donated toys and food for a Xmas appeal.

I bake seriously elaborate concoctions for ds’s birthday - a couple of tiers, full fondant icing and figures on. My mum did the same and actually I DO remember them - one of my nicest memories.

So I say go for it :) if I had to pay for what I bake it’d be that much at least. It takes forever, I usually spend a whole afternoon and evening on mine.

And he did love his first birthday cake by the way, and he insisted we kept the little sugar paste farm animals - we’ve only just managed to bin the bloody things after a year of petting and fluff acquisition.

Second birthday cake toppers are still being sat by the high chair at weekends, he likes them so much :)

Go for it - ignore the hair shirt brigade - if you want to salve your conscience then you’re providing work for a skilled small business, right?

If it’s to eat and for your close family to enjoy then why not? If you can afford it without any trouble then go for it. It will be a nice surprise for your guests. I’d use a proper bakery where you can try the cake beforehand to make sure it tastes good too.

I get twitchy when people spend money like this on cakes for a cake smash though. Horrible.

Go for it Op

OP, the people suggesting you donate half to charity wouldn't do that themselves either. Smuggery twattery is much easier to achieve on the internet than in real life. Enjoy your cake and your party!