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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Fucking 70 quid for a cake????

593 replies

Hairwizard · 21/02/2020 20:42

As title says. Quoted 'from' 70 quid for a Christening cake. This was based on a 6" square cake with 4 sponge layers. Not tiers. Buttercream icing. Any decs toppers etc would be extra and from 8 - 15 quid!
Am i missing something?? How the f does a cake cost that much?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
24
pastthepointofnoreturn · 22/02/2020 04:27

To be honest £70 seems cheap to me for the cake you have described.

HoppingPavlova · 22/02/2020 04:33

Given the area im in and what other local cake makers here charge i thought it was a quite a jump in price.

Well that solves the problem. You seem to have a very competitive local market. You are free to use this to your advantage and chose someone who will offer a more competitive price. Given this, I don’t understand the AIBU issue?

kmc1111 · 22/02/2020 04:35

That’s very reasonable. Any less from someone actually running a business (as opposed to an amateur home baker who just takes an order here and there as a sort of hobby) and you’re going to get a pretty crap cake.

I don’t know why people are always so shocked that custom ordering stuff costs more than buying mass market. If you want a cheap cake go to a supermarket.

lboogy · 22/02/2020 04:40

If you can't afford it, go to the supermarket and stop expecting professionals to sell themselves short because you can't see the value in their service

hibeat · 22/02/2020 05:03

That's reasonable. Quality ingredients and professional time for a unique piece.

Chottie · 22/02/2020 05:28

That price seems right to me too. You are paying for a professionally made and decorated cake.

nameymcnamechangeagain · 22/02/2020 07:30

I hope none of you “value for money” types go out for meals....you can buy a steak in Tesco for £4, MUCH better than £20 in a restaurant....

Incontinencesucks · 22/02/2020 07:34

It does sound expensive but professional cakes always are in comparison to supermarket pnes.

If the local market is saturated then yes professional cakes will cost less due to competition so then i wouldn't pay the high price either, go with one of the other sellers.

HomeMadeMadness · 22/02/2020 07:37

Sounds very reasonable to me for a good quality cake. If I wanted a cheaper one I'd just go to the supermarket.

RattyTerror · 22/02/2020 07:45

You do realise this is their business? They need to earn a living from this which includes paying a mortgage etc. You’re paying for a decent cake by a skilled and registered person. Stop being tight. This is why my mum gave up on making cakes, she would spend hours upon hours making an intricate bouquet of icing flowers (which were truly beautiful) only for people to complain because they could get a caterpillar cake for a tenner at the supermarket. She never charged enough for her time and people still complained. Infuriating.

Nishky · 22/02/2020 07:51

Blimey. Someone linked to Costco cakes as an alternative suggestion- they look as cheap as they are- like a primary school art homework.

Spider7 · 22/02/2020 07:55

The restaurant steak v steak at home. You’re not just buying the steak. You’re paying for a chef to cook it. Waiting staff to serve it. People to clean up afterwards. You are also for the whole experience of eating out. You don’t just go to a restaurant for the food - you go for the experience and that is where the real value is.

Don’t want to buy this cake? As others have said, make it yourself or buy one from a store. There’s no need to be outraged at someone trying to make a living from their skill. You have other options

Thisisworsethananticpated · 22/02/2020 07:55

Erm labour time , ingredients ? Feasible

Thehop · 22/02/2020 07:58

I think that sounds reasonable for a professional.

headlock · 22/02/2020 07:58

Sounds very reasonable. You want a quality cake you have to pay for it.

whitetoblerone · 22/02/2020 07:59

I made a birthday cake for a friend; just one tier, but was decorated with different marvel character logos. This cost me around £50! I really don't think the price they're asking is unreasonable. You've got to think of their wages and the time it takes to make a cake!

Bezalelle · 22/02/2020 08:02

Shop around! Every SAHM in my area "makes cakes".

Saoirse7 · 22/02/2020 08:08

Material + overheads + labour would have that as a good rate.

Taking away expenses the hourly rate to work on that cake would be minimum wage so YABU.

PineappleDanish · 22/02/2020 08:25

Also agree what people have said about other craft items, like hand knits or crochet. You can't compare a hand knitted sweater or pair of gloves made from 100% wool to a pair of acrylic ones from the high street.

People just don't appreciate skill and effort, and don't want to pay for your time.

Rubychard · 22/02/2020 08:29

The first time I made someone a birthday cake, which was 12” square, it cost £40 in ingredients.

There’s a reason why I don’t make cakes for a living and this is it.

isabellerossignol · 22/02/2020 08:30

You are being laughed at behind your back. By the people you pay the exorbitant amounts of money to, and everyone you know.

The irony of this statement is huge. The companies who are making huge profits from their customers, and whose CEOs are laughing their way to the bank are the Boots with their £8 hair dye and the Tesco with their £12 cake. It's not your local hairdresser, charging £60 for a colour or your small bakery charging £80 for a cake that's laughing at you. They're struggling to cover their overheads and make any money at all.

People really have a very skewed outlook on money when they're happy to line the pockets of huge multinational companies but resent small businesses trying to make a modest profit.

TiddlestheCat · 22/02/2020 08:32

Cake maker here. Making cakes costs more than you think. Ingredients are more expensive than you would imagine. Then time to deal with enquiries (many of which don't progress), managing websites/FB pages and the time that it takes to bake a cake/decorate it/shop for ingredients and the extra equipment needed. For example, a cake will require time to cool down, then need crumbcoating, then refrigerating again (you usually need a second fridge) then coating again. Baking and decorating a cake like that would take around 3 hours if done properly. Then there is the time that it takes for delivery, if being delivered. Compare this to another tradesperson popping buy for that amount of time. You would get a much larger bill than £70. I would expect some kind of additional decoration for that price. Unfortunately cake makers cannot compete with mass marketed super market cakes. If £70 is too much for a christening cake for you, then that is your only other option.

damnthatanxiety · 22/02/2020 08:32

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TiddlestheCat · 22/02/2020 08:33

By, not buy. Damn autocorrect.

Catapillarsruletheworld · 22/02/2020 08:33

Cakes take a really long time to make. So you have to charge a lot to be cost affective.

If you don’t want to pay it don’t. Cakes are easy enough to make, and easier than you’d think to ice so long as you don’t want anything too fancy.