Fucking 70 quid for a cake????

[Hairwizard]

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?

@MyDcAreMarvel

No, the baker & the business are not one in the same.

The baker needs to earn a wage. That belongs to them.

The business needs to turn a profit to cover running expenses such as utilities, insurances etc as already listed out several times over the thread.

Business profits also allow for reinvestment in training, equipment and development of new products as well as additional staff members should the business grow sufficiently.

This is basic stuff.

I knew someone who paid £250 for a 9 year olds birthday cake in SW London and this was about 10 years ago ! I was still using my Mums best recipe - didn’t look quite as good but cost about £3

Marks and waitrose do the best cakes for every occasion!

@moonbells The moment you charge for your time, no matter how little that is, it counts as earnings and that absolutely must be accounted for. It’s basically the same as doing a cheeky cash in hand job and not declaring it - you can and, if you build a reputation for yourself, will get pulled for it. Registering as a business is not expensive in itself, but bringing your kitchen up to standard and getting the necessary food safety qualifications and checks is not free and if you rent, you might need to check that you are allowed to run a business from your home address, in your tenancy agreement. Plus, you’ll need to go through the fun process of keeping accounts and submitting a tax return every year!

bigchris
So you would work all day for £35? Less when you take out the cost of ingredients
Some of you have no idea what goes into a cake especially if it’s done properly and the time it takes. All the ingredients plus two days work. Get one from Sainsbury’s. Most cake shops also use mixes so might be cheaper but the cake is shite.

YABU and ridiculous

Grr!
This kind of attitude is why I stopped selling my artwork.
You can't afford a HANDMADE cake?
Go to Lidl then?

The fact people think a person running a business doesn’t have to take a wage as well as the business making a profit is baffling to me but it goes some way to explaining peoples attitudes toward small/bespoke/handmade business I suppose.

Go costco get a big cake for £15 personalised

Yabu. It's handmade. If you can do a better job then do it, tot up the hours and materials, and see what you come to on a rate of say £15 an hour, which isn't exactly a kings ransom

Can't afford a bespoke cake? Go to Asda/Costco then. £70 is the going rate here too.

The real issue is that all of these beautiful cakes have yucky fondant/ royal icing on them .

Profit is what you have leftover when all your business costs have been taken out.

So the 30%, which a previous poster says she adds on to her costings, is not profit; it is a margin to cover overheads. Profit is the amount left when everything has been taken out. If that 30% is all being used on advertising, insurance etc, then you are not making any profit. You are of course making your £20 an hour salary.

@CheshireChat I never finish a cake in RI or Fondant. My cakes are either finished in Ganache ir Swiss Meringue Butter Cream.

This post is typical of those on FB asking for recommendations for plumbers, electricians etc but they must be cheap!! You want good professional work done then it's going to cost you.

You are paying for ingredients and time. I don’t run a cake business but so bake a lot and it takes a lot of time! People don’t, nor should they work for nothing, and often small businesses/craft people earn less than minimum wages by time they pay all the expenses, insurance etc etc of running a business. If £70 is too much I wld do go M&S, Asda, Morrison’s and am sure you will get something that suits your budget better. You can always add your own decor if you want x

I just made a lovely cake for my birthday. Took about 1h to make (2 separate days cause needed the sponge to cool down). It cost about £8. But it's a homemade cake by a person who is defo not a professional. You pay for their skills and in order for them to run a business.

I think £70 is a lot of money and it is a service I'm not willing to spend money on, therefore I do it myself. But if wanting to use a service I'd expect to spend around £70. Yes, supermarkets will be cheaper cause their bakery structure is different than an actual bakery.

Thanks CatherineOfAragonsPomegranate Englishrosegarden KentMum81 that's what I thought.

Won't be going for inspection any time soon - kitchen currently needs ripping out as there's a water leak in a supposedly-capped pipe behind a cabinet and it'd never pass!

Pretty cheap for a professionally baked cake. If you don’t like that then go to somewhere that uses cheaper ingredients and / or mass production.

I paid £40 for one in M&S for my daughters 1st Birthday. It was lovely and bloody delicious!

DD's birthday cake £40, better to find some home bakers and get a few quotes x

I don’t understand how people (not professionals, home bakers) are spending £40 or £50 on ingredients for a child’s birthday cake.

I used to be a very good hobby cake decorator and people were always asking me why I didn’t do it professionally. I would say because they couldn’t afford to pay me what it was worth. Sadly I would have been too embarrassed to charge enough to make it worth my while.

I wouldn't pay £70 for a cake because I just don't value cake - didn't have one at my wedding and have always either made simple ones for the dcs on their birthdays (hedgehog was the fanciest I stretched to) or bought a cheap supermarket thing for parties as the kids don't appreciate quality.
But I'll pay for other things I value, even for a fleeting moment of consumption - like an excellent wine or a glass of champagne, a good dinner. I have no doubt that £70 represents good value for money if I was someone who desires a bespoke cake - I'm just not that person.

@delilahbucket. £950?!?!? My wedding cake cost me £25! To be fair my friend made it. But it was delicious!!!! Absolutely perfect.

I have no doubt that £70 represents good value for money if I was someone who desires a bespoke cake - I'm just not that person

Absolutely! It may takes ages and cost loads but I wouldn’t pay anything like that.

I’m happy with a shop cake if a cake is needed. I’m not actually that fussed by cake anyway.