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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is too much to pay for a cake???

191 replies

AmIjustreallymean · 12/10/2023 21:34

We're having a double celebration (not a wedding) but we thought we'd get one cake to celebrate both events. Cake in the shape of numbers but decorated in two different styles.

The baker was recommended to me and is consistently recommended on our local social media. I don't want to hassle them and i might not get anyone else as the event is soon. But the quote is for 3 figures, ie over £100!!!!

The last cake I bought was £65, nearly 8 years ago so I'm a bit surprised. Am I being really mean and this is a reasonable price?

OP posts:
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10
Fionaville · 12/10/2023 22:41

I understand why cakes are so expensive, time and ingredients etc, etc
Personally, I could never pay that much for a cake. Luckily for me, despite seeing/eating expensive cakes, my kids think that a personalised Costco cake is the pinnacle of the cake world 😆

PortalooSunset · 12/10/2023 22:44

AmIjustreallymean · 12/10/2023 22:02

I'm sorry, I really don't think I've worded my question well. I'm a bit surprised the quote is over £150, I was expecting between £100 and £120. I don't think the Baker is being unfair or ripping me off - her cakes look amazing and she is an absolute artist.

It's more - should I do this? Is this an unaffordable luxury and I should stop asking for the moon and be more sensible? Over £150 for something that could be eaten an evening!

Should I accept it's too expensive and get something else?

You're the only one who can decide if it's unaffordable. For you. MN has people where they'd say they could comfortably order 3 week and others who think that's 3 months of groceries!

Lizzt2007 · 12/10/2023 22:45

StarlightLime · 12/10/2023 22:39

That's terrifying... What is it supposed to be?

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I may be showing my age but that's a gremlin ( don't get it wet or feed it after midnight !)

Sherrystrull · 12/10/2023 22:45

Lol at anyone saying a large cake cost £5 in ingredients. The butter for cake and icing would cost that alone.

StarlightLime · 12/10/2023 22:45

Lizzt2007 · 12/10/2023 22:45

I may be showing my age but that's a gremlin ( don't get it wet or feed it after midnight !)

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Thanks!

weirdoboelady · 12/10/2023 22:47

Sdpbody · 12/10/2023 22:39

Number cakes are a pain with so much waste. You need to use almost double the ingredients to make a sheet cake, and you'll need to do two. It would need at least 6 butters, 30 eggs, 1.5kg of sugar, 1.5kg of SR Flour, vanilla paste... this is just for the sponge.

My 6 inch cake with 3 layers is from £60 and my 8 inch with 4 layers is from £80. My double tier cakes start from £150. I make sure to add my wage at £15 per hour.

If you are a pro baker, don't you have number-shaped cake tins? No need for waste (unless you are enjoying the offcuts)

Thedm · 12/10/2023 22:47

StarlightLime · 12/10/2023 22:45

Thanks!

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How have you never see or heard of gremlins?
Im 34, my kids are 11 and 12. I know what a gremlin is and so do they!

Medusaismyhero · 12/10/2023 22:48

Lady who makes bespoke (and beautiful) cakes near me was a minimum of £100 per number (can be more depending on decoration) a couple of years ago. Each number fed 20-25 people.

StarlightLime · 12/10/2023 22:50

AmIjustreallymean · 12/10/2023 22:16

I didn't want to be too specific but people have seen £100 and thought that's what was quoted. £100 I would have paid already but it was over £150!

Not trying to drip feed and I am going to work on my written communication skills!!!

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But you're asking "Is this an unaffordable luxury" which is daft enough (who knows what your financial situation is?!), and compounding the daftness by refusing to say what the actual cost is Confused
Whole thread is pure nonsense.

ilovemyspace · 12/10/2023 22:51

@Sdpbody Number cakes are a pain with so much waste. You need to use almost double the ingredients to make a sheet cake, and you'll need to do two. It would need at least 6 butters, 30 eggs, 1.5kg of sugar, 1.5kg of SR Flour, vanilla paste... this is just for the sponge.

But you don't need to make a sheet cake - you can buy cake tins in the shape of the number!!

StarlightLime · 12/10/2023 22:51

Thedm · 12/10/2023 22:47

How have you never see or heard of gremlins?
Im 34, my kids are 11 and 12. I know what a gremlin is and so do they!

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I've heard of gremlins. That cake just looked freaky.

Loubelle70 · 12/10/2023 22:54

Simonjt · 12/10/2023 21:37

Ingredients, plus minimum wage, plus utilties, cost of advertising etc mean around £100 is fairly cheap.

Its true. Increase cost in ingredients and car fuel to deliver and fuel to cook it..then theres time involved

FrazzledMCPremenopausalWoman · 12/10/2023 22:57

ilovemyspace · 12/10/2023 22:51

@Sdpbody Number cakes are a pain with so much waste. You need to use almost double the ingredients to make a sheet cake, and you'll need to do two. It would need at least 6 butters, 30 eggs, 1.5kg of sugar, 1.5kg of SR Flour, vanilla paste... this is just for the sponge.

But you don't need to make a sheet cake - you can buy cake tins in the shape of the number!!

Yes you can, but they're a standard size (pretty small) - so if the customer wants the numbers to be larger than the tin will make, a sheet cake is the only way.

Blackandwhitemakesgrey · 12/10/2023 23:00

£60 pounds some years back for one cake and £50 now for one cake. I don't understand your issue at all OP? Its cheaper than it was!
It would be a lot more than that where I live so I'd be snapping that baker's hand off!

FrazzledMCPremenopausalWoman · 12/10/2023 23:03

Ihatethenewlook · 12/10/2023 22:27

Ok, member of a family of professional bakers here. It’s nice to see so many people advocating for the effort and time they put in. But it’s sad to see so many people getting ripped off. Do you all not get multiple quotes for your £200 basic cakes? 😂
A rough guide of how much they should cost, including ingredients, business costs and profits-
6 inch cake £32
8 inch cake £38
10 inch cake £42

The prices are for a 2 tier, 10cm deep cake, including filling, frosting, any buttercream decorations and fondant writing.

Extras include characters etc £5 each
Toppers which are ordered in generally around £4 each.

The 10 inch cakes will feed 40 people. So if you want 2 massive 10 inch numbers, say with 3 characters and a topper to feed 80 people, it’ll come less than £105. God knows where these idiots are getting their cakes from

Where on earth are your family members based that they can make and decorate a cake and sustain a profitable business at those prices? Do they give their time for free?

Totaly · 12/10/2023 23:03

my kids think that a personalised Costco cake is the pinnacle of the cake world

So do mine. I’ve never brought fancy cakes. People don’t even eat them! Waste of money and a lot will close down!

Wetblanket78 · 12/10/2023 23:07

8 years have passed we are going through a cost of living crisis ingredient costs have gone up massively. As well as you wanting two different designs on one cake and it shaped into numbers. That will take more of the baker's time to do.

Prescottdanni123 · 12/10/2023 23:07

Sounds like they have made two cakes. Which is understandable because if they had made 1 cake and cut two numbers out of it, they would have been quite small.

So 150 divided by two is 75. Each cake is worth £75. So the price has jumped up by £10 in eight years. Not bad really considering the increased price of eggs etc.

MidnightMeltdown · 12/10/2023 23:10

Spending hundreds of pounds on a cake is nuts imo. Get a giant personalised Colin the Caterpillar in M&S for £45 😂

grumpycow1 · 12/10/2023 23:11

I paid £80 for a handmade cake for my son’s birthday party to feed 40. How many people have you asked them to quote for? It sounds fine to me.

Dee00 · 12/10/2023 23:15

I wouldn’t pay that. Have a look on patisserie Valerie, I always order cakes from them for family gatherings and parties. They are around £50 each and absolutely delicious.

Maybe not as bespoke but definitely tasty.

ilovemyspace · 12/10/2023 23:19

FrazzledMCPremenopausalWoman · 12/10/2023 22:57

Yes you can, but they're a standard size (pretty small) - so if the customer wants the numbers to be larger than the tin will make, a sheet cake is the only way.

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How 'pretty small' are you thinking??
My daughter bakes number cakes which are baked from cake tins around 18" (maybe a wee bit bigger) and has never had any complaints about them being too small - they're certainly no smaller than a sheet cake would be .
How big are you baking your sheet cakes?

Blondeleo84 · 12/10/2023 23:20

I have used cake makers several times but once the price started increasing over £100 I couldn’t justify it any more, despite understand how expensive ingredients etc are I just didn’t think it was worth it for cake. I’ve since used cake box and although the cakes aren’t as delicious they are still yummy and fresh at less than half the price. They have 2 number cakes for £60ish!

user1492757084 · 12/10/2023 23:20

In the shape of numbers?
Does that effectively mean two cakes?

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