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

[AmIjustreallymean]

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?

Does she do them at home though or have catering premises to do them? At that price I doubt it and they won't be insured and have hygiene inspections etc.

I remember getting a fantastic chocolate cake made for DC1's 4th birthday. Of course it would have done twenty five people instead of the ten kids it was needed for. I still remember how it tasted. I can't remember how much I paid exactly but say approx £70.

I tried in the intervening years to order more birthday cakes but the baker had stopped baking and selling cakes.

I had another cake made for their 12th birthday. it cost £100. I thought it would have piped icing with the shape of the character DC1 wanted. Instead it had some sort of paste stuck on to it. The cake itself wasn't good to eat and I think if I'd picked up a supermarket cake (as I have done many many times in the past) it would have been similar. I was annoyed because the baker was highly recommended on local FB pages.

Its difficult to compare prices because if the cake is excellent quality, it will be worth paying for. If it isn't, then obviously you will kick yourself for paying it.

A friend of mine often hosts family occasions. She orders large fresh cakes from a local, well known bakery who pipe the name of the family member onto it. Its usually a sponge and cream cake so fairly simple but its large enough to offer to a big group, its fresh and its affordable.

@ilovemyspace sorry I can't quote you from the app.

I wasn't aware of the existence of a 18" number cake tin - a 18" tin wouldn't fit in my oven or on one of my boards (the largest board most bakers would regularly use is a 16" square).

The standard number tins are around 8" across at their longest/widest point - and as they tend to be shallower than a standard round cake the portions don't usually stretch as far.

The two options for additional servings are usually a larger number-shaped cake cut out of sheet cakes, or a number-shaped cake baked in a number tin with a sheet cake or round cake alongside to make up the extra portions.

Why don't you buy a square very large chocolate mud cake from a cheaper commercial well known establishment and then decorate it yourself?
The day before mount it on a foil cake board and you could form Chocolate Ripple Cake numbers on top and sprinkle crumbles of choc biscuits over the top. Put in fridge for at least twelve hours. Add more decorations on day ..
Ribbons around, flowers, writing (with icing tube from supermarket), anything really, either on the lower cake or the board - as you like it. You could even use small plastic toys or anything for fun.
You will be able to have a two flavoured cake, lower and upper, and you could serve with berries.

Alternatively, you could start with a large base mud cake and place a commercial baked strawberry cheese cake on top. You could decorate with standing wooden numbers from a craft shop and decorate around the circle sides of the cheesecake with real flowers,add writing or candles to the cake board etc etc

Alternatively, you could place the numbers (formed out of Cup Cakes, Sponge Kisses or Honey Joys) on a huge cake board.

Be creative with nice tasting, quality, commercial cakes and you might be surprised with what you can do.

It could save you half the cost of the cake.

That applied even fifty and more years ago when my mother would sit for hours and hours creating things like the filigree corner baskets, the sheets of tracery etc and the sugar roses that almost everyone now buys ready made, cakes were much fancier and more complicated than the ones today, yet people would look and say 'but an M and S cake only costs £x, why is yours so much dearer?' No thought to her time, skill on top of the ingredients.

I’m in Manchester.
Im the child free aunt with some money and lots of nieces and nephews. We’ve had in the last 12 months 2 x 18th - x 21st 2x 16th and a 70th.
I have all the cakes made by one lady, the cakes themselves are freshly baked perfectly done, high quality and every piece is eaten (sometimes there’s fights over the last bits) all have been over £100. The cost of ingredients, overheads gas and electric, decorating and her time mean celebration cakes are a luxury BUT the quality of the cakes are that good I am happy to pay it.

last year I paid for a wedding cake. It was a 6 tier princess cake (nieces choice) it was £700. That included delinery and set up along with hours of intricate detail and icing. People are still talking about it.

I know there are plenty of amazingly decorated cakes cheaper but it really is only worth it if it tastes fresh and is eaten! X

I know there are plenty of amazingly decorated cakes cheaper but it really is only worth it if it tastes fresh and is eaten!
Yes, this is it in a nutshell.

😀

I paid 150 for dcs birthday cake was 3 tier as party for 40 plus family and its what dc chose it was stunning and totally worth it. It must have taken hours!

The 90s were more than 8 years ago.

I get your question OP- it’s kid about what the baker deserves then is it reasonable to pay for something in life that is over so quickly.
I am not on the breadline - I’m not rich but we have spare money for some luxuries - and I have never and will never spend on cakes 🤣
my children might love a certain thing but I would rather spend that on something they can keep or at least have for a period of time of what they love and they really don’t care as long as theirs some form of sugary cake !!

It does seem a lot. Time and ingredients are expensive but you might be able to shop around and find it cheaper.

I make (amateur!) birthday cakes for my kids and it probably takes me 5 or 6 hours, then as well as the cake ingredients fondant icing is around $30 for a medium tub plus any other special stuff like toppers.

What you want doesn't sound all that complicated though so you might be able to find something nearer the 100 mark if you try.

I had a similar cake for my 21st (so two cakes) which was well over 10 years ago and I am sure the cost was about £100 then.

Another poster suggested Cakebox and I’d definitely recommend them. They taste amazing and the sponge is really light. They do national delivery. Depending on how many people you need for, this comes at £125 for 46 people as an example. https://www.cakebox.com/two-number-shape.html

It’s not something i’d pay for personally though. I think paying that much for cake is a waste, effectively for the sake of some photos.

Aw that's cute!

How many people will it feed?

I think there are 2 issues
Is 175 a lot of money for OP - quite possibly
Is 175 an unreasonable rate for the ingredients, overheads and time spent - most likely not!
I think often there is a blurring or confusion over things like this when a) you can buy cheaper alternatives eg supermarket cakes and b) often people know how to bake themselves.
but if an electrician, plumber, decorator, lawyer quoted their hourly rate, I'm sure, however expensive people would accept that was the going rate. However with cake making (and often other creative skills) people are less willing to accept that people need to charge a certain amount to ensure they are not working for minimum wage, or even nothing!

I was £140 for my daughters 18th cake nearly 2 years ago but it was worth every penny!

Eggs, Flour, Butter , Sugar , 2 cake boards , Marzipan+ Icing or sugar Paste , any decorations trims ,Electric , plus at least 10 hours of your Time to buy ingredients , prepare, Bake , Decorate and trim , What would you charge ?

£100 won't even pay you basic wage

the mold for the numbers is £35 ish.

it takes around 6 hours to do yourself (I’ve done a range of age 27-34) and around £10-20 of ingredients and that’s if you are just doing white icing or no icing. And £5-7 for the base board. Ingredients depends on quality and how much stuff you might have.

another hour for fancy decoration.

however, if you have the time and skills… it is fun!

If you aren't prepared to pay the price asked, either shop elsewhere or make your own

My first reply ever. I gave up making celebration cakes after 10 years of business, 2 years ago. So very tired of paying myself half minimum wage and customers wanting cakes made for the price of ingredients.
I can assure you £100 for 2 number cakes is a bargain.

YABVU, you called the person making the cake an artist. You're paying for their time and experience to make something special. If you're not happy, just go to Waitrose or M&S?

But the OP is expecting TWO cakes, not one
& while the price of ingredients has increased, a lot of the cost will be the labour - so two cakes, twice the work.

It's not unusual for a large celebration cake to cost more than £100

if you want a cheap one go to Costco or somewhere else