to ask how much you would pay for homemade Christmas cake

[TheHopefulBaker]

I am looking into ways to easily earn a bit of extra cash. I make a christmas cake every year just for myself and family as I love doing it, so I'll be putting in the money and time regardless. Every year I get feedback that my Christmas cake is lovely and I should sell them.

I'm wondering if it would be worth it to invest a bit more time and effort to make a few more, and maybe make a bit of money. I was thinking I could take them along to my local car boot sale in October and November.

I'm just wondering how much to ask. I usually make medium round cakes and decorate them with marzipan and royal icing. Then add a few simple decorations on top. Nothing fancy.

I'll try add a photo of last year's

How much do you think people would pay for a cake like this at a car boot sale?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

An awful lot of new business don’t make much profit ( if any) in the 6-12mths so don’t let that put you off, plan for it to be profitable in 6-12mths time

I never buy Christmas cake. Its not very nice. Do people genuinely like it?

Wise call to retract thread @OliviaVine . I imagine your friend wasn’t enjoying reading the responses.

Yes

No I don't think so. They just shell out for all the expensive dried fruit and spend time feeding it with brandy because they are bored witless and can't think what else to spend it on.

Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.

Not sure how it became offensive to you - I was suggesting smaller gift sized cakes.
suitable for one/two servings.

There is a lady who makes beautiful Christmas cakes at our local WI market and she charges £30. If I was you, I would do some icing classes. For little effort you can make a cake look fantastic. And that is not me being unkind, but I want the wow factor. Rolling icing over the cake and adding a pile of stars or holly leaves always looks great.

I read to page 4 and surprised nobody has mentioned that it’s October next week… and OP was talking about selling in October and November. I’m about to buy ingredients to make my own, for December. Cakes worth paying ££ for are fed for weeks, and that’s the real difference IMO. It can look as pretty as anything but as soon as you taste it you can tell if it’s been made properly.

That said - I agree with the rest of the PP who have said that people saying you should sell is lovely to hear but should be ignored in most cases!

Work out the cost of ingredients and double it at least to compensate you for your time. I defo wouldn’t sell through a car boot. Ask around family, friends, workplace if anyone is interested and post on local social media.

@TheHopefulBaker if you really want to do it then it's worth doing properly - you won't get set up and sorted for this year but you could aim to be ready for Easter next year? Get yourself registered, do your food hygiene courses, get inspected if needed, work out your costings and your time etc. and then look to start selling at Easter markets, maybe?

Do you assume that no one likes anything you dislike?
Also, there can be a huge difference in Christmas cakes, depending on the fruits, nuts and alcohol used. The ingredients for the Christmas cake made where I work are quite unusual, including damson jam, chocolate and dried pineapple, amongst other things. We sell a lot of them, which would lead me to believe people like it.

I wouldn't buy a cake from a car boot sale nor do I buy them at table top sales or markets. The homemade element does not appeal to me at all so I would always choose one made in a commercial/professional kitchen.
I would buy some artwork or crafts that were handmade or homemade but not food.

Waitrose's iced Christmas cake is usually around £7 and you can serve as is or add your choice of toppers.

You can also order from their fancier 'entertaining' range which cost up to £32 in snowman or winter scene designs. I know and trust the brand so would stick with that.

@TheHopefulBaker I’m in West Yorkshire and I’d love to buy one from you. Ignore the posters who have been negative. Please could you pm me?

I think you might be more successful if you made the cakes look a bit more modern and stylish and with royal icing. Those ornaments add to the ‘ick’ for me.

Those sound delicious! Where do I find them?

Christmas is coming on 6th October, but this is the same cake.
https://www.gingerbakers.co.uk/product/damson-brandy-fruit-cake-500g/

Oh I thought that was really off of @OliviaVine to do. Open her friend up to criticism about her craft. Pleased the Op listened to common sense

My friend asked me to post, I wouldn't dream of doing it otherwise. She actually got some lovely positive comments in addition to the spiteful ones but I could tell some of you were on a mission to criticise her so I requested it be removed.

You posted in AIBU
it was a risk that you were going to get people criticising the cakes

and you never clarified whether she even tried to increase her prices!

What happened, sorry?

Yes on hindsight we should have expected that. She never tried fo increase her prices despite people suggesting she should.

I have a feeling that if you’re selling them to the public you would need to have your kitchen inspected and passed for hygiene? My mum makes Christmas cakes, not to sell but for family and friends and I think the ingredients are quite expensive? I would say you could sell yours for around £10 but with cost of ingredients and time it may not be worthwhile?

No , people hate it, that's why millions are made and sold in the shops every year. People just buy it and it goes straight in the bin, don't even unwrap it 😂

Work out the ingredients and x3.

Seems a shame not to have at least tried to increase prices rather than just pack it all in