Sugarcraft chat

[wem]

I started a thread for cake people a while back but it got a bit lost in Chat so thought I'd try to tempt people into our lovely new baking topic.

Hopefully I'll see some of the posters from the chat thread, but for any new people popping in, introductions: I'm wem, I'm a recent cake obsessive and have been bothering mumsnetters about it a fair bit as I'm starting up cake decorating business. I don't have anywhere near the experience or knowledge of some of the posters in here, but I do have an excessive willingness to chat about cake :)

Let's try this again, eh?

anyone there?

I have been making tiger lilies for a cake this week and now have to make 15 burgundy roses for a cake next week. I am going to have a play with some cake dummies and decorate them for website piccies. I rather fancy attempting something similar to this Peggy Porshen cake

Hello blueberry, that Peggy Porschen cake is lovely. I'm in the calm before the storm. I've had nothing to do for ages then suddenly I have five cakes within three weeks coming up. I've started on some flowers and a ribbon for a couple of them and I might start on some pastillage panels for another soon. I keep trying to plan out the timings sensibly and not start on the most exciting ones first.

That cake is lovely blueberry! I do like PP cakes, have you seen her 'Floral Avalanche'? (guessing you probably have) it's beautiful, but all those flowers!

Wem, how's the cake business going? Did they ever come and inspect your kitchen? Our EH told me it might take a while after registering to actually get inspected. I am considering getting registered, but it seems such a huge step, I'm not sure why. I am making quite a few cakes though (between 6 and 15 a month) just by word of mouth and although I know numbers will go down when I charge 'properly' (I just ask for a contribution towards ingredients etc now) I feel in a way that I might as well make it a business.

I did a Twighlight cake for someone yesterday, loved making it! (there are a few others if you scrool right, if you can even do that?!)

i40.photobucket.com/albums/e201/midori1999/cc1e1cec.jpg

Hi midori, the business hasn't really got off the ground yet, mainly because the 'friend' who is supposed to be doing my website keeps messing me around. Of the five cakes I've got soon, three are gifts. Two are properly commissioned though, so I'm excited about that. I found it hard to work out what to charge, but all the advice I've seen says not to undercut yourself just because you're starting out, as it's hard to then put them up to a reasonable amount as people have formed ideas about how much you're worth almost. So, I'm striking out and trying to be confident in my product and an [eek]

I registered back in January. They haven't come to inspect me yet, they said they don't within the first six months, so I guess it could be coming up soon. I've got the Starting a Cake Decorating Business from Home book, but so far I've been a bit scared by the business speak. Got to get down to it and do some proper homework soon though.

The twilight cake is great, very atmospheric, if that's the right word for a cake! It wouldn't let me see any others though.

I can't wait to get these cakes done to have more pictures to show everyone. I have a feeling everyone in RL is getting slightly bored of relentless cake talk.

Marking place on thread and a link to flikr

A bit about me - qualified with advanced City and Guilds in sugarcraft 18 years ago and worked as a pastry chef for 4 years which I left to go into management. I run my cake business Sweet Love Cakes from home and am getting busier and busier

Thanks midori 1999, took me a while to find my way around, but i'm getting there. after reading everyones comments i decided to put my cake on here for all to see, be honest ( but not too honest ) and tell me what you think.

Below is the link to the cake on my Daughter's Facebook page -
www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150969686035979&set=a.10150832400130979.464141.503240978&type=1&theater

If it doesn't work, i'll try and paste it on the Mumsnet Facebook page now!

Wem I get what you mean about everyone getting bored of cake talk! Good luck getting your business up and going. I keep thinking I should, but I'm too nervous.

ohdearnigel, I saw your photos on another thread i think, about the afternoon tea for a wedding? Lovely cakes!

nannycook, the link works, but I think the photo must be set to private.

Finally got my website up here I am. I'm really pleased with it and I really enjoy the process once someone shows an interest, but I'm so rubbish at putting myself forward. I thought I'd dip my toe in by giving a card to a mum at dd1's preschool and fluffed it completely! Got to get my patter down and make sure I've got answers for all possible questions.

midori 1999, thanks for reply, have now posted pic to mumsnet on facebook, if your not on facebook could you tell me to upload photo to this website. am such a novice, ha ha.

Nice daffs, wem.

If you've got business cards you might think about approaching some hotels to put them in their wedding packs - this is always a good source of business

Thanks Nigel. I've got some cards but haven't started distributing them properly yet though. What kind of hotels would you target and how many cards would you give?

The website looks great wem (you have outed yourself though, !!). I actually wouldn't mind losing the T&L competition to you because I think you deserve it!

That's very lovely of you Viking :). Now if you could just put that in writing to Tate & Lyle so they're fully informed of your position on the matter...

Oh, and everyone I know has been forcefed my cakes literally via facebook etc and they're all on my profile so anyone on here will have recognised me yonks ago.

I don't think I've put anything incriminating on here...

Nannycook, I'm so sorry, but still can't see it and couldn't on the Mumsnet FB page either? You can put a picture on photobucket and then link to it on here, or you can put a photo on your profile and make it public so people can see it?

Wem, lovely website. Good luck with everything. Have you made your commisioned cakes yet? How did they go if so?

Not yet midori, next week, but first I've got my sister's 40th to do this week so all headspace has been on that - an art deco/bicycle theme :)

Midori, I'm on Facebook as Barbara Herbert, theres only one cake there so you cant miss it, hope this works

Ha! Finally found it nannycook! It's fabulous, great modelling, I especially love the panda!

Aw thank you so much, means alot to me. just alittle bit about myself so you know who you replying to, i'm a qualified chef with city and guilds 706 1/2, i used to cook for weddings etc, then took a liking to cake decorating, attended a few sugarcraft classes about 20 yrs ago, just made family and friends cakes and one 2 tier wedding cake as a hobby really, then started full time work at an opticians where i still work, but it was my grandsons 3rd birthday last week and my daugther-in-law asked me if i wanted to make his cake, so i thought, yes i can do this, you dont forget do you? the tools i've bought in the last week phew! lots of money, i made a cake for a colleague just days ago and i'm making a cake for my daughters 30th on tues, i really fancy making the star cake featured above, something alittle younger and not too fussy, what do you think? am i up to it? . what i really want is my own website or i'd settle for a regular flow of cakes so i could go partime in work and do somethong that i actually enjoy for a change. nice to talk to you.

Hi to everyone on this thread, i guess i shouldav asked to join in, so sorry, had alot on my plate lately. I'm so impressed by everyone on here, theres so many talented people on here, am in awe of clever people.

Hi nannycook, don't worry, the more the merrier! I've just found your cake too, it's fab :) Great that you're getting back into it after that break, it's clearly all still there! I'm just starting out, it's incredible the amount of money you can spend on all the kit at first...

Hi Wem, so glad you like my cake, so did my grandson. i made that star cake today, the one featured above, hope no one minded, its in the garage at the mo away from prying eyes, my daughters 30 tomorrow but still behaves like a 3yr old. Abit of advice i could do with as far as writing on a cake, just think it lets me down, is there anything i should be doing to prepare for it? or whats the easiest way to do it? Would love some feedback on that if poss.

hi, can anyone give me some help? does the royal icing for brush embroidery need to be alot thinner than you would for writing on a cake? I had some left over from my daughters cake i made yesterday and i thought i'd have alittle play, i've got the right brushes as i bought a pack of Wilton brushes last week with a square tipped brush included, so what am i doing wrong?

I've used just normal royal icing for brush embroidery. What's happening when you try to do it?

Hello Wem, well i piped a few lines just to practise, then brushed the icing down, it barely smudged it which made me wonder if the icing was to stiff, i've only seen a video of if not actually been shown how to do it. So i'm not doing anything wrong then? maybe need abit more practise.