Cakes etc for church fete on a tight budget - inspire me!

[stealthsquiggle]

OK so I volunteered to make cakes for the produce stall at the church fete (part of our concerted campaign to get involved in the village and try to make some friends).

I don't have a set budget per se but money is tight right now so I would like to fulfill this promise as cheaply as possible.

I was going to do some decorated cupcakes but can someone inspire me with either cheap ideas or ideas of where to get ingredients cheaply (e.g. are Aldi/Lidl any good for baking ingredients [ignoramus] - I don't really want to go on spec as I would spend more in diesel than I would save IYSWIM!)

TIA

Well, I went to Tescos and the decorating stuff was as cheap as chips! Jelly diamonds were 12p a tub, 100s and 1000s were 8p a pot! as were sugar flowers and silver balls.

My baking cupboard now looks like a bakery! The kids love it.

Collision were they selling it off or is this standard Tesco pricing?

I was actually thinking of the base ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, eggs, etc) and things like icing, but I can be (eveidently) easily diverted with the concept of super cheap decorating stuff.

oooooh it is the same price online.

Now all I need to do is think of enough other sensible stuff that we need to sneak cake stuff in without DH noticing make up an order

Has anyone tried using (for example) Tesco Value Rice Snaps to make crispy cakes? Or is there a Tesco Value (or other) equivalent to Mars Bars?

I am trying to find economies which will not impact the taste of the finished product too much...

My Mars Bar cakes are always made with Value Rice Snaps and Value Milk Choc for the topping. Have yet to have any complaints. Never looked for Mars Bar substitues.

I tend to buy the biggest packs of flour (own branded of course) and sugar that you can (cost effective only if you bake a lot and have good storage jars)

Used tesco rice pops (not value tho) and tesco cooking chocolate to make crispy cakes (plus a whole bottle of syryp) to make crispy cakes - they were yummy!

Banana bread is a winner in our house, cheap and easy to make
and you just need to cut it up into pieces without any fiddly cases or decorating (no one will expect it to be too beautiful)

Have ordered value rice snaps and tesco branded (not Value) mars bar equivalents (half the price of 'real' Mars bars) so I will let you know how it goes.

Value flour I have used before - it is a bit of a pain in that it needs sieving but other than that is fine.

sugar they don't seem to do huge bags of - but I will try Lidl/Aldi for that. I do do a lot of baking and have reasonable storage so hopefully it will work out.

If anyone spots deals on sugar or icing I am all ears. I am not going to be baking this lot for a week or two so will delay the battle with my conscience about cheap eggs.

ten10 I will be keeping an eye out for reduced bananas to fill the freezer with and then turn into banana bread

I second banana bread. Cheap and easy and quick. DD and I regularly make it. She is only 3. It would look pretty with a plain glaze type icing on top, i think.

in fact, here is my recipe.

Banana (Nut) Bread

3 ripe bananas, well mashed. Overripe is v. good for this.
2 eggs, beaten*
10 oz/280 grams flour
3 oz/100 grams sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda/ bicarbonate of soda
4 oz coarsely chopped walnuts (optional in case of allergy)

• Substitute 6 oz / 200 grams melted butter or margarine or cooking oil in order to make egg-free.

Preheat oven to 180 deg C or 350 deg F. Grease loaf pan. Mix the bananas and eggs or egg substitute in a large bowl. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and bicarbonate of soda. Add the walnuts if using and stir in. Put the batter in the pan and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the pan to a rack. Serve still warm or cooled.

This version comes from an American Cookbook with the measurements in cups. I have used oz and grams using the guidelines at the back of the book. I haven't test run it yet so you may want to try it out first. Banana bread goes down a storm in my house.

Lidl will be worthwhile for sugar, golden syrup and icing sugar. (and flour actually)

They have v. good quality dark choc for 45p, plus excellent milk choc and mars bar substitutes.

They also have free range and organic eggs much cheaper than the other supermarkets.

And Jam. Really good jam for less than 80p and mixed fruit jam for less than 40p. Jam tarts are my fall back for the school fete as I have zero artistic talent for decorating cakes (and they're cheap and easy) If you're doing the same at Christmas they have huge jars of lovely mincemeat for 99p.

Their rice snaps and cornflakes are good too (though prob dearer than Tesco value)

whatdayisit thank you - I shall get me to Lidl at the next opportunity and get free range eggs and cheap dark chocolate (and everything else on your list, come to that!)

when DH was in Asda at the weekend they were selling Greens Cheesecake packet mixes for only 35p.

Apparently they are delicious and that was really cheap! oh and we now have a cupboard full of the bloody things.

Banana bread/loaf is a good one - especially if you can get the bananas from a grocer that are going cheap because the banans are very ripe. My local grocer sells them of at 10p a banana when they are black speckled.

This way you get a far better flavour cake and it's a bargin aswell.

I make annabel carmels banana bread as she adds a couple of tablespoons of yogurt, I have used any yogurt in the fridge although she states it should be greek yogurt I have used plain, strawberry and creme fraiche (basicly whatever is to hand) this make the loaf moist.

If you want to be nut free exchange the nuts for sultanas

Could I please have the Annabel Carmel banana bread recipe?
TIA

Yep - Lidl do FR eggs for 89p for half a dozen and they are fine!

Oh I am sorry am away at the moment so am unable to copy out the recipe for you, as don't have the book - has anyone else out there got the annabel banana loaf? Please

If you can get eggs at the farm gate they're normally cheap, average 70p for half dozen free range near me.

No problem - thanks ivykate44

ivykaty I can make you now...

We were in our local(ish) farmshop getting veg for supper - got to the tills and they had a box of ripe bananas for 10p/lb.

Me: ooh, I'll have some of those
Lady on till: oh just take them all
Me: really? how much do you want for them?
Lady on till: nothing - just take them

I now have 15 free bananas in the freezer and am now officially collecting foolproof banana cake recipes

mumsnet banana bread is the best one imo.....and cheap!

Collision - this one?

yes.

I have made it 5 times now and we all love it. Put paoer over it half way through so it doesnt burn the top.

its yummy.

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