urgent cake advice needed ASAP...need to bake tonight!

[Lucky2010]

Planning to make a bog standard sponge, which is fine, but I normall do 2 in round tins, and make a 'sandwich' cake, but I want to make a tray bake type cake, using a roasting tin , and so was going to double my recipe, but just wondered what heat and fro how long?

I normally do a delia recipe which is gas mark 3 for 35 mins.

Thanks

plumbum - have a look at prices here

Tis done!
Middle springing back nicely, skewer coming out clean (from the middle).

Will have to update you all tomorrow on actual taste, but so far I am pleased for a first attempt!

It was in the oven for 55 mins BTW.

Hi Stealth
I seen that one I think I just feel guilt as it seems such a small cake and its first one although I know I will be so fussy about it, I £220, but its still an 12x6 sponge cake, its the figures...... God I wish I could make decision, she can always say no[arrrggghhh]

Brilliant Lucky take note of time and temp and as my wee farmers wife neighbour says ach thats a pound mix you use, when I showed her a 12" round tin

Go for it - as you say, she can always say no.

Better margins than children's cakes!

Lucky - I am sure it will be fab. If you are icing it and then going straight to work in the morning, I would ice and transport it in the tin IIWY.

PlumBum - this one makes the other one look cheap

hmmm yeah, icing is not my strong point either!

really pleased with how cake looks, is cooked throughout and smells and looks yummy!

Thanks MN ladies for your invaluable help!

Lucky X

Signing off for now and going to bed!

Will post tomorrow on taste!

StealthSeen it too actually sent her a link to that one,
but the ones she saw are ones by a shop that specialise in them and the price isn't on the website, you know what that means

Lucky ou'll be fine this time last year I was a complete novice, still am really

Definitely go with the price you have then. If she doesn't like it she can call the people she was looking at and then come crawling back when she realises what a bargain yours is.

PBM, I've found that giving a breakdown of costs, so ingredients (plus a bit extra for baking/lining, etc), board, box, ribbon, icing (I give a price per kg which includes a small amount for colouring) then a labour price per hour with an indication of how long you think it will take. If the figures are quite detailed then I'd spend at least an hour on each one, then you've got the time for making the cake, icing it, icing the board, assembling it, etc as well. If you charge a reasonable hourly rate (£15/hr isn't unreasonable as it's a very skilled service you're offering) then £220 isn't a lot.

As Stealth says, you get a far better margin on wedding cakes than you do on birthday cakes!

first sentence doesn't make sense. If you give a breakdown of costs I've found it makes people less by the price. And if they've seen similar cakes for a similar/greater price then they can't be too outraged by your price, can they?

I detest pricing up cakes though. Mainly because I would never dream of paying the amounts I charge for a cake - it's why I started making my own because I was too tight to pay someone else .

look at these I'm sure they are £££££

I'm the same, I think I'm just worried about the size of the cake, I'm even tempted to make a second 8" square to give her on the side...............shhh don't tell dh

I bet they are! There's a huge amount of detail in each of those figures and the objects/decoration on the tables so you could just explain that it will take a couple of hours per model to make so it is going to be expensive for the size of cake. If she wants to pay less she could always have a simpler cake.

(I'm not really this hard nosed, btw. DH has forced convinced me to charge properly and no one has ever said no when I've given them the price and most have recommended me to other people so it must be okay, really)

I've been asked to do one of those for a wedding next year - they must be the new bridal must-have.

Cake was delicious and perfectly cooked!!!

Excellent news!