What are your top tips for the school cake sale? Tell Flora for the chance to win a £200 John Lewis voucher. NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

With school starting up again and cake sales coming up, Flora would love to hear about Mumsnetters' tips for the school cake sale.

Here's what Flora have to say: “We know that the school cake sale can sometimes be a battleground but Flora is here to offer a helping hand. Baking with Flora Buttery couldn’t be simpler- just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes is all it takes. All it takes is a bowl and spoon! You can even get the kids to help for easy peasy baking fun and tasty sell out cakes every time!”

So, what are your top tips for the school cake sale? Do you have any simple fail-safe cake recipes which you know will sell well? Do you like to bake with your DCs? Perhaps you prefer to buy cakes? Are there any cake sale favourites which have surprised you?

Do you have any tips for navigating cake stand politics? What are the pricing policies in place at your DCs' school? What tips do you have for getting as many parents involved as possible?

Whatever your top tips are, Flora would love to hear about it.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £200 John Lewis voucher.

Please note your comments may be included on Flora's social media channels, and possibly elsewhere, so please only post if you're comfortable with this.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

[hvyellow]

Keep it simple like angel cakes but add bright icing and colourful sprinkles and decorations that catch the eye. If the kids and friends are helping, give everyone their own little job to do...most of all :) enjoy it!!!

[Pimmpom]

Cupcakes that the children help to make - to cover up my non-existent baking skills.

[JWalker23]

My tip is to make sure things are clean! You don't want a hair, do you? :)

[sweetnuttydogs]

I always try to encourage fruit cakes rather than the traditional sponge or chocolate, we use strawberries (there our favourite) to decorate the tops f the cakes. But all fruit is great to use for flavouring, look and health :)

[billy100]

I would advise always making the cakes look bright and inviting, as well as offering a reasonable price :)

[embabes7]

Try and make a tray bake that you can make in advance and freeze, It will save time and pressure, you can get it out the night before to defrost over night and it will be nice and fresh!

[Flossiecrossie]

Chocolate brownies are quick & easy to make and always a sure fire hit. Just make sure they are cooked through properly and don't be tempted to cut them into slices until they are cool.

[sarah3875]

I agree with rice crispy cakes. I normally make some plain and then some rocky road (with raisins and mini marshmallows) also I have a cracking recipe for gruffalo crumble cake. The kids seem to like something with a fun name like that.

[PhilB50]

Lots of icing . Lemon and strawberry do nicely.

[winkymcwinkle]

Can't beat a Victoria sponge or some flapjack.

[ColouringInQueen]

'Fessing up now I buy the supermarket plain fairy cakes and then add colourful icing and loads of decorations - like everyone says sweets are v popular - and they usually go down a treat!

[linheiner]

Oh the joys of the School Cake Sale! My tip would be make something cheap and simple (like the cornflake or crispie cakes or fairy cakes with bright icing)

[spicers1976]

My top tip is not to stress about it. If you're a busy Mum and don't have time to bake then buy cakes to donate. They all get sold the same way for the same cause.

[Cataline]

I agree with Atyourcervix - make something you know you and your own family will love then buy it back- always a safe option. It does feel a little galling to spend money on something you've already paid for through buying ingredients and your time spent in the kitchen cooking the bloody things but think of it as a little donation to school funds then enjoy your creation!! If you do this as soon as you arrive, you don't have to suffer the embarrassment of your item not selling and then being part of the knock-down bargain table at the end where they ask for donations and you have to suffer the indignity of children paying 5p for your creations you can avoid the scrum of treat-starved 7 year olds!

[brookson]

Cupcakes (if no time can buy plain fairy cakes) decorate with butter icing and some sparkle or a sweet treat

[GatoradeMeBitch]

Don't go too out there. It's not the time to experiment with unusual flavours (the sweet potato cupcakes one Mum brought to the summer fete were still there at the end of the day!) It's about shifting units to make money so stick with the crowd pleasers. And if you don't have the time or inclination to cook, channel 'Calendar Girls' and sift icing sugar over a ready made M&S cake. No-one will know!

[Tonkatol]

I have learned that, if I am making cakes for a Christmas or Summer Fair, it is ok to make large cakes as parents will often buy a cake to take home. However, for playground cake sales, the brightest, most garishly decorated cakes sell really well! With that in mind, I usually make a batch of mini cupcakes and then prepare buttercream and a whole host of different decorations and then let my 8 year old daughter do the decorating of the cakes!

[jomulan]

don't bake messy cakes
don't bake large cakes,; cakes that fit in tiny fingers will be better
don't sign yourself up for more than you can realistically handle. You're not supermum!

[baconbap]

anything with chocolate in will sell well

[Gill81uk]

Keep it simple and make them appealing to children. They are generally the ones who are choosing what the mums will buy. My little boy is attracted to anything with smarties, chocolate buttons or sprinkles on the top.

[chickydoo]

Just give them a £5.00, school can buy what they want, cut out the middle man. Who wants other peoples dodgy cakes.

[Jenerate]

Definitely focus on the decoration - icing and sprinkles; choc buttons; smarties. Keep the size fairly small - more economical and easier to eat.
Biscuits or fairy cakes, both sell well.

[robyn297]

Keep it simple, a basic cupcake with an enticing sweet on top works a treat

[raindaisy]

Lots of cup cakes, chocolate crispy cakes and if you melts a mars bar in with it makes them gooey. Kids love cakes in wrappers they can just pick at. dont make them too sticky that they leave a trail of them. Cake sales are usually at break time so they need to be quick to grab and eat and cheap no more than 20/30p plus cookies are great too

[angiesandhu1]

make chocolate crispy cakes and be done with the whole thing