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

I always buy the cakes that I know will get home in one piece, i.e chocolate brownies. I've had too many pretty cupcakes get smooshed in paper bags before I even get half way home !!
So, either make brownies or make sure you have something to sell the cakes in !

My biggest tip is keep it simple and use a recipe you're comfortable with. This is not the time to try out something new because if it all goes wrong it will be on public display.

Honestly? I'd rather just donate money. I love baking cakes, and I'd enjoy a good cake sale. But what happens at our school is that there is very little notice, it's all bunched together on one little table, so the crowd of children around it is difficult to get around. Kids are grabbing things and then putting them down when parents tell them no - yes, they're wrapped up, but it still squishes things.

Ideally, they'd advertise a few days in advance (I rarely take money with me, so finding out on the day is annoying, as I don't have money with me).

They'd open PRIOR to school letting out. As a parent, it's much easier to choose something myself and pay for it, and then I can give it to my child once he's out of class. Other parents might like to give their child money and let them go choose. This would cater to both options.

I've never actually used Flora. I've used stork and regular butter. I do like baking with my children, although it can be a challenge sometimes.

I wouldn't have a problem donating cakes for a cake sale, but I would expect a good week's notice to when they are doing the sale. That gives me time to get the ingredients without feeling like I have to run out last minute and do the bake the day before.

I find that children want to buy the ones that are brightly coloured and covered in sparkly things. I make mini madeira cakes and then they are decorated with brightly coloured icing and sparkles by my daughter.

Make miniatures of everything, they sell better.

Luckily my wife is a good cook so I pass this particular baton on to her. If it was down to me it would be down to the local bakers pickup a new cake get home remove all packaging, place into one of our cake boxes and walk proudly(Smugly) past the other parents into school to deliver.

Buy some plain cheap cupcakes from the supermarket and let the children decorate them.

Do something easy like rice Krispy chocolate cakes and decorate with sparkles or things like smarties. Kids love them and they're easy and no baking as such

keep it simple
chocolate crispie cakes
fairy cakes
lots of bright coloured buttercream icing & edible glitter!
and if your baking does not work out don't worry go to supermarket, as most of the mums do anyway

Making little things and decorating them nicely makes them easier to sell. It doesn't need to be anything too fancy or labour intensive!

If baking for a cake sale...esp for a school one...go for small simple mini buns and mini treats, like fifteens and if you're buying at a school cake sale...get there early or there will be nothing left!!

Cheap fairy cakes from a supermarket is the way to go!

Flapjacks with chocolate drops are so easy and cheap to make. They also keep well.

Keep you cakes simple, cupcakes and fairy cakes always go down well with some pretty decoration and let your children help to bake them! Don't make it into a competition with other parents, it's supposed to be a bit of fun

Make small cakes, such as cupcakes or cake pops and make them as lurid and sugary as possible, guaranteed to sell our

I swallow my pride before someone swallows my dreadful cooking and just go all out and cheat, bribe older ladies with charm and maltessors to bake for you (yes I am a SAHD), or if I am really feeling up for it, buy cheap chocolate and put sweets on top. I'd buy and eat them....

Rainbow cakes really attract peoples eye, different food colourings and some colourful icing and hundreds and thousands. They sell amazingly.

My top school cake sale tip is to keep it simple. Follow a recipe, something that looks good, tastes good but not something that can easily go wrong.

Best sellers tend to be those cakes loaded (excessively) with icing and/or sweets and/or chocolate!
Some people try to bake and sell 'healthier' alternatives such as cakes filled with fruit, veg, seeds, oats etc. but the kids just don't want them - besides, if you're going to take part in a cake sale you may as well over indulge!
My DS is only 2 but we've baked together and he loves it! He can join in the mixing, putting out the cake cases, spooning in the mixture, and adding toppings on etc.
He (and I) am suckers for character cakes with Peppa Pig being a current favourite!

Cook cakes or large cookies in the slow cooker. Cakes rise evenly. Chuck some icing on the top (the kids are only interested in the sugar anyway), add sweets or sparkly things.

Don't get competitive - there will always be a few Mary Berry mums that will always out do anything that you can do. Save your money on the ingredients and just buy what the others have made instead - win win then.

Standard fairy cakes, replacing 50g flour with 50g cocoa powder. 'Butterfly using flora and icing sugar buttercream. Cheap and pretty.

We made some mini fruit crumbles which went down well. Just made a batch of stewed apple and blackberries, added some cinnamon, put the mix in little foil containers and topped with crumble mix.

box of tunnock's tea cakes go down well here...

we all start really well

in reception - nut free chocolate brownies (didn't make it past the staff room!)
Y1 treacle and ginger tray bake - nice and sticky
Y2 choc chip cookies
Y3 shop bought cookie dough cookies
Y4 tunnocks
Y5 ditto
Y6 forgot completely

Secondary school - wooo hooooo no more bake sales..

make sure to have suitable bags to put the cakes in, either plastic or paper bags....freezer or sandwitch bags seem like a good idea and they are cheap too..x

my top tip is :
make the sponges in advance that way the night before you only need to decorate. (or let the kids do it)

also send them in old ice cream tubs not your best containers they might not come back.

thanks xx