you just reminded me about the trex lol

Ive done that as well, not alot but makes it nice and soft

Thanks for the tips, i'll go with the trimming then

Hello again! Well a friend has asked me to make her wedding cake for her. The wedding isn't until early next year but she wants an idea of cost. She's not decided on flavours yet but I'll go for an 10, 8 and 6 inch I think (although that sounds pretty big) If you were pricing a wedding cake that size, as a basic vanilla cake covered in white fondant with some piping detail on one tier plus ribbons round each tier, something reasonably simple, how much would you charge for it? I have no idea how much I would need to charge for it. I can work out rough costs of the ingredients for the cakes them but I know you've then got the time, support system etc going into it as well. Just a rough idea for a 3 tier simple cake would be great so I have some idea how much to tell her!

Hi Sam, what I do is, I calculate what the ingredients, boards and ribbons costs (everything that you use to make the cake) and multiply it by three. And you can add another £10-£20 on top of that. That is the way I do it. But see how other cake makers do it too!

I know a lot of people have already asked this, but what buttercream recipes do you all use? I have been using the vanilla buttercream recipe from the hummingbird bakery cookbook, but it's not as stiff as I'd like for piping. I'd like it to lok soft, yet billowing, but it's a little too soft for that effect. I've tried adding more icing sugar but once I've beat it enough to get rid of the powdery consistency, it's back to light and soft again! Any tips would be great!

Hi there, I use 1:2 ratio of butter to icing sugar. And I also add vanilla extract and some hot coffee creamer ( this takes away the sweeter taste from the bc.). First I beat the butter, extract and coffee creamer until light fluffy. Then add the icing sugar. If its stiff, then add more coffee creamer. HTH.

thanks i've seen a recipe like this before but it suggests adding the hot creamer at intervals whilst adding the sugar. would there be any difference in the end result either way?

Just wanted to let you know that Morrisons have some pretty cupcake cases in stock now and they're really good value. I've stocked up as they seem to be the cheapest and good quality around....

Got some lovely foil ones for 3p each which is great!
dx

San - you'd love the pastel coloured foil cases - blue, pink and silver. I love them and cant wait to bake more...! And they actually stay on the cake too rather than peeling away like the other branded ones....

Funny the discussion on foil cases - I was just logging on to ask where a good place to get foil cases is? Blue Ribbons have them at a good price, but their postage is expensive. Any recommendations?

I'm near London so have a few stores around here to choose from and they're quite big so I'm lucky I guess! The Morrison cases start from 1p and they're quite nice!

DO any of you guys recommend a place to buy cupcake boxes from? I think I need 24 hole mini and standard size boxes but am not sure what is a good price - some I've seen on ebay are nearly £2 each! There goes my profit!

x

Thought i would introduce myself, I am Sanmarco5, from Hastings East sussex, just found the UK thread on here, even though I have been using the site to post pics for a while.
I have been cake decorating for 22 years!! taught myself when my oldest son was a baby, so that I could make his birthday cakes & it snowballed from there! use to make loads often 5 or 6 a week, but all friends & friends of friends, never actually registsred as a business, then had my younger 2 (13 & 15) and it all slowed down as I just didnt have the time, I went into childminding, and just made my kids birthdays cakes, moved to Hastings from London 8 years ago & no one here even knew I made cakes until I left childminding & got a job in a nursery & happened to mention it to a work colleague as she was looking for a christening cake for her son's baby. I made the cake which she loved, posted a pic on facebook & it has gone mad since!! so many enquiries!!
I left the nursery & have gone back into childminding, so have more time on my hands to make cakes!!
I am registsred as a business for my childminding, but not sure what I have to do do register to make cakes too, I am registered with food standards, but again just as a childminder, not sure if they expect 'more' if I am making cakes too?
I need to ring them and ask, I am not certain about having washing machine & tumble dryer in the kitchen, did this make a difference to anyone???

Hi Sanmarco5

I'm in Ayrshire, so maybe our local authority is different (no 2 ever seem to be the same!), but I had to register as a food business. The advice I was given was that I couldn't do laundry at the same time as baking. My washing machine is in a utility room, but they actually didn't check when they came to inspect. I don't think it would be a problem, as long as you don't have laundry lying around whilst you're actually baking?

Going back to the Morrisons cases, are you talking about paper ones with the spots? I noticed them in our local store the other day, but didn't get any. Didn't see any foil ones tho. Must go get some and give them a try, coz my cases keep peeling away from my chocolate cakes! grrr

Sorry - another question (I'm on a mission this morning). I'm looking for some edible images to put onto some cupcakes for a business launch. I don't have a printer, does anyone know a good place to get it done? Have done some googling, but mostly come up with places in the US.

OMG, dont husbands annoy you??
He came home from work last week & said someone at work wanted a cake & he told them I would do it, I rang the bloke & it turns out he wants a No1 shaped cake & told my hubby, mark all he could afford is £20 & Mark said that's ok, she will do something for £20. Now the bloke has sent me a picture of a winnie pooh no.1 cake with characters all over it, this is what he wants!! I am so annoyed that my DH would drop me in it like this, and to make matters worse, its for this Thursday!! AND get this, we were having a general converstion at lunch time today & he happened to mention that it's this blokes birthday on tuesday & lots of people are going out for a drink, but he won't go cos he doesnt like him!!

OMG, I am now making a cake, at practically no profit, for someone my husband doesnt even like!!

OMG, I would launch him out the window! MEN!