AHaha I'm with you maisie a cake has to taste good otherwise what is the pount? You might as well decorate dummies and serve them!

And I don't particularly like the cake in the tutorial either but the pictures really help my understand how to carve it now. I'm assuming as well that if you do a more gradual incline on the roads and take them further around the cake on each layer you will end up with a more windy road? I'm feeling a little better about doing it now but I know I'll never get it as good as the pics

I cant submit a photo - just in case.  Stacked three tiered in ivory with a few gumpaste roses and a bit of non-edible lace. No, I dont think it was old, I would question whether a quality butter was used - I cant put my finger on the taste, the buttercream (even though I am not a fan of this stuff) had an artificial taste (bought in?).  The tasteless sponge was spongy but not holey as much as when I do them this is why I wonder if they buy-in genoese sponges as I know many decorators do this for speed. I looked at a section of a few pieces and they were very uniform - too perfect hence why I wondered if bought in as it didn't have any depth of flavour you get from homemade. Because I use eggs from grass roaming chickens - my sponges have a warm glow colour and rich butter with vanilla bean.

http://www.sweetsuccess.uk.com/vshop/shopexd.asp?id=515  This is the company that many bakers use and was recommended to me by a world class icer.

Must of been an excellent profit margin on this cake.

ASugarluva, sorry in cannot help more as I haven't done anything like that before. :oops:

Yes, lot of decorators buy from sweet success. I hate ready made cake or buttercream!!!!

AWell I never knew that! Until I came on CC I just assumed all bakers baked from scratch and made their own icing. Even when I discovered a lot use box mixes, I thought it was common in America but not here (only because the people talking about it were American). And now I find this out! Maybe taste is not the most important part to some, maybe it's the decoration.

Maisie - I only knew about this when I went on a basic icing course and the tutor was talking about it. When pricing up cakes and margins are tight they do this. Also if hygiene is paramount (I dont get this if baking something above 100 degrees) then you haven't got to worry about any insurance claims. 

I do agree you buy a cake for a very special occasion then you expect the cake to be luxury/superior standard and not 'standard'.  All fur coat no knickers really - so you are paying for the decoration not the cake - personally I dont get this.

If I pay a lot for a celebration cake then I would expect the ingredients to be good to excellent. Surely word of mouth recommendation is the best form of marketing but after this I wont recommend this company but I will still be watching their decoration to copy anything I so desire.

AAm I just being daft or is the baking of the actual cake not one of the cheapwst parts? I mean I use all organic, good quality ingredients whenever possible but it never really costs too much to bake the cakes. My costs seem to always come from the fondant/colourings/decorations. I have looked up how much ready made cakes cost but I would have thought it could only save you a small amount? Fruit cake I kind of get because of the time it takes to make one, but not sponge.

Just checked their website and I don't even think they are that cheap really.  This has been a bit of a surprise to me - you learn something new every day!

Kathy

AI agree! I don't think they're all that cheap. And I do think that baking the cake is the cheapest part, even using good ingredients. I make two 7 inch fruit cakes out of one recipe and I think it costs less than the prices on the website. It is time consuming mind! That's why I make two at a time!

AI've never made a fruit cake. Every Christmas I intend to make my own Christmas cake but I just never seem to get round to it!

ABlimey! I just went back to look at the sponge cake prices! And £2.60 for less than a 1lb pot of jam! Sugarluva you really should! I think they're easier than sponge cake. Maybe not easier because they take so long but more reliable and they keep forever so you can make them in advance. And I know everything home made is better than shop bought but it's especially true of fruitcake.

My favourite fruit cake recipe is the boiled cake recipes.  I usually forget to make mine in time for Christmas and I made a boiled cake about a week before and it really was a success.  I keep losing my recipes so I just use Google and haven't been disappointed.  Sugalova - there's no excuse now! ;)

Kathy

AMake a simnel cake for Easter Sugarluva- delish!

AOoh totally with you Kathy, I do a boiled fruit cake and I much prefer it! I love Nigellas Choc Christmas Cake recipe, it's so lovely! I've converted a couple of non-fruitcake eaters with my version of it - you'll have to give a fruitcake a go Sugarluva!

It's my husband who's picky when it comes to other cakes now LOL!

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3210300/width/200/height/400[/IMG] maisie, this is my messy cake, the overwhelming desire to smooth it and put pretty flowers over it was strong.the bike I made out of petal paste and the guy on the bike in the pic is actually the person who the cake is for, hope the like it.

AMel37, daycakes and Sugarluva, I adore fruit cakes, I had to make 4 last xmas, huge amount of money SpeNT on ingredients.

AI love it Nanny! I think pretty flowers might've spoilt it! It's fab, thanks for showing us. :-)

AThanks Maisie, 1 down, 3 more this week.

Chasingmytail, I dont live far from Abergavenny, I'm from Blackwood, do you know of it?

AI will have to give fruitcake a go. I have been meaning to for a while. Which recipe would you all recommend works the best (for a newbie) Hehe. I always intend to make one in time to 'feed' it with alcohol for weeks before Xmas I just never get round to it. I much prefer fruit cake over sponge but my other half hates marzipan. I'm guessing you don't have to marzipan a fruit cake though? Although that's my favourite part!

Nannycook I love your cake!

Yes, I do.  I'm in Cwmbran.

Back on the cost of overheads on baking from scratch - dont forget the electricity cost and labour overhead. In a business you need to have as many cakes in the oven in one time and standing around isnt like being at home when you can do your chores.  One of the reasons why I havent gone down the selling route is due to the fact that it prob costs £60 to make a cake but selling it at £90 isnt going to happen is it?  I end up asking for £30 just to cover the materials and the rest is a gift - works out ok but time wise its a bad move!

The sad thing is both me and my husband follow the Primal diet now (similar to Paleo) so we dont eat cake like we used to. We dont eat any grain either and sugar is extremely limited. Both lost weight but my husband is mega fit and swears by it for less empty calories. 

Shame as now I have all the kit and enjoying it!

AThank you sugarluva.the recipe I always use now is Alan Dunns fruit cake,I tweak it here and there but I love it, I didn't have any glace cherries but found the morrelo cherries what a difference they made, wouldnguse anything else now.

ANo way Nanny I use Morrello cherries too! On purpose tho cos I don't like glace. Chasingmytail, I practically live in cwmbran, used to live there actually, was born in Griffithstown.

I bought my car in Cwmbran. It's all I know of it, but he's my first car so it's a weirdly sentimental place to me.

/off topic post.

I use glace cherries but the ones that are cherry coloured rather than the coloured ones, I think they taste nicer. I use Eddie Spence's recipe and it makes for a lovely rich fruit cake. Barely anyone asks me for fruit cake so I get quite excited when someone does cos I love everything about fruit cake. The smell in the house is amazing!

AGood Morning.... Barbara, your cake fabulous, as always!!!!:)

I have tried few different fruit cake recipes. The first one I ever made was Lindy Smith's but it was too dry for me. The next one I tried was Mich Turner's and it was lovely but as the recipe calls for lemon and orange juice, the tanginess is a bit over powering. I love it because I love all the tangy fruits!!!!:grin: But I know it's note everybody's cup of tea. The last one I tried and which everybody likes, is Delia Smith's fruit cake. It is well balanced. :-D

AThank you Bashini. This recipe calls for zest oforange which I love too.

Oooh Maisie maybe we could meet up in Cwmbran for coffee and talk cakes!! That would be nice.

AThanks everyone. As soon as I next get chance to have a bit of a mess around in the kitchen I'll attempt a fruit cake and see how it goes. To be honest I can't believe I haven't made one yet as they are my favourite!

AHaha! My first car was a "he" too Natt, he even had a name! Can't remember where I got my fruitcake recipe but if anyone wants it I'll send it to them. I replace the lemon for orange and it's lovely. As lovely as that sounds nanny, I don't think my husband would be very happy, I'm sure he thinks everyone on internet forums are con artists or axe murderers! He thinks I'm gullible and optimistic, I think he's a pessimistic conspiracy theorist! Do you all have "pictures" of other members in your head or is it just me?

AMaisie, my car has a name too! He's called Clive, he's definitely a he cos he's massive (an estate) not a dainty girl car lol!