18/12/2025
Interesting post for you tonight… please have a read 👀
How much would YOU pay for this simple 2 layer 6 inch cake?
Out of curiosity.
Comment below ⬇️
Here’s a price breakdown ⬇️
5 eggs £1.17
250g self raising flour £0.13
250g stork £0.88
250g caster sugar £0.49
400g flora block butter £1.96
800g icing sugar £2.04
3 tbsp vanilla extract £5.19
Masonite 10 inch board £2.50
10 inch tall box £2.50
Logo sticker £0.03
Allergen sticker £0.02
Cake care card £0.07
Piping bag £0.06
Fondant animals £16.99 for 4 Fondant used for the
wild one disc £0.20
Edible wafer leaves £1.04
Strawberry conserve £0.45
Green food colouring £0.18
That’s £35.91 just for ingredients/supplies alone…
Before I even add water, gas, electric, insurance and most importantly my time which I currently price at minimum wage, £12.50 per hour.
This cake took 3 hours, so that’s £37.50 for labour.
Then there’s 20% profit (£18.25) which goes straight back into the business, replacing equipment, growing my little business, insurance costs, business cards, new decorating tools, cleaning supplies, aprons, kitchen roll, cake tins… and TAX!! I have to pay the tax man now too 🙈 the list really is endless.
So now… guess how much I actually charged?
£65.
Yes, £65.
The price should have been £91.76 (that is without any electric water or gas!!
And I know, most people wouldn’t pay that for a small, basic cake.
Even without the fondant animals (which do bump the price up), it would still be £74.77 for a very small and simple cake.
This is just a little reminder that even when a cake looks small and basic, it’s never just that.
Would you go to work for free?
Or spend 3 hours working hard on something to only make a few pounds?
Probably not.
I often get asked if I can do it cheaper, or told “it’s just a small cake and I don’t want to spend loads” and that’s completely okay. That’s why I offer options like bento boxes, and they sell best for a very good reason.
But I can’t carry on like this.
I have no one to blame but myself for underselling in fear of someone saying it’s too much. So when you see a small, basic cake, please remember the time that has gone into it sometimes hours of messaging, ordering last minute supplies (often at extra cost), and the time spent away from my children and husband.
My time is worth something.
I’m working for minimum wage, often on my feet 12–14 hours a day, surviving on 4–5 hours sleep, and sometimes only one meal a day, sat watching my toddler play by herself while I make your cake.
For my business to survive and be profitable, I have to start charging more fairly (A lot of my cakes I already do)
This cake is just an example and was done as a good deed. This post is not aimed at anyone in particular at all, I just wanted to get it off my chest, as it can be really disheartening when my prices are repeatedly questioned.
Now when you see taller cakes, bigger cakes with more colours, bespoke colours, more sprinkles, varying flavours, fondant work, stencilling, more detail and toppers like custom made acrylic ones you can see why cakes can easily get way over £100! Another reason why I say if you have your heart set on a cake secure your date with a deposit and set up a monthly payment plan with me, I’m happy to receive instalments over time or another reason I introduced bento boxes 🩷🩷
Thank you to everyone who supports my small business. It truly means more than you’ll ever know 🤍
I’m not in this to make loads of money, I’m in it to survive and pay my bills and set an example for my children.
