Preparing cakes for special occasions is one of my favoritemoneymaking hobbies.
I love baking and decorating cakes.
I lovebeing able tomake money from home with minimal capital using skills I picked up for free.
I love that word-of-mouth keeps me in as much business as I want.
And Idefinitelylove eating the cake trimmings.
Ive been selling decorated cakes on and off for 15 years, since I was 14.
How Much Do I Make With a Cake Business?
Its a veryirregular income.
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
Charge a Decent Price
Do you have any idea how much a professional wedding cake costs?
Phone a few of your local bakers for quotes.The average wedding cakecost $582in 2016 not exactly cheap.
So, I undercut the competition.But I dont go too crazy, because wedding cakes arent cheap to make.
Add on gum (or sugar) paste, edible glitter, ribbon, gel colorings and so forth.
Plus, tool fund money for buying handy things like cake levelers and tilting turntables.
Then, factor in labor, which will be significant.
I may charge more for a time-consuming cake, such as one covered with gum paste roses.
Choose a Great Recipe
Im frequently amused by the people who are surprised my cakes taste good.
My other standby recipes chocolate mud, banana and carrot get similar enthusiasm.
The fact is,a lot of commercial cakes are geared toward looks, not taste.
I choose great recipes geared toward moistness and sturdiness and use real ingredients.
As a baker, youre even more appreciated if you have a fewgluten-free, dairy-free or vegan recipes available.
Decorate Your Own Cakes
I once had a bride ask me to decorate a cake her mother made.
It wasnt exactly an appealing choice.
Figure Out Transportation
My favorite rule of cake decorating?The client picks up the cake.
Most of the time, firmly gluing a cake to its cake board with frosting is enough.
(Yelling at the driver periodically is optional, but soothing.)
Keep It Low-Key
This is a personal choice, of course.
If you want to go whole hog and start up an official cake decorating business, great!
I do pay taxes, but I dont own a real business which is just how I like it.
As for the future, I plan on continuing this side gig.
Im snacking on fruitcake leftovers at this very moment, and its great.
Sarah Tennant lives in New Zealand with her husband, three children and an irritatingly tiny kitchen.
She has been selling decorated cakes to friends and family for 15 years.
Sarahs other money-making hobbies include freelance writing, mystery shopping, exam supervision and living-room neurosurgery.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
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