Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Thing is though - its not a 'kids cake' is it? - just because its for your child it doesn't' make it take any less time to make and decorate. What you're asking for is a handmade cake decorated and unless you want something really simple it takes time and these costs and expertise are what the ?100 cake is quoted for.


if you want a cheaper cake, then supermarkets are able to mass produce more cheaply. Or you could make one. I think that obviously there is a range - I suspect that you could find something a little cheaper, but in terms of a designed cake which will take hours to make, then the price you pay will be higher.


Small kids really don't care that much about cakes btw - they're happy with supermarket ones or home made. My daughter was the most delighted with a chocolate brownie that I dusted with icing sugar and stuck her own frozen characters in!

Not all cakes are equal. Some might spend 4-5 hours making a cake and decorating it, others might spend 1-2 and use cheap ingredients. It's a bit unfair to brand it "overpriced" without a bit more info, at least. Anyway, glad you got what you were looking for.

Angelina Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> you miss the point




I think you miss the point. It's a kids cake. Get a mass-produced cake from a supermarket for all they care. A custom made cake is a luxury. If you can't afford certain luxuries, to no doubt boast to your 'yummy mummy' pals, doesn't mean people should work less than minimum wage per hour, expertise and fork out the cost of supplies for you.


If it's "just a sponge cake" why aren't you making it yourself or buying it from a store?

Perhaps you're not a member of the obnoxious buggy brigade, but if you can't see how your own messages are coming across then I don't think I'm the only one out of order here.


I'm not trying to be hostile here by pointing out the fact that if you can't afford the luxury you cannot slam a company for not quoting you a price that would ultimately leave them working below minimum wage.


Your quote reflects the time, quality, expertise, supplies and goods. We don't know the whole story. We don't know what your custom order required to make a real judgement on their prices.

Angelina Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

...

> I was going to go local but not now


Really? One shop is considered expensive and all the other local shops are tarred with the same brush?


FreyaMikaelson - if you have a small child you need a buggy, trolling with the "mummy" and "buggy" insults is a bit old now. Interestingly the buggy was first lampooned on the forum in 2006 https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,525,554#msg-554

Although the basic ingredients (even good quality) of an iced sponge cake are relatively cheap, the cost of using a skilled baker may well not be, if undertaking custom work. When you think that many tradesmen charge between ?30 and ?60 an hour (and a pastry cook is no less skilled than a plumber*, I would argue) ?100 for what may be a couple or three hours of work (depending on the complexity of the icing) - when you consider that there are overhead (fixed) costs to meet and a profit to be made - is not wholly unreasonable. Bespoke cake making may be overtime if the pastry cook is otherwise fully employed during the normal working day.


* A pastry cook is an artist as well as a technician and should be rewarded as such. Ready-made bought cakes are produced industrially - the design work costs being amortised over many cakes. A bespoke cake will be 'unique' to your requirements, even where pre-designed components are used.

I've had a couple of outstanding cakes from the SE Cakery on Upland Rd. They were ?35 although perhaps not bespoke. ?100 for something more individual doesn't strike me as excessive. And obviously the cost of labour and ingredients remains identical regardless of the age of the intended consumer.

just a basic cake with cream on the outside, no shapes, pictures, special icing, decorations etc. no special anything, not vegan, organic, zero plastic. GM free, gluten free or whatever.


Usually we pay around ?50 for the same (in Peckham), we just missed the usually lead time as the party was brought forward.


I am not trying to get something for nothing, or show off or brag or make people work for less than the minimum wage.

I'm at work all day and literally don't have time before a dozen or so monsters descend on me for the entire weekend.


I am fully aware of how much effort goes into cake baking and I know fully well that what I have asked for (being just basic) is not ?100 and this business are just charging too much,


Glad to know there are still reasonable businesses out there (thank you for you pms).

This is similar to something a tailor said to me years ago, a suit for a child costs the same as a suit for an adult as there is just as much work involved and the material cost is negligible, you can choose to get something tailor made or shop at primark


Same principle when making a cake I guess, shown clearly on shows like extreme cake makers, so I've heard 🤐

I used this place before. Quick lead time and about 60 quid for a decorated, personalised cake (red velvet to be specific). I'd recommend them. https://www.thecakestore.co.uk/?utm_source=stamped&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=channel&utm_content=EmailSurvey

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • But all those examples sell a wide variety of things,  and mostly they are well spread out along Lordship Lane. These two shops both sell one very specific thing, albeit in different flavours, and are just across the road from each other. I don't think you can compare the distribution of shops in Roman times to the distribution of shops in Lordship Lane in the twenty first century. Well, you can, but it doesn't feel very appropriate. Haa anybody asked the first shop how they feel? Are they happy about the "healthy competition" ?
    • ED is included in the 17 August closure set (or just possibly 15 August, depending on which part of the page you trust more) listed at https://metro.co.uk/2025/07/25/full-list-25-poundland-stores-confirmed-close-august-23753048/. Here incidentally are some snippets from their annual reports, at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/02495645/filing-history. 2022: " during the period we opened 41 stores and closed 43 loss-making/under-performing stores.  At the period-end we were trading from 821 stores in the UK, IoM and ROI. ... "We renogotiated 82 leases in the year, saving on average 45% versus the prior lease agreement..." 2023: "We also continued to improve our market footprint through sourcing better store locations, opening 53 and closing 51 stores during the year." 2024:  "The ex-Wilco stores acquired in the prior year have formed a core part of this strategy to expand our store network.  We favour quality over quantity and during the period we opened 84 stores and closed 71 loss-making/under-performing ones."
    • Ha! After I posted this, I thought of lots more examples. Screwfix and the hardware store? Mrs Robinson and Jumping Bean? Chemists, plant shops, hairdressers...  the list goes on... it's good to have healthy competition  Ooooh! Two cheese shops
    • You've got a point.  Thinking Leyland and Screwfix too but this felt different.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...