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Some great tips there, thank you. Although I bake (a lot) I can usually be persuaded to by a cake at a charity stakk & my first choice is usually a coffee cake of some kind.

Paul Hollywood's recipe for scones uses strong flour - I understand he always uses it for scones & did explain why on a tv programme. Most other recipes use sr flour or plain with baking powder or bicarb. Why does Paul use strong flour & what does it add to teh recipe?

Am pleased to see this Blog, and looking forward to the programme later this evening.
It's episode 1 of 6, tonight it's from the Cotswolds (´óÏó´«Ã½2 8pm for an hour in England, not sure if it varies around the Beeb broadcasts)
My TV guide only seems to rate it 3.3 out of 10, but perhaps the reviewer wasn't interested in baking but I think surely it must be worth more than that? we'll see.

I miss having a WI Market nearby as the cakes were always good, could be bought on a whim and were so well priced - especially compared to buying at a well known foodie market which gets featured on other TV food shows (typically a small loaf tin cake is £4 these days)

Does anyone sell their homemade cakes and have any advice on sensible pricing, especially when the idea's to raise funds for charity (Children in Need connection)
Commercially it used to be a third on ingredients, a third to cover overheads and a third profit (ideally anyway) but presumably this doesn't apply in such instances?

Hi Frillz (#2)

Good question.

It's always hard pricing for charity events and I think a lot may depend on the type of goods being offered, the clientele, who is baking/donating and the cause.

It can also be a nightmare when many contributors are donating and the organiser prices, NOT to offend by charging too little. So I think it is key to know and work to your target audience.

A school fete or church hall where mostly the retired or large families may be best served to keep the prices a little lower than an up market afternoon tea for a named national charity.

On average, currently, we charge about £1 for 4 good sized 'pieces', a little less for simpler tray bakes or pancakes (drop scones) and upwards of £2.50 for a £1 loaf sized or 8" cake, more if really fancy.

Be interested in what others do.

Nice blog Mary. I make a lot of cakes for sales at Coffee Mornings and fairs to raise money for Cats Protection.
Best sellers are fruit cakes, victoria sponges, flapjacks and tea breads.
My bible for this is a copy of A Taste of WI Markets Seasonal Recipes - an absolute treasure for those who bake to sell although I think it is long out of print.
I usually price 1lb loaf cakes at £2, sponges at £2.50 (jam and buttercream filling) fruit cakes at £4. Individual slices or flapjacks with coffee are 50p a portion. Unfortunately people always expect things to be cheaper, although quite a few tell you to keep the change.

Macmillan looms large as an annual event on my calendar, so this blog is a great prompt. Thank you.

I'll add my favourites/best sellers.

Carrot Cake
Lemon Drizzle
Lime and Blueberry Drizzle
Scones
Meringues (coffee mornings rather than stalls)
Pancakes
Millionaires shortbread
Chocolate Brownies (with white choc drops)
Various Cup cakes - we love cappuccino and espresso

Hi bright Hi Saffie - your prices sound really good value to me, so I'd say keep the change, or give an extra donation. It's a fine line for pricing, no one wants to feel ripped off (commercially) but for a good cause, I wouldn't want to buy too cheap.

Am really enjoying the programme tonight, whoever reviewed for my TV guide was way off my mark, I'd go for an 8 at the least.

Love Mel and Sue as presenters, and love Paul and Mary as judges - this suits me, clear and to the point, no silly dramas or over-long pauses and good critique. I'm really enjoying the historical pieces too.

I'm inspired now to get the Kitchen Aid out actually and that's a bit of a first considering I never bake!

I'm not keen on cream, buttercream, anything too sweet, nor chocolate (now you know why I don't bake) but I do like carrot cake with a cream cheese topping, cherry madeira and sticky ginger cake (the plainer types) - will be getting the books out, am sure I have an Aga book by Mary Berry.

Big thumbs up on this one from me.

Call me biased but anything with Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood just had to be good and cannot fail.

I think, when pricing cakes for sale at charity fund raising events, that it's important to price correctly. If the donor has paid £2.50 for the ingredients of a small loaf cake, but it is sold at £2.00, then in reality the charity has lost 50p and would have been better off if the original cake donor had paid the money directly, and not bothered to bake the cake. In my experience, because people are used to the price of cheap supermarket cakes, they don't appreciate the full cost of the ingredients of a home baked cake.

My tip for making simple tray bakes look attractive is a random drizzle of glacé icing - make a thick glacé icing and spoon into a small freezer bag. Cut off the tip of one corner to make a small hole, then 'pipe' the icing in lacy or zig-zag patterns over the cake, allowing it to set before cutting into fingers or squares. This looks very effective and uses less icing sugar than completely covering a cake or tray bake.

I'm quite surprised by comments and the original Blog post that large cakes are supposed to be in the best sellers.

Where I am large cakes are left till last or taken and cut up to be served with tea as they sell better that way. Loaf cakes can be cut into slices and sell well but round cakes do not. When I was young and my mother baked for the cake sales it was different but during the last 20 years when I've cooked for school and church bake sales big cakes just do not sell unless cut up.

Regarding PRICING I always work out to a penny what a cake costs and ask them to sell my goods for nothing less than a 10p markup. I also don't use expensive ingredients so that the cake costs a fortune to make and the organisation makes no real profit (and yes I know I donate the cake) because in my book it is an insult to the cook and I would rather have donated the money than see someone walk of with a cake that cost 40p to make for 10p.
Many are sold at a wapping markup and it depends on where the sale is being held.
At my church the markup is only small due to the amount of pensioners and the varied incomes of the church goers. At the school bake sales I make all cakes in muffin cases so they are chunky and pleasing to the eye and they sell for £1.50 each when they cost less than a third of that price to make but then the parents are willing to pay it at the school.

Sorry I missed the programme last night but will catch up later.
Funny how things differ - our large cakes always go first and our fairy cakes / loaves follow...closely!
Pricing is not always easy I agree.
Lovely blog - hope there is more of the same to follow! :)

On the question of pricing. One reason quite a lot of people turn up to our coffee mornings is because they can buy good homemade, reasonably priced cakes. These people also buy other goods, become aware of our charity, sometimes volunteer and sometimes even adopt a cat. It is not just about making money. I do not mind in the least donating part of the actual cost if it gets us more public awareness and funds.
I think this also applies to other charities.

I think saffie you are totally right about it applying to other charities.

I avoid places I know charge alot for whatever ie craft fairs for example held in certain locations where the costs can be rediculous. The church coffeemornings are renowned for good bargains and that is why I always insist the minimum markup is 10p I leave t to others to do the pricing of stalls. I don't have the time to run a stall sadly, I only prepare offerings.

The school fair is something different and that is there are a lot or affluent people who send their children to the school and it is often the only time they contribute during the year other than paying the fees.

Thank you for your tips. I enjoy cooking very much and regularly make the following:- welsh cakes, boiled cake, scones, fruit pies. I was particularly interested in your recipe for Victoria Sponge and will be trying that out together with any other recipes that you may have. Is there a Mary Berry Recipe Book available, containing a variety of recipes? Audrey Diana Jones

Audrey - Mary Berry has had dozens of recipe books published, many of them about cakes and baking. Just try searching for her books in Amazon or any other online book store to see what is currently available. If you mean, will there be a book to accompany this series, I can only say I'd be surprised if there wasn't!

You picked up our earlier thread then Paul.
I was going to actually buy a bag of strong bread flour to try this, not something I normally use, but the contestants last night seemed to still be getting very variable results, just as I do. Same ingredients, same method, same cooking but some rise really well and some don't. I think there is a moody Scone God out there.
One of the most revisited topics on the message board is scones.
Don't envy the contestants making bread next week under your expert eye

I'm really enjoying this programme and picking up some great tips, although if I had to bake bread for someone who sells bread to Harrod's (as Paul does), I'd be quaking in my boots and make a right hash of it!! Good luck to all the contestant's - all the lovely goodies you've produced so far look divine.
I'm looking forward to the bread episode but puddings from Bakewell will be my favourite I think.

Loving the program got me baking again. Victoria sponge, which turned out great, last weeks and scones this week, although I do not put eggs in my scones and still get good results. Can't wait to make macaroons next.

When i was watching the final tonight-8pm-´óÏó´«Ã½2.
The lady judge 'Mary Berry,had unbelievable dirty nails when she was tasting each of the finalists cakes.
In particular the pepper quiches.Is it me,or is that disgusting?

I'd like to know if anyone else seen it?.

When i was watching the final tonight-8pm-´óÏó´«Ã½2.
The lady judge 'Mary Berry,had unbelievable dirty nails when she was tasting each of the finalists cakes.
In particular the pepper quiches.Is it me,or is that disgusting?

I'd like to know if anyone else seen it?.

I generally do two charity cake bake's a year and usually charge £1 per slice. This includes a free tea or coffee. My friends and family are already asking me when the Christmas one will be and it is a lovely way to raise money for your local charities and get people together. I also suggest to people to bring their own containers with them as we also have many people who want to take more cakes home. Start off small if doing for first time and then people also donate cakes to sell once you tell them what you are doing.

I recently watched the final episode of The Great British Bake-off, which I thoroughly enjoyed watching and gained lots of inspiration. I have one comment to make though, and that was Mary's comment about fresh root ginger in cakes not working. I recently made a sponge cake that had lemon and a few teaspoons of fresh root ginger in. You could just taste the ginger, and it complimented all the sweetness of the cream cheese icing perfectly! Plus I got some great compliments from those that ate it.

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