Making money without leaving home - almost every woman has thought about this! It’s so wonderful to be able to devote the right amount of time to family and home, and at the same time be financially independent!

All that remains is to find a way to combine the desire to be a good mother and wife with the desire to work. One of the most affordable and popular home business options is baking homemade cakes.

Why baking cakes?

Any good parents strive to give their child the best. First of all, this concerns food. While almost every housewife can prepare the first and second courses, mothers often don’t have enough strength, time, or skills for dessert. So it turns out that people are willing to pay for delicious, and most importantly, natural, home-made cakes.

On the other hand, any woman can learn to bake delicious homemade cakes. All you need is a lot of desire and a little experience. You can start honing your skills with your family and friends. On the Internet you can find many interesting ideas and master classes on this topic.

How much does it cost to bake a homemade cake?

Like any other business, baking cakes at home needs to generate income. Otherwise, the business will turn into a hobby. And we are pursuing the opposite goal. To calculate the cost of your products, you need to take into account all the costs of producing the cake.

First, let's list first level costs:

· food expenses(flour, eggs, milk, soda, butter, nuts, raisins, fruits, etc.);

· costs for ready-made cake decorations(roses, leaves, petals, pennies, etc.);

· electricity and gas costs.

As your business grows, additional costs may arise. They will be associated with expanding the range of cakes and increasing the customer base.

So, in addition to the main expenses, the following cost items may arise:

· additional baking dishes and special tools(these can be a variety of silicone molds, convenient molds with removable sides or traditional iron molds, spatulas and knives for mastic, etc.);

Any housewife can easily calculate the cost of her cake by summing up the costs of creating a cake for all the listed items, plus the cost of her work.

Depending on the composition, the cake can be either more expensive or cheaper than a store-bought one. It will be more expensive if you use only natural products, for example, butter instead of margarine. However, your home masterpiece may well turn out to be cheaper. This is due to the lack of rent, payment of taxes and maintenance of the administrative apparatus.

How and to whom to sell homemade cakes?

The most convenient and inexpensive way to find representatives of the target audience for selling homemade cakes is through social networks. Don’t be lazy to create a separate page or even a group dedicated to your cakes. Place photos of your most successful works in it. Specify the composition, production time and cost per 1 kg. Most likely, your first clients will be your friends and acquaintances. Those of them who had a chance to try your creations at joint feasts will leave positive reviews and recommend you to their friends. After some time there will be no end to orders.

Good luck in business and creative inspiration!

To start earning your first money, you don’t have to wait until you reach adulthood or graduate. All you have to do is choose an attractive niche. There is plenty of information on any area of ​​activity on the Internet. For example, baking cakes can turn from a simple hobby into a profitable business.

Business Features

Baking cakes at home has several advantages:

1. Independence of the season. Delicious homemade cakes are always in demand. This is the main treat at birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.
2. No need to purchase industrial equipment. All the necessary tools are usually found in the kitchen of any housewife.
3. Realization of creative potential. Baking cakes is just such a business. Here you can create both simple products and culinary masterpieces. On the Internet you can find recipes with photos of cakes, for example, from cookies and cottage cheese, which do not even require baking.

The only requirement for a beginner is to have a passion for cooking and courage in creative experiments. And the necessary skills come with experience.

First steps

So, you’ve decided to open a cake business, where to start? Any marketer will say that 50% of the success of a business is competent PR. At first, the creator of the business will be in charge of baking cakes. However, in order for people to learn about the initiative, you need to prepare promotional materials. Professional photos will be required. For ease of use of the catalog, all samples should be divided into categories:

1. for a birthday. This could be making figured cakes in the shape of your favorite cartoon characters or ordinary ones with beautifully decorated numbers.
2. Making wedding cakes requires experience, but over time this direction can bring good income.
3. Treats dedicated to holidays(New Year, March 8).
4. Comic cakes on the topic of the birthday boy’s hobbies can become the calling card of a future culinary specialist.

Advertising activities

When making cakes to create a catalog, the products will need to be attached somewhere. You can organize a promotion.

Kindergartens, schools, and parents' work groups will be happy to try the free treat. People will appreciate the talent and perhaps become your first clients.

Home-based birthday cakes as a business need to be properly advertised. You can start with simple steps:

These simple steps will allow you to get your first clients. However, new products are constantly appearing, so it is important to study recipes for baking cakes and learn decorating techniques.

Business registration

At first, you can work informally. But in the future, if the production of custom cakes needs to be expanded by hiring assistants and renting premises, you will need to register an individual entrepreneur.

When submitting an application, indicate OKVED code 15.82 “Production of food products”. For the workshop in which cakes will be baked, you will need to obtain a conclusion from the sanitary control service. Workers in contact with food will need medical certificates.

Manufactured products require permitting documentation from Rospotrebnadzor - certificates of conformity and a conclusion from the SES.

Necessary equipment

To create home-made confectionery products, the first step is to conduct an audit in your own kitchen.

It is not at all necessary to immediately invest money in the purchase of professional units; a gas stove and oven are enough. Any housewife will have many of the necessary equipment:

• pots;
• various containers for dough;
• mixer and whisk;
• kitchen scales;
• sieve;
• rolling pin;
• paper;
• containers for baking in the oven and in a frying pan;
• food colorings.

Where to start purchasing additional tools? You will need:

• special molds for decorations;
• iron, border stencils, tongs, mats for shaping and drying products, a set of special tools;
• nozzles for applying cream;
• silicone molds;
• pastry plungers.

The maximum amount of investment that needs to be made in the production of cakes at home does not exceed 30,000 rubles. The amount can be reduced by ordering inventory at, buying used or at sales in confectionery departments.

It is better to purchase sugar, flour and other non-perishable products in bulk. The remaining products can be purchased as orders arrive, the main thing is not to make mistakes with the calculations.

Determining the cost of a product

An extremely important step is calculating the cost of producing one sample. It is clear that baking cakes from condensed milk will cost less than from chocolate.

However, for a formation that will recoup the money spent, the calculation of the kilogram must be calculated.

Typically, the cost of confectionery products includes:

• Ingredients. Calculations can be done in 15 minutes. There are many tables on the Internet that help convert measured values ​​into grams and kilograms (for example, a teaspoon of raisins is 7 grams). Kitchen scales simplify the task;
• cost of jewelry;
• packaging price;
• resources expended (gas, electricity, water);
• confectioner's work.

Is it profitable to bake cakes to order? The markup on such products often reaches 300%. Therefore, for every 1000 rubles deposited, a profit of up to 2000 rubles will be received. Baking cakes is a profitable and quick-paying business. When planning your income, you need to take into account competitors' prices. Also, making cakes for beginners is associated with costs for defects, test samples, and spoiled products during training.

Business nuances

To achieve success, you need to consider the following points:

1. When forming a business plan, it is important not only to take into account costs, but also to clearly formulate goals. For example, the goal is a profit of 15,000 rubles. To achieve it, it is enough to sell 7-8 cakes for 3000 rubles. a piece.
2. The most popular cakes weighing from 2 kg.
3. Constantly studying the range and prices of competitors. It is private confectioners who need to be evaluated. Social networks are used for this. You need to offer something that is not available or is scarce in the city. You can master a certain direction, for example, a diet cake without baking.
4. Learn new things and improve your skills. Watch videos on cooking for free or sign up for a paid class on cake making. It is necessary to understand an important point: almost everything has already been previously implemented by other confectioners. It is very difficult to offer something new. However, custom cakes are a business in which it is necessary to improve your skills. After all, customers often find the product they need on the Internet and ask to repeat it.
5. An increase in the influx of customers will allow you to place orders for delivery throughout the city. Private traders usually do not provide such services.

A cake business is a profitable idea that requires minimal start-up investment and pays off fairly quickly.

♦ Capital investments – 40,000 rubles
♦ Payback – 4 months

Today, any store has a large selection of confectionery products.

But, firstly, the quality of the products used by serial manufacturers leaves much to be desired, and, secondly, many people want to purchase an exclusive cake that would correspond to such an important event as a birthday, anniversary, wedding, etc.

There are women (and sometimes men) who manage to bake real sweet masterpieces, but for some reason they don’t think about the fact that they can be sold.

Cake business– a profitable idea that requires minimal start-up investment and pays off fairly quickly.

What is the idea behind a cake business?

Imagine that your husband is a photographer, and he is celebrating 20 years of his professional activity. On this occasion, he decided to treat visitors to his personal exhibition with a cake.

Banal pastries will look uninteresting, but cakes in the shape of a camera or other special equipment are an original idea.

You won't be able to buy this dessert in a store.

But there are people who bake cakes at home and by placing an order, you can please your husband.

It is believed that the idea of ​​making original cakes came to us from the USA.

It was the spoiled Americans who were the first to decide that standard baked goods were not very interesting and began ordering confectionery products of unusual shapes.

And since consumers were in demand, there were those who decided to turn their passion for confectionery into a profitable business.

Pros and cons of the cake business

Interesting fact:
Sponge cake is a traditional cake layer used for baking cakes and was originally called “sea breadcrumbs.” The first mentions of it were found in the log books of English sailors. The biscuit gained its popularity due to its long shelf life - it did not spoil or become moldy, even despite the humidity during sea voyages.

Baking at home can turn from an opportunity to have additional income into your main income and become a profitable business.

The main advantages of this startup are:

• Minimum capital investment.
  In fact, you only need to spend money on kitchen equipment and utilities.
  Products for baking cakes will be included in the price of each order.
• The ability to work right at home, which is suitable for mothers with small children, people with disabilities and other categories who cannot be in the office full time.
• There are many free niches, because this business has not yet become too popular, and confectionery shops and factories are not your competitors, because they produce standard products.
• You don’t have to bother with the registration procedure at first and bake at home illegally.
  You need to start setting up your business only after you have formed a client base.
• A cake business is an opportunity to show your creativity.

This type of business has practically no disadvantages.

Perhaps the earnings at the initial stage may seem modest to some.

You also need to remember that you are feeding people, which means you must comply with sanitary standards and safety precautions.

Advertising and calendar plan for cake business

Confectioners who make custom-made cakes at home claim that the most effective advertising for their business is word of mouth.

If your first client likes your baked goods, he will not only contact you again, but will also recommend it to all his friends and acquaintances.

• newspaper advertisements;
• social media;
• business cards;
• specialized sites.

You can also make several free cakes, for example, for the anniversary of a large organization.

If his employees like your baked goods, they will become regular customers and help promote the business.

A calendar plan for launching this startup is not really needed, since you can purchase all the necessary tools and products for the first order in 1 day, after which you can begin to complete it.

Competitive advantages of a cake business

If in your city you are the only one offering custom-made cakes made at home, then you don’t have to worry about competition, the main thing is to make high-quality products that satisfy customers.

If there are several confectioners working in your locality, then it is worth creating competitive advantages in order to stand out from them:

1. Reasonable pricing policy.
2. Original decoration for baked goods.
3. Discounts for regular customers.
4. Various promotions. For example, cookies as a gift when ordering a cake over 5 kilograms.
5. Production of themed products for holidays, etc.

Cake business: step-by-step startup launch

One of the main advantages of a cake business that you do from your home is that you are not dependent on anyone.

Only you yourself can slow down the launch of a startup, and not external unfavorable circumstances.

Many people ask: “Where to start?”

And you need to start this type of entrepreneurial activity by baking the first cakes, selling them and receiving feedback from customers about your products.

And only when you are sure that your customers are happy with your baked goods and that they are ready to contact you again, you can start baking custom cakes on a large scale and start purchasing special equipment.

Registration

If you are just starting to do a cake business, then you do not need to register as an individual entrepreneur immediately after you have such an idea.

You should switch to the status of an official entrepreneur after you have formed a wide client base and are thinking about opening your own confectionery or bakery.

Even if you don’t really want to work illegally, don’t rush to register. The sanitation station is unlikely to give you permission to work at home and this will destroy your business in the bud.

For now, make baked goods to order at home without thinking about your official status.

Room

This business involves working right from your home kitchen, which means you won’t spend money on office rent every month, which increases the profitability of your business.

If your living conditions do not allow you to make custom cakes in your kitchen, then there are two options:

• rent an apartment for cooking;
• do something else.

If you have formed a fairly wide customer base and you at least bake a cake every day, then create the most comfortable conditions in your kitchen.

Arrange your ingredients, tools, and baking utensils so that you can work comfortably.

Equipment

Most women have everything they need to bake cakes: a kitchen surface, oven, mixer, molds, etc.

You should not buy professional equipment immediately after you have the idea of ​​making money on cakes.

You need to purchase tools for professional confectioners after the business is firmly on its feet and begins to bring you good money.

Those who bake cakes to order need to have the following equipment, tools and utensils:

Expense item	Amount (in rub.)
Total:	38,000 rub.
A food processor that can be used to knead dough and whip cream	10 000
Round and square molds of different diameters for creating multi-tiered cakes, pans	6 000
Pastry syringe with different attachments	1 000
Kitchen scales and measuring cup	1 500
Bowls of different sizes	2 000
Pots	5 000
Dough rolling pin and some wooden boards	1 500
Tools for working with mastic: silicone mat, set of stacks, iron, etc.	3 000
Knives, including a string knife, to cut the cakes evenly	3 000
Whisks, brushes, spatulas, sieve and other small equipment	2 000
Other	3 000

You can buy bags and bags of sugar, as well as wholesale things that do not spoil: coconut flakes, raisins, candied fruits, dyes, etc.

This way you can reduce the cost of the cake.

But you shouldn’t buy perishable products for future use; buy only as much as you need to complete a specific order.

Staff

If you are just testing the idea of ​​making money on cakes, then you don’t need to hire anyone from the staff. You can take orders and make baked goods yourself, and let your customers pick them up from your home.

When you have a wide customer base and there are many orders every day, you should think about expanding your business, for example, hiring assistants or opening a full-fledged confectionery shop.

How to get rich by baking cakes and build a successful business,

watch in the video:

Profitability of a cake business

If you make delicious baked goods and are able to surprise customers with an original cake design, then within a month or two after launching your startup you can make good money by making custom-made products at home.

To prove the high profitability of this business, let's calculate the cost of the Medovik cake with sour cream and butter cream, decorated with mastic, weighing 2 - 2.5 kg.

Expense item	Quantity	Amount (in rub.)
Total:		225 rub.
Eggs	5 pieces.	45
Honey	3 tbsp. spoons	50
Soda	2 teaspoons	4
Sugar	1.5 cups	26
Butter	200 grams	60
Flour	5 glasses	40

Sour cream for impregnation:

Expense item	Qty	Amount (in rub.)
Total:		130 rub.
Sour cream	2 glasses	95
Sugar	2 glasses	35

Butter cream for leveling cakes:

Expense item	Qty	Amount (in rub.)
Total:		120 rub.
Oil	1 pack	60
Sugar	1 glass	15
Condensed milk	half a jar	45

Marshmallow mastic:

Expense item	Qty	Amount (in rub.)
Total:		220 rub.
Marshmallow marshmallows	1 package	80
Powdered sugar	300 g	120
Oil	50 g	20

That is, in order to make such a cake, you must spend about 700 rubles + 100 rubles on water, gas/electricity = 800 rubles.

But you can sell such a cake for 1,500 – 2,000 rubles, since the cost of one kilogram of cake decorated with fondant ranges from 600 – 800 rubles.

As you can see, the net profit from one cake is 700 rubles and more.

If you bake at least 5 cakes per week to order (about 20 cakes per month), then your monthly income will be at least 10,000 rubles.

Download a ready-made business plan for a cake shop with quality guarantee.
Contents of the business plan:
1. Privacy
2. Summary
3. Project implementation stages
4. Characteristics of the object
5. Marketing plan
6. Technical and economic data of equipment
7. Financial plan
8. Risk assessment
9. Financial and economic justification for investments
10. Conclusions

The wider your client base, the more you can earn monthly.

If we consider that initially our capital investments amounted to about 40,000 rubles (and that is, provided that you have to buy all the equipment from scratch), then in 4 months you will be able to fully recoup them, which indicates that cake business- a profitable occupation.

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If you know how to cook deliciously, and your confectionery creations have long been in demand among all your family and friends, then all that remains is to find out how to make cakes to order and where to start a business at home. After all, such an occupation can be mastered by any woman who wants to earn money independently for all her needs.

Of course, when reaching a wide audience and producing large volumes of finished products, you can start opening a cake store and even organize an entire network across a city or region. But for now, let’s focus only on exclusive products that one person can make at home.

Advantages

The relevance of this type of business will never disappear. After all, cakes are a product for all occasions. Throughout the year, we buy them or bake them in honor of the holidays, use them as gifts, serve them on the table when guests arrive, and just periodically spoil the children or the whole family when the mood strikes.

And in recent years, a fashion for unusual confectionery products has come to us from American culture. People want them to be exclusive, created and decorated according to their wishes, especially dedicated to some important event. This is where the fashion for making cakes to order came from.

When creating such an exclusive product, not only the skills and craftsmanship of the chef are revealed, but also his creative talents and aesthetic tastes. Here a professional can show everything he is capable of. And if you know how to bake such sweets, then you can make money from it.

The cake baking business has a number of other advantages:

• To begin with, you need the most minimal investments, and only with development and a good stable income can you switch to more professional equipment.
• It is possible to work from home, which is especially important for young mothers or people with disabilities.
• Competition in any city is at a low or medium level, since mass production of confectionery products is focused on standard recipes.
• To begin with, it is not necessary to register with the tax service.

Where to begin?

Usually, people who have the gift of cooking deliciously and beautifully on their own gradually reach the level where friends periodically place orders for certain events or holidays.

But what should a person who has just decided to open this kind of business do?

1. Start by assessing the competition in your city. Find their groups on social networks, review the advertisements. It is important for you to find out the range of products offered, the production time of cakes to order, as well as the pricing policy. It would be useful to pay attention to the advertising methods of the most popular confectioners in the region.
2. Then think about what exactly you can offer. If the level of competition is high enough, then try to stand out in some way, for example, with unique decorations, non-standard recipes, or at least low prices.
3. Create a portfolio. Every time you bake a beautiful cake, take a high-quality photo. By presenting visual evidence of your skills, you can interest customers.
4. Also take advantage of different advertising methods.

Do you need documents?

It is advisable to register a cake business accordingly. But entrepreneurs experienced in this matter do not recommend that beginners immediately go to the tax service as soon as such an idea comes to mind. First, try to see if you can do this business, develop a client base, and organize the kitchen itself properly.

If you decide to make it official, then in order to bake cakes to order, you only need to register an individual entrepreneur. To do this, submit an application in the prescribed form, a copy of your passport and identification code, as well as a receipt for payment of the state fee. This process will not take much time.

It is much more difficult to obtain permission from the sanitary-epidemiological service and Rospotrebnadzor. They must check the conditions of compliance with sanitary standards in the kitchen and the quality of the products produced.

You can download it here for free as a sample.

Room

Since we are considering making custom cakes at home, there is no need to look for a suitable building or workshop. It is quite convenient to equip your kitchen. Firstly, it must be perfectly clean. Secondly, all tools, utensils and products are arranged in a way that is comfortable for you to work with.

Another important point is that there should be enough space in the kitchen to fulfill orders. If the business becomes successful and you cannot cope with the existing influx of clients on your own, you will need to hire assistants. And then, for the convenience of work, you will have to find an appropriate large room.

Equipment for the production of cakes

What do you need to start baking custom baked goods? Most likely, you already have enough equipment and tools for this. But here is a short list for inventory:

• food processor;
• oven and stove;
• fridge;
• various baking dishes;
• pastry syringe or bag with nozzles;
• bowls;
• pots;
• rolling pin for dough, regular and shaped;
• set of tools for mastic;
• knives and string for cutting even cakes;
• mixer and whisks;
• kitchen scales, measuring cups and spoons;
• spatulas, brushes, spatulas, etc.;
• sieve for sifting flour;
• cutting boards;
• baking paper;
• turntable for decorating cakes;
• various equipment for decoration (molds, plungers, border recesses, molds);
• food coloring and markers.

Professional equipment can be purchased gradually only after you begin to fulfill large volumes of orders. To get started, all you need is the equipment you already have in your kitchen.

Staff

Whether you should hire someone to help you is a personal decision. Here, a lot depends on the influx of customers, and if you can’t cope with it, then it is advisable to use the help of specialists who have experience working with confectionery products.

But there is another side to the coin. If you start hiring employees, you will need not only registration of an individual entrepreneur, but also expansion of the kitchen space. And this will entail large financial investments in the enterprise.

Where to look for clients?

Baking cakes also involves trading in confectionery products. It’s good if you already have friends who periodically order something for themselves. Over time, they will begin to recommend you to their friends. Word of mouth is the best way to spread information in your case.

1. Create groups or pages on social networks and post photos of your work there.
2. Make a separate website so you can view your finished products, as well as place an order online or by phone.
3. Place advertisements on the Internet, in public transport or in various institutions.
4. Prepare beautiful and delicious cakes several times for free for some corporate event.
5. Agree on ongoing cooperation with small stores that sell homemade or sweets.
6. Make business cards and distribute them to everyone you know.

Cost and profitability

Since you don’t need to purchase expensive equipment, you will first only have to spend money on the products themselves for your first masterpieces. If you bake them for free for advertising purposes, then these are the costs of starting a business. But the most profitable is considered to be custom work.

Calculating the cost is quite simple. To do this, measure exactly how much and what products you used for the cake. Add to this the costs of electricity, gas and water, and don’t forget about packaging. The final amount just shows the real cost of the product. To make money on this and appreciate your efforts, it is recommended to double or even triple this amount.

But be sure to stay within limits when setting your prices. For example, if in your region there are many chefs of the same orientation, then you should not inflate prices. To become one of the popular and sought-after craftsmen in the city, it is better, on the contrary, to reduce the cost of your products. For example, to start with it could be only a 20-40% markup.

To reduce the cost of products, it is advisable to purchase some of them (involving long-term storage) at wholesale centers, warehouses, and from farmers. For example, by purchasing flour, dried fruits, sugar, cocoa and other similar ingredients in large quantities at a low price, you can significantly reduce the cost of the finished product.

The profitability of this type of business is considered quite high. And with minimal investments, after 3-4 months you can talk about net profit. If initially you already have everything you need, then from the first days you start earning only from the difference between the amount spent and the amount received.

As in any business, this business has its own troubles and difficulties, for which it is advisable to be prepared:

• You should not expect that you will earn a lot by baking cakes at home on your own. You won't be able to get rich here, especially if you don't plan large-scale expansion in the future.
• Confectioners complain of extreme fatigue. After all, this is a labor-intensive process and often women, constantly cooking to order, feel physically exhausted. Especially if, in addition to making cakes, you also have to deal with household chores and children at the same time.
• It is very important to adhere to the exact deadlines agreed with the client. After all, after the expected holiday or event, the confectionery product will no longer be needed.
• Remember that the cake is a perishable product, so you need to think carefully about how long it will take to make so that you don’t have to keep it in the refrigerator for an extra day.
• With a large influx of customers, there is a risk of not being able to complete all orders. Therefore, decide in advance what volumes you can handle and do not take more than you can cook. Or think about helpers.
• Periodically attend confectionery courses, then you will be able to spend less time on individual stages of preparation or offer your customers something original.
• Please consider the terms and conditions for returning unsuitable products in advance. After all, it also happens that a client eats the entire cake, and then asks for a refund because he didn’t like the taste.
• Don't forget about your competitors. Some of them may do unpleasant things, for example, notifying regulatory authorities about your activities or mistakes.
• Maintain perfect cleanliness in the kitchen and throughout the apartment, bathrooms, keep your hair gathered and under a hood so that customers are not put off by the unkempt appearance of the pastry chef or the dirt around. Pets are also excluded from this method of earning money.
• There are risks of encountering various types of scammers. For example, in social groups someone may answer for you and take an advance payment for an order. This will ruin the chef's reputation. Therefore, establish communication methods from the beginning to avoid any unpleasant misunderstandings.
• To eliminate possible health problems for customers, always use only high-quality and fresh products for making cakes.

Financial part

In order to determine whether it is profitable to engage in this type of business, you need to make preliminary calculations. Let's list the numbers in the table.

If you bake 20 cakes in a month and sell them for 2,000 rubles (at a cost of 1,000), then in two months you will be able to return the initial investment. But the exact figures will depend on your capabilities, customer base, competitors, established prices and order volumes.

Video: how to make money on cakes at home?

This type of activity is suitable not only for professional pastry chefs. If you have good skills and are willing to learn and master new techniques, you can build a profitable business even without a degree. An important step on the path to success is the competent preparation of a business plan, which will take into account the start-up investments, select the product range, think through the organization of the production process, calculate the cost and assess all possible risks.

Selecting a product range and assessing the target audience

Like any business, baking cakes to order cannot be a chaotic process; you must understand what you will produce and for whom. As a rule, cakes are ordered on the occasion of holidays. The latter are divided into two groups that determine your target audience:

1. Personal (family)- birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. Such events occur all year round, and they form your main (permanent) income. The target audience of this category is families with children (middle-aged women). To work in this direction, you will need to create several basic recipes, with the possibility of individual decoration.
2. State- New Year, March 8, February 23, Valentine's Day. Such holidays create peak demand for corporate orders. To serve this category of events, you can create catalogs with ready-made decor in advance, which will simplify the process with a large flow of clients.

In addition, your potential customers may be restaurants and catering agencies.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of formulation. If you are not a professional pastry chef, start with classic cake recipes: sponge cake, honey dough, waffles. Also choose several options for creams. For each type of cake and cream, make a description and an accurate list of products indicating the weight of the ingredients and the final product. All recipes used must be recorded in a separate book.

In addition to the recipe, it is important to pay attention to the design of the cakes. It is performed using various products: marzipan, mastic, images on food paper, jelly, thick creams, glaze. The chosen method of decorating the cake must also be entered into the recipe book, indicating the ingredients, the amount of food consumed and the finished volume.

Starter equipment for cake production

To bake homemade cakes to order, you will need minimal starting capital, since much of the equipment, as a rule, is already available in any kitchen. However, if your equipment cannot produce quality, it will need to be replaced or supplemented. For full work you need:

• Oven- from 200 dollars;
• Hob- from 100 dollars;
• Hand blender with attachments- from 50 dollars;
• Fridge freezer- from 150 dollars;
• Bakeware- from 10 dollars;
• Confectionery syringes with nozzles- from 5 dollars;
• Dishes of various sizes (stainless steel bowls)- from 10 dollars;
• Measuring cups or scoops- from 2 dollars;
• Measuring spoon scale- from 10 dollars;
• Kitchen scales- from 4 dollars;
• Spatulas and brushes- from 5 dollars per set;
• Plungers, extruders, irons and cutters for working with mastic- from 15 dollars;
• Chocolate forks- from 15 dollars per set;
• Digital thermometer- from 6 dollars;
• Kitchen table- from 15 dollars.

Thus, the cost of equipment from scratch will be from $597. Provided that household appliances, furniture and dishes are already in stock, starting costs for inventory range from $72.

If possible, you can purchase a food printer to print images for cakes. It costs from $160 plus $30 for a set of edible ink.

Cost calculation and product weight tables

When making custom cakes, the business plan must necessarily include calculation of the cost of all types of products. This is necessary to determine the market value of the product and, as a result, your profit. For each selected recipe, a separate analysis is carried out, then the estimated monthly production and income are determined.

When calculating the cost, it is best to use an Excel table where you will enter the ingredients of the cakes and their cost. (On the Internet you can find ready-made tables developed by experts, but they do not guarantee correct operation). Here, using formulas, you can create a small program to calculate the weight of the finished cake. For example, in the recipe summary table you provide data for a product weighing 1 kilogram, and then, taking these parameters into account, you create a proportion to determine the consumption of products for a cake, given the weight specified by the client. To make the calculations more accurate, it is important to take into account the category of eggs used.

You can also enter data on the time spent on baking in the table. All this will allow you to quickly determine the cost of the finished product depending on the current market price of the products and your labor costs.

Approximate calculation of the cost of a sponge cake:

For the cake (diameter 28 centimeters, pure height 5.5 centimeters, final weight 1 kilogram):

• Eggs of the first category(7 pieces) - from 25 American cents;
• Sugar(350 grams) - from 25 cents;
• Flour(280 grams) - from 16 cents;
• Baking powder(10.5 grams) - from 5 cents;
• Vegetable oil(105 grams) - from 50 cents;
• Water(80 grams) - 2 cents;
• Vanilla- 10 cents.

Charlotte cream (1 kilogram):

• Eggs of the first category(6 pieces) - from 20 cents;
• Butter 82%(350 grams) - 1.5 dollars.

Mastic for covering and decoration (1 kilogram):

• Sugar(470 grams) - from 45 cents;
• Gelatin(12.5 grams) - 20 cents;
• Eggs of the first category(2 squirrels) - 10 cents;
• Lemon acid(1 gram) - 1 cent;
• Water(150 grams) - 3 cents;
• Food coloring- from 2 dollars per set;
• Powdered sugar(150 grams) - 20 cents.

For 1 kilogram of cakes you will need 1 kilogram of cream and 0.5 kilograms of mastic. Thus, the cost of a finished cake weighing 2.5 kilograms will be $3.5. (Prices may vary depending on region and time of year.)

When calculating, it is necessary to take into account not only food, but also utility costs: electricity, gas and water, since with constant cooking, utility bills will increase significantly. However, they should be calculated empirically, based on the total consumption during the month.

Types of cake packaging

Packaging plays an important role in how the customer perceives your product. It should be disposable and consistent with modern ideas. In other words, bringing a cake to the customer on a plate or tray is not professional. Proper cake packaging:

• A special base on which the cake is initially laid. They come in various shapes and sizes.
• Ready-made cardboard or plastic boxes. You can purchase in advance different sizes of boxes for the selected range of products.
• Self-production of packaging. On the Internet you can find many quick techniques for making original packaging that will allow you to create your own memorable style.
• The cost of the selected packaging is also added to the cost of your cake.

Pay due attention to the packaging of your culinary products - this will also have a positive effect on the perception of your cakes by customers

How much do they earn on cakes?

The income that the custom cakes business provides depends on your output. An average-level confectioner is able to produce about 4 units per day. In this case, the weight of the product should be taken into account. The larger the volume of the cake, the more cost-effective it is to make. For example, a wedding cake weighing 7.5 kilograms will require an investment of $10.5, while its minimum market price for the buyer will be from $7 per kilogram or $73.5. The net profit will be $63.

This means that by making one such cake (or several cakes of equal weight) every day (with a five-day work week), you can earn up to $1,260 per month.