Do something funny for charity. have a go at hosting your own bake sale! Charlotte, our resident Farmer's Market baker, gives us ten top tips on how to do it well.
1. Get some help
There’s no way you can bake dozens of fairy cakes, jam tarts and cake pops all by yourself. The most anyone can do (and do well) is about a batch of cakes per 45 minutes, so if you’ve only got one day to prepare, you’ll need to gather an army.
2. Assign tasks
Put one person on greasing and lining the tins, another on fairy cakes, one more on brownies… if everyone has their own task to focus on, it won’t be as hectic in the kitchen.
3. Write everything down
It’s easy to forget what time something went into the oven, especially when you’ve got so many cakes on the go. Make sure you write down when each cake goes in, so that you always have something to refer to.
4. Keep it simple
No croquembouche or sachertorte, please. If your recipes are too complex, it will take up more time than you can afford. Besides, people expect the British basics – fairy cakes, flapjacks, Victoria Sponge, brownies – at bake sales, so you’ll only disappoint if you go all fancy like. We’ve got some great easy baking recipes here.
5. Get the price right
The basic rule is, charge three times as much as it cost you to bake. At least, that’s what I do when I sell cakes on my Farmers’ Market stall. That won’t make your prices extortionate – four decorated fairy cakes should probably be priced at around £1.20.
6. Keep things covered
Try and keep all your pretty cakes under some kind of see-through cover, or wrap them individually. Kids being kids, they’re likely to prod an exposed sponge cake, which might put someone off buying it. Also be wary of customers accidentally leaning their bags on your produce.
7. Encourage big spenders
Put a sign up saying something like, ‘feel free to pay us more!’ You’d be surprised at how many people will give you a fiver for a couple of flapjacks, if it’s for charity. Encourage generous donations, instead of sticking to the right price.
8. Target everyone
Try and make something for every customer. In my experience kids love nothing more than little hundreds and thousands-topped sponge cakes (American-style cupcakes are too much for them), women will go for the Brownies, and blokes seem to like anything with nuts in.
9. Shout
Don’t be shy! You’ve spent all day sweating over these cakes, so make sure you shout about them. Be boastful, even. ‘Come and get the best fairy cakes this side of The Fens!’, ‘you haven’t lived until you’ve tried our carrot cake!’… you get the idea.
10. Don’t sit down
There’s nothing more off-putting than a disinterested looking stall holder. We stand up for nearly six hours on my Farmers’ Market, to give the impression that we’re wide awake and looking for a sale. If you can’t handle that, arrange some kind of rota with friends and family, so you can go have a sit down somewhere else.
Are you hosting a bake sale for Comic Relief? What are you going to make? Talk to us in the comments box below...
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