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Hi girls! I have a question right now. Love cakes? Silly question, I know. Sweets are the biggest weakness, and not only ours, but also our men. Indeed, according to statistics, 87% of men and only 46% of women have a sweet tooth! Do you want to learn how to bake cakes to order or for yourself?

From this article you will learn:

It's not as scary as it seems at first glance. I once learned, and you can! No matter how trite my words sound, but the main thing in this matter is desire and diligence. Talent is by no means a key condition for success, but just a natural inclination that needs to be constantly developed.

Why do I need it?

Baking is a good source of income. Now every second family orders cakes from home confectioners for children's and adult holidays, for weekends, and for no reason to indulge. So the good craftswomen are doing well.

Not ready to do business - just please yourself and your family. Imagine how surprised your guests will be when you offer to drink tea not with store-bought cakes, but with an amazing home-made dessert!

In general, everything related to cooking and housekeeping is in our blood. Just don't give up. There is no need for these conversations about the fact that in the modern rhythm of life it is easier to order a ready-made cake and not take a steam bath.

My friend Oksana is a convinced careerist. She works day and night, she made herself, she is so self-sufficient that she divorced her husband, she simply does not need him! How much she does not like to do housework, but no, no, and she will ask me for the recipe good pie or bake a cake.

Even adherents proper nutrition, vegetarians and raw foodists make cakes according to their special recipes. Because it's in our blood! You can't fool nature.

I'm ready! Where to begin?

First, take a hard look at your skills. Based on them, choose the best plan for further action.

Zero level - you have never approached the oven at all, and you don’t even know where it is. You don’t keep flour at home, and you can’t imagine what a baking dish should be.
So-so culinary - you made charlotte twice, but once you had to throw it away. Somehow I found a simple recipe for cupcakes on the Internet, my husband praised, but in general they were harsh.
The beginning of a career - you bake cakes on holidays, and making them brings you pleasure. There are a couple of proven recipes. It turns out very tasty. But lack of experience. There are problems with the decor, and some of them look crooked. Yes, and already tired, I want something new, unusual.

What category do you belong to?

If to the first, then your case is the simplest! You are like a blank slate. And here the main thing is not to spoil your impressions of baking, not to be scared. Therefore, I definitely recommend contacting a trusted confectionery school and starting to study under the strict guidance of a teacher and curators.

The second case is also from the category of simple ones. You just need to find good workshops online or live. Take a few lessons and things will run skipping.

And the most difficult case is the third one. You picked up the tops, it seems that you already know everything, why study something? Now I’ll quickly watch the video on the Internet and there will be a new cake.

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No, it's not like that. Confectionery art is a whole science. Previously, they studied at vocational schools to become confectioners. Now this is mainly done by specialized schools. But there is only one meaning - this is a profession, the intricacies of which you need to delve into, deepen and constantly learn something new.

It seems that I’m throwing food into the mixer bowl, vzhik, pour it into molds and into the oven. No, my dears. All this is only done on Instagram by bloggers. But in fact, you need to study the technology of confectionery production, know the chemistry and physics of processes in order to understand what will react with what and how, which form is better to take for a cake, and which one for mousse so that nothing sticks, etc.

Equipment and fixtures

Well, you have found suitable recipe on the Internet or bought a good course. I want to start brewing as soon as possible. But let's check if you have everything you need in the kitchen?

Now in stores there is just a crazy choice of all kinds of equipment, and smiling sales assistants will surely tell you that you will die of starvation without a planetary mixer, a multi-cooker-steamer-pressure cooker with built-in Wi-Fi and expensive dishes from a reliable German manufacturer. Don't be fooled by ads!
Of course, all these devices can make your life easier, but also turn your kitchen into a warehouse of unnecessary equipment and empty your wallet.

In order to bake almost any cake at home, a beginner will need a minimum:

any serviceable oven;
conventional mixer,
egg beater,
large bowl for kneading dough
form for cooking,
the right attitude.

Everything else can be purchased gradually as needed. Over time, you will have experience, and you will understand what is really needed and what is not.

For example, it took me several months to adjust to the old gas oven. But when I changed it to electric, all the recipes began to turn out the first time. Convection, electronic programmer and temperature control do their job.

I do not bake cakes on an industrial scale, so a simple mixer with 4 speeds is enough for me. But I have several convenient bowls. Plastic and glass with a rounded bottom, bigger and smaller, so that you can mix the dough and several creams at once. I always keep a couple of silicone spatulas on hand, which are so easy to collect leftover food from the walls of the dishes.

I have so many baking molds that my mom always persuades me to throw out half of them. There was a time, I bought everything in a row - glass, ceramic, silicone, aluminum, expensive Italian and cheap Chinese. In part, my mother was right. because most often I use a detachable round metal mold or a ring. in the ring it is also very convenient to collect cakes. then they turn out to be very neat and alignment takes much less time and cream.

I also purchased a turntable and three spatulas for assembly. I apply them according to the situation - I apply cream with a triangular one, smooth the upper part of the cake with a long rectangular one, and go through the sides with a square one. So this step was very easy.

How about products?

It is worth thinking in advance not only about the technical side of the issue, but also about the ingredients. It is better to buy everything you need in advance. Of course, most of the products can be bought at any store close to home. But if you are going to do everything professionally to the maximum, then you will have to look for something in specialized pastry shops or on the Internet.

And before you rush to cook, carefully read the recipe. Do not ignore food temperature recommendations. Sometimes it's better to take the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, because the whites are much easier to beat. room temperature. And cream, on the contrary, is better to keep in the cold for at least a day. then the cream from them will come out very dense and stable.

Decoration and decor

The cake is baked and assembled. Let's move on to the fun part - decorating! It's a very creative process that I always look forward to. Usually I still don’t know what kind of biscuit I will bake and what I will put in the filling, but the image is already ripening in my head finished cake. What will it be like outside? White, pink, colorful? Will I cover it with mastic or cover it with ganache? Or maybe it will be in the shape of a heart or with figures of cartoon characters, as children love it?

It's great that you can fantasize about any topic and easily bring everything to life. If you try hard, you can learn to do it unrealistic beautiful cakes. For beginners, I recommend a simple one:

Fruits/sweets. This is the most relevant way to decorate desserts. I threw pieces of fruit and berries on top - that's it! And most importantly, it always looks fashionable and fresh, does not oblige you to anything. Instead of berries, you can use ready-made sweets - marshmallows, small meringues, pieces of chocolate, cookies, M & m's, Raffaello, marmalade and all kinds of confectionery toppings. Such a cake will have to children's table, and to an adult. And if you put a mini-bottle of alcohol on top, you get a great birthday present for a man. Any topper or candle will do here.
Printing on sugar or wafer sheet. Also a no-frills option. Even I have several places in Murom where you can print any picture on a special confectionery printer. In big cities, this will not be a problem. In online stores, I often see ready-made pictures. All you have to do is choose the right size and order home delivery. Previously, such pictures were sculpted on the surface of the cake. Now many of them are cut out and attached vertically. The cake becomes dynamic, alive.
Cream roses and swirls. You are wrong to think that this is a relic of the past. just choose a modern nozzle for a pastry bag and practice a little. See how modern confectioners play this theme cool.
For wedding cakes, real flowers are often used instead of cream ones. Of course, they look more tender and fresh, create a unique atmosphere of celebration. Decorating them is very easy. Nature has created this beauty for you.

A novice confectioner should always remember that you should not overdo it with the design. A cake with a simple glazed inscription "Happy Birthday" will look much neater. It is better to put a couple of cherries than to pour everything at once.

Modern Cakes

The decor options that I brought have become almost classics. But the confectionery industry is developing rapidly, something new is constantly appearing.

The real sensation is this. They broke into our refrigerators and thoughts a couple of years ago and still have not lost their relevance. This is a huge field for experiments with tastes and textures. Add some exotic taste - and a new dessert is ready!

In addition, these cakes require a minimum of decor. For example, “three chocolates” is good on its own. You add any dye to the mousse, a strawberry on top, look at it and smile. You can slightly freeze and top with glaze - regular or mirror - to your taste.

Has anyone gotten bored? What if I told you about the desserts that have practically supplanted classic cakes from the top most ordered sweets? Yes! And there are many.

In the first place here are cupcakes - either cupcakes or cakes. Inside, you can hide any filling, berries, nuts, and “put on” a voluminous cream cap on top. Their charm is in the simplicity of preparation, the minimum cost of everything in general - time, money, utensils. Just think, you don't need a knife or a plate to serve your guests a cupcake. Bake them in paper molds and forget about the long dishwashing.

And here is another portioned dessert - trifles. They are served in disposable transparent cups or any glassware. The idea for their preparation can be taken from any cake - even from red velvet, even from Snickers, even from Napoleon. Lay layers of cakes, cream, fillings, berries or fruits in a mold and get a completely new kind of dessert that everyone will like.

Well, my absolute favorite is ! 20 minutes of free time, 500 rubles for groceries, and as a result, the most popular dessert of all coffee shops and restaurants.

We make to order

We smoothly approached the topic of baking to order. It's not just like that. In fact, many come to this. If you love baking and are good at it, why not turn your hobby into a source of income?

Mostly women think that it is difficult, you need to invest a lot at the initial stage. But look around? You are not running a factory, but a small home bakery. You probably already have all the necessary tools and techniques, which I wrote about at the beginning of the article. You use several proven recipes. There is always a couple of glasses of flour, eggs and butter. What is missing in this scheme?

That's right, customers! But if you start baking regularly, they will appear on their own. First, relatives will be asked to bake a cake for a family celebration, then a girlfriend, and then word of mouth will start working. At the initial stage, it is important for you to fill your hand and earn a reputation. Therefore, housewives often sell their first cakes at cost. My colleague just gave her clients a list of what they needed.

It is important not to forget to take pictures of all your work, collect reviews to create a portfolio, start maintaining a page on the social network, and then you can start advertising.

Where to learn everything? Choosing courses.

I think a lot of people are in a mess right now. How to organize everything, put it on the shelves, so that everything works out? We need some kind of system in education, step-by-step instruction whether. Do you think there is one? You can search for answers to your questions on the Internet for a long time, shovel a bunch of information. Or you can save time and go to confectioner courses.

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I would conditionally divide all courses into two types - live and online.

The living have one big advantage - you can feel everything with your hands. You cook side by side with the pros, ask questions, supervise the process and at the end taste the finished cake or even take it home with you.

But the disadvantages of this method of teaching, in my opinion, cover all the advantages.

First, you need to have a lot of time and be relatively free. Not everyone will be able to go somewhere after work or on the weekend. For mothers of small children, this option is unlikely to suit.

Second, the prices are outrageous. The cost of your education includes the cost of products, inventory, studio rental, utility bills, salaries of teachers and organizers, not to mention advertising and other little things that you don’t feel, but they are.

Thirdly, you will study in a group of 10 to 20 people. Think back to school and lab work. Someone understood, someone did not understand, someone asks questions, and someone is shy. And you will come home, and in general, half of what you have covered will fly out of your head.

Often online schools carry out free master classes as a presentation. On them you will cook together with the confectioner live. As a rule, recipes are selected simple so that the cooking process does not stretch over time. In such classes, you will appreciate the quality of distance learning.

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Video lessons

Full-fledged cakes are usually not prepared online. Lessons are videotaped and edited. At the same time, you see all the stages of preparation, special emphasis is placed on complex and important points.

From the video, you can immediately start cooking. After all, it is easy to rewind or pause it at any time.

If you are looking for a trusted online school, then I advise the school of home pastry chef " ProfiTrolls».

There are courses of different difficulty levels, and prices are below average. It is wonderful that each student is assigned a personal curator who will answer all questions at any time and give useful advice. So, no general chats for you and a bunch of unanswered questions. The curator, like a guardian angel, is always in touch in the messenger.

You can try your hand at a free master class tomorrow. Register via the link and start making your dreams come true! You will not only learn how to bake, but also quickly understand how to get to the first sale.

And I wonder what kind of cake would you like to cook right now? Do you have a favorite or who really wants to learn how to bake?

Thanks in advance for your comments! Wait for new articles on the confectionery theme, coming soon!

The post has been changed:

How to Start a Cake Baking Business at Home

Almost all people dream of earning money at home and at the same time doing what they really want. Culinary talent makes it possible to bring such an idea to life. Baking cakes at home is a business that almost anyone can do, whether it is a housewife who loves to cook or a certified pastry chef who is tired of routine work.

Business Relevance

Modern consumers prefer to order food rather than buy it in stores. This trend will only progress over time, which can already be seen in, for example, a large number of weekly food delivery services for 5-7 days. If people are already ordering food for every day, then it is obvious that on a special occasion they will also want to purchase an unusual and a delicious cake.

Such a business will be most relevant in central cities: in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is there that a huge number of wealthy and busy people are concentrated, as well as quite whimsical in relation to food. In the regions, the vast majority of consumers are looking for more profitable products, so in order to become successful in provincial cities, you must initially set the price lower than that of competitors.

But in general, the business of making homemade cakes is relevant everywhere. Every day people get married, celebrate birthdays and just want to please their loved ones in connection with some important event. The question is whether a particular person will be able to satisfy the desires of consumers. That is, to be able not only to cook cakes well, but also to be creative in the process of their design.

In the long term, after 2-4 years of hard work, you can purchase a franchise or open a physical business under your own brand. To do this, you need to rent a small workshop or a room for a confectionery, as well as purchase equipment (proofer, oven, mixer, dough mixer) and hire employees.

Advantages and disadvantages of a business idea

At the very beginning, the main disadvantage will be the lack of customers. It is unprofitable to sell cakes exclusively to your friends, colleagues and other people you know, since such a volume of sales is unlikely to pay for production. Accordingly, a novice businessman will need to engage not only in the manufacture of products, but also in their promotion. The advantage is that for competent advertising of your product, you do not need to be a marketer now.

With a lack of buyers, the business will not pay for itself. A large number of clients will require additional investments and transition to a new level. There is a double-edged sword here: lack of buyers = no income, “overabundance” of consumers = big spending.

The golden mean, in which the number of customers will correspond to the capabilities of the manufacturer, will not last long. When the business "shoots", the number of buyers will increase exponentially. And you need to be ready for this.

Key business benefits:

There is no need to pay taxes from the very beginning and register yourself as an individual entrepreneur. That is, each person has the opportunity to try himself in this business and understand whether it suits him or not. In the case of opening a physical enterprise, you need to register a business immediately, regardless of the availability of income;
You don't need a lot of money to get into a business. Of course, it all depends on the individual and his resourcefulness. Someone hires a photographer to make a portfolio, an SMM manager to promote in social. networks and so on. But, since all this is essentially optional, the initial costs can be minimized. Thus, in most cases, investments are required only for paying for courses and purchasing products;
Free pricing. The cost is set directly by the manufacturer. If a person makes unique author's cakes, then he does not need to focus on the prices of competitors with conventional products. Moreover, the cost of goods in this case is not of great importance, since the main factor in pricing is its design, as well as the efforts expended on production. This is especially true for residents of central cities, since it is there that a huge trend is developing for original products that differ from others.

This business is optimal for all people who know how to cook with pleasure and imagination. In principle, you can make classic honey cakes and Napoleons, but then you need to immediately understand that you won’t earn a lot of money on such an assortment. It is not necessary to cook exotic, but it is important to be able to decorate products in an interesting and stylish way.

The main disadvantages and ways to bypass them

It is necessary to consider a business idea comprehensively, while it is better to focus attention not on the pros, but on the cons. Otherwise, the unpleasant nuances that have already appeared in the course of work will simply unsettle a person. The best option: immediately select ways to resolve controversial and difficult situations.

Minus	What can it lead to	How to avoid it
Lack of customer base and business promotion skills	To extra spending on an SMM specialist or to a lack of customers	Learn how to promote your business through social media. networks (details can be found below)
Delivery (in most cases you need to deliver products yourself)	To damage to cakes due to their transportation by public transport, to unnecessary time costs, loss of customers	Buy a cheap car or connect your friend / partner / family member to the business (initially, you can pay only for gasoline, with the advent of a stable income to pay % on top). Well, in extreme cases - a taxi (the price can be included in the cost of products or calculated separately)
Significant increase in the number of customers	To the inability to cope with a large amount of work, the failure of acceptable deadlines, the loss of customers	Room rental + purchase of confectionery equipment and / or connection to work of additional people
No portfolio	To a small influx of customers, the inability to develop good advertising in social. networks	Instead of hiring a photographer, it is better to photograph the products yourself (the nuances of the process will also be discussed below)
Lack of equipment or the right amount of utensils	In addition, in the process of making cakes, you will constantly have to buy something, and in a hurry	Buy in advance cake stands, special packaging, and, of course, equipment. You need to clearly understand what you can do yourself (for example, knead the dough), and what is better to “trust” the device to optimize the cooking process

These problems are experienced by most people running a homemade cake business. These are the ones you need to think about first.

Business organization - main stages

Business, regardless of its direction, requires planning and competent implementation. That is, the entrepreneur must be clearly aware of what and in what order he needs to do in order for the scheme to start “working” (making a profit). Without this, the implementation of a business idea into reality is simply impossible.

So, to implement the project, you will need to go through the following steps:

Stage (name)	Explanation	What should be done
Refinement of the idea	The idea should be not just good, but innovative. Now the market is oversaturated with goods, so in order to become successful, it is not enough to do the same as everyone else.	Come up with a zest that distinguishes a particular project from the rest. It can be a unique design, exclusive ingredients and the like.
Menu preparation, calculation of consumption per unit	The basic menu does not have to include many items. Initially, you can make several cakes, while emphasizing quality and cost.	Select the initial assortment of cakes, cook them and try them out, modify the recipes if necessary. Calculate the total cost of the ingredients required to make each cake.
Marketing plan development/brand building	Good advertising is the key to a successful business. You need to promote your project more actively than competitors do.	If we are talking about advertising in social networks, then Instagram should be chosen as the main platform for promotion. Accordingly, it is better to deliberately study this platform and start a page specifically for business. It is also recommended to create groups on Vkontakte, on Odnoklassniki, on Facebook.
Purchase of equipment, utensils, appliances	It is necessary to understand what tools and fixtures may be needed in the process. Basic devices: mixer, electronic kitchen scales, thermometer, blender. Accessories: pastry bag and nozzles for it, baking dishes, sieve.	Explore the market and purchase the most suitable, high-quality devices at the best prices. Pastry utensils like a pastry bag with nozzles can be bought cheaply from online stores.
Workplace organization	It is necessary to prepare cakes for customers in conditions of increased hygiene.	It is necessary to allocate a separate place in the kitchen, if desired, it can even be fenced off. Near the desktop should be a kitchen stove. Near you you need to place all the necessary devices and equipment. The manufacturer himself should work only on a clean table and with hair taken away, wearing gloves.

You also need to understand that a person without the education of a confectioner will need to take courses. And even an experienced master will subsequently have to improve their skills.

Assortment of pastries

If customers like cakes, they will want to buy other pastries that are more suitable for “every day”. Therefore, in addition to cakes, you can make cakes, muffins, cupcakes and cheesecakes. In addition, this will give a significant advantage, because customers will be able to purchase all the necessary pastries for large celebrations (for example, weddings) in one place. If the seller only makes cakes, then there will be less profit.

Modern cake makers are also encouraged to “adapt” to the fashion for healthy eating and gluten-free food, adding several items that meet these criteria to the range. It can be low-calorie or completely dairy-free and egg-free pastries. For example: cakes based on yogurt or porridge, fruit basket cakes.

Of course, the menu should also include classic positions: Sacher, Napoleon, Medovik, Count's ruins. The exceptions are those cases when the confectionery specializes exclusively in low-calorie cakes. You also need to add your own, unique options, made according to a “patented” recipe, to the menu.

Particular attention should be paid to product design. Before opening a business, it is recommended to study the author's cake studios. Such products are very different from the classical ones precisely in their appearance. It costs more and is more in demand, it is easier to create a recognizable brand with it.

How to equip a workplace at home

In order to optimize the speed and quality of your work, as well as to make the process of baking the most comfortable, you need to properly equip the place in the kitchen. The pastry table should be spacious (about a meter and a half ideally), because in addition to products, equipment and inventory, it will be located ready-made cakes. Professional models are often equipped with heating, but this is not at all necessary, especially at the very beginning of business development (since they cost from 30 thousand and more).

The confectioner at the workplace must wear an apron, neckband, cap (or other headgear that completely covers the hair). You need to work in clean clothes, it is advisable to purchase a bathrobe specially for this purpose.

Near the table there should be a stove and a kitchen oven, respectively. It is also very desirable that a sink be located nearby. Otherwise, you will have to constantly be distracted from work in order to wash your hands. It is best to hang a magnetic board with knives above the table so that they do not take up extra space. Approximately in the same area you need to place kitchen cabinets, hooks for towels and mittens.

After preparing each cake, you need to wipe off the table and wash the dishes so that the ingredients from which the pastries are made do not mix with each other. The confectioner must keep his hands clean, have short nails, or always wear gloves before cooking.

Organization of a mini-confectionery

A large client base and well-established sales channels will allow the confectioner to open his own establishment. It can be just a workshop or combined with a cafe. The second option is more profitable, since new customers will be able to come to the institution, which will provide additional stable income. But, at the same time, it is more expensive, as it requires the selection of a fairly spacious room in which it will be possible to equip both a mini-workshop and a hall. Also, a full-fledged confectionery requires not only production equipment, but also tables, cash registers, shop windows, signs, and additional staff.

For the workshop you will need to purchase:

proofing cabinet (average price - 150 thousand rubles);
industrial oven (from 50 thousand rubles, depending on the functionality and number of baking chambers);
hearth oven (from 150 thousand rubles);
food storage refrigerator finished baking(from 50 thousand rubles, depending on the size and characteristics);
dough mixer (from 70 thousand rubles).

Staff recruitment and premises rental

To open a workshop combined with a confectionery, you need to rent a spacious room in a place with good traffic. You can choose an area in which there are many educational institutions and any companies. It is not necessary to rent a room in the city center, as it will be extremely disadvantageous for an aspiring entrepreneur with a limited budget. Dormitory neighborhoods with new buildings are great for a pastry shop.

The main conditions for the workshop: high-quality and extensive ventilation system, constant power supply. Industrial machinery will work for many hours, thereby creating a large load on the power grid. Electricity costs must be calculated in a business plan, even if the production itself is organized at home.

The minimum number of employees that will be required for a workshop combined with a confectionery:

an experienced confectioner (at first, you can occupy this position on your own);
courier;
cashier.

The confectioner must have a medical book. Also, when hiring a person, it is highly recommended to look at his portfolio or ask to make a “trial” cake on special order.

Production technology

The production of author's cakes cannot be fully automated, since at the final stage the pastries must be decorated with one's own hand. A novice entrepreneur who sells products only through his outlets and a small customer base should be especially careful when it comes to finishing finished products.

In total there are 3 main stages of production:

making the base (for example, cakes);
production of finishing elements and fillings;
baking finish.

At the 1st stage, the dough is kneaded, placed in special forms and baked. At the same stage, you can add alcohol, syrup, nuts and other semi-finished products to the dough. This is necessary to give a refined taste to the future product, as well as to preserve some prescription features.

At the 2nd stage, various author's lotions are produced - confectionery cream, finishing elements. Stage 3 - "assembly" and decoration finished product. There are also intermediate stages in production, for example, leveling the cakes and cleaning them from burnt areas. Also, after baking and processing, the cakes are impregnated, and then layered with cream and the bases are glued together. At this intermediate stage, you can add chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles between the layers of the product.

The final stage is decorating the finished cake. Plastic confectionery cream, meringue, voluminous chocolate figurines, jelly, fruits and much more can be used for decoration. After decoration, the finished product is placed in the author's packaging, and then sent to the buyer. The same production technology is applicable to cakes.

You can store the finished product in the refrigerator from 6 hours to 3 days. The allowable storage time depends on what products the cake consists of and what elements it is decorated with.

The most perishable product is confectionery cream, therefore, during its manufacture and storage, all temperature and sanitary standards must be observed. When whipping the cream filling, special equipment with cold air is used. Cakes with protein, butter cream must be sold within 24 hours of their manufacture.

Purchase of raw materials

At the very beginning of your entrepreneurial journey, you can and even need to purchase raw materials in markets and hypermarkets. Because to make the first “batch” of cakes, you won’t need a lot of products. In the markets, you should buy dairy products, butter, honey and nuts. In hypermarkets, you can buy sprinkles, chocolate (for further grinding or making glaze) and other products suitable for decoration. You should also get a good liquor or rum, syrup for soaking cakes. Perishable ingredients must be purchased on the day a particular cake is made.

When the business starts to expand and the demand for products increases, it will be possible to buy some items in bulk. The sale of confectionery raw materials is carried out by both physical companies and online stores. The latter are preferable due to the rich assortment and delivery. It will be physically difficult for a person without a personal car to drag 10 kg of liquid flavoring or 7 kg of cocoa powder. Of course, the quantity of purchased products must be calculated according to production volumes.

Entrepreneurs specializing in the manufacture of natural and healthy cakes are not recommended to add palm oil, flavors, preservatives to their products. All these components reduce the cost of production and prolong the life of products, but they are in no way suitable for the manufacture of so-called eco-baking.

In large online stores you can buy absolutely everything, from mastic to candied fruits. You will have to invest well in additional ingredients, but still buying products in bulk is much cheaper.

Business registration

It is best for novice businessmen to issue an IP (individual entrepreneurship). This registration option has a number of advantages, including:

fewer documentation (which will need to be created or filled out, as well as handed over at the end of reporting periods);
simplified taxation (an individual entrepreneur pays the state less than, say, the founder of an LLC);
the ability to do all the paperwork yourself.

Accordingly, if a person is going to independently conduct accounting, then he needs to understand this. It is recommended to enroll in courses or take online training. Hiring an accountant will cost 15-25 thousand per month for regions and 30-40 thousand for central cities.

The simplified taxation system is 6% of the total income of an entrepreneur, excluding his expenses, or 15% only of net profit.

In order to register yourself as an individual entrepreneur, you need to register with the pension fund and the FSS (fund social insurance). Well, for the full registration of a business, you will need to pass all kinds of checks. The room where the production takes place confectionery, must comply with all sanitary and fire regulations.

A business permit can be obtained from the prefecture. But this is only if all commission checks have passed satisfactorily.

Marketing and distribution channels

Cake baking courses

The confectioner will need to constantly improve their skills: to master new methods of making and decorating cakes, to study advanced production technologies. But at the very beginning of your journey, you should learn exactly the basic skills for baking. If a person does not have a confectionery education, then it will be very difficult for him to implement some recipes. The best option is to take courses, the duration of which usually varies from 3 to 8 months. The price of training in the regions is from 15 thousand rubles, in central cities - from 25 thousand rubles.

Business costs and payback

To start home production investments of 10-50 thousand rubles are required. On average - 20-25 thousand. This amount includes the purchase of ingredients for making cakes for the portfolio, dishes and small kitchen appliances. In fact, you can meet even 1.5 thousand rubles by simply purchasing products for making 1 cake for sale. But you can’t launch a full-fledged production with such an amount.

The cost of baking is from 500 rubles to 4 thousand per kilogram. The exact price depends on the composition of the product, the complexity of its preparation and finishing. The most expensive cakes are multi-tiered and wedding.

So, the average monthly profit (including production costs) will be about 20 thousand rubles. It will take about 2-3 months to pay back the investment. The profitability of the business is from 20 to 30%. And here, as in any other business, the final income depends on how much effort, time and money was invested in the work. In order for the business at home to be not just a hobby, it must be approached responsibly.

This type of activity is suitable not only for professional pastry chefs. If you have good skills, are willing to learn and master new techniques, you will be able to build 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 initial investment, select the product range, think over the organization of the production process, calculate the cost and assess all possible risks.

Selection of product range and assessment of the target audience

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

Personal (family)- birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. Such events happen all year round, and they form your main (permanent) income. The target audience for this category are 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.
State - New Year, March 8, February 23, Valentine's Day. These holidays create a peak demand for corporate bookings. 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 customers.

In addition, restaurants and catering agencies can be your potential buyers.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of recipe. If you are not a professional pastry chef, start with classic recipes cakes: biscuit, honey dough, waffles. Also pick up 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, icing. The chosen method of decorating the cake must also be entered in the recipe book indicating the ingredients, the amount of consumption of products and the finished volume.

Starting equipment for the production of cakes

Baking homemade cakes to order will require minimal start-up capital, since a significant part of the inventory, as a rule, is already in any kitchen. However, if your equipment cannot provide quality workmanship, it will need to be replaced or supplemented. For full-fledged work You need:

Oven- from 200 dollars;
hob- from 100 dollars;
Hand blender with attachments- from 50 dollars;
Refrigerator with 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 ladles- from 2 dollars;
Measuring spoon-scales- from 10 dollars;
kitchen scales- from 4 dollars;
Spatulas and brushes- from $5 per set;
Plungers, extruders, irons and punches for working with mastic- from 15 dollars;
chocolate forks- from $15 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 utensils are already available, the starting cost for inventory is from $ 72.

If possible, you can purchase a food printer to print images for cakes. It starts at $160 plus $30 for a food grade ink kit.

Cost calculation and product weight tables

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

When calculating the cost, it is best to use a table in Excel, where the ingredients of the cakes and their cost will be entered. (You can find ready-made tables developed by masters on the net, but they do not guarantee correct operation). Immediately, using formulas, you can create a small program to calculate the weight of the finished cake. For example, in the summary table of the recipe, you provide data for a product weighing 1 kilogram, and then, taking these parameters into account, make up a proportion to determine the consumption of products per cake, 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 cost calculation 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 US 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.

Cream Charlotte (1 kilogram):

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

Mastic for close-fitting and decorations (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, 1 kilogram of cream and 0.5 kilograms of mastic will be required. Thus, the cost of a finished cake weighing 2.5 kilograms will be $3.5. (Prices may vary by region and season).

When calculating, it is necessary to take into account not only products, 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

The packaging plays an important role in the perception of your product by the customer. It should be disposable and correspond to modern ideas. In other words, bringing a cake to a customer on a plate or tray is not professional. Proper cake packaging:

A special substrate on which the cake is initially laid. They come in various shapes and sizes.
Ready-made cardboard or plastic boxes. You can pre-purchase various box sizes for the selected range of products.
Do-it-yourself packaging. On the Internet, you can find many quick methods 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 positively affect the perception of your cakes by customers.

How much do cakes earn

The income that the custom cake business provides depends on your output. An intermediate 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 profitable it is to make it. For example, the 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. Net profit will be 63 dollars.

This means that by doing 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.

Yes, our courses are suitable for beginners. You will receive an extensive base of theoretical and practical knowledge, which will give you an understanding of the ongoing processes. After completing the courses, you will easily prepare desserts, and you will also be able to work to order using our recipes.

Before starting the course, you will be able to study the list of necessary equipment and ingredients that you will need in your work. We will suggest a number of popular stores and links to inventory in them.

Here is a list of required equipment: ring 16cm, ring 18cm, cupcake mold 6 pcs, cupcake capsules, silicone mat, round nozzle 12mm, closed star 8mm, pastry bag (I use green ones, you can use others), angled spatula, convenient length about 20cm, scraper, string, turntable, substrates 22 cm, measuring cup, acetate film (it is better to choose a loose one so that it easily takes the desired shape. Height does not matter), silicone spatula, Silicone forms for mousse cakes.

Is homework required?

What happens if I fail to turn in my homework?

You can work at your own pace. Teacher support, the ability to turn in homework and the right to receive a certificate will remain.

How long will the lessons be available?

Lessons are yours to keep forever and ever. We do not close access to the lessons and you can always return to them and cook your favorite dessert or cake

How is access to lessons organized?

Immediately after registration for the course and payment, you will have access to special platform We have developed this platform ourselves for the convenience of our students.

On it you can watch all the lessons and the necessary material as with phone and computer, using the recipe calculator, automatically recalculate the ingredients for the desired weight, read the most common questions students have about the recipe, view all the materials for the lesson. You will have access to the platform forever.

I do not have much time

It takes only 2-3 hours to complete one lesson, and you need to complete it in a week. AT You can watch the video at any time. If necessary, you can work at your own pace. Constant support and lessons will remain with you forever.

Everything can be found on the Internet

There are many free recipes on the Internet, but many of them Bad quality.
It is very likely that you will simply translate the products and waste your time.
We teach according to tried and tested recipes, with answers to any questions.
We guarantee that you will get delicious desserts.
Look at the reviews of our students and you will understand everything - https://vk.com/topic-137603062_39061352
According to these recipes, more than 700 people have already been trained in live and online master classes.

Do you like to bake beautifully and tasty? Temporarily unemployed? Want to try your hand at starting your own business? A cake baking business is exactly the type of activity that will bring you pleasure from work and a good income.

The maximum investment for a home business is 40,000 rubles, the payback period of the project is 4-5 months.

Homemade custom cakes are a good business idea

Do you have doubts?

Let's figure it out:

Without birthday cake Not a single celebration is spared, especially children's holidays.
You can organize a pastry shop in your own kitchen without renting premises and equipment.
Baking is a creative process that brings income and aesthetic pleasure.
There are many ways to find clients - the Internet, acquaintances and friends, children's playrooms, wedding salons.
Business is easy to open.
And it's also easy to close if you lose interest in it.
Quick payback of production, minimal investment for its launch.
Stable consumer demand.
Registration of an individual entrepreneur to start work and receive income is not required.
Freedom of pricing. You set the cost of the product yourself, based on its weight, complexity of design, composition.

Startup Benefits

Separately, I want to highlight the main advantages of a startup - a modest start-up investment, the ability to run a business at home, and the vacancy of a niche.

More about each item.

Small investment

If you plan to start from your own kitchen, you will only need to purchase some baking equipment. For the purchase of whisks, decorations, mats for drying mastic decorations, tools for working with mastic, plungers, molds for decorations, baking paper, a turntable and some other “needs”, it will take you a maximum of up to 30,000 rubles.

Opportunity to work from home

Own kitchen is quite enough for making masterpieces, for trying your hand, finding buyers, preparing the first advertising samples of products.

Niche unemployment

Baking homemade cakes attracts many mothers on maternity leave and those who are temporarily out of work, but not everyone manages to turn their pastry hobby into a profitable business.

A hobby will bring money if you treat it with a businesslike attitude.

Take your business seriously, create an advertisement for yourself, direct your creativity in the right direction and you are guaranteed success.

What about competition - market analysis

The confectionery market has a number of features that need to be considered:

short lead time for the product. A novice entrepreneur needs to work to order and actively establish distribution channels;
high competition in sales of low-priced products; and low competition among high-priced cakes and other products. 80% of sales in confectionery stores are for sweets with a price of 180-240 rubles;
a huge selection of Russian raw materials: berries, fruits, nuts.

Your main competitors are large enterprises and those who, like you, have chosen homemade cakes for earnings.

Analyze the market in your area of the city, study the experience of competitors, find out where and how they receive orders. Suggest interesting recipes, unusual design, attractive cost of products. In order to confidently compete with large confectioneries and the same "houses" like you, you need not only to attract attention, but also to keep it.

At first, you can only rely on friends and colleagues. Holiday at work with your spouse? Bring an original delicious cake and orders from his work colleagues are guaranteed.

How to start a cake business - step by step instructions

A clear concept is the key to the success of any enterprise. Before you start selling your first product, consider a plan of action, decide on the scale of the enterprise, make a list of equipment and materials to be purchased.

Consider each step of starting a business: where to start and what to pay close attention to.

Step 1. Finding a room

If you have a private house, there is a free room or a spacious kitchen, part of which can be used as a mini-shop for baking desserts, then you don’t need to look for anything. If the sales volume does not yet exceed one position per day, the issue of rent is irrelevant, at least until your production becomes crowded in this area.

If you are focused on a large volume of products from the start, already have customers and have start-up capital, feel free to look for a room for rent.

Rent a room in a residential area. When choosing, keep in mind that it will serve as both a pastry shop and a store, so it needs an appropriate layout, interior and location that is convenient for customers.

Step 2. We purchase materials and equipment

Surely baking is your hobby and you already have everything you need to work. But there are still some things you need to buy. In particular, tools for working with mastic, a set of pots, a syringe, a blender, a mixer and various nozzles.

You will also need flour, sugar, coconut flakes, candied fruits, raisins, food colorings. It is better to buy these components for future use and in large quantities in order to reduce the cost of production. But perishable products - milk, cream, butter - it is better not to buy for the future.

The cost of purchasing equipment from scratch:

Equipment	Quantity	Price (rub.)
Food processor	1	10 000
Bakeware	5	6 000
Confectionery syringe with nozzles	1	1 000
Kitchen scales, measuring bowl	2	1500
Bowls of different sizes	5	3 000
pans	5	5 000
Dough rolling pin and some boards	4	1500
Set of tools for mastic	1	4 000
Knife set + string knife	1	3 000
Whisk, brushes, small tools	10	2 000
Parchment for baking, circles for drying cakes and more.		3 000
Total:		40 000

Step 3. We select personnel

The need for staff will arise when you build up a customer base and receive more than one order per day. In the first couple, you will have enough of your own hands.

If you start to expand your horizons, hire a good confectioner who will replace if necessary and help you increase production. With an increase in the number of orders, your candy store will need a courier to deliver sweets to customers.

When hiring a confectioner, ask for a medical book, give a trial paid task to make sure of the potential employee's culinary abilities.

Step 4. Launching a business and looking for clients

Business success depends on the quality and beauty of products, but more on how you present yourself.

Ways to find buyers:

Acquaintances, relatives, friends, work colleagues. Make the most of word of mouth. It will give you the most customers.
Advertising your services on forums where young mothers communicate.
YouTube. Shoot a video about your favorite recipes, about how another masterpiece is born in your hands, talk about the composition, the naturalness of the ingredients.
Announcements on trading platforms. Be sure to place several photos in them, indicate the price, contact information.
Advertising boards on the Internet.

Step 5. Registering a business

You will need to register a business when you develop a good client base. The most convenient form of activity for you is IP. You don't need a lot of paperwork to apply.

Income is taxed under a simplified system, that is, you will have to pay only 6% of total income without deducting expenses or 15% of net profit to the tax office. Having issued an IP, register with the Social Insurance Fund and the Pension Fund.

OKVED code 10.71.2 - Manufacture of flour confectionery, cakes and cakes of non-durable storage.

Be prepared for the fact that the premises you rented will be visited by an inspection. It must meet sanitary and fire safety standards.

To help a novice entrepreneur, brief recommendations on the main stages of opening your own mini-confectionery:

Stage	Explanations	Guide to action
Formation and refinement of the working concept	You need not just a good idea, but an innovative idea that has an attractive feature to successfully compete in the market.	Develop custom recognizable designs, specific ingredients, and more.
Accurate calculation of the menu, analysis of the consumables and its optimization	For the basic menu, a large assortment is not needed, it is better when there are few offers, but at the same time they are of high quality at low costs.	Decide on the list of manufactured cakes, bring their recipes to perfection. Make cost calculations for each separately and all in total, think about how to reduce the cost.
Creating a recognizable brand and developing a marketing plan	Promote your products more actively than competitors, backing it up with high quality service.	Promote products on social networks, attract specialists.
Acquisition of tools and equipment for production	Make a list of basic tools and minor accessories that will make the job easier, but their acquisition is not a priority.	With such an analysis, you will avoid unnecessary expenses at the start.
Organization of the workspace and place	In this work, hygiene and comfortable working conditions are extremely important.	Keep your clothes, hands, workplace clean.

How to advertise your products

Consider a few effective ways attracting buyers.

Through social networks

Post not only photos, but also videos of the cooking process. This will confirm your authorship of the photos and clearly demonstrate the confectionery skill.

One of the “divorce” schemes: a client leaves an order in your public. While you are offline, a scammer will answer for you, asking you to pay for the order. He will send false details to the client and, having received the money, will disappear.

With flyers or business cards

Even if you work alone in your own kitchen, you need business cards. Give them to your customers with every order. This is how you increase your customer base.

Flyers are another effective printed form of advertising. Post them up and share them with your friends. Take the piece to the nearest supermarket, to the locker, to the place where the purchases are stored, and to other places you frequent.

Advertising is the engine of commerce, and this also works with cakes.

Through newspaper ads

Place ads in the top-selling classifieds newspapers, as well as free print publications handed out on the streets. Advertising in them is not expensive, but adds buyers.

With your own website

Having your own website is one of the best ways to promote your services. Post photos, videos, descriptions of new recipes, your thoughts on the topic of cooking, confectionery.

If you yourself do not understand the creation and promotion of the site, ask your friends for help or go through a simple training. There is plenty of information on the Internet on this subject.

A useful video from the cake sales webinar on how to take product photos, how to make a portfolio, how to attract a buyer:

Useful tips for those who want to make homemade cakes to order

Here are some helpful tips from those who have been successful in this field.

The serving of even the most delicious and spectacular dessert is spoiled by a simple cardboard or plastic box in which it is packed. Choose interesting packaging options for your sweets.

Order the package, which indicates the date of manufacture, the composition of the treat, your contact phone number. Box Design - original way stand out from competitors, as well as convey to the buyer the necessary and important information.

The biggest mistake of novice confectioners working at home is overestimating their strengths. It especially concerns mothers on maternity leave who have chosen this business as a part-time job.

Even if you are determined to turn your hobby into a profitable business and are ready to work hard alone, still find yourself an assistant who will replace you if necessary and help you quickly and efficiently complete orders when their number increases.

Don't limit yourself to baking fondant-decorated birthday cakes. Offer your customers cakes, cupcakes, muffins, macaroons, cheesecakes, rolls, pies, small cakes. Bet on low-calorie and diet recipes.

The wider your range, the larger audience you will be interested in. Advertise all kinds of baked goods that you are great at. Post a photo on your website or accounts social networks, sign the name, composition of products and indicate the cost.

Business planning is the first step to success. The more clearly you present your goals, the sooner you will succeed. A business plan is insurance against unnecessary expenses and annoying mistakes. When making a plan, describe each stage of production, starting from the selection of baking recipes and ending with delivery to the customer finished order.

Planning also reflects the financial part of the work: the cost of purchasing materials and the necessary equipment, advertising, packaging and expected profit.

Compose calendar plan production. Referring to it, you will evaluate the correctness and effectiveness of your actions.

Set clear goals for yourself, for example, earn 15,000 rubles in the first month or sell 5-6 cakes a week, and systematically move towards your goal.

Video about how a pastry hobby turned into a profitable business: