He uses good ingredients (including “real vanilla,” whatever that means) if that factors into the price at all. He does bake for a living.
And before anyone says “oh maybe he’s doing you a favor!” No. I used to groom his dog before I moved away and I tried to refuse money from him for that every time and he always found sneaky ways to pay me so this is my revenge.
by Daughter_Of_Cain
41 Comments
Is maybe doing a couple of free grooming sessions spontaneously during visits an option? Spoiling and loving on his dog is something he’ll more likely accept ❤️
I don’t have insight as to the price, but I would suggest giving him a gift card rather than cash. People feel awkward accepting cash sometimes!
Professional baker here. Not sure exactly what kind of cake it is, size, and if there’s any fillings, so it’s hard to say. With that in mind, I would charge $50-60 for a more simple flavor without ganache filling. It looks like a 6” cake, pictures can be deceiving though.
Professional baker here. Not sure exactly what kind of cake it is, size, and if there’s any fillings, so it’s hard to say. With that in mind, I would charge $50-60 for a more simple flavor without ganache filling. It looks like a 6” cake, pictures can be deceiving though.
I’ve got to defer to your friend here. Enjoy your cake and tell them how much you and whoever else has some enjoyed it.
Hide a few 20s in his kitchen cabinets next time you’re at his place? Maybe $60 total?
Please don’t force payment on someone who is gifting you a cake! You’re changing the nature of the exchange completely! Just do something nice for them, give them a handwritten thank you card or whatever. Owe them once for another time.
I would also suggest maybe getting some baking items or a gift card to a gourmet ingredients shop or baking store in your area. It’s a good way to respect your friend’s decision not to accept cash while also showing your appreciation.
Edit: since you said he bakes for a living maybe a gourmet ingredients shop would be best (he probably has all the physical baking supplies he needs).
A gift card for a spice shop would make me the happiest girl alive. We have one here that we buy loose teasing and spices from and it’s so expensive. Everything from whole nutmeg to curry blends and I’m a happy woman. Why not look for something like that there? Whole vanilla beans cost a fortune right now and being able to walk in and buy some may make his day.
Instead, give him a gift of some really good vanilla or other ingredients like good chocolate, vanilla beans, Ceylon cinnamon, etc.
Don’t give him money, buy him some quality ingredients. Real vanilla comes from vanilla beans and alcohol, and artificial vanilla comes from beaver butts 🤮. It makes a difference. I’m not a professional, but I have been in the top 10 of a national contest twice and have sold some of my treats.
It’s a gift. Thank the baker and maybe give them a really nice bottle of wine.
Mail him a gift from “Santa”! I’d guess you’d pay $40-50ish retail for a 6” frosted and filled cake.
Costco has some amazing vanilla right now- a bottle of 10 real vanilla beans and their vanilla concentrate that is lovely to use for baking. Also perhaps some other baking spices (cinnamon, all spice) and/or baking utensils like nice cookie cutters, rubber spatula set, new measuring cups from Williams Sonoma or similar.
Get a nice box and funny card authored by Santa “with all things nice like sugar and spice”.
Haha my friend and I always try to treat each other and then the one who gets treated just waits until they get a ride and stuffs money somewhere before leaving. The amount of times I’ve found a surprise 20 in my purse…
I have no idea on price but what a lovely gift. I also think the gift card is is probably a good sneaky way to do it. Throw some extra on top for Christmas maybe?
As someone who bakes for a living, if he is telling you that he won’t take payment, then don’t push it. Send a heartfelt Thank you text, and if he has his own business, leave a good review. You can also ask him for a couple business cards, and place an order for some cupcakes after the new year to take into work and put the business cards with them. Good word of mouth means so much to small business owners.
It was a labor of love/friendship. I’m not one to expect or accept money when I’ve done something similar. Wait for Christmas or his birthday and give him a gift card that supports his craft.
“This cake is so beautiful and delicious!!! I’m going to hide it from my family so I can eat the whole thing myself.” is worth more to a baker than money.
If I made this for you i don’t want the cash. It’s really sweet but maybe pick up the tab next time you’re out with them? When I bake for a friend it’s a gift- if I gave you a sweater you wouldn’t try to pay me for it, right? You’re a good friend. Just enjoy.
You can make homemade vanilla extract in a cute jar and give it to him. So it’s not super transactional.
As someone who bakes for friends: we do not want money, we want to hear that it was the best cake you ever had 😂
You didn’t expect anything back when grooming his dog, right? And it felt good to do? Don’t rob him of the opportunity to do something kind for you. It’s a blessing to be able to do things for others. The real gift is how you feel after giving. Those were his intentions. As a baker, I bake because I care. If I tell someone I made it because I wanted them to eat it, I’m not expecting money – it’s out of the kindness of my heart. It is such a joy to give to others, and I’m sure he feels the same way. Let him know how good it was and that you really appreciate him taking time to make it for you 🙂
If any of that makes sense..idk
I like my favors being relayed through favors! If you’ve something you can offer in return, do that! If that fails, I liked someone else’s suggestion about buying nice ingredients for them. It doesn’t always need to be cash, and a favor or gift repayment can feel more personal than “here’s what I owe you”.
Don’t pay them for it. They clearly don’t want that. You’ll get your chance later to get a favor the other way. Have patience. What goes around comes around.
Just gorgeous! Luck you. Treat your friend to a meal or something they will enjoy. Doesn’t have to be cash
Seeing people enjoy what I bake is worth far more than money. I also accept ingredients as opposed to money. I have friends with gardens and chickens, and them giving me eggs or fruits is so much better than handing me dirty cash.
About tree fitty
So, I’m no help with cost. But I had friends give us money for some BBQ sauce my husband made them. I spent all weekend trying to think of how to sneak it back to them. We had made dinner on Saturday, and one of the items is something they both LOVE. They had already taken some leftovers, but there were two more left. I put the money in a sandwich bag, then put it under the leftovers that were wrapped in foil and gave it to them as we left. When they went to eat later, they found the money. 🤣 Pretty sure I was called a stinker for that.
Give him a gift! Valrohna chocolate and some really good, real vanilla beans!
Just accept the gift, or you’ll lessen the effect for him
You’re a good friend. Take the gift, like others said baking goodies is a good gift for him.
Accept the gift. A baker takes incredible pleasure from sharing their work.
50
Just wanted to say how lovely and wholesome this is and I’m happy to have stumbled upon it today 😊
$35-$40
Respect their request for it to be a kind thing they’ve done for you.
Pay it back by doing a kind thing in the future.
Pay it back tenfold by doing kind things for everyone everywhere you go.
I’d either get him a gift card to like…a place that sells quality stuff from a place he’d never normally shop at, or buy him solid quality ingredients or items (chocolate, gooooood butter, a tool or something that he’s been debating buying) that he’d absolutely love and use but has justified not purchasing himself.
Or just go the grandma route and force money into his hands or slip it into a coat pocket when he’s not paying mind.
Edit- you can always just say thank you and let them know how much you and others enjoyed it. I kept seeing that response and personally? I would appreciate that. I would definitely not be mad by the above suggestions, or anyone else’s advice, but just knowing you loved tf out of it? It’s enough. I also reflected, if I couldn’t swing making a special cake, I just wouldn’t make it and try to gift you something nice. I wouldn’t make it and expect anything but your enjoyment.
But if it hurts you to not do, everything else ive seen plus my own suggestions (considering I bake as well) are welcome. But I’d def still try to Secret Agent Grandma that kind of thing if you do.
That’s a $100 cake. Strawberries are questionable. They are not ripe. If they won’t take cash, assemble a baker’s basket. Get some bougie organic things like cinnamon, ginger, whole nutmeg, vanilla paste or extract. Throw in a few pounds of butter & a flat of eggs. The possibilities are endless. Being a baker myself I would get excited over a giant bag of flour and all the sugars.
Man I have the wrong friends 😂😂 that looks amazingly delicious
The best gift would be word of mouth referrals. I think. Or some high end baking ingredients.
I wouldn’t recommend trying to force payment if they don’t want it – it’s a gift! If someone bought you a coffee and said it was a gift, you wouldn’t go out of your way to slip $5 in their purse, right?
What you can do, if you’re dead set on giving them remuneration for it, is tell them how much you loved the cake and ask if you could place a (paid) order for some upcoming event in your life – bonus points if you tell them to decorate it however they’d like (I guarantee you there’s some design on their mind they’ve been itching to try)
It’s a win-win, they get business and the knowledge that you clearly loved their cake, and you get to pay them!
As someone who is currently employed as a baker….. Don’t sneak money, get him a gift card for a massage. A whole hour. This time of year is bananas for us. I personally cannot wait for December 26th and yes, a massage is first on my list. My feet, back, and shoulders are all so tense and achy. I bet he would appreciate a nice relaxing massage to recharge his battery. A sauna/hot tub package would do nicely as well.