The Smash Cake That Costs £20… Apparently - A Lesson in Cake Pricing

Today I came across yet another post about someone being asked to make a smash cake.

I’ve seen this so many times before.

A parent wants a cake for baby’s first birthday. They want a beautiful, photo‑worthy cake. They want baby to destroy it for the camera. And they want to pay… £20.

What you do with the cake is your choice, not mine!

Because “it’s getting smashed, not eaten.”

And of course:

• it needs to be sugar‑free

• and dairy‑free

• and nut‑free

• and safe if baby pops some in their mouth

• and gorgeous for the photos

• and Instagram‑ready

• and still only £20 because it’s going in the bin
  

Let’s press the metaphorical pause button here.

You want me to create a beautiful, professional cake…so your baby can destroy my hard work…for less than the cost of a takeaway?

Not on your nelly.

Let’s look at the cake itself.

To create a photo‑worthy smash cake that actually looks good on camera, you’re still looking at a 6-inch, four‑layer cake (or equivalent).

Not a single cupcake. Not a fairy cake. A statement cake that looks brilliant in photo one and a glorious mess by photo 100.

Meanwhile:

• You’re paying the photographer £150+ for the shoot (that only comes with one 6"x4" image)

• You’ve bought a gorgeous, frilly outfit at great expense

• You’ve curated the perfect backdrop

• You’ve planned the whole aesthetic
  

And then…You want to pay the baker £20.

Didn’t I just write a post the other day about how much I’d charge for my own daughter’s similarly sized birthday cake? (She’s 16, not one — but she’d still happily grab fistfuls of buttercream.)

It’s pretty much the same cake. Except this one is:

• dairy‑free (more expensive)

• nut‑free (more limited options)

• sugar‑free (specialist ingredients)

• safe for a baby (no shortcuts allowed)
  

So yes — my price is my price is my price.

What you choose to do with your cake is entirely up to you. But the cost of my time, skill, ingredients, and safety standards? That’s not up for negotiation.

💛 If this made you rethink your own cake pricing… good.

This is exactly why so many bakers undercharge — because requests like this make you doubt your worth.

If you want support with:

• pricing your cakes sustainably

• setting boundaries with confidence

• handling awkward requests like smash cakes

• valuing your time and expertise
  

Here’s where to go next:

👉 Download my free Pricing Guide — it walks you through how to price cakes properly without guilt or guesswork. 👉 Join my free business community group — a supportive group for small business bakers - and hobby bakers thinking about starting a business - where we talk about real‑life situations like this and how to handle them with clarity and confidence.

And better still - if you join the community group, you can get a copy of my brilliant freebie Five Awkward Cake Requests — And How to Handle Them Professionally.

You don’t have to navigate this alone. And you definitely don’t have to make £20 smash cakes