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Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Cake Business
The prospect of turning a passion into a real business can be exciting for many people. Over the last decade, more and more people have started their own cake business from home. Some are self-employed, whilst others have taken steps to turn it into a limited company. The great thing about this type of work is the flexibility it offers. You can work part-time at your own leisure or treat it like any other full-time occupation.
In this guide, we’ll be covering what you need to know before starting a baking business from home, giving you useful information around home baking regulations. For anyone that is going one step further, and is planning to open their own bakery in the near future which offers home delivery. You’ll need to consider a food delivery insurance policy. By visiting https://www.utilitysavingexpert.com/food-delivery-insurance/, you can easily compare different insurers in a matter of minutes and find the most competitive price available.
If you’re starting a new cake business from the comfort of your own home, you’ll need to follow the steps listed below.
Register as self-employed
As soon as you’re ready to start a new baking business, make sure you inform HMRC that you are self-employed. You can register online and this will allow you to use the self-assessment system. You will still need to do this even if your baking business is run from home on a part-time basis or if you have another job.
Setting up as a sole trader may be the most straightforward choice for many people, however, you also have the option to register as a limited company. There are a number of guides available online which explain the advantages and disadvantages to each option. So, it may be worth checking these out before you begin.
Adhering to home baking regulations in the UK
You will need to follow a number of rules and regulations when baking, these may be confusing at first, but it’s important to familiarise yourself with these beforehand.
To start with, you may wish to take a level 2 course if this is the first time you’re working with food in a professional manner. This will help you understand what rules need to be followed. Next, you’ll need to think about obtaining a food hygiene certificate.
Briefly put, your kitchen and working environment needs to be kept clean at all times. You must also follow excellent food hygiene practices in the kitchen. This includes areas such as preventing cross contamination and pest control. It’s worth noting that a home baking cake business will not be regulated to the same high standards of a large commercial business such as a bar or restaurant.
According to the Food Standards Agency, these are the regulations each food preparation area must adhere to:
Floors and walls – Must be maintained properly, kept in a good state of repair, and disinfected regularly.
Ceilings – Must be easy to clean and free from condensation and mould.
Doors and windows – Must be easy to clean and constructed in a way that does not allow the build-up of dirt.
Cleaning equipment – You will require facilities that help you clean, disinfect and store utensils in a good environment. A hot and cold water supply is also a must have.
Washing food – Separate sinks will be required for washing your food and hands. These sinks must also be kept clean at all times and be disinfected regularly.
Fridge/freezer – It would be preferable to have a separate fridge and freezer for storing food for your business. However, if this is not possible, clearly labelled containers should be fine as this will help prevent cross contamination.
Other things you’ll need to do is to make sure that young children and pets are not allowed to enter the kitchen while food is undergoing preparation. It’s also important to update yourself on food labelling guidelines and the most common allergen ingredient regulations. Most of this information can be covered in a level 2 food and hygiene course.
Register your premises
Your premises will need to be registered with the local authority’s environmental health service before you start trading. There isn’t a cost for this and your food preparation area may be inspected for suitability.
Here’s some other things that you’ll need to consider for your home cake baking business:
- Consider public liability insurance to cover against claims for injury, loss or damage.
- Inform your landlord or mortgage lender as you may need to get permission before operating a business from home.
- Have a marketing strategy to attract customers. Think about which social media platforms you want to use, whether you wish to have a website or even use paid advertising.
- Make sure you keep track of all your income and expenditure. This will make it easier when completing an annual self-assessment or tax return.
Finally, it’s worth noting that this is just a brief guide to help you get started. For all the latest information regarding food hygiene, health and safety regulations, you should contact your local authority’s environmental health department.
To become successful, you’ll need to think about what your unique selling point is, as there are many competitors out there. Although, this will likely depend on how serious you want to take it. Some will be happy making a small batch of tasty cakes for those in their community, whilst others may want to open their own bakery in the future.
Tips For Baking The Perfect Cupcake
The method and the entire process behind baking a cupcake do not sound easy, nor is it easy. But when you put in calculated moves and proceed to achieve the best, you will be able to bake delicious cupcakes that are worth it. So to accomplish that feat, you need to follow a bunch of tips that revolve around the process and details everything that you need to know. Hence, to be more specific, here are a few tips for baking the perfect cupcake.
1. The Ingredients
The first aspect that you need to be concerned about are the ingredients. Apart from purchasing them based on their quality, you also need to ensure that they are right for the task. The kind of flavour that you wish to gain as output depends upon the type of ingredients that you purchase. Based on your interest, you can formulate such decisions that go well ahead to choose between Pure Vanilla Extract and cocoa powder (chocolate concoction). So proceed to do a little shopping and pick out the right ones.
2. Temperature
Bringing your ingredients down to room temperature is an essential task that many fail to follow. Considering the fact that they were just taken out of the bridge, you need them to combine smoothly with the room temperature. But if you don’t follow the same, then you will end up receiving them in clumps as they proceed to be sticky. So to put an end to this, one should be patient and wait for them to settle down to the proper temperature. Once things have settled, you can move ahead to perform the next step.
3. Overmixing
Apart from not bringing it down to room temperature, the next mistake that people often commit is to over mix the batter. Since mixing requires a set of skills, beginners tend to take time and end up going beyond the limit during their first attempt. To avoid this, one needs practice and a couple of tutorials. Watching videos and other such aspects about baking will help you get the right idea. So take your time and learn all about the method of baking before going ahead.
4. Uniform Baking
Looking into a tray of cupcakes that are uneven and mixed does not seem like a sight to witness. All your efforts would have been useless, and you will begin to regret the same. But before you reach that point, there is something that you can do about it. In order to ensure uniform baking time, one needs to put in the same amount of batter for each cupcake liner. A large scoop can be helpful for this purpose, as it sets the entire process in the right direction.
The Best Easy-To-Make Birthday Cakes for Kids
Birthday parties without a cake feel empty, and your kid will be disappointed. While buying one manages to cover up the process, you may never know when problems come striking. Due to that, the best way to move ahead with the party would be to bake a cake that is both easy and delicious. Since it comes from your hands, your kid will be more than happy about the same, and thus, the party would be a success. But in case you’re wondering how to carry the task forward, then you need not worry as you have come to the right place. Hence, here are the best easy-to-make birthday cakes for kids.
1. Cherry and almond cake
A cherry and almond cake is easy to make and also manages to be ideal for all kinds of cake lovers. Being rich in protein and healthy fats, the cake offers a delicious way to eat what is right. In terms of the ingredients, you will require a range of aspects, including cups of self-raising flour, coconut sugar, soy milk, liquid coconut oil and so on. By adding all them to the cart and following the process in the right manner, you can make this cake in a matter of time.
2. Chocolate and marshmallow cake
Making a chocolate and marshmallow cake is quite useful, considering the fact that kids love chocolates and marshmallows. So to begin the process, you will require cups of plain flour, sugar, eggs, unsweetened chocolate, unsalted butter and so on. Apart from that, knowing when to add baking powder and salt tend to stand as requirements in order to enrich the process and the overall taste. Since you need to put in calculated efforts, we suggest that you watch a handful of tutorials.
3. Rainbow Cake
The thought and the look of a rainbow cake can make your kid’s birthday special, and he/she will love it. But to achieve this feat, you will need packs of vanilla cake mix, vegetable oil, around 2 cups of water, individual packs of food colours, etc. The task of preheating needs to be done accordingly by following a model of caution. When such moves are put in together, you will be able to give your kid a rainbow cake.
4. Caramel Cake
A caramel cake is extra sweet and brings forward a heavenly feel that is a combination of plain flour, sour cream, milk, sugar, eggs, baking powder and so on. Using an electric mixer for this process is beneficial, as it blends everything in detail and brings about a good cake. While the preparation tends to be around 15 minutes, the cooking time goes beyond 30.
The Best Ice Cream Cupcakes
One does not require a reason to eat an ice cream cupcake. Instead, they just need to know where to find one or how to make one. While both these processes are quite simple, the fact that you need to know is the best ice cream cupcakes. Yes, that’s right. Among the long list of options, there are a few that manage to bring out the best form of taste. So to help you get the right idea, we are going to name a few that you need to try out right away. Hence here it goes.
1. The 7-Layer Ice Cream Cake
A 7-layer ice cream cake may sound like a dream, but you have to believe that it’s real. Coming loaded with chocolate wafer cookies, egg whites and cream of tartar, this cake has all the right ingredients required to help with some mouth-watering delights. As the cake is quite famous, you can be assured to find it at a number of stores. But in case you want to make it, then you have to follow a guide and put in the right efforts.
2. Chocolate-Berry Ice Cream Cake
With a top layer like raspberry sorbet, a chocolate-berry ice cream cake moves ahead to paint a proper picture. The delicious cake can set a treat for the eyes, and it’s quite hard to miss out on the same. Due to that, you can choose between buying it or baking it, whichever is soothing. If you’re pick lies with the latter, then you have to use a proper set of skills as baking this cake does not formulate into an easy task.
3. Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
One need not say much about a hot fudge sundae cake as your eyes begin to melt the moment you take a look at it. As a cake, it might even be the best one you’ve ever tried and thus, leaving it out is a huge mistake. As usual, you can either order or bake the same, with the latter being the hardest. Apart from getting all the ingredients right, you also need to ensure that everything is settled and added at the right time. But if you’re in the mood for some exploration and learning, then baking this cake will be a delight.
4. Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake
Among the many cakes on this list baking a chocolate chip cookie, ice cream cake might be the easiest. Although it sounds to be a lot harder, the right kind of effort can help you serve this delicious cake to guests as they arrive. Upon adding specific ingredients and bringing everything to an apt temperature, you can begin the process and carry it ahead with confidence.