Best way to build up your cakes portfolio
Hello Everyone! This is one of my first official posts and I am really excited to meet everyone and get some advice from all of you successful, amazing bakers out there.
I recently started moving on from hobby baking for friends and family to the beginning stages of starting a business in cake! I am both thrilled and nervous all at the same time.
So here is todays burning question! Aside from waiting for a cake order and photographing 1 new cake a month for example… or taking stock photos from online sorces and saying: “I can produce something similar to this cake” with no real concrete evidence of my own original work to back it up….what is the cheapest, fastest way to build up a great portfolio for customers to see? As a starting business money is a little bit tight to go making every cake I’m inspired to make just to photograph it…although believe me, I’m sorely tempted! 😉
Jayden348
6 Replies
Maybe decorate cakes using cake dummies. After taking pictures reuse the dummies for more designs. Yes, you will be “wasting” fondant / modeling chocolate but at least not everything else that goes under it.
The Garden Baker
This is a good suggestion, for sure! Thank you for writing back! I really appreciate it. I’ve been a little bit surprised by the cost of the cake dummies I have seen online, but admittedly it is absolutely going to pay for it self in time/labor saved as well as the ability to reuse them. I may just have to keep searching for good affordable dummies. I’ll definitely keep looking!
Jayden348
Another possibility could be to make your own dummies from RKT (rice krispies and marshmallows). Not really sure if it would really be any cheaper and obviously it’s a lot more work. Some people use a sort of bread recipe baked in the size of the desired dummy. The bread dries, supposedly doesn’t spoil and can be used like a dummy. Personally, though, I would go for the styrofoam dummies:)
The Garden Baker
I build mine by making cakes for my nieces, who couldn’t afford a birthday cake. I considered these as my practice cakes. made few for my friend’s birthday as well. From there, I have people ordering, at 1st it was recommendations from my cousins, whom I’ve given few cakes for tasting. All of my clients heard about my cakes from other happy clients. Word of mouth marketing is much stronger than photos. Customers do not believe is just photos. They trust testimonies from their friends and families who have ordered before. Others clients would be the guests of my clients who have seen and taste the cake itself.
Those are my tips. Pardon me if it’s a bit jumbled up..lol.. It’s almost 5 am here..😊. All the best!
C'est LAVIE Cakes and Pastries
Thank you for your reply! I really appreciate it! I have been doing exactly as you mentioned. A lot of my practice cakes have been gifts. I try to build up a client base through recommendations just like you mentioned as well. I think that I am just excited to get going and I get impatient that I don’t have enough pictures or I’m not busy enough…but I am sure it will get there. Just going to have to wait for it! Happy Baking! 😊
Jayden348
Happy baking Jayden
C'est LAVIE Cakes and Pastries
