I was just wondering as I looked at all the wonderful cakes, do you guys only bake cakes on request or do you sometimes bake the cakes just for the fun of it? And what do you do with these cakes then? By now I know that you cannot eat all of them? Also it is expensive to bake the cakes just for the fun of it. Just wondering.

I make cakes just for the fun of it if I have extra sour cream around to use (everything else I always have). I'll usually take them to my work, or my siblings' different places of employment so that everyone can enjoy it and it's sort of free advertising for me.

I bake as a business..As a matter of fact the only family cakes I do is my kids birthdays.Everyone else orders and pays!

I bake for my family and friends. I have 4 children (3 of whom are married) and 6 grandchildren. There's always someone with a birthday or anniversary. Or one of their friends will call and their kids need birthday cakes. I usually have 3-4 cakes every month. I still work full time though so its hard but I just cant say no. Hardly ever will I have more than 1 a weekend but a few months ago I actually had 4 cakes in one weekend and I about pulled all my hair out. That was wayyyyy too much stress for me.

I also started baking cakes at the beginning of the year as a business. This one weekend I had 5 cakes and it was very stressful, but I liked it. But like this weekend I have no cakes and then I start wondering if there is something wrong with the cakes, why is there no cakes this weekend. I always wonder when I baked a cake for someone - did they like it, was it good enough. Maybe once a month when I have an off weekend I should also bake a cake to advertise myself.

If I'm expirementing with a new flavor of cake/filling/icing then I take the left over cake (after I've tried and analyzed it and DH ALWAYS has to have a piece) either to DH's work or it to church. If I want to play around with a design or a decorating technique, I break out the cake dummies.

Unless it's for a family event or I'm trying a new recipe (which I need to do more of), I use flavorless buttercream (no extracts or Dream Whip), flavorless fondant (inexpensive MMF), and straight cake mix, no extender ingredients (at all). I spend as little as possible.

I have no desire to eat my own cakes on a regular basis, and the only people I would give them away to (family), I already do - for b'days and things.

I love when it's just for fun because there's no deadline, so no stress .

I bake as a hobby only and I don't think anyone ever rejects free cake so I've never had a problem finding a home for them. The cost (to me) is dirt cheap compared to a hobby such as skiing or golfing so I have no problems with spending $10 of ingredients for one I have no idea how people can do it for a living - omg I wouldn't even be able to eat cake with my stomach riddled with ulcers from the stress - so weird that that a hobby you do for love can seem so stressful if you had to do it as a job I really admire people that can do this for a living - don't worry about the small dry spells Sandysdream - you'll be swimming in cake orders soon enough

I normally bake as they are ordered. I have though just wanted to do one if I was slow on orders. Such as my cheesburger cake in my pics...I just really wanted to do it and so I did and took it to my moms house. I have done others and took them to the club where I cook at (we serve dinner there). The customers there love my cakes and I have gotten several orders from them.

When I started it was only supposed to be for my family, as a hobby. I have a huge family, 1 daughter, few grandchildren, several siblings and all the extensions, you know how it goes.

Anyway, I had another business and retired from that, but from it I learned I could do better working on pre orders only. This system has always worked for me.

This is my new business now (8 yrs), I also teach cake decorating. I applied what I learned from the first business to this one. Well at least those elements that I could. I don't need a refridgerator full of pastries sitting around going bad because they didn't sell. I still give away my fair share of baked goods as well (you know the family keeps growing)