I know that across the country (and oceans) we all have different levels of what we charge for our baked goods. But out of curiosity I was wondering what you feel is the item you make the best profit on. Truthfully, am coming up short for the daughter's wedding 
and thought selling baked goods at my office (they love my stuff) might help boost up my account!
The carrot cake is really popular and most people are willing to spend more on it ( and it is the EASIEST cake for me to make!! ) I always smile when the want that flavor! 
My banana chocolate chip bread. Hands down, always a hit and people are always asking for some!
Momlittr,
Start NOW with cookie trays, cakes, etc for the holidays. Make a flyer for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas...pumplin rolls, pies, cookies,...people don't have time to make those, and they would buy homemade in a heartbeat from especially someone they know. Before I got into this addiction, I always baked cookies, bars and pumpkin rolls for the holiday. A small cookie tray (consisted of 5 dz cookies) would sell for $30.00, I probably did about 30 trays of cookies alone last year. HTH
I can't really say what is most profitable for me since I'm just starting to sell my cakes. However, if you work in an office, it would probably be easiest to make cookies, muffins, etc and keep them individually wrapped and labeled in a basket on your desk. Cake Balls would probablly go over well too, and they are cheap and easy to make, but taste delicious! You could keep some of them boxed up by the dozen for people to buy, and have a small bag or dish of really small ones out for sampling. Just a few ideas. I hope you can get the money you need for your daughter's wedding!
Well, I do not normally sell my cakes, etc, so I cannot help you there, but since it is coming on to Halloween and the other Autumn/Winter holidays, I would like to suggest that you consider seasonal items, Halloween and Thanksgiving lollipops, boxes of holiday cookies.
I do not know when your daughter's wedding is, but if you have time, you can create an order form for your best products, then deliver them a day or two before the holiday.
I had met a woman several years ago who paid off her 30-year mortgage in 18 years by baking cookies and selling them for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She packaged two layers of cookies, in cupcake liners, on a 12-inch silver tray that has a plastic dome, and sold them for $15-20, increasing her price as inflation raised her costs.
Theresa 
Without a doubt - cake balls! A little goes a long way!! I used to package mine in nice little stamped boxes with ribbons, but after a while people just started ordering them by the dozens and all I have to do is deliver them in containers and they take it from there! Most people love them around this time of the year!!
Definitely sheetcakes. Fast and easy to decorate. I just purchased a set of oval pans that I'm in love with. Am doing more of my 2 and 3 mix sheetcakes in oval rather than rectangle. Prettier~ and different than my competitors. Especially for a feminine cake.
Pumpkin rolls. I made them at Thanksgiving last year and sold them as fast as I could make them. I took orders. I also gave choices as to which flavor they wanted.
Other than pumpkin, I also made pineapple, apple cinnamon and banana.
I sold them for $10.
MomLittr,
I've heard a huge range of prices for what people charge for cake balls. I think a big factor in that is in the packaging. One CC member has her cake ball prices on her website. I can't remember exactly who it is, but she sells hers boxed and wrapped with a bow, in either 8 cake "truffles" (don't you love how elegant that sounds?!) or a pound (approximatly 12). She charges 10 dollars for eight, or 15 dollars a pound. Some might think it's high, but her packaging is really cute, and she dips the cake balls in chocolate and puts a small royal icing flower on each one. Cute, huh?!
Great ideas - all of you! I have a question... how do you advertise for these items so people know you offer them? Do you write up a brochure with all the stuff you offer or do you give free samples to people/businesses?
And on another note, are you all licensed? I am really curious about that part so maybe if you guys want to pm me rather than post the answer, I just wonder if people do this without getting caught but sometimes everyone gets real upset and I don't want to get anyone in trouble I know that there are tons that must do this without getting caught and am wondering how many have actually been reported.
I hear horror stories of fees and the health dept but who has actually gotten nailed? I am trying to get licensed but am not there yet and intend to start advertising and if anyone says anything, I have my business license paperwork waiting for commercial kitchen, etc... at least it shows intent, etc....
I'm sure I will get semi-flamed for this but as a semi-desperate single mother of 4, I may have to break some rules to make the mortgage, 'ya know?
For me, my most profitable items are my cookie bouquets. They are easy to make and a lot of fun. The cookie recipe that I use makes tons of cookies so it is very cost effective. Plus, I always check out party stores, etc for sales for containers that are under $1.00. I have been lucky enough to find containers for 10 cents!! 
How about mini-bundt cakes, glued together with icing, covered in orange icing or glaze and made into pumpkins? You could even fill the center with cooled ganache. Make the small ones as samples and take orders for large ones for parties.
Theresa
I, also, don't really sell any of my items but I know what is most requested for me to bake.(I don't really sell b/c I see baking as a form of stress relief. When I have the time I make something for my coworkers)
The most requested is fruit pizza.(sugar cookie, cool whip & flavored cream cheese mixture, bite size pieces of in season fruit)
Chocolate cookie surprise(choc. thumbprint cookie marshmellow in thumbprint topped with choc frosting)
Snowballs(sugar cookie mixed with dried pineapple/macadamia and rolled in powdered sugar)
Chocolate sandwich(choc cookies with white choc ganache in center)
Blueberry muffins(I butter the tops and roll in granulated sugar)
I have made these at least over twenty times. When I'm going to have meeting with my employees, whichever one I'm highlighting, I let them pick something for me to make to bring and share. Its really the only way I can get them to come to the meetings.LOL!
For ease in selling focus on cookies, and candies. Everyone likes to have small goodies around for the holidays. One of the secretaries at my school did a land office business selling 12 piece packages of divinity at Christmas time. She was usually sold out by 10:00 A.M. Small, well packaged and priced goodies will sell. Even chocolate coated popcorn in smallish cellophane bags tied with ribbon would sell.
You guys are fantastic! These reponses have been a great help to me. I plan on basically selling to the folks in my office, so am not worried about being a licensed baker or anything like that....they know I am not. Belive me, if there was a problem with anything they will let me know as they know where to find me . . . .sitting at my desk, reading CC, and thinking of what to bake![/b]
I'm also curious about how you advertise that you sell these items? I am not a licensed baker but would love to make a little extra $ around the holidays with cookies and treats. Is it a word of mouth thing? I would be afraid to do fliers or cards without a license. Thanks
Oh btw the ideas are fantastic!
Dustbunny, I made up fliers from my computer and just posted it in the break room where I worked. Also, if any of your co-workers have had any of your goodies, and once they see the flier, they may ask for additional ones to take home to their families.
Word of mouth goes a very long way!!
Great ideas - all of you!
I'm sure I will get semi-flamed for this
but as a semi-desperate single mother of 4, I may have to break some rules to make the mortgage, 'ya know?
WHO would flame you? Basically that's how we all start, for extra money to pay the bills.
Cake Diva, what I'm trying to say is that, put your faith in the hands of whatever "HIGHER POWER" you believe in. You are feeding your kids and keeping a roof over your head with your baking.
I always told people, that asked if I was ever worried about being "reported" when I started to bake out of my apartment.......
"Let them report me, I don't really care, all they are doing is taking the food off my table and out of my children's mouths, and that is very BAD KARMA"....lol
Take care
Got a question about packaging cookies. I was looking on the Oriental Trading website and they have lots of sizes to pick from. The small boxes are very inexpensive, does anyone use them and how many cookies do they hold? They are like 3x3, I think.
Cindy
Thanks Charb31! I am a SAHM so don't have co-workers but I was thinking of making a flier for my Mom to take to her office if she will.
You can hang your flyers in many places...
if any of your kids go to preschool, or you have preschools near you?? Does your hubby have an "office"?? your pediatricians office. Play groups...church? local supermarkets?? neighborhood grocery stores???
This may be more work that you want, but you could keep a set of your order forms with you and everytime you talk to someone you can hand them one! lol
my most profitable item is cookies. i have a recipe for "pan de polvo" which i also sell with my cakes. one batch makes about 600 cookies and i sell a box of 50 for $7.00 and a box of 100 for $12.00. every one i know loves them but its alot of work.
a recipe that yields 600? ok girl you need to give us that recipe!!
That is amazing!!!
are they like mexican wedding cookies??
yea. you have to use a cookie gun and u can use a heart shape or depending on the holiday you can use something else. for my cakes i usualy use the heart. i bake them and then toss them in a sugar and cinnimon mix. it took me forever to find the recipe. finally got my husband to get it from my mother in law who didn't want to give it up
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