I have always wanted to own my own successful business. This last month has been spent launching Tea 'n' Cake as a 'proper' business. At the end of last year I had enough stock to start selling online with Etsy to expand my audience http://www.etsy.com/shop/TNCake When doing markets people often asked if I hired out the china and at Christmas my husband suggested that I offer bespoke tea parties. I have all the china and can bake bloody good cakes so why not? But how should I market myself? How do you sell something like a tea party delivery business? I had made a decision at the beginning of the year that if I was going to expand the idea of Tea 'n' Cake I would have to do some real branding and marketing, and spend some money. I committed all my takings from Christmas to promoting the new Tea ‘n’ Cake. First thing was a website. I have a friend who is able to build websites. This is very lucky and also very cheap. I wanted to do it right, a site with great images of the services on offer. Luckily Ben has a great camera too. The photo shoot was a lot of fun and Ben did a fab job on the website www.teancake.co.uk But having a website doesn’t drum up business on its own. I was recommended a local designer, Jade at BlackInk www.blackinkcomm.co.uk who took Ben’s pictures and created a fantastic design for some leaflets. These have just been printed and distributed around Frome. I also contacted a popular local directory called TheLIST www.thelistfrome.co.uk and spoke to editor Faye. She was very friendly and full of good advice and ideas. She has supported me with some lovely editorial and I have booked some advertising, the first lot is just out. I have also written a press release (not fun) and this has now gone off to two local papers. I’ll be targeting some glossies next week. That was supposed to be the hard bit. But it was actually a lot of fun. People have been very supportive and given me lots of positive feedback on the idea and the branding. But now it’s done I feel very nervous. It’s only been days but what do I do next? Wait for the phone to ring? That feels wrong. Being busy is good even if you’re not making money (as long as you’re not spending it) but the waiting game is not fun. Perhaps I need some inspiration to market myself further. If anyone has some good advice I’m listening!
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Bake of the Month - February - Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
200g (7oz) unsalted, softened butter
250g (9oz) plain flour
40g (11/2 oz) cocoa powder
11/2 tsp baking powder
225g (8oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
250ml sour cream
1tbsp white wine vinegar
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp red food colouring paste
For the icing:
400g (14oz) cream cheese
125g (4oz) unsalted, softened butter
125g icing sugar
Red sugar sprinkles to decorate
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C or Gas mark 4
Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy and beat in the eggs.
Alternately beat in the dry mixture and the sour cream into the butter mixture. Then beat in the vinegar, soda and colouring. The vinegar and soda fizz up to create bubbles in the mixture, it's this that gives the cake it's velvety texture.
Spoon the mixture into two cake tins with spring form bottoms or two lined tins and put on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 1hr - 1hr and 10mins.
Once out of the oven and tins leave to on a rack until completely cool.
To make the icing beat butter and add the icing sugar a bit at a time until you have butter icing, then beat in the cream cheese. Other recipes tell you to beat the butter and cream cheese together first but when I do this I get lumps of butter in my icing.
Make a sandwich with the cakes with the icing in the middle and on the top. Sprinkle with the red sugar.
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