Earn from these Christmas treats

Right now ,everybody is talking about what to wear, where to go for merry making and what to eat on Christmas.
Apart from celebrating the birth of Jesus, Christmas is about family gatherings which entail preparing and eating all kinds of food.
A unique item that does not miss on many families’ list is- a Christmas cake or confectionaries such as cookies and pastries.
These are most loved by the children and some adults. As others scout around for bakeries to book a tier or two, this article offers some basic do-it yourself baking skills and earn some money.
When starting out, the biggest fear is whether you’ll find market.

Start
Mr Newton Buteraba, the chief executive officer- House of Wealth – a local firm offering business advisory services, says: “Print fliers, pin them around your village and go door to door informing people about how tasty your cakes are by giving them samples.”
He says during your campaign, inform the neighbours and people in your village that you can actually make for them Christmas cakes and cookies at a fee.
Mr John Oundo, the proprietor of Gifted Hands Pastry School Uganda, located in Kireka-Kamuli, says: “You know your clientele especially those who have been in the business depending on the years and demand.”
He says when making festive cakes, it is wise to use universal flavours that are liked by everyone like Calamari and fruit cakes.
If you want to explore other flavours, make sure you do it on order to avoid loss and wastage.
Those who are making cakes for the first time, Mr Oundo says, should not bake so many cakes but rather follow your orders.
Buying ingredients in bulk and stock is a wise idea because it will save you on a rainy day especially when so many orders come through.
While sharing her experience with Prosper Magazine, Ms Annie Nyanjura, the founder of Annah’s Cake House, said: “One thing I know about a Christmas cake is that it needs to be made with time and passion.”
She says bakers should be mindful of the availability of time to pull off the orders and how much orders they can make.
“If you are overwhelmed with orders, it doesn’t hurt to refer some clients to other bakers. This will cut back on pressure and failure to deliver,” Ms Nyanjura advises.
Because most people travel upcountry, many would like to go with their cakes. As a baker, make sure you put the right icing-sugar that will make the cake last longer.
As for other products such as cookies, bake on order. This will help you to plan better.

The money
Ideally, an ordinary cake costs between Shs80,000 and Shs100,000 to make and that is 9-10 inch. Depending on how many cakes or orders you have, each cake of this size is worth about Shs20,000 in profit.
In case you have 100 orders, it means your profit will be about Shs2 million.
So the bigger the cake, the more profit one gets. If you are making smaller cakes, it is wise take on more orders to break even.

Traditional Christmas cake recipe
• 3 1/2 cups/525 g currants
• 1 1/2 cups/225 g golden raisins/sultanas
• 1 1/2 cups/225 g raisins
• 3/4 cup/110 g mixed candied peel (finely chopped)
• 1 cup glace cherries (halved)
• 3 1/3 cups/300 g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 level teaspoon mixed spice
• 1/2 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 level teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 10 ounces/300 g butter (slightly softened)
• 1 1/3 cups/300 g soft brown sugar
• 1/2 lemon (zested)
• 6 large eggs (lightly beaten)
• 3 tablespoons brandy (plus extra for feeding)