As many of you know, I have pulled down my extremely popular cake recipe and would like to sell it. I gave been getting a ton of emails asking when I’m selling it and essentially to hurry the hell up!
Hahahaha I know, right?
Except I’m out of my depth here. First I have no idea how to sell something online, and second, I have no idea how much to price it at. I mean, the original was posted in 2010, and countless hours went into perfecting it and coming up with all the variations. So how much is that worth?
So you tell me… how much would YOU pay for this recipe?
3 different scenarios – Lets say how much would you pay for just the recipe, pay for the 24 variations, then pay for both?
Or I could go another way … asking for a donation if you use the recipe and love it. But what if that backfires and nobody donates? What are your thoughts?
This is not a monetized blog. There are no ads or pop ups. But if I go the route of asking for donations, that’s the logical next step.
Please post in the comments below!
UPDATE 2/8: In the midst of working on this, my entire hard drive died. DEAD. So it put me behind with everything. Also, I don’t have a Paypal account so opening one has made me want to blow my brains out especially trying to do it from my ipad. I have a loaner laptop and thank god everything I need to finish this project I have a back up of. Right now I’m 15 pages with 25 variations with FAQs and color photos of the actual cake variation that I make. So I’m starting to call this my novella 😀 I promise this IS my top priority but if I sell ANYTHING I’m all about making sure it’s perfect and that YOU will be happy with it.
You could go 2 routes. I. Create a down load able PFD file. When someone pays you, whatever amount you decide, you email them the recipe. 2. Sell recipe and give 1/2 of what you charge to charity of choice. I recently bought a recipe for homemade sugar veil where the money went to a children’s charity. I paid $9 CAD. But didn’t mind, as, like I said, it all went to charity.
I’ve also seen people sell down load able recipe books on Amazon.com. Don’t know what kind of agreement that would entail with Amazon. Obviously, they get a percentage.
Don’t know if this helps.
Hi – i’d pay $5. Check out people who sell recipes on http://www.etsy.com – thanks 🙂
Yes I would pay for your recipe. I do use your Swiss Meringue buttercream recipe. First couple to time it was great. Then I think my butter was not soft enough. Just wondering as I am from Canada how would you work it???
I would love to pay for your white cake recipe. It was recommended for me to
try when i attempt to make a tiered Minnie Mouse
Cake (first time) for my daughters 1st birthday in early March.
Do you think you will be selling it by then?
Also, can you give me recommendations on a good food scale
for use with your recipe? Thank you!!
I would pay for your recipe. The recipe alone…$5. If they want the variations, $10. I already have your recipe, but will still be glad to pay for it. The one thing I’d like to know is….can I double the recipe or do I have to adjust leavening? I tried to double it once, and it did’t work. It sank in the middle halfway through baking. And no, I’m not expecting you to answer that here, but if you could include that info with the recipe it would be helpful, and worth an extra $2 to me! And more important…..I hope you’re healing well and feeling better than you were a month or so ago. Take care!
I would either donate or pay for the recipe. Not sure how much your thinking of selling it for, but maybe set up a poll to see what ppl would be willing to pay. Or leave it open to see what ppl would want to pay. Just a suggestion. Please let us know what you decide, I’m interested in the recipe. I came across the recipe when you first posted it but didn’t save it…boo for me because now it’s not available 😦
The file is already in PDF and ready to go – the problem is apparently I have ti upgrade this entire blog since I started it so long ago in order to get an “API” button on it. Kill me now! This should be easy for crying out loud!!!
That’s the problem with all this computerized information. If you aren’t a real techi, which I’m not, it can be very confusing, which for me it is! I’m constantly asking one of my boys to figure something out for me because I just don’t have the talent to do it!
Why not add a section to your FB page called SHOP or TUTORIALS. Many people sell their knowledge that way through PDF files. You could sell more than your recipes.
I would pay $20 / $39.95 US max for the recipe. I would pay either price for each flavour variation. Good luck! We are rooting for you Jen!
I agree with the above post…..if you have a shop link on your site we could purchase a recipe or “tutorial”
I am interested in buying the recipe, but hesitant as I don’t know the base of it. Does it use oil or butter, from scratch or does it include any mixes?
But I have a suggestion as I am suspicious many hobby bakers have the same issue I do. I am looking for a recipe that is broken down plainly into the amounts when using specific sized pans. I am a hobby baker who wants to make a 50th anniversary cake for my inlaws and I’m tearing my hair out trying to find a recipe that I can convert into the sizes I want. I am hoping to make 6″ 9″ and 12″ square tiers. You may have one recipe (and its variations), but you can break it down with specific instructions for various sizes (I am not knowledgeable enough to know if/how leaveners need to be adjusted when scaling up/down recipes)*. That way, the easier you make it for me, the more I would be willing to pay for the recipe. And it isn’t just a recipe anymore, but a guideline on how to make any size of cake!
* I am nowhere near a professional, so when I have scaled recipes myself, and I have forgotten to scale one ingredient, it has been a disaster!
Hello and thank you – It is 100% scratch butter or shortening, depending on what you want the final cake to turn out as, based recipe with no artificial mixes. Everyone has a preferred finished height to their cake and squares are particularly hard to bake and have the corners rise properly. So this part of the trial and error process you have to do yourself based on scaling the recipe to your needs. What my original post did was break down every ingredient in the recipe, tell you what it does and what substitutions you can make. Basically like a scratch baking lesson without having to do much except read what I wrote and follow the directions.
Perfect, I am definitely interested in paying for the recipe. Particularly if you use weight measurements as opposed to volume. I am an American, yet I hate using volume measurements, especially when scaling recipes. When do you think you will have it ready for sale?
Yes, it is all by ounces, even the liquig is measured by weight. I’ll have it ready soon, I am having it proofread right now – I added so much text it would be very embarrassing to sell and be filled with typos.
This is no longer turning into “just a recipe”, this is turning into a novella of the perfect cake. I am a perfectionist so I’m making sure that, well, it makes sense before I slap a price tag on it and stick it for sale. I’m sorry it’s taking so long, but it;;s not loke other blogger;s recipes which are all recipes they got other places, baked them up and took pretty pictures – this is totally original so it has to be right!!!
Thank you for your patience.
I cannot wait to buy it! I was thinking $ 20.00 would be good compensation. That’s what I typically spend on a cookbook, especially if you include variations. A great recipe and good information is priceless, really, and saves you so much time and headaches if written in detail. Love love love that you include weight measurements. It’s the only way to get consistent results across the board. (**I am taking one of your classes in Seattle this April! So looking forward to meeting you!!!)
I’ve used the recipe in the past, but did not save it. I would pay for the complete copy, to have it again, but would hesitate to do so if it were priced out more like a cookbook. Now that you are stating it will have more information added, I would be more inclined to do so.
Hi there, there are other bakers who just have a paypal acct and add the link to their website then email the file with 42 hours of receiving payment. Please do it. I have yet to find a vanilla cake that is not dried out once covered in fondant. And I have my daughters bday coming up. Please. I would pay about $20.
Thank you lots
I would pay 5 usd for just the recipe, but if or when you have the time to publish an ebook with the recipe, variation, basic baking knowledge, and pictures cake design I don’t mind paying up to 20 usd. Just a thought, have you checked out sifbethdk ‘s website? She sells a tutorial.
By the way i have seen the recipe but didn’t try it yet because my son and I won’t be able to eat it until at least the end of the year. He is allergic to dairy, but i think and hope he’ll grow out of it soon. Perhaps you have a dairy free variation?
I do, actually, and wheat free. But I am unsure if I was going to include them into the minibook.
Please advise as to purchasinf recipe for white cake, have written before, thank you.
Barb Cox
babs101@fuse.net
I would pay the $20 as well and would love if you included the wheat and dairy free versions as my husband and daughter have those issues.
I will pay $50+ dollars for all the variations, if i could obtain them all within a few days with future access to modification adjustments if they ever arise. If this is possible please email me the info on where I can submit payment. Thank you for being willing to help people. Only truly brilliant people share, because they know it’s only a matter of time before their minds think of more magically things. I’ve always wanted to go to culinary school, but was never able to afford it. I dream cake but. my youth and lack of experience coupled with my yearning for perfection becomes a stumbling block many times. Again, I thank you and hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you – I had a complete hard drive failure 2 days ago and if it wasn’t for me sending the document out for edits it out be history. I will have it very soon.
Ooh no. Computers are good but, hard copies are sometimes even better. May I request to be added to your update list when it becomes available?
Don’t you just hate it when the computer does that? We had ours crash one time and it was a pain (money wise) to get all the info back. We couldn’t do it ourselves so had to hire a company that does that as their specialty. They were able to retrieve all of our information and load it onto our new computer. We now have a backup system so it can be pulled off of that if it happens again and the cost won’t be there like before.
Looking forward to when you do get this recipe up and marketable. Take care and hope you’re feeling better after your surgery.
Camiille on February 6, 2014 at 2:25 pm
“I will pay $50+ dollars for all the variations, if i could obtain them all within a few days with future access to modification adjustments if they ever arise. If this is possible please email me the info on where I can submit payment. “.
I’m quoting her w
Camiille on February 6, 2014 at 2:25 pm
“I will pay $50+ dollars for all the variations, if i could obtain them all within a few days with future access to modification adjustments if they ever arise. Thank you for being willing to help people. Only truly brilliant people share. ”
I wholeheartedly agree with Camille in the amount and everything else she said. Please get well soon.
Hi! I’d also be willing to pay for the recipe mini-book with the variations. $15-20 sounds about right for a recipe book like that. Please let me know when you’ve figured out the payment process. I believe there’s a pretty simple WordPress plug-in that would allow you to accept payment on your website…http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-easy-paypal-payment-or-donation-accept-plugin/
Thank you for your recipe. I’ve used it and it tasted so good, but was a little too moist. I am getting ready to make it again. I think the problem is I used too many eggs (whites/yolks). It would also be fantastic if everything was weighed according to the way you measure ingredients so that I would be sure to follow your process exactly. What drew me to your recipe was the different mixing style and all the testimonials. I would definitely keep information and testimonials on the website. So often we waste time and money on recipes that are published but have not even been tried – they are just filler. If someone had not made it before and didn’t know how it turned out, they would have to trust the recipe enough to buy it. Any information on the website about the recipe would help to sell it. I, too, experiment many times before I sell an item to a customer. Right now, I am working on my version of the perfect cut out sugar cookie and a chocolate variation. I think I am down to my last couple of trials.?Hope? IT HAS BEEN VERY EXPENSIVE TO EXPERIMENT. I have wondered how much I would charge for my recipes. It’s hard. How much would I pay for this recipe?? Well, I have BOUGHT A WHOLE BOOK to get one lone recipe I wanted if it gave weights along with measurements – pictures are nice, too. But before buying, I usually know about the recipe’s history and popularity and the reputation of the author. I feel like I would pay $15.00 – $20.00 for the recipe and variations if I could also have weights for the ingredients. I would prefer something downloadable due to cost of shipping. If there were a few more recipes, tips, or other information, I would pay more. It would be nice to buy a recipe you actually know is good. Thanks for sharing your gift.
Do you know how to create a downloadable pdf file? You would need Adobe Acrobat Pro (at least that is what I use).
1. Create a Paypal account.
2. Click on “Merchant Services” tab at the top.
3. On that page loads, click on “Create Payment Buttons For Your Website”
4. Click Create Button (I’d go with the “buy now” option.
5. Once you get what you want, click the “create button” at the bottom.
6. It will give you a code…don’t leave this page…keep it open…
7. Open up another tab on your browser.
8. Go to wherever it is for you to sign in to post on your website (your wordpress login page)
9. Instead of creating a blog post, create a blog page.
10. Once you are in the create new page, there are two tabs on the right side of the text box that you are about to type in (“visual” and “text”)… click on “text”
11. Title page Super Secret Recipe (or whatever you want)
12. Go back to your Paypal page and there is a code for you to cut and paste on to your website. Copy this code.
13. Go back to your “new page” page and paste it in to that box.
14. Click on the “visual” tab at the top right of your text box.
15. There is your paypal button!
16. Type whatever you want above the button to sell your recipe.
17. Click on the “publish” button.
18. Add a new menu button at the top of your website (next to the about, faq menu buttons) (if you don’t know how to do this, email me and I can walk you through it…it’s super easy).
If you don’t have Adobe Acrobat Pro or do not know anyone who does, I will be happy to create a downloadable file for you in exchange for the recipe. 🙂
I hope this helps!!!
Stephanie
Hello, I have bought several recipes over time. I believe between 15. – 20.00 is a fair offer for one recipe. I would gladly pay for it easily by sending you the money via paypal email. You would get it w/in 24 hours. Look forward to hearing from you. Good white cake recipes that are moist are hard to find.
Although I have your recipe memorized from using it so much, I would easily pay for it. Actually will even buy it once you have it available for download because I feel the need to give you something for changing my life with it! 😀
Depending on what the final price ends up being, I am hoping that a higher price means free updates to future versions of the same recipe?
The final book has been up for sale on Etsy… https://www.etsy.com/listing/178952866/beyond-buttercreams-base-cake-recipes-by?
It’s pretty through and I don’t plan on updates.