...ok so i had my first cake disaster and there was NO way to fix it as far as i knew....So i made the cake Saturday night...One layer white cake, layer strawberry filling, layer of yellow cake, layer of cream cheese filling, then layer of white cake, all covered in BC...had it completly decorated, set it on the counter overnight and got up Sunday morning, everything was going accordingly.....THEN i get a phone call from the guy who ordered the cake. "hey Sami, i found out it is also another ladies' birthday today, can you make the cake say happy birthday Cheryl and Penny...?" I'm thinking, 'you call me and hour and a half before the party asking me to add another name onto the completly decorated cake...WTF?'...so i tell him, well the only spot i will be able to add her name is on the side of the cake...he said thats find go ahead and do it and i will see you at the party. So i write her name on the cake as i am completly dolled up ready to go to this party in a blakc strapless dress and 3 1/2 inch high heels.... ....SO i get her name on the cake, my fiancee drove to the party while i held the cake on my lap...This party is about 45 miles away from our house and well once we got to the restaurant there is this steep hill we have to drive up. So i left the cake up off my lap to keep it level right.....well i look down and i see that "& Penny" has somehow soaked into the side of the cake box.... ....So i open the box to see what happened and i almost CRIED!!! My 2 top cake layers had slide of the layer of strawberry filling and were now resting against the side of the cake box... ....i had no idea what to doo, what could i do?
so we get in the restaurant...and i tell Cheryl (b-day girl) that her cake won't look as pretty as it did sitting on my counter...She said thats fine its okay....So i go to tell Rich (guy who ordered the cake for Cheryl) what happened and he says thats okaey...so i open the box back up to show him and NOW the top of the cake has cracked down the middle in 3 spots... so now it looks even more horrible! So we take the cake out of the box and the whole dinner we had to "support" the cake by putting butter chips under the cake board so that the 2 layers that slide off the strawberry layer wouldn't fall onto the dining table and THEN one guy had to put his glass of water up against one of the sides of the cake so it also wouldn't fall off onto the table....UGH i was so embarrased and mad and sad .....But everyone kept telling me that it looked great (i showed them pictures of the cake before we took it off my kitchen counter) and they all said it tasted wonderful....We even gave a slice to the waitress and she personally came up to me and said "Honey, i don't know what you do for a living , but whatever it is, you need to quit and do cakes from now on.".....so that made me feel better ....so yeah thats my disaster...below are pictures of "cake with Cheryl's name" "cake with & Penny added on" and then the Disaster cakes....

Oh honey! I fell so bad for you! It is always devastating to have worked so hard on something only to have it "self-destruct"! I know first hand how embarrassing it can be to aswell! It has happened or will happen to all of us. I had a chocolate disaster yars ago. . . it literally looked like it had been stepped in. It looked like I had no idea what I was doing (which I don't hahahaha) I was mortified to say that I had made this mess that looked like a big heap of ___. The waitress gave you a great compliment! Don't worry about it! You make beautiful cakes. Onward!

Elle

I have said it before and I will say it again....Strawberry & buttercream.. hate each other (at least in my kitchen ) I have to make sure there is a very stiff icing dam around the edge, and then the cake MUST be refrigerated after that filling is in there. If that buttercream does not have a chance to set up, the strawberrry filling will tend to eat at the sugar and the cake will slide for sure. Surprisingly I dont have this problem when I use a fresh strawberry with a mousse filling. I think the mousse insulates the strawberries. Also I think you made a big mistake holding the cake, and I say this from experience No matter how much we think we are holding something level... we do not... especially in the car. Much better to put that cake on a flat surface. The trunk, floor, back of the van/suv.. etc.

I feel your pain, and I hope your next cake is perfect!!

Yup... been there I think Gingoodies hit it right on the head. Transport in a box on flat surface in the car. Use one of those non skid mats too and you should be fine. If you use filling and you're unsure about it sliding maybe dowels would help it not to slide off either or use less filling too.

OMG! I am soo sorry that happened! Your cake is beautiful...no matter what! I loved the style of it! Great job!

I agree with Gingoodies! Strawberries and BC DON"T MIX! I did a celestial cake this weekend (in my photos) and you can see where the strawberries seeped down the side of the cake into my clouds and stuff. Wasn't as bad as the first time I've use strawberries. But, I have thought about adding one little dowel in the middle just to play it safe. So something doesn't happen like the layer sliding off in this case. That is really so sad! Different fillings is also a reason I don't want to do wedding cakes!

So sorry your cake did that! Very bad cake!
It seemed like everyone loved it and that it tasted so good! i hope that makes you feel a little better!

OOOHHH!! So sorry! Fortunately it won't matter a bit in 10 years. That's how I try to look at disasters! I agree with gingoodies...apparently strawberry's and buttercream HATE each other. That can go for raspberries too! Did you let your cake rest overnight before you iced and decorated it? I think cakes are too "tender" to fool with right after baking. The cake appears to be on the fluffy side. This can be a problem too! Also agree with not holding it. I had a couple of disaster holding cakes until I finally got a clue and put them in the back of my SUV. No problems since. Also, I NEVER put them in a box. Have had issues with boxes too! The main thing is that the cake is beautiful (even with wrinkles and cracks...kinda like us older folks!) and even more important it was delicious!!

oh, i forgot to add that i didn't charge the guy for the cake, but he completly insisted he give me something for it...he said that he didn't care what it looked like...he ate it and it tasted great...so he gave me $30...
Gingoodies , i would have put the cake on the floor of the vehicle, but if you seen the roads that we have were i live, you would have wanted to hold the cake also....we have twisty, pot-holed, sharp cornered roads....i don't think me holding the cake had anything to do with the layers sliding...i think it was just that i should have switched the strawberry filling and the cream cheese filling...it was a disaster waiting to happen...

I'm so sorry you had to go thru that, but the cake looked very nice when you finished it. Your edges are so clean and I love the colors you chose. Just think that you have lived thru that and you can learn for the next time. I'm sending you a big hug

The cake was really cute! You did a great job! I'm just gonna put my 2cents in about what could have happened to cause the catastropy....never hold a cake. Put it on the floor board of the car or in the back part of a van or suv. Also, I always refrigerate my cakes...it just seems like they travel better cold.

Good luck on your next delivery! We ALL learn from our mistakes and mishaps! I'm glad your friends were so understanding...and let's face it...the cake tasted the same and that's what really matters!

so sorry that happened! I agree with never holding the cake. Flat surface and nonskid are the only way to go for me. Your writing is so COOL and the cake looked terrific!

The cake was really beautiful!! So sorry that happened to you! Just like many others have said, I personally won't serve a cake with strawberries and buttercream unless it has had time to set up overnight in the refrigerator. I also never put strawberry filling by itself. Meaning I always put a thin layer of buttercream or whipped cream(whatever I am using) to act as a buffer and keep the fruit filling from sliding. The same for cream cheese frosting. Especially here in Hot-ZONA.

thats a really good tip bout keeping it in the fridge i did not know that thanks ohh and that too has happend to me and ive tried it both ways and yet it still cracks do ya thinks it s to dry or something???

It really did look great, sorry you had such trouble. But, after reading the description, I bet it tasted fantastic! I just keep telling myself the cake only has to look decent for about 10 minutes ,( for the round of obligatory pics), and then everyone will just demolish it anyway. ( I have a tendency to get WAY o.c.d. otherwise. )

You are the reason I completely refuse to fill with fresh fruit. I'll only fill with BC or a mousse/ganache.

The cake was gorgeous - loved the nice sharp corners.

omg! i've been there 2 weeks ago...i know how you feel.... yeah that's right... putting the cake in a flat surface prevents the cake from sliding... after what happened i always put dowels in my cake and swear to never put too much filling again ,i gave my client a free cake.

I'm SOOO sorry this happend! I do know EXACTLY how you feel, though. I just posted a cake disaster thread yesterday, too. I wasn't holding it. It was sitting flat in the floor of the car, West Point is very 'hilly' and a hill and my cake just couldn't get along! The top two tiers fell off even with a dowel! At least it's a lesson learned for both of us. Better luck to you next time. It really was a nice cake that you made!