Many of you know my problems with the "local cake mafia".. this is the latest installment of drama.

Quick recap: Big cake company,kickback deals with venues, they constantly lie about other cakes ("industry standard is to have lard in the cake!") and fondant, etc etc.

So, a couple months ago I was asked by 2 local wedding mags to supply dummy cakes for shoots. One of them flat out told me what they wanted (a brighter version of one I'd already done), the other just wanted spring themed. Fine.

I delivered my cakes, couldn't help but notice that Cake Mafia's submissions at BOTH were all fondant. I mean, no questions asked, fondanted cakes. I already knew that all their dummies in store were, but... whatever.

So I get BOTH mags in the mail yesterday. Was pretty thrilled, till I saw the descriptions.

One of the mags had their Chocolate FONDANT cake with brush embroidery flowers all over it described as "wrapped in chocolate ganache!" Wtf. Doesn't even look like ganache.. never mind that the way they decorated it would never be able to happen on ganache and look even close to what it did...

The second mag really pissed me off. Here is what it says of the FONDANTED cake by the (loudly) ANTI-FONDANT Cake Mafia..

"<snip>.... she explains. She smoothed over the bakery's signature buttercream frosting with a hot spatula for the look of fondant without the gummy texture"

That last part there was not quote, it was COMMENTARY!!!

Where do I start!? I am so freaking pissed off.

Where does the mag get off lying to the readers like that?

Are they doing a service to the brides when they say this crap?

This bakery doesn't even use buttercream, they use some weird whipped crap.

I CANNOT believe that I spent days piping and baking meringue flowers for the cake the SPECIFICALLY ASKED ME FOR - they approached me - then I have to see the MAG ITSELF go and disparage my main medium like this!!!


AARGH!

This crap has gone on way too long. I am SO sick of having to fight against the lies this company puts out.. but now the mags?

I would call the magazine on it. call your contact there and tell them that the information that they printed is incorrect!

I cannot believe that this bakery is doing that!!! LIARS!

Flowergirl, can you offer to write an article for the magazine? Call them and say that you have noticed some "discrepancies" in their information, and that you would be happy, no thrilled, to bring them up to speed on the current trends in cake design...

Beat the cake mafia at their own game...!

I sent a couple angry emails this morning to the editors, who were my contacts there.

Yay for burning bridges!

The best though, is that in one of the cases (the "chocolate ganache" one), not only did *I* point it out to the editor the day of the shoot, but ANOTHER decorator I know did too!! They can't even claim ignorance on it!

marmalade - YOU ARE SO SMART!!!

That would be so perfect to do and really would beat them at their own game!

And you know, if this bakery Melvira'd their cakes, if they used a frosting that could be treated like that.. that's one thing. They don't. They have absolutely no way whatsoever of making their frosting look anything like fondant at all.

Flowergirl, these stories are killing me. I can't stand that this stuff goes on to start with; but I have this odd feeling of personal affront that it is happening in Minnesota. (I'm Twin Cities born and raised and miss it very much.)

Go get 'em!

Ok, so I wrote a 2 page long bitchfest of a blog entry about it. If you're interested in seeing the whole thing, shoot me an email.

Hubby figured it was too long, had me edit it down / tone it down. I sent the original to all of the local fondant cake people, with a note:

"Hello, fellow cake artists!

As you may know, we've all had to fight some serious misconceptions about fondant.

After the recent issues of Mpls St Paul Weddings and Minnesota Bride came out, I was incensed. I'm ready to put my money where my mouth is, and hope that others are too. I really think that the time has come for us to band together and put up an organized battle.

I wrote the following as a blog entry, with all of us in mind. I'll be condensing it and toning it down a bit before posting, but I want you all to see my (unedited!) thoughts on it. If you agree with me at all, send me a reply and let's see what we can do when we put a few heads together!"

So,hopefully this'll get some dialog started!

Well, unfortunately it's not only happening in the Twin Cities, but elsewhere....

my daughter is getting married this fall, so I am on The Knot quite often. The other day I went into the 'Cakes' forum and was appalled at the responses to one of the questions regarding buttercream vs fondant! The media has totally corrupted these brides against fondant! Sure, some of them affirmed that you have to find the right baker who can offer a good-tasting fondant, but the consensus was "yuk". One baker even told a bride that the fondant is to be peeled off by the kitchen staff before the cake is cut!

The other appalling theme was how many brides were seriously considering buying their cakes from the local Kroger/Sam's Club/etc grocery stores! I felt like I was fighting a losing battle.

Yes, I definitly think that a cake artist needs to write those magazine articles!

Good luck in your fight against the mafia!