I'm feeling the need to vent....This just kills me on the inside and it happens all the time! I make cakes for friends and family's parties and most of the time we're also attending. When I see the person cutting the cake haphazardly and just plopping a big 'o pile of dissheveled cake on a plate....gurrrr. I just spent 5 hours decorating that cake, can't you take 5 minutes to cut it and serve it a little bit nicer? You eat with your eyes first and I think presentation is so important. Thank goodness I don't see all my cakes getting cut, or I just might give up cake decorating.
Does this happen to anyone else? How to you deal with it? I know I really need to get over it.
What are your pet peeves when it comes to caking?
I hate when people ask me to cut the cake - a cake I just spent 3 days making and neglecting my family for!! and you want ME to hack it up?!?!?!? not likely!
I thought I was the only one!! I cringed when my grandmother started hacking away on the cake I made her for her anniversary! I also though, "You're not going to get as many servings that way!!" haha. But it was definitely hard to watch!! If I'm there, I'd much rather cut it than let someone else do it.
Non-cakers really don't know how to cut & serve a cake properly. I get irked when I see people chopping up a cake that is supposed to serve 30 people and they are slicing & dicing the cake in to cubes and odd shape rectangles and then they wonder why there isn't enough.....UGH!
My other peeve is when someone makes a comment like "Oh, I've seen XXXXXX show on the Food Network, and cake decorating doesn't look that hard"
Sheesh!
I know!!!!! I just went to my nephew's party and my mom did the same thing! It is gross looking too I torte and fill my cakes and they should look pretty but no not my mom she butchered my cake
My biggest pet peeve is the " it's just cake!!!" not it is not it is not just cake!
Do you think it's appropriate to give a cake cutting guide (diagram) with the cake or attach it to the inside of the box? I think most people are just clueless when it comes to this. I've often wondered if this would be helpful. Thoughts?
I don't think it would be not-helpful to include a cutting guide, specially if the cake it tiered or odd shaped. Even basic cutting guides can be a good thing.
yep, that irks me too! But what really gets me is when they say "oh we CAN'T cut it! It's too (pretty, cute, whatever)...................and I'm like "CUT THE CAKE"!!!!!!!!! After I've spent the better part of a week working on it, the least they can do is cut it!!!!!!!!!!
I have the same problem!!! It aggravates the daylights out of me when they just willy nilly cut however they want to, when they just want "to taste it". My last cake recipe I tested I took into work and I even made the marks along the top and had a note on top of the box telling to follow the marks so everyone would get a taste of the cake. You guessed it, I went in there and someone had cut it in several pie shapes. I would love to take the plastic fork and stab them with it and let the tines stick in their arm like porcupine quills.
evelyn (oh that's gonna leave a mark)
my cakes are usually pretty basic shapes, but on the diff shaped ones (like dolls) i always give a quick run down on how to cut, if i'm not there to do it.
but, the best was my 'princess' cake - the guests ate cupcakes and the b'day girl (she was 6) was allowed to tear into the doll all by herself! watching a child savor their cake as only they can - that is worth all the work!
I feel the same way about this!
It's the same as spending a lot of time wrapping presents only to have it torn in to by overly excited recipients!
I actually had to cut a cake I made this weekend for Easter... I'm glad I spent some time before bringing it to it's "final destination" taking pictures and saying 'goodbye' because I knew that they'd say "you're the cake decorator, you cut the cake".
For me, making a cake...which I did 2mos ago...for a gathering of 25...I tought I'll make a cake just so they can get a taste, there was other food there...of what I can do.
this one girl goes up, she had been wanting a "taste" because she is getting married and might want me to do her cake...goes up...and I kid you not...cuts herself a 4x4 piece out of a simple square cake pan!!!! Someone in line said...why dont leave you leave a taste for others, no not many are going to get some,and took the knife from her...then I saw very think slices being cute. I was angry...
When I deliver a cake, especially a wedding cake I find the assigned cake cutter and give them a cake cutting lesson. I also included a cutting guide for the shape of the cake. Yes, it makes me crazy to see someone cut into my work all willy-nilly.
One of the other of many pet peeves is when someone stick their finger into the icing! Ugh.
There are so many...
Michele
I hate when I have this much border left to do:
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...and have this much icing left in the bag with which to do it:
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I hate when I have this much border left to do:
[-----------------------------------------]
...and have this much icing left in the bag with which to do it:
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That's the worst! Hate it when that happens.........
My pet peeve is having to make cakes for my DH's family when they expect to not have to pay as much as they would from a store.
I HATE HATE HATE HATE touching cornstarch. It is like fingernails on a blackboard and gives me instant goosebumps.
I am crazy, I know.
jimandmollie - nope not crazy - lol
I too suffer from that one, but include cotton wool !!! i freak my bean - lol
Another pet peeeeeve!!! when the person orders a cake for someone, then when they get it, they say, "oh i think jasmin characters are too young for this girl, i should have asked to do hannah montana" or something, this comes from sundays cake - she was trying to get out of paying for the jasmin cake!!!! mmmm uuurrrggghh - lol
I enjoy watching people cut their special cake, but the best is when they get it, and it makes them smile!!
My peeve: is working full time and at every office function everyone assumes that I will be bringing the cake... hello - I like to bring other foods too! Sure, I like to make and decorate cakes but I know how to prepare other foods too!
I absolutely hate it when my cakes are been butchered, so i always volunteer to cut the cakes,now people just expect me to cut the cakes if im at a party,I don't mind,it also give me the chance to eat to my heart's content . I already posted how i fought with my friends at a party because they were going to throw away my fondant roses,i sat them down and educated them(with exaggeration of course),how long it takes to make a petal,assemble it into a rose allow it to dry and use it to decorate a cake.
This past weekend I had to cut and serve the cake. There was still some leftover and I saw this woman taking a PLASTIC BUTTER KNIFE to it, hacking a piece off. I wanted to yank it out of her hand.
LOL@ Jammjenks, that really does suck. What's worse if you have...
[-] this much icing left, period.
I enjoy watching people cut their special cake, but the best is when they get it, and it makes them smile!!
Ditto
I also have a pet peeve about how people cut into the cakes that I make for them, but that is not my biggest pet peeve. The thing I hate the most is when they take the entire cake that I have just spent hours on and sit it right in front of the 2 year old knowing that they are going to stick their entire hands in it. That kid starts sticking their hands in the cake and all I am thinking is, do we have to eat that now? I don't want a piece of cake that has had a 2 year olds hands all over it. That is just gross to me. Make sure I get a piece from the other side of the cake please. Meanwhile, I just want to smack the parents for allowing that. Has anyone else ever had this kind of problem or is it just me?
It's not just 2 year olds. I've seen older kids (who should know better) do it too. No taste testing with that finger you just licked!!! Gross!
The "hacking" of the cake is also my pet peeve ... so much so that my DD took a cake I made to Church with her last week for the kids in her class .. and when she saw the other Teacher start hacking away at the cake - she said she jumped right on in there, took the knife outta her hand and finished cutting the cake "my way" - I thought that was too cute .. I have my family so well trained to "my" pet peeve O - I love that kid!!
I HATE HATE HATE HATE touching cornstarch. It is like fingernails on a blackboard and gives me instant goosebumps.
Me too!
i hate it when i'm doing a cake for an event that a good portion of the town will possibly see (small town).. and those that asked me to do the cake cause they were too busy themselves to do it ask hubby "she's STILL working on that cake?"
i don't work 3days non stop on a cake for crying out loud
i like to bake it one day.. freeze it over night then shape and crumbcoat the next day and if i have time; maybe ice it as well, then on the next day decorate- this is if there's alot of decorating to do.. i like to have that time to do Just that in.. not making up tons of frosting.. not dealing with the battle of straight edges etc..
I don't usually schedule other activities during that time frame to allow myself leeway incase i have a cake disaster/emergency but if its not too difficult of a cake i will go help out with the event etc.
so No i'm not still Working on the cake but yes i Still have work to finish on that cake!
I HATE HATE HATE HATE touching cornstarch. It is like fingernails on a blackboard and gives me instant goosebumps.
I am crazy, I know.
ok this did touch on a major peeve of mine in cake making.. but not cornstarch. i don't mind it .. its less sticky then powdered sugar lol anywho
my biggest creepers jeepers of cake making is raw egg whites
or as i call it "egg goo"
i hate how slimy it feels i can't stand it its giving me the major creeps right now just thinking about it!!!
The thing that bothers me the most is what someone else already said. I just can't stand when someone lets their birthday child "taste" the cake before serving it to everyone else and thinks it's "so cute". It's not cute it's just gross. These kids are old enough to know better! It's fine if the cake is their own smash cake and no one else it going to be eating it after they "taste" it.
I only do friends-and-family cakes, too, and I'm almost always in attendance for the serving. I actually don't mind being asked to cut and serve- that way I know it's done right.
The problem I have is that no one seems to own a decently sharp long knife, much less a pie server for pulling slices out without using fingers! I love to cook, and I have a bunch of good pricey knives that I keep sharpened (Wusthof and Henckels- no Chicago Cutlery crapola). I'm always surprised at how few people have good knives.
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