I am laughing about this now, but last night I had my first "klutzy caker" moment. I was doing a zebra-striped cake (fondant stripes on whipped frosting) and had just finished up the stripes. I realized that I had forgotten to move the cake to its final plate (silly, I know, but I had rushed home from work to make dinner, then finish the cake up and it just slipped my mind).
So you know where this is going - as I am transferring the cake to its plate, it takes a front flip off the two spatulas, hits the corner of my work table and SPLAT onto the floor. I went through the shock, the anger, the panic, and then laughter. Luckily I had not finished adding all of the details, which included my first GP shoe that I made last week. The only thing on the cake was the frosting, the zebra stripes and a bit of toasted coconut. (which you can see scattered in the photo)javascript:emoticon('')
This was only a birthday cake for my future SIL so not a real panic, but she was due here in about 25 minutes and I needed to act fast. Miraculously the cake landed on its top and did not break. And since I was using whipped frosting not BC it all slid right off the cake onto the floor. So I cleaned up and discarded all the frosting and stripes, scraped all the remaining frosting off the cake and started over. Made a new quick batch of coconut-flavored frosting , re-applied, made new stripes, and voila! I'll post before and after - TFL I can laugh about this now!
It's a very cute cake. The shoe is perfect.
This is going to turn into one of those drama threads though, if I'm reading it right and you picked the cake up off the floor and reused it.
It's a very cute cake. The shoe is perfect.
This is going to turn into one of those drama threads though, if I'm reading it right and you picked the cake up off the floor and reused it.
Agreed, TexasRose. I was hoping to avoid the drama, but I am sure it's to come.
As I mentioned, this was for family and the part of the cake that hit the floor (top) was scraped of icing and re-leveled and I knew the floor had been cleaned just that AM. Everyone was informed of the mishap and the details of the rescue (ie. No I did not re-use the frosting, etc.) and had the choice to eat or not eat.
No pets or kid fingers were involved in the rescue of this cake LOL
But just to be clear, under no circumstances would I have done the same for a non-family member or if the drop had happened outside of my own workspace.
I think that shoe is fabulous!!! And with your disclaimer to family that the original cake/icing hit the floor....I say you were lucky to salvage it and have it eaten!
I can plainly see that it's just the top icing touching the floor and since you started over, as a family member, I wouldn't see the problem. Only the humor!
I'm just wondering why you didn't lift the cake with your hands instead of 2 spatulas if it was already on it's own cardboard round?
Great save though, it looks yummy with the toasted coconut....I definitely would have eaten it!!! lol
I think the cake turned out LOVELY! kudos to you for getting through it and producing a lovely cake!
and I would've done the same thing for a family member
Since it was for family I'd probably have done the same. Nice save. Of course for anyone else it'd been a different story. Nice cake!!
Someone on an earlier forum post (about a year ago or so) talked about these two cake lifters from one of those network marketing party companies which tries to tell people how to cook with their cooking gadgets. They were no longer making them, but I got on eBay and found a pair... they are fabulous! Absolutely fabulous! They have made moving cakes, turning cakes.... anything to do with taking a cake from one place to another.... so much easier.
You may want to try to find some cake lifters... BTW, these were bought AFTER I dropped a four tier wedding cake while moving it to have pictures made. I will cherish that person who talked about them forever! No more problems...hope this helps!
Also, I am a germ-a-phobic, but no criticism about how you handled your personal cake situation.... you were the one who was present and who had to make the call... if there are any who criticize you for that, you may want to take the criticism with a grain of salt... none of us know what we would have done at that moment; we might think we know, but we do not!
So, congratulations on a job well done and fixed!
5 second rule, 5 second rule, 5 second rule!!! God made dirt & dirt don't hurt! Just kidding. It's for family. Do what you want. And great recovery. It does not look like it took a nose dive. YOur shoe is so sexy!
Good save! It looks great.
Don't fret about any drama....I can't believe there are many who wouldn't have done the same for a family cake.
I'm just wondering why you didn't lift the cake with your hands instead of 2 spatulas if it was already on it's own cardboard round?
Great save though, it looks yummy with the toasted coconut....I definitely would have eaten it!!! lol
Go figure, I think I was trying to avoid messing up the frosting by just using my fingers to get under the cardboard to lift it. Next time no spatulas! I think if it was a larger cake I would have never tried, but since it was a little guy I thought it would work.
Anyway - glad others could find humor in the story - that's the reason I posted and it's been fun to read the comments. Now, if my little GP shoe had been on the cake and had shattered on the floor into a zillion pieces, my mood would be much different.
lutie, I'm not sure about the cake lifters you mentioned, but King Arthur Flour Company sells an 8"x8" giant cookie spatula that I think I'm going to order to move cakes. Anyone with a better suggestion I'd like to hear it.
and I would've done the same thing for a family member
It depends on WHO the family member is! LOL
CarolAnn,
didn't wilton come out with a cake lifter recently? I don't know how strong it is though.
LOL well your cake looks great!
I had my first drop today too. dropped my cookies as soon as i took them out of the oven. Had to remake the whole thing though. ughhh
I just bought a Wilton cake lifter-it is quite sturdy. Says it can handle a 16" cake-what a joke 9with 2, I guess!!). I used it to handle a torted 9x13 and it was awesome. I realized that is not much of a test. I think it is higher quality than than the rest of the Wilton products.
Speaking of things you serve to family....My older sister went to the basement to bring up the frozen "Mile high strawberry pie" from the freezer and....it slipped out of the pie pan and landed ONTO THE DIRT FLOOR of the farmhouse basement. She put it back into the pie pan and we ate it! she didn't say a word until years later & we are all alive
don't worry
One year I dropped the Christmas ham on the floor in front of everyone.
We picked it up, brushed it off (ha, ha) and served it anyway and it was yummy.
Someone on an earlier forum post (about a year ago or so) talked about these two cake lifters from one of those network marketing party companies which tries to tell people how to cook with their cooking gadgets. They were no longer making them, but I got on eBay and found a pair... they are fabulous! Absolutely fabulous! They have made moving cakes, turning cakes.... anything to do with taking a cake from one place to another.... so much easier.
Wilton cake lifters... as Martha says, "A Good Thing."
Get them with your coupon at your local Hobby Lobby or Michaels. LOVE mine!
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=F5E44F60-423B-522D-F605DA5FD1C1079F
edited to add that I have two and can lift anything, any size when I slide them in on each side of the cake, and one is perfect for everything up to 10" with no feeling of insecurity.
5 second rule, 5 second rule, 5 second rule!!! God made dirt & dirt don't hurt! Just kidding. It's for family. Do what you want. And great recovery. It does not look like it took a nose dive. YOur shoe is so sexy!
One time when a friend and I were teens, we made a big pot of spaghetti to feed her family and another family who was moving...so not really much food in the house other than that. We were taking it next door so everyone could eat lunch and somehow my friend tripped or something...we dumped the pot of spaghetti on the sidewalk! We were terrified because that was lunch...that was it...nothing else available! (This was out in South Dakota and in a spot no Mickey D right down the road). So we looked around, and quick picked up all the spaghetti that wasn't actually making contact with the ground and threw it back in the pot...and then grabbed her dog to hurry up and eat the stuff off the ground that WAS touching the ground, and served it.
We never told the parents until YEARS later. haha.
Anyone whose ever eaten food prepared in a restaurant, fast food outlet, carnival, fair etc has eaten their fair share of dirt, germs whatever - just a fact of life (that we all like to ignore! lol)
My DH likes to quote a fact he read a long time ago, that on average every human will eat 7 spiders in their life! So scraped off cake with fresh icing - meh!!
Dont we all have those moments - after a disaster - when you stand still in time and think "WHY did I DO that!" Turned out great!
Good catch!! (Well, I guess you didn't catch it, but you know what I mean..!)
I recently bought the Wilton lifter and really like it because I'm a 'fingers in the icing' kinda gal! I think I will get another and have a pair.
I'm also a 'five second rule' gal, so the drop wouldn't bother me, as long as it were for family!
Picking it up off the floor just builds your immune system! Nice save! It turned out lovely!
pieceacake, my thought exactly!!!!!!! For some it might be here doggy doggy, then count to five. LOL
This reminded me of an incident I had years ago when my kids were small and long before I started playing with cake. My son wanted a strawberry shortcake for his birthday cake. Just before I reached the table I dropped the cake on the floor. After all the "Oh, no's!" my two and their cousins each grabbed a fork and sat down on the floor and at the cake. They thought it was the greatest thing!!
I also have 2 of the Wilton cake lifters and love them. Being new to cake decorating and only doing it as a hobby I really don't have anything else to compare them to!!
NO SPATULAS FOR CARRYING. I slide an offset under the cake to lift the edge, then slide my hand underneath to lift it and carry it with both hands. Same thing in reverse when putting it down. Place down the far edge and then use the offset to hold the near edge up while you remove your hand and lower it into place with the offset.
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