Well one thing I learned is to never tell my family about bringing a cake. The last time I did, they expected me to also bring the plates, forks, and cutting knife. I was like- in a party, shouldn't that been brought by the person giving the party? Oh , you didn't think of that? Well cut it with your finger!! Now I only do cakes for my kids and customers I get from referrals.

I am a hobby only caker and my friends and famiy have been told/warned over and over that I cannot and will not do a last minute cake request (got the cake balls for this stance from you guys here!). After several friends decided this policy just couldn't possibly apply to them and requested "night before" for cakes with gumpaste flowers, I had my son help me fix the computer to print the phrase "all last minute requests for cake(s) will be met with incredulous looks and stony silence" over and over and border the saying with frowny face icons. I printed this screen onto cardstock and cut them into business size cards using my scrapbook cutter. Now when somebody tries to pull this stunt on me, I reach into my purse and whip one of these cards into their palm

I have never really heard anyone say that they wanted their cake to taste like wedding cake, except for my DH. It took me forever to explain to him wedding cake is just cake made for a wedding. He just would not believe me. So silly. But fast forward 5 years later and he is now a cake expert.LOL

Well wedding cake where I come from is fruit cake!

I learned the hard way also about cakes & family. I wanted to go to blows with a cousin and his parents anniversary dinner about a cake and I knew then that like oil & water, for me family & cake don't mix. Good Luck with that.

Wow, I feel so lucky. My family is incredibly supportive and never asks for free cakes. If they ever need a cake, they'll ask at least a month ahead and talk to me like they're a great customer. Every once in a while, if I have time, I'll make a cake to bring to a family thing and everyone thanks me over and over and tells me how great it is.

You are lucky CourtneyLS99. My family would first complement how delicious the cake is and then they would start asking why i didn't make it bigger, why didn't I put a different filling flavor or why didn't I do this or that and on and on .....

In December was my cousins 30th birthday. And they didn't even invite me to the party, just because they payed someone else to make their cake and didn't want me to know about it. The excuse they gave to my mom (I didn't care, but my mom was upset about it) that the party was done last minute. ( Yet the party had more than 200 guests that they invited -at the last minute?) They realized their stupidity and on the same night (one hour before the party started) one of them came to me to ask if I could go to her party!!! I declined.

And I can go on and on with stories like these forever!

A friend of my DH is having a 15th birthday party for her daughter this August. I offered to make the cake that I expected to be no more than 200 servings. She later tells me she needs 500 servings...a week later she texts my husband to make it 700 servings! That is impossible! I only have 2 hands and 1 oven. I am going to call her this weekend and tell her I go back to work that week and can't make it after all. She says cause her ''mother in law'' wants everyone to have plently of cake. I tell you, you give people a hand and they take an arm.[/i]

I'd tell her I didn't mind giving her a $400-$500 cake but I can't afford to give away a $1400 -$??.?? cake and she'll have to make other arrangements.

ooh my god! I thought I was the only one. I have a sister who just get under my skin. She know I do cakes and love doing my neices cakes for free, But she would rather pay walmart or someone else than let me do it. Like she is going to pay walmart or the cakery 50 dollars to do a castle cake when I would do it for free and then she flaunts it in my face. She had a nerve Pay someone 600 dollars to do her wedding cake and ask me to let the lady use my pans. Boy that burnt me up

My inputs.
Most of my family is great about it. My mom wants me to do a cake for my dads surgeon, my choice to do what I want. Cool. She let me know 2 months in advance and is willing to ship in any ingredient I need. (i have to order fondant online so she knows that is going to be shipped in). My mom, dad, and husband are great that way.

My husband has had coworkers ask if I could do a cake and if they tell him a date that is short of 2 weeks he tells them he will check with me but to be looking for a different outlet for the cake as I will probably not have the time.

Now my brother on the other hand doesnt get it. Last week I was talking about cake and he "reminds" me of my nephews birthday. So I ask him if that was a hint. No reply so I went on like this:
1. I don't know when the party is
2. I don't know if there is even a party this year
3. I don't know if I am even invited to said party
4. I don't know the theme of the party.
5. And if you plan on having it on a certain date don't count on it because I have another order that day.

The next response from him is I will get back with you.
And you know it I have not heard a word.

However what he doesn't know is that I had already started the idea process and am working on stuff for this cake because it is my gift to him (child has it all so no reason to buy him more) LOL

Gotta love the family.