So I made a cake over the weekend for a coworker. (I make them on the side) She asked me to make the baby shower cake over a month ago and we had discussed what she wanted (it was for her friend's baby shower). So I made it and brought it to her house and then she brought the cake to the party.

When I saw her at work on Monday she told me that she told everyone that she made the cake!! I was furious!!! I asked her why she did that and she said that "well, they know I make cakes"... Well, obviously she wasn't too confident in her skills since she asked me to do it in the first place. To top it off, apparently her husband was really upset that she spent so much money on the cake because he said that she could have made it. Ummm... yeah, sure it looks like a "simple" cake.. but if she knew how to do it (and made it look nice) don't you think she would have done it herself?!? Just made me really irritated that #1 I spent a ton of time on this cake and it was 100 degrees on Saturday (no joke!) with wicked humidity and then she had the audacity to claim it as her own?!? and then #2 for her husband to say that spent too much money on that.. if he only knew the amount of time, energy, and money into that cake perhaps he would have a different view!

Sorry to vent... but i feel so much better now.

I will post a picture of the cake later.....

that is horrible why would she claim it as her own. Im sure it will come back to bite her in the butt eventually though. Someone will ask her to do a cake and they will see the difference between them and know something was up.

I heard about this happening to another person on here. Only she didn't find out about it until her client had been a regular client for a number of years! It started when she bought her first cake from the baker. It was a car cake for her fiance's birthday. He loved it and asked "Did you make this for me?" The bride to be was caught off guard and just said "yeah!". So then after that the client would always pick up the cakes from the baker or ask to meet in weird places to pick up the cake.

Fast forward a few years and the regular client is moving out of state and is freaking out about what to do about "her" cakes now. lol.

Well, that just bit her in the butt 'cause from now on you should be a cake nazi.."No cake for YOU!"

That is terrible!

Reminds me of this "joke" that makes its way around the web. A lady went to some sort of a sale and bought a nice cake. She was having a party at her house. She told the guests that she made the cake and when it was cut into, it was a roll of toilet paper in the middle!!!! lol Wouldn't you have loved to have been a fly on the wall then???? lol

What comes around goes around....

I agree with catlharper. Now you know. You'll never get a referral order by providing her with cake. Fool me once and all that. Just wait- someone will ask her advice and she'll fall on her face.

People are insane I cant believe the one lady took credit for years. How awful.

I've had someone else tell me this happened to them (similar anyway) so they started putting their business card on the cake board with a piece of clear *something* on top to keep from contaminating the cake (saran? contact paper? can't remember, sorry) so if that person ever tried to claim credit again... BUSTED! Apparently she got a VERY angry call from the customer who 'made' the cake when they cut into it and found the card! hehehe. Serves her right!

How can people do this? I would have been furious too.
How can someone trick her family and friends for many years? Unbelievable :-O

Next time put "This cake was made by (your name) and phone number", on the cake board. Then when the cake is cut and served, they will know who to call next time.

Sorry for the cake deception.

I love the idea of putting your card where they cant remove it without it being noticeable and that way people will know who made the cake. Although you might not get orders from her again. Id say worth it though.

Someone just sent this to me last week.

Have you ever told a white lie? You are going to love this, especially
all of the ladies who bake for church events:

Alice Grayson was to bake a cake for the Church Ladies'
Group in Tuscaloosa , but forgot to do it until the last minute.
She remembered it the morning of the bake sale and after
rummaging through cabinets, found an angel food cake mix &
quickly made it while drying her hair, dressing, and
helping her son pack up for Scout camp.

When she took the cake from the oven, the center had dropped
flat and the cake was horribly disfigured and she exclaimed,
"Oh dear, there is not time to bake another cake!" This cake
was important to Alice because she did so want to fit in at her
new church, and in her new community of friends. So, being
inventive, she looked around the house for something to build
up the center of the cake. She found it in the bathroom - a roll
of toilet paper. She plunked it in and then covered it with icing.
Not only did the finished product look beautiful, it looked perfect.
And, before she left the house to drop the cake by the church
and head for work, Alice woke her daughter and gave her some
money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the moment it opened at 9:30 and to buy the cake and bring it home.
When the daughter arrived at the sale, she found the attractive,
perfect cake had already been sold. Amanda grabbed her cell
phone & called her mom.

Alice was horrified-she was beside herself! Everyone would know!
What would they think? She would be ostracized, talked about,
ridiculed! All night, Alice lay awake in bed thinking about people
pointing fingers at her and talking about her behind her back.

The next day, Alice promised herself she would try not to think
about the cake and would attend the fancy luncheon/bridal shower
at the home of a fellow church member and try to have a good time.
She did not really want to attend because the hostess was a snob
who more than once had looked down her nose at the fact that Alice was a single parent and not from the founding families of Tuscaloosa , but having already RSVP'd , she couldn't think of a believable excuse to stay home.

The meal was elegant, the company was definitely upper crust old
south and to Alice 's horror, the cake in question was presented for
dessert! Alice felt the blood drain from her body when she saw the cake! She started out of her chair to tell the hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, the Mayor's wife said, "what a beautiful cake!"

Alice, still stunned, sat back in her chair when she heard the
hostess (who was a prominent church member) say,

"Thank you, I baked it myself.."

Alice smiled and thought to herself, "God is good.

I've gotten that one before and it just makes me giggle! LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing the perfect joke for the moment!!

What I find even more odd is the fact she told you that she told everyone she made the cake!!!

I guess I'm on the other side of the fence, I don't care if people claim my cakes as their own. In fact I have 2 customers who do just that!! I could care less because everytime I raise my prices they keep coming back...they have to, because everyone loves "THEIR" cakes!!! Basically it forces them to continue to order from me for ALL of their functions!! It would be a lot cheaper if they just tell the truth honestly!

One lady needed a cake for a weekend I had a wedding cake order (she wanted an 8" round which I charge $20 for)..I told her I couldn't , I have a wedding cake......she begged and begged and eventually I agreed to give her the cake for $100! THAT was worth losing a little sleep over!!!

There are advantages to the customer claiming your cake as their own lol

It stinks that this person is a liar, but there is really no harm done. Your reputation was neither advanced, nor harmed by her lie. There are some bakers in my area that have small chocolate plaques that have a logo that they put on the cakes. That seems a much more tactful way of getting credit than putting the card under the cake.

This speaks volumes about her character and hopefully she won't need you to speak on that for any reason! The lesson I take from this is to put labels not only on the boxes but inside and on the cake boards for future orders from other customers. How uncomfortable to have to work with her.

Even when placing a cake on a grease proof cake board, I put down a circle of parchment. Under that I place my business card. So it's business card down, then parchment, then cake. When the cake gets eaten, my card is revealed. The only exception is wedding cakes.

I'm with KHalstead. I wouldn't care if a client claimed one of my cakes as their own. They paid for it, so they can do what they want with it.

Totally off topic, but KHalstead, I'm flabbergasted that you only charge $20 for an 8-inch cake!!!!! WHAT!!!!! Please no offense, but how do you make any money whatsoever at that price?

I charge $25 for a 6 inch round, so I think $20 is rather cheap.

About the small chocolate plaque, Sylvia Weinstock puts her lil glasses logo on all her cakes. I think it's fine as long as you do it tastefully. Of course, you wouldn't make it obvious...kinda like car dealerships putting their logo/info on vehicles you purchase.

I guess it depends on how much time I'm spending. My cakes are usually pretty detailed so it would be pretty stupid for anyone to claim them as their own, and I wouldn't appreciate it myself....(course it would serve them right if they started getting cake orders and then I'd be too booked to do them haha).

But just a sheet cake or round cake with roses or simple design, I wouldn't care about that. And then when they come to me wondering about my recipe...

Wow, guys. I get $36 for a 6" round.

I have one of those hand held emboss presses like what notary use and it has all my info on it so I crimp the box a couple times on the flap that tucks inside the box. When the box is opened it shows.

I also add an embossed circle sticker to the bottom of the cake board.