I can definitely see both sides. Mostly, I get butt hurt if I'm not asked to make the cake for an event and then I become very critical of the other cake decorator (secretly to my husband of course LOL). However, I think where a lot of the ladies are coming from we have all had a cake or two we wish we could have hit the "redo" button and would be mortified if someone was trashing our cake decorating skills. But, I don't think attacking the original poster is any better: )

But I do have a little topic for y'all regarding the cottage foods act that was recently passed here in Arkansas. I'm trying to get a business license and everything so I can legally advertise and get some tax benefits. My zoning committee signed off on my applying for the license. Then I went to city hall to pay my fee and get a license and they wouldn't do it saying our city doesn't allow stuff like that and they've never heard of the law and they're going to have to get back with me and talk to their lawyer. They said "we don't even know how to find that out" blah blah blah.... Here's a clue, it's on the house of representatives website. I hate that our business is such a gray area.

I told them I had even talked to the Health Dept and they were the ones that informed me of the law etc. Nicely of course cause I didn't want them making things even more difficult for me. Anyway, I'm waiting to hear back and I've already talked to my lawyer friend who primarily does business law and basically she said if they say no I have a lot of paperwork to do. Bleeeh!!

I must be a bad person, cause I was so hoping for a picture. As tactless as some may find it, it does lend a better visual for the situation. I personally didn't think the OP was being mean or unfair. A bad cake is a bad cake, simple and plain. I'm very new to cake decorating, and only really do it for family, friends, and church, charging family and friends for ingredients only. Everytime I make a cake, I'm proud of it, right up until I take a picture of it and get ready to post it here, then I decide it's not good enough. We all know that we are our worst critics. So, for the baker who made that $225 cake, she saw those flaws. It's just like those horrible singers who try out for American Idol, they here that awful sound coming out of their mouths. And it is quite acceptable for someone who also tried out to have posted on a singing forum just how horrible that person sounded.

OP wasn't cruel, or even used degrading words to describe the situation. I'm gonna get blasted, I know. But I find humor in the most weird situations, so maybe that's why this is funny to me. I just wish I could see a pic of the cake.

I think opinions are very important, and everyone should continue to bring them - how else are we to learn? Once I was told in an employee review that I had strong opinions, and this was presented as a bad thing. I responded by saying yes I do have opinions, that I have a voice, and that I am open to hear all sides to whatever the topic was that produced my opinion. That opinions exist to help people learn and to grow. Needless to say, my reviewer did not know how to respond and negative remark was removed from the review -shrug- I guess their opinion changed?! Anyway, sometimes we definitely 'step in it' when voicing ourselves, but as a group it should be worked through well enough so that there is no needs to take it elsewhere. And that my fellow CCers is 'my opinion'

I think anyone reading this post is reading because of the subject heading. I mean, that just attracts attention and anyone wanting to read it, probably expected a picture. I did. I see nothing wrong with the OP's post, but I think she put too much effort into NOT sharing too much. By that I mean repeatedly saying she didn't want to give up too much info or hurt feelings. By reading that repeatedly it almost makes the reader feel guilty for reading it in the first place, like getting caught reading someone's diary.

ahhhh dont worry about it, some ppl will take offense to ur post and some wont, I thought what someone else said was on point.. what did ppl expect when they saw the title! hello... we although ohh the next cake wreck!

Can you submit the pic to cake wrecks and then make sure to post that there are new pics up there, I am sure we could find it!!!

My 1st cake in my pics is a COMPLETE cake wreck!!! I made it before I found this site, my mom had bought my son (culinary arts student) some caking stuff and he is just not down w/ cake so instead of all those supplies go to waste I figured I'd give it a ago.. thank goodness for this site! that cake was a HOTT MESS.


We bought cupcake from a bakery easter weekend and I was not super impressed felt Like I coul dmake yummier ones.. I am sure ppl around the world feel the same wen it comes to anything hand made.. always someone who can make it better.

To be fair, yes, we ALL were probably thinking that there were going to be photos. I am quite sure that anyone that clicked on it and read the OP's opening line to the post did not think "ooh, I need to go and defend whomever the poor baker is that is being attacked". No, what is more likely is something more along the lines of what we ALL think when we click on the Cake Wrecks site... which is "ooh, lets go look at the wrecks and have a good laugh!!" Well, to me, it is not fair to click on the post hoping for a view of the offending cake and then "blast" the person that started the post just for voicing her opinion. Especially if YOU were clicking on it yourself just to get your own eyes full!!
I mean lets be honest here. Who hasn't visited Cake Wrecks and had a good laugh now and then?And, do you honestly believe that the people that made THOSE cakes DONT own a computer or know how to type in a web address?? Yet the person that updates that site is seen as some sort of vigilante hero in the baking world and is praised for her efforts in exposing horrible decorators around the globe!!!
Personally, I just don't get it. I think that since none of us know each other and since it is on the internet, we should be able to say whatever we want to say. After all, if the baker IS a CC member, only SHE will know that. So why beat up the OP? It's one opinion!! And, Lord knows, we all have them!!

Oh, and anyone else notice that there is always one or two that has the need to remind us that if we've nothing nice to say, to say nothing at all...yet, they never seem to perceive their OWN comment the same way?? Why IS that???

How many times have we seen someone post about a cake they were sooooooo proud of, or a cake that a client complained about for some reason or another and some CCers take that as an opportunity to rip the decorator a new one about how poor their decorating skills are, or how they shouldn't be doing cakes if they're in a state that doesn't allow home kitchens, etc. At least the OP was trying to spare the feelings of the offending cake decorator. She didn't come out and say, you suck and should never make a cake again or you should work on your skills more before you even consider selling another cake directly to the decorator(which I've seen on here multiple times). THAT is the kind of thread I don't like to see.

Important to remember that every one has different skill levels. And some have been decorating for 30 years while others have just started. Some do great work with buttercream, but maybe don't get on well with fondant. Others can whip up a fondant masterpiece, but can't pipe buttercream to save themselves. I might look at someone else's cakes and think they're not so great..while I'm doing that there's another person looking at those same cakes thinking they're fabulous, and a better decorator than me is looking at MY cakes thinking they're terrible. I look at my early cakes now and just see how dreadful they were, but at the time I was so proud of them! ...and in a few years time no doubt I'll look back at the cakes I'm proud of now and think those are awful. At the end of the day it really doesn't matter where other people's skills are at, just focus on doing YOUR best. Everyone's skills improve over time and with practice.