It was 1:55pm today when my boyfriend got a text asking what time a girl he knows could pick her cake up tomorrow. I said she ordered it for 5th November, tomorrow Is only the 21st October,.. she said oh, I thought I'd told you I changed the date. So, now I have layer 1 of the 3 layers in the oven, plus the other 2/3rds of the mix I made ready to empty the tin, wash it, grease it and refill it for layer number 2. I am about to run to town to get the cake board, and ribbon, and then Im going to pray that I can bake fill trim settle cover and decorate a cake in less than 6 hours. Well, a bit more actually but I'll be doing everything except the baking in about 6...

Luckily I have tonight almost free apart from making a little teddy to go on another baby cake for my step mums sister, which is already going to be a day late as my son had to stay in hospital from 9am Monday to 3pm Wednesday after he had an allergic reaction asthma attack Sunday night/monday morning and I had to stay with him. I came home Wednesday and started baking as I had 3 cakes to do, one of them cancelled and said it didn't matter which left a Dora cake being picked up today, the baby cake tomorrow, and now another one. I'm so exhausted I can't wait for this week to be over! I was REEAALLLLYYY looking forward to an early night tonight

And to make matters worse, because I had so long til the cake was due I haven't practised the tiny footprints she wants, and I haven't planned at all what else I'm going to do with the cake. It's an 8 inch square with a gumpaste baby on it with tiny footprints going arpund the cake like the baby has been walking on it, and baby shower written on it somewhere. White and pink. Just in case you had any suggestions or anything lol.

Sorry to go on.... i just want to go to sleep so badly!

That really sucks. Hope your son is feeling better and that you get some much needed sleep after all this is over with. Being totally exhausted till you are cross eyed is not fun.

I probably would have told her that I can't do it since she did not notify me of the date change or charge her extra for the rush job. Thats how I can be sometimes. Hope she has already paid in full if she is a paying customer.

Wow, that's nice of you to do it on such short notice. Not sure if you're doing buttercream or fondant but what about getting a stamp of baby foot prints at the craft store. I'm not one to usually buy specialty items but it will be faster than fondant or hand painting.

One thing I would suggest that won't help you this time is to start investing in a second or third pan if you bake in 3 separate layers. Even if it won't fit in your oven, it is a time saver to have it ready to pop in when the first one comes out, then you can let it cool a little before turning it out and washing for the 3rd layer while the second bakes.

I bake in 2 layers, and I finally set up a commercial oven this year, but I have 6 6" and 8" pans, and 4 10" and 12" pans. 2 of eveything else from 3" to 16" in both squares and rounds. I bought them here and there over the years and now have quite the collection.

I'm sure you'll do just fine

that happened to me with a wedding cake once. FORTUNATELY, it was a pro-bono cake so no money was involved. I dealt entirely with the groom and he said he sent the change of date notice to my hotmail email. This was 'back in the day' when everything went thru my business email and I hardly ever ... let's say "never" ..... checked my hotmail (only about twice a month just to keep the address active).

he called the day of the wedding to see when I'd be delivering. I said, "Next week!" I was on my way out the door with another delivery. I have no idea what they did for a wedding cake.

Had a non-wedding catering once ... arrived at the venue and the organizer said, "Oh thank god you're finally here!" I said, "Actually I'm 15 mins early!" He then said they had changed the time and everyone was here ready to eat. I just very calmly started unloading my van and said, "Darlin' if you're going to change the time, you have to let the caterer know. Just let everyone know how you messed up the time and that we;ll be set up as soon as we can."

It happens. We hate it. But it happens.

well, for the benefit of those not in the UK it is now 11:55 and I've pretty much finished the two cakes. I have done the washing line thing on the front and back of the boy cake, not really sure what to put on the sides but I think it can wait until morning.

I'm feeling much better knowing I have almost a week to recover! I looked all over the place for a little footprint anything I could use but found nothing. There are quite a few shops in this town, but they all seem to sell the same stuff!

annabakescakes where on earth do you keep all that? My kitchen has gotten more and more untidy since I started this hobby because everything just piles up in cupboards lol I have no room for any other cake tins.

indydebi yeah I understand, I forgot to tell the DJ for my sons christening the time and date of the actual thing so when it came to the day I was having to try and find someone to come NOW lol.

She hasn't paid me anything yet lol she is just a friend of my boyfriend really. If I hadnt already had one cake cancelled this week because of the hospital thing I would have had to turn her down, but as it happened I could fit it in, but then again now I'm left feeling even more guilty for not doing the cancelled one for my boyfriends niece cos I would have had time.... anyway Its definitely time for bed now!!

anna, I'm hearing you on the double pans. This weekend I made my niece's wedding cake. Because I usually don't use bigger pans, I only have one of each. I have plenty of oven space, but no pans. It was one long baking session because of that.

I hear that! Just making a 2 tier cake takes me ages. If I had anywhere to put them I would double up on pans. In fact I think I'm gonna have to look into some kind of storage unit anyway so they can just go on the list of thongs I'd like!

I just mean like a cupboard unit or a cabinet or something. I only have a cupboard full of stuff plus cake pans, plus a few bits shoved in random drawers, but the cupboard I have to throw everything in, hold it there and slam the door then hope that by the time I open it again its settled and won't fall out lol. I have a 3 bedroom house, but its full of stuff. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old, and all their stuff, then in my bedroom I have piles of other stuff that I have nowhere to put I just have no room for anything. The only place I have cupboards is the kitchen which are full of kitchen stuff. I need a nag like Mary poppins....