I finshed a small 2 tier and transported it for 25min in my 2door altima sport in the passenger seat with towels underneath to keep it level. This was about halfway, the customer met me halfway. She is also a friend from work. The whole way i felt the cake was sturdy and i even accidentaly drove over a couple of small potholes. Cake had dowels for support.

So we met and i even placed the cake in her lap to make sure they would have no problems and explained to go slow, keep level, bumps, and turns. It was made with fondant so i also told her to hold the cake in a specific spot if needed for extra support and it wouldnt do any damage to the cake at all.

Next thing you know i am just getting home and get a text saying the cake "just fell apart" and they "werent even going fast". She seemed really upset but didnt ask for a refund. It sounded like maybe she wanted me to offer one but i havent. I did offer to drive out right away to try to fix it with some of the left over fondant but by the time she responded she said they had already cut into it.

She is a friend of mine from work and dont want to lose her business but i also dont feel any of it was my fault. Dont know what to do? Should i offer a future discount?

What should i do? Any opinions??

Did you have a dowel going down through the middle of the cake? You said it had dowels for support but did you also put the top layer on cake circles? You should never have a client hold the cake, it should have been put in the back on a level surface. Looks like the driver suddenly stopped or started too fast from a stop ( I learned the hard way about this) . If it is a client you don't want to lose, I would offer a small discount on a future order IMHO

If it was intact when you handed it to them, the problem is theirs. period. I would have recommended against it being on someone's lap, and advised it needed to be on the floor either in the front, with the passenger riding in the back seat, or in the emptied trunk.

They clearly did not hold it level, and had in in their lap. Laps are not level because the seats are not level.

Don't feel guilty. You owe them NOTHING.

... Also, they were not that upset as they cut into it and ate it. I think they did feel some guilt and wanted to spread some of that around.

No it didn have the one going through the cake because the top tier is a 6" with the sides carved off to shape like and oval and the bottom is an 8" also with the sides carved off. Yes the top and bottome both were on cake circles with the sides trimmed to fit he size of the cake as well..

And i had no other choice but to set in her lap bc her boyfriend was driving and she had a baby in a carsat and 2 ppl in back seat

That cake doesn't look like it collapsed, it looks like I tore apart from either a sudden stop/acceleration or from being on a big angle.

I would think that even if the back straw dowels slipped when you hit the bumps that as the cake would not have been that heavy it still wouldn't have done that much damage, more likely just dinted the fondant on the lower cake? 

Just curious - what are all the thin kebab sticks around the edge of the cake, inside the fondant for?

A small dowel down through the middle would have helped keep the top tier on.  I just suggested a small discount to make the client feel better.

srry had to get on desktop, my phone wont post my full responses...

but do you think it would have made much of a difference with the dowel going through both tiers in this specific scenario? im still not sure what to do?

I hated putting it in her lap but there was no other space in the car to put it

I feel horrible that this happened to her but something inside me feels like it wasn't the structure??

I guess what makes it harder is that I know this person for a few years now  and im not sure if maybe this is clouding my judgement?

i figured the kabob sticks were just a good extra measure (just in case) to keep them from bending the fondant edges over so much when being handled and the color matched the fondant

Was it thoroughly chilled when you set off from home? 

Too many things can go wrong once you've handed it over - especially if the client doesn't take care with it. You can't control anything once they've got their paws on it, so you can't be held responsible. I think I have wording to that effect on my website or in my contract - once it's left my workshop or I've set it up at the wedding venue, then I'm not responsible for anything that's happened.

I know my structural supports are solid and that the cake is thoroughly chilled up until the minute before it goes in their car. I tell them that the best spot for it is the front passenger footwell floor. I tell them to keep the air con cranked and that they need to drive like Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy.

I have delivered wedding cakes that are 3-4 tiers tall, some already fully stacked and assembled, some with double barrel tiers, in the middle of Aussie summers (hot hot hot!) and have gone over speedbumps, potholes, etc and have not had anything like the above happen - everything (so far, touch wood!!) has made it to the venue in the same state that it left my cake studio in.  As an aside, I've travelled with many many cakes on my lap as my big multi-tiered cake box doesn't fit on our footwell floor - no issues (again, so far and touching wood!!). I'm saving up for a minivan with lots of floor space!

I can only imagine that they were not pretending to Drive Miss Daisy and were leaning more towards the Speedracer end of the driving style spectrum!

Personally, I would not have added the kebab sticks - they don't really add any structural support to the cake. Or if using them, then only while the fondant was drying out and then, once firm, I would've removed them. I think a toothpick for each animal/character would've been all I did asides from the normal dowelling.

I wouldn't worry too much more about it if I were you. I don't think it was anything you did. Your cake was gorgeous!

xx

I get it, car was full. But you still did nothing wrong.

Future reference, when this happens again, make sure there is something on the person's lap that will fill the space and prop the cake so it is level, the same way you did on your seat. It could be purse, sweater, small stuffed animal, etc.

cutest cake ever -- seriously -- and I'm sorry that happened -- most miserable thing to have happen --

just checking here -- how did you cut your dowel:

1. did you insert and clip them individually to the height of the cake top

2. did you insert one as the measure to cut the others by

and i think you prepped your client well for their half of the trip -- well done --

and fwiw i have carried countless zillions of cakes on my lap --

actually i had a little gift cake slide once -- it was sitting by itself leveled on the front seat -- i was driving one way and it was traveling the other ha! it was for a funeral meal -- i repaired or re-baked if memory serves -- it happens -- rarely though thank goodness

I agree, that is a really cute cake.

just curious,,, may I ask what do you charge  for a cake like that? it was beautiful! you did a fantastic job!

I would never hand over a cake like that, too many things can go wrong (as you've found out)! You should instruct all customers to have a clean, flat space to hold the cake-if they show up without it, and I saw I would find the best place for it. Cold cakes travel much easier, as someone stated above. In my humble opinion, as professionals, it is our job to anticipate things like this and figure out how to avoid them-that's a large part of what we are paid for, our experience.

Any pickups should be boxed and chilled, I also provide a small circle of nonskid liner and help them to the car if I have time if not I remind them to place on a flat surface. Again, just a recommendation! Just assume they know nothing, not in a rude way, but in your mind-it could possibly avoid a small issue turning into a big one!

After-all we are in the business of making people happy

That is the cutest cake ever! I'm so sorry it was ruined. I've always heard to never put it on a lap, so I strive hard to find any flat floor surface.

Question for everyone saying to chill it. All I've heard is never refrigerate a fondant cake, and then I always hear everyone say to chill it before giving it to the customer? What am I missing?

You can place a fondant covered cake in the fridge, but don't touch the fondant as it comes to room temperature. 

yeah, it's hard to understand.  and yes, the newest thought on this subject are that you can refrigerate a cake covered in fondant.  As the previous poster said, just don't touch it at all in any way until it has come to room temp and all the 'sweat' has evaporated.  Even then try not to touch it at all if possible.  many have tried to wipe away the beads of water only to leave a dull spot or much worse.  That's why people thought fondant should not be refrigerated.

When my clients opt to transport their cake I always stress to them to put the cake on a flat surface like the floor of the vehicle, preferably in the back. NEVER on their lap or on the seat. When I deliver the cakes myself, I have never had a problem. The only time there has ever been problems is when the clients had the cakes on their lap or on the seat. This looks like it was sat at an angle. 
Next time let your clients know that if they opt to pick up their cakes, it's not your responsibility if it ends up collapsing during transport. 

Also, I always inform my clients before they pickup to have room for the cake in the vehicle. I let them know how big the box is to make sure. If they come with a car full of people, it's not my problem. lol.

Were you dowels cut to the exact height of the bottom tier or did they stick above it? If they were above it with no dowel down thru the middle , I would think this would cause a sliding problem. Please , please don't think I think you made your cake wrong, It is adorable!! I'm just trying to come up with a reason why it  slid to help you avoid future problems. I also think it was driver error tho. 

I have a clause in my contract that says if they pickup or transport their own cake, I assume no responsibility for damages. 

Again, I don't mean any disrespect, just hoping to avoid issues in the future. 

It's our job to inform our customers, help anticipate needs/potential problems.

I just don't think it's as simple as saying 'when it leaves your hands it's not your problem'. This isn't directed at you specifically, most people think that way-and in most instances I believe that to be true as well. However, setting a cake in someone's hands, without a box is setting yourself (and more importantly your customer) up for disaster-or a potential one! 

Word of mouth is one of our best forms of advertising. We are in the customer service business, we should always be trying to exceed their expectations in order to grow/maintain our reputations-especially in this over saturated market. 

Consider it a learning experience, things happen we can't always account for. Good luck, I hope this is helpful. 

this cake was in a box -- maybe you just mean that all cakes should be in boxes -- oh yes i completely agree although this one was anyway in the picture at least

It was intact when you gave it to her.  I have had a chocolate cake do that, however, when it was stacked.  Learned my lesson!  Only use chocolate pound cake recipe if the bottom tier is to be chocolate.  Problem solved!

The photo definitely does look like the cake received an abrupt jolt, like a sudden stop or take off, certainly not "collapsed".  You seem to be struggling with the situation since the client is a co-worker.  In the spirit of good customer service and keeping a happy atmosphere at work (and insuring she continues using your business), I would explain that I did not know what happened, but would happily offer a discount on THE NEXT order, not this one.  That way, you have made a good will gesture and hopefully, made your client/co-worker feel better and opened the door for future business.  Adorable cake, by the way!