Wedding Cake Disaster

Decorating By KimAZ Updated 24 May 2006 , 11:41pm by frankandcathy

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KimAZ Posted 21 May 2006 , 5:46am
post #1 of 10

UGH!!!! Do you laugh? Do you cry? icon_cry.gif Do you scream your own fool head off? icon_eek.gif Do you believe the person or blame yourself? icon_redface.gif These are just a few things I've been doing since my wedding cake disaster this weekend. icon_surprised.gif

I made a fairly simple wedding cake, 6" & 10" stacked rounds. I did put dowels in the bottom tier but had issues with it being completely flat so two dowels were actually taller to compensate for the height difference. This was my first mistake. Hindsight is always 20/20, isn't it?

The lady is an hour and a half late to pick it up so I was already irked at her. ( Do people think we don't have a life and have all the time in the world to wait around? icon_mad.gif ) She didn't even say one word about how the cake looked either. Nothing! I reminded her about driving slowing, etc etc. Second mistake...should have just delivered it in the first place. I put the cake (in a cake box) in her van and it was kind of wedged straight down between two seats. I even thought to myself right then that she had better be super careful when she took it out. Twenty minutes later she calls me saying "We have a problem!" icon_eek.gificon_eek.gificon_eek.gif I start to feel my heart pound out of my chest with that panic feeling. She tells me the top tier " fell " off!!!! WHAT?!?!?!?! Did I mention my blood pressure just sky rocketed? She said it slid off the bottom tier, had a big chunk that fell off, crushed part of the bottom tier and wanted to know if I could fix it.

I had her bring it back and proceeded to spend an hour scraping off the mess, building up the missing section with frosting and refrosting at least half the cake. Then another full hour repiping the design and borders as best as I could. I did add a center dowel, all the while praying that when I pounded it in that the whole flippin' thing didn't crack completely in half. icon_surprised.gif Then I delivered it to her as I didn't trust her again.

So that brings me to this.....I'm quite sure part of it was my fault for not putting a center dowel in. But I guess I'm in denial because I've done the same size cakes and even bigger ones in the past with no center dowel, delivered them myself nearly 2 hours away and had no problems at all.

I want to blame her for driving crazy or slamming on the brakes or something but she says she didn't. ( hummm...... icon_rolleyes.gif ) OR maybe when she went to pick it up out of the car, she tilted the box.....I'll never know but I just can't think that top tier just slid off for no reason.

When I delivered it, the lady's husband was there to show me where to set up the cake and he said it looked great and even asked where the messed up part was. That made me feel good because he couldn't even tell! Hopefully the bride and groom liked it. So the morale here is to center dowel and deliver cakes yourself.

If you got this far, thanks for letting me vent!
KimAZ

9 replies
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kelleym Posted 21 May 2006 , 5:50am
post #2 of 10

Awww, what a horrible experience! It sounds like you saved the day in the end, though. I've got a 'delicate' cake later this week that I've been debating delivering or having the customer pick up -- I think you've just made up my mind for me! icon_smile.gif

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Molly2 Posted 21 May 2006 , 5:52am
post #3 of 10

Good For You!

Molly2

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knoxcop1 Posted 21 May 2006 , 5:56am
post #4 of 10

OH..MY..GOBS! You poor thing...

Yep, I'm with ya' on the delivery thing. HOWEVER--YOU are NOT RESPONSIBLE for what happens with that cake after it leaves YOUR HANDS!!

Don't let this lady bring you down. Seems to me she could have been more...gracious...and at least could have complimented you on the cake at first sight. rrrrr.....

Gotta center dowel those things, and get 'em good and cold before traveling, too. That always seems to work for me.

I try to "foresee" anything that COULD happen, and then I *try* to remember to say a prayer of thanks that it didn't.

I'm very proud of you for holding your head about you, and being able to do "damage control!"

Best to you,
--knox--

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antonia74 Posted 21 May 2006 , 6:12am
post #5 of 10

This story is so true!

Why is it when people are given a cake box they lose all common sense?

I've watched people put delicate 2-tier wedding cakes in trunks instead of on the passenger's laps (as I instruct), grab boxes hard from the sides (duh!!) and practically turn boxes on their sides when they pick them up.

Now I always give the same 3 instructions:

1) pretend the box has a glass of water in it and keep it flat!

2) drive like an old man on Sunday

3) go over speed bumps SLOWLY

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kirahhh Posted 21 May 2006 , 6:21am
post #6 of 10

What a Horror story. Thats so sad thou, but least you were able to fix it. I dont think I could ever do a Wedding cake! No way! I would trust nobody buy myself to deliver this type of important cake.

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coffeecake Posted 21 May 2006 , 6:34am
post #7 of 10

Ohh I feel for you! I would be having all those emotions too! I am impressed that you were able to fix the cake - and get complements! The lesson of hte day - Live, learn, and transport your own cakes!

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keonicakes Posted 23 May 2006 , 4:18am
post #8 of 10

This is everyone's worst nightmare! My son once told a bride the night before her wedding that I broke her cake! Well it was true, but I fixed it. Cracked and cratered 16" base. I've been known to put my Bibe in my car next to the cake and drive about 30 mph down the hwy with my hazard lights on. I know, I'm a little or alot a nut job when it comes to wedding cakes as all eyes are on it and not so much the bride at the reception. You have moved up to the ranks of cake surgeon now. Congrats!

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rezzygirl Posted 23 May 2006 , 4:30am
post #9 of 10

Wow what a story! Too bad about all that extra work. I'm fairly new at sold cakes, so I still feel attached to each one. So when that phone rang, I know my heart would have sunk. But you handled it very professionally GOOD FOR YOU! You should have gotten way more appreciation for that!

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frankandcathy Posted 24 May 2006 , 11:41pm
post #10 of 10

Sounds like you did a great job fixing it. One of the things I do when I carry cakes in a box is put a small piece of that "shelf liner" non-skid stuff down. It's really cheap at Wal-Mart, Big Lots, Dollar General, etc. It keeps boards from sliding.

Good job on the recovery!

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