I have to vent please...I've had my first official disaster since I've started making cakes for people 17 months ago...

I have a huge cake order for this weekend - I'm making 5 three-dimensional bug cakes to feed 65 people. It's very involved, but I'm very excited about doing it. Unfortunately me and my two kids (2 and 7 months) have all had colds for the past week. The week before that I was suffering from horrible migraines...so needless to say I'm very behind.

On Sunday my elderly neighbors asked me to make a cake for them for Thursday (even though they know we've all been sick and I have a big order this weekend)!! I tried to tell them no (listing all of the above reasons) but somehow they wouldn't take no for an answer! They insisted it didn't have to be decorated or anything - just a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing.

Okay, no problem. I've made a red velvet from scratch 3 times before, and every time it came out great. Well, not today. It's too dry. What's worse - the cream cheese icing is too thin - I've added 2 extra pounds of confectioners sugar, and the consistency is still runny. What have I done wrong? Even though I knew what would happen, in my exhausted/delirious state I still torted this 8" round and covered it with this runny icing. Is cream cheese supposed to turn to soup at room temperature? Of course the layers are sliding off of one another. So just now I stuck it in the fridge, hoping that the icing will "harden" a little bit. I'll stick some fall royal icing flowers on top and when I bring it to them tomorrow I'll refuse any form of payment (which I wanted to do anyway).

Now I'm too exhausted tonight to make the 14 cups of buttercream that I need for this weekend's cakes.

Lessons learned: no matter what, don't bake scratch cakes - they're too unpredictable! Stick with my icing recipes that are tried and true, and stay away from cream cheese! And JUST SAY NO when I can't do a cake! Even if it's the nice old folks across the street who are asking!

I understand completely. Although I've found an excellent cream cheese icing that works as well as my buttercream. It's from Earlene's website. I think we all have days where things just don't work. I recently did a pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing(first time making it) and the cake fell apart. Then I put too much water in the icing and it was runny. It'll get better I'm sure.

You poor thing.....I hope you feel better soon. Yes, we've all had those days! I too just recently told my sister I would help her out at the medical office she manages. Only two days a week, but one of those days is Thursday and that's usually a VERY big cake prep day for me n' all with all the weekend party cakes. I have three cakes due Friday, 3 dozen cupcakes due tomorrow night (just pulled them from the oven) and have no idea how I'm going to manage....AND I'm down to only 3 eggs! Take care of yourself and get lots of rest after your busy weekend coming up....and GOOD LUCK!

Awww I feel so bad for you hun But I was there too. Friday was my true Friday the 13th I think it waited for me lol.

Mom called at about 12 noon and asked me if I could bake two mixes she has from this company. They are a "well" known company and are very expencive. I myself don't like them nor recommend them. Our family has had nothing but problems with stuff from this company why she keeps buying I don't know lol.

Anyway last year, the fudge went liquid and didn't come back lol. This year... friday.. I made Lemon bars well I misread the directions I had two boxes side by side and the muffins box called for 1 cup water, the lemon bars called for 2 TBS water. I guess my eyes split in half lol and I put 2 cups of water in the lemon bars Well needless to say this wasn't the end of it.

I called mom left a message at work for her to call me we had an issue. While this issue was happening my brand new silicone muffin pans were in the oven with cinnimon melt muffins in them and all this smoke!!! Tons of it - it stank up the house bad! I had the windows open even though it was only 43* outside and even the mail woman asked if something was burning so needless to say I took them out and yes indeed they were burnt. WHY?! I went around all my webbies and asked for assistance and no one knew why. I emailed the woman I bought them from she said they never did that with her. So my 7 year old now owns some really expencive silicone PLAY DOUGH Muffin Pans lmbo!

Mom said it's ok just make the brownies. So I did. Well I was happy with them they came out alright but!! by the time mom got home and got packed and ready to head out.... she asked me to cover with foil to take with her for her weekend away with her high school friends... well they had shrunk since I took them out of the oven so now they were slightly pulled away from the alluminum pan they were baked in for easy transporting and then they sunk down some in the middle. So I asked her when they came home last night did everyone like them she said yes they all loved them they were delish! Well she had 3 left so it seemed to me no one liked them but she said they had other things to snack on as well.

Well since it was a box mix and I didn't do anything but add water and eggs to it I didn't put my sticker on it or request mentioning of my business and I'm kind of thankful because I don't think it was good enough to be given or shared with other people But she says they were delcious and I just hope they were.

I made 3 cakes this weekend for my daughters class party tomorrow and I did the proper thing and tasted the tops after I cut them off lol. Hubby and Baby girl said they were great! Nice and moist! Now that's the kind of cake I like passing out lol.

Thanks for letting me vent and believe me hun we all have our bad days!!! Friday just wasn't my day to be in the kitchen and even though I had to get these 3 cakes done by Sunday evening when mom and dad came home, I wasn't touching it Friday night lol I let it wait until Saturday. Sometimes it just helps a little to run to your room, close your door, lock it if need be, cover your mouth with your pillow and scream all those dirty little words you wouldn't want your little old neighbors to ever hear you say lmbo. Works everytime!!! If it doesn't help blame the husband lmbo