Have you ever had a cake you thought was your best? You worked hard at it, you spent a lot of time on it, and you pushed yourself to do better than you had before only to find you didn't get much praise for it, at least not anymore than any of the normal cake praise you have gotten in the past? Then you make a very easy cake anyone could do, and you got tons of praise for it.
My best cake was a wishing well cake I tried to duplicate from a Wilton Yearbook. But it seemed like ordinary praise, although I had worked three days making daisies, the roof and the rest of it. Then I made cakes with frosting and plastic toys (some I've posted, some I haven't) and I get a lot of praise. What gives??
Just hoping to hear some good stories on this thread.
Brenda

I just come to realize that some people are just stupid. I never really knoew what it took to make a cake before I took my classes. Now I see it is alot of work. My brother never likes my cakes. But he is a moran anyway. He wouldn't know what a good cake was if it bite him in his butt. But for the most part I have got alot of praise for most of my cakes.

Definitely my pillar candle cake in my gallery. I spent hours on it for a family gathering. I had one person compliment me on it, then they scraped it down the garbage disposal! Took me days to get over that! I'm trying to develop thicker skin...My parents have a way of slamming you, then laughing like it's all a big joke. MY family, though, DH and kids, always support me, so I keep going...

I had just finished course 1 and my MIL was having a family get-together for mothers day/birthdays for a few people. I volunteered to make the cake. I made a two tier all chocolate cake, topped with roses, and drop flowers around the sides. This was the biggest cake I had made at the time and worked really hard on it. I was So pleased with how it came out. All I got was a 'Oh... that's nice'.
Since then there's been two family get togethers and they haven't hired my services... they went back to the grocery store.
My parents, hubby,sis are all Very supportive though, which definately helps the confidence.

My purple egg cake was planned for weeks. It was HARD. Took forEVER to do the jewels and plan the structure. Days to coat the pillow in royal icing. It didn't come out exactly like I wanted, but I thought it was pretty. My sister, for whom I baked it, hardly even noticed it. And ate maybe a slice. It molded eventually (it was a very moist carrot cake) and most of it went down the disposal. [sniff...sniff]

My family is so sick of cake that they don't even say anything anymore. I've improved slightly since starting but you would think the cakes I attempted to make before I knew anything were the best cakes in the world and now ehhhh, what do they care.

Crimsicle, I can imagine how hard that one was to do. Great job though. You had to use a lot of techniques to pull that off.
Shelbur10, that is a great cake also. I would have never thought of that one. I bet a lot of people would want that for people that sold candles. I once had a cake that looked like kitty litter. I had a hard time getting people to try it even though it tasted delicious. Maybe the candles were the same way, subliminally they thought it would taste waxy. (lol)

Yep, people can be so ungrateful. . .

Ha ha nglez09, I thought you wrote " YOU people are so ungrateful" as if we were just whining or something..........technically maybe we are........but oh well

i'd have to say my christmas wreath cake. i was so excited to find a tip i could use to pipe the pine needles that i couldn't wait to do it. the accents were fondant, painted with luster and i just thought it came out really cool.

it was for a friend of the family and when she picked it up she said it looks 'nice' and that was it. usually this woman freaks out over my cakes (she's easy to impress and i LOVE that i did a birthday cake for her about a month before and she shrieked about how gorgeous it was. funny thing is, i really wasn't happy with the outcome of that one. LOL

its so funny how things work sometimes.

Mine is my pirate map cake. It was my first time using fondant for anything other than cutouts, and I painted it with diluted brown food color and rolled it up to get the edges to curl. I freehanded the entire map, using food color markers for the first time. I was SO proud of it, but didn't get much reaction from any of the adults at the party. Although my nephew just loved it! Especially since I made tiny sharks in the water - he loves sharks. That was the piece he wanted. So as long as he and I were happy, I guess it really doesn't matter who else liked it, huh? I think sometimes, people are just "awed" by how much work went into it, so they aren't sure what to say. Or they feel inferior because they just buy a cake at the store. Which is silly, since everyone has their own talents.

You know I think the thing that makes cake decorating most worthwhile to us is the reaction people give us...and well compliments! We love to see people thrilled with the cakes we make because we put so much effort into them. Most of us dont get paid enough for our time, or even do them for free or a gift, so we rely on the praise to make it worth our time. I
am not sure "non cake decorators" realize this. And I hate to say it but sometimes people are jealous of compliments we get. I sort of get the feeling that my sil doesnt want me to bring cake to functions. I get assigned things like salad. Or she will decide to bring the dessert. I almost have to hint around about bringing cake. Oh well! At least we all understand that and generally we get our well deserved praise right here.

I am realizing that maybe I dont give out enough praise to others either. Note to self: Compliment others!

heres a good one... both cakes are in my photos. the one titled my favorite (with the rode arch) i worked on that cake forever and while i was well paid, i got nothing from the bride!! i mean when i posted it here i got so many wonderful posts that i felt alot better but when you dont hear from the customer, especially when it is a wedding cake you wonder if they hated it. the other cake was also a wedding cake in my photos, it was the skyline cake with the chocolate buildings around the sides, again great encourgement here but no reply to emails i sent bride,. huh! dont they know we live for the OHHS and AHHS! i NEED MY FIX!!!

ConfectionaryPerfection, If you didn't hear praise from the right people they are just IDIOTS!! Not just those two cakes, but your whole collection is wonderful. Feel very proud!

Like a few have already said. We love to bake and get our rewards not only from money but from the joy our cake brings. In my pictures was my second cars cake. This one was for a great nephew 1st B-Day I didn't really charge them It was mostly my gift. I based this cake on one I did earlier in the summer for another nephew. When I came up with the original idea. It really got to me I dreamt this cake. I got alot of praise no pictures turned out And a ton were taken. But the second one came along. I was paid cost?? and I again I took pics none of mine turned out. But the moms did. I never heard how they liked the cake from the adults. But the picture of the one year old getting his cake was worth a thousand in my book. He totally enjoyed the fun. To me that was more important. Than validation of my work. Does this make sense??

I Liked the Way my first Fondant Cake came out.
What I can't understand Why on the cakes I think look bad or at least not particulary nice, Get a lot of comments on how nice they look from people that don't usually say anything about my cakes. And the ones I really like (not all ways but often) only get minimum comments from the people that comment on all my cakes.

P.S Not comments on Cake Central. Comments from people that see the cakes in person.

I get this every time I make cakes for my in-laws. I made the basket cake with the lid and flowers in my pics for my sister-in-law's birthday, and all they said was "where are we supposed to put the candles?" (Gee, let me show you . . . UGH!). I also made the grill one in my pics for another gathering, and they couldn't stop ranting and raving about my sister-in-law's banana pudding (made from a box) and I ended up throwing away all of my cake. THey never ate one bite. Very irritating! I could go on and on. My husband loves the look of my cakes, but he won't eat them. I don't take it personally though. He just doesn't like cake! My kids eat them up though!!!!!

The last cake I did took three days. It is the boat cake in my pics. All I got from the birthday man was "thanks". I really thought I would get a little more than that! (And yes, I am whining, and yes, I need validation and compliments because I don't get paid much, if any, for my cakes.)

Oh well. Life goes on. And so does the decorating.

I can totally understand the whole in-law thing. Since I've taken up cake decorating I'm the new favorite daughter-in-law, aunt, cousin, niece, you fill in the blank. Everyone wants a cake for their special occasion but no one wants to pay for it. It is always just assumed that I will bring a cake and it will be my gift to them. Once in a while I can handle that, but once I would just like someone to offer to pay at least for my costs. I will say that they all appreicate my cakes and they usually get lots of praise, but sometimes that just isn't enough.... I guess you gotta love em'

Well, I have been checking out all your pictures, and I think everyone's cakes are wonderful! I usually get lots of compliments on my cakes. My sister does cakes also, and she made one for our brother and his wife (for one of their kids). Our SIL said she would pay her for this cake, and never did. My sister asked me if she should bring up the subject of payment to our SIL, and I told her just to drop the subject. She probably never intended to pay for the cake. From now on, ask for the money right then and there, because you won't get it later!

I made the yellow square cake with the grape vines on it from the Wilton Course 1 book right about the time I was finishing the class. I made it specifically because we had relatives coming from far away. I finished it right as they got to the house. Everyone came and looked at it and said ''oh, that's nice'' and I told them specifically that I made it because they were coming. So they all went and sat down and no one ate any.

I was so mad

So then after they left, I cut it up and made everyone else who was still here eat it and tell me how good it was. LOL


the worst part was that it was before i discovered another buttercream besides the wilton kind. lol.

It is always just assumed that I will bring a cake and it will be my gift to them.

I totally agree! However, I'm expected to bring a gift in addition to doing the cake for free!