Hello CC fam. I had privilege this weekend of attending a friend's bday party. Of course, me being a cake fiend, I couldn't wait to see the cake table when I got there. Boy, was I shocked!!! I am by no means as good as the majority of the CCers, but I KNOW I could've done a better job than that. I took pix but won't post them because I don't want to offend the person if they are a member of this site. Now, where do I start?
Cake was a 3 tiered cake with a popular gambling town (again, don't want to give too much info) theme with the main color being yellow.
1. The cake icing was visible through the bottom tier as if enough icing wasn't used.
2. Edible images were used on the top tier of the cake. I couldn't make out the images even though I knew it was supposed to be the bday girl. I guess they just weren't transferred to the cake properly.
3. The top tier had 2-3 dowel rods sticking out from the cake to hold up the thick piece of icing (I guess that's what it was) that had Happy Birthday "Name Omitted" on it. It looked like a cut out piece of frozen buttercream or something with the name done in an edible image or something. But I was horrified to see the dowel rods sticking out of the cake like that! I'm not a cake snob at all, but I would try my hardest to represent us better especially if we are demanding $225 for a cake. I played stupid and asked who made the cake and asked how much does she charge and she said $225 based on the fact that the cake serves 100. She proceeded to give me a lesson on the difference between BC and fondant and I just listened and I then told her I do cakes as a hobby and I make my own fondant and she looked at me like I'd slapped her.
4. Now for the coup de grace: I asked her about marketing and she said she doesn't, it's all word of mouth. And I then asked where was her shop and she told me she does it from home!! Well, well, well. I was speechless because she didn't know me from Adam yet she's telling me she's baking from home with no hesitation. I honestly don't think this woman knows the laws of Texas because if she did, I would think she would've been a little more hesitant to just blurt that info out
Don't get me wrong, I know we have to do what we have to do to survive, but she told me she has a full time job and does this on the side. I personally know that I'm not as good as I'd like to be so I'm always self-conscious when I take a cake to a gathering or something. I would NEVER have felt comfortable selling a cake leaning to the left, with dowel rods sticking out and chocolate cake showing through the icing. I'm just saying. I do it because I love it, not because I'm trying to make a quick buck. Personally, that's what I saw when I saw that cake. I was ashamed to be a cake decorator at that moment. And with the way the cake looked, I would've been even more ashamed to charge $225. That's just me. If I'm being a snob, let me know because that's not my intent. I just hope that when I do open for business, I don't get so caught up in money that I don't deliver a good product. Oh, and the lady said she doesn't market because people who know her know they're getting a "quality product". Wow!

"It's all fun and games until it shows up on CakeWrecks!"

Now I wanna see a pic. haha.

Well I guess its just a reminder for us to do our best for EVERY customer, no matter what (which I try to do as well! From home, but legally!) I do not personally have a lot of extra money but I do charge "a lot" for my cakes...so I always try to make them "worth" the money even though I'd never personally be able to afford my cakes...haha...I try to make them to where hopefully the customer has no regrets!

In my town this would be a 'Home Occupation' and it can be done. I live outside of ft. Worth.

I know how you feel. I go somewhere and find I have to look at the cake or deserts. I have had the same shocking experience. And feel so sorry for the host. Some would say I was upset that they didn't use me for the event, but no, I feel bad when it is a big event and the centerpiece looks bad. And the family was forced into having aunt mary who used to do cakes make it and then charge a huge fee for her time and ingredients. I have seen this more than I care to think in our local church groups. One lady frosted the whole wedding cake in royal icing. Had to make the first cut! And the last wedding cake looked like a coffin. No kidding an actual coffin.
So expect to see more of these and they might show up on cake wrecks.

Maybe I'm old school, but I'm a big believer in that old adage: "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." Sounds like this cake really bothered you though. Did you talk to the baker about your concerns and encourage her to keep practicing and to investigate the local laws to ensure she's in full compliance with health standards? Was your friend happy with the cake that she received? What we, as cake devotees, judge as acceptable can vary widely and be far more particular than what the general public considers to be quality work. I know that I've been hyper-selfcritical quite frequently, finding flaws in the most minute of details, while others have been very happy with what I've created. Not to say that the cake doesn't sound to have had its issues; I just hope that those who find flaws in my work share my belief in keeping criticisms to themselves unless shared in a constructive fashion, especially in a public forum like CC.

I totally know where you're coming from, CrumblesConfections. I'm just a hobby baker, and not the most practiced one at that, but I have been to quite a few parties/events to see a cake that I know I could've done better. Mostly it inspires me to practice, practice so that maybe in a few years once my girls are in school I can venture out to the business land of cakes. Some part of me though is disappointed in whomever made it.

I honestly don't see a problem with some criticizing, public or not. Who else is going to better understand your criticisms than people on this website? It's not the like the cashier at Walmart is going to get it. Or the dentist. People here are familiar with what it takes to do a cake, and what is quality work. I feel like people are getting ripped off when I see a situation like the above mentioned one, and it strikes me as bad business. Whether legal or not (obviously legal is preferred) you still should provide a quality cake. Of course people's opinion of what is quality will differ. An uneducated person to cake decorating won't understand the fine craft and details that it takes, and most likely will be happy with what is mediocre though they are blown away because it's nothing they could do themselves. But put that same person into their own profession, whatever it may be, and mediocre isn't good enough.

So strive for the best, and if something is eating you up share it with the people who understand.

Last one that drove me nuts was a bland yellow cake, with weird chocolate icing, covered in black fondant full of holes with a weird edible image on top that was supposed to be an ipod. $140 for a 13x9.

It's not like she charged $10 per serving.
$225 might seem like a lot of money but that breaks down to $2.25 per serving,assuming there wasn't a delivery fee or any other fee included in that.
Price usually goes hand in hand with quality.

Honestly I wouldn't ask the person that bought the cake anything about her transaction with the other person. It isn't really your business if she liked or didn't like the cake or how much she even paid for the cake.

As was said above, we as cakers see a lot of things that other people don't see, notice or care about. With out a picture it is hard to tell if what you notice was minor in the whole scheme of things. And I'm not asking to see a picture, because I feel it is a wrong to post a picture of someone elses work and put it down. I would hate to be a caker and come across a post like this of me work.

In hide sight, I would suggest that next time instead of waiting to tell someone else you do cakes until after you pump them for information, you should do it before. Maybe she was taken aback because you asked her a bunch of questions, price, marketing and where her shop was loacted, then said oh yeah, I do cakes too. I'm not sure why you even asked about marketing and the location of her shop? Obviously it wasn't to help her out by saying, hey did you know it is actually illegal to sale cakes out of your home in Texas?

Again I wasn't there to hear the whole converation, and all we are getting it one side of things here. But I realy don't blame the lady for clamming up on you.

As far as the quality of her work, maybe she was proud of it? Maybe she is semi new to cake decorating and that was the best she could do?

I have alot of students that do cakes for their family and friends, and while to me there is always room for improvement their family and friends love the cakes they get. It isn't my place to judge them on the quality of decorating.

Its hard to comment on others work when its subpar and not come off sounding like sour grapes. I think your post was polite and it was good of you not to post pictures just in case (although Id love to see them!) Did the cake taste good? I can forgive terrible decorating if the taste knocks my socks off kwim? My favorite place to order take-out is a little hole in the wall but they serve the BEST general chicken in the world. I'll gladly pay an arm and a leg to eat it too.

Even if she is a really good friend of yours, I'm not sure what asking how she felt about the cake accomplishes? If she said she loved the cake, are you going to agree with her, or point out the flaws you saw? If you aren't selling cakes, and she is happy with the cake person she used/uses, then I would leave it be. Even if she isn't happy with the cake, what happens? Ya'll sit there and pick it apart?

Some people think their decorating is grand when others may find it lacking. And some people break the law purposely when it comes to selling cakes or don't know /understand the laws. In my opinion what she does at the end of the day is her business and she has to live with it. If she isn't producing quality work, she will either lose customers or get people that don't really care for a perfect cake, especially if she is on the low end of pricing.

None of that should really affect your life.

I totally understand coming here and sharing stories. But at the same time you have to remember that everyone else has opinions as well and they will also share them.

The general public is going to think what they think about cake decorators. But as we said before, they don't notice nearly as much as we do. They don't focus on a cake like we do. They don't look at each little bitty part of a cake like we do. They just don't see the things we see. Unless the cake is falling apart, falling down, or just down right horrible, they see, "oh its a cake." Now family of cakers fall into a different group, because they fall somewhere in the middle.

People will see cakes and say oh I want a cake like that, or nah, I really wouldn't buy that cake. I don't think they judge all cake people based off of one person. Or judge all cakes based off one one cake.

Stupid, sexy, double post.

Don't know what happened but I only hit "submit" once and got all those replies. Sorry.

Cakes are tough to do, and is why I use to strictly make leave in the 9x13 pan cakes with easy to do decorations! Only recently have I colored outside the lines of my usual self. In fact posting pictures at CC of the recent cakes I have done created HUGE anxiety issues for me, and wouldn't have if it weren't for what I read here or without my DH's encouragement. Luckily people here are and have been very helpful for which I am very grateful! Criticism is also another tough thing. Constructive criticism is helpful if done from a good place by the giver, and can really change the receivers life when good constructive criticism is given and received. Constructive criticism is as much of an art as is creating cakes. Practice, practice, practice and more practice! The situation outlined seemed to have taken the OP such by surprise that other insight was being sought to see if she was on target or not. Though without pictures or having heard the conversation it is hard to make an assessment, and sadly we cannot hear intonation, sincerity, etc in posts. They are just typed words without sound or visuals. I agree with the OP that CCers have seen it all, done the rest and most importantly understand. Every situation becomes a lesson learned. Keep sharing and caring CCers it is appreciated and has more impact that you may be aware that it does