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Original message sent by cazza1
I was being sarcastic guys but I would take the half iced cake for my hubby cos he doesn't much like the icing and scrapes half of it off. . .
See my own posts about naked pound cakes and intentionally unfrosted areas on all my family cakes.
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Original message sent by cazza1
I was being sarcastic guys but I would take the half iced cake for my hubby cos he doesn't much like the icing and scrapes half of it off.. Actually once I made a birthday cake for a lady in my parchment group and I was playing with sugarveil for only the second time and managed to wreck half of it. I didn't have enough to cover the whole cake so it was only on the front. She didn't care, said she was only looking at the font anyway and loved the roses and lace.
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Original message sent by jgifford
And you made another cake for her why?
After the camera cake incident,she mailed me an apology saying how everyone was wowed by the cake at the party. Well I guess I've learned my lesson well! :-(
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Original message sent by Hannahscakes
Sherox..seems like my situation where the cake looks great when it leaves my house and then they screw it up during transportation and blame it on us!!!
True,I'm also very weary of customers who send me hundreds of pictures and constantly call to check up or 'remind' something. They always have a diffent picture in their head and usually never completly happy with anything! So I make it very very clear what I can and cannot do ...like make the icing less sweet! :grin:
I've been following this thread on and off for laughs, but don't remember everything that's been posted so I apologize if someone has already posted this or something similar
so, this questions makes me chuckle all of the time and since it just happened again this morning, I'd thought I'd post it here:
Caller -- "are you available to do a birthday cake for June 8th"
Me - "I'm sorry, I'm already booked on that date"
Caller - "ok" hangs up
30 mins later....
Caller - "Hi I just called and asked about a birthday cake for June 8th, you said you were booked...would it make a difference if I picked it up on June 7th"
Me - "ahhh, unfortunately no..."
Of course, I gave her a nice explanation as to why, but it always makes me laugh because what I really want to say to these people is "yup, that would make all the difference because the days before I have multiple cakes going out, I'm not doing anything and I have loads of free time"
I've been following this thread on and off for laughs, but don't remember everything that's been posted so I apologize if someone has already posted this or something similar
so, this questions makes me chuckle all of the time and since it just happened again this morning, I'd thought I'd post it here:
Caller -- "are you available to do a birthday cake for June 8th"
Me - "I'm sorry, I'm already booked on that date"
Caller - "ok" hangs up
30 mins later....
Caller - "Hi I just called and asked about a birthday cake for June 8th, you said you were booked...would it make a difference if I picked it up on June 7th"
Me - "ahhh, unfortunately no..."
Of course, I gave her a nice explanation as to why, but it always makes me laugh because what I really want to say to these people is "yup, that would make all the difference because the days before I have multiple cakes going out, I'm not doing anything and I have loads of free time"
I get that request a lot too...I don't think they think it through, do they?
AI've been a lurker for several years, but I had to come out of my lair to say how much I enjoyed this thread!
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Original message sent by costumeczar
I get that request a lot too...I don't think they think it through, do they?
I had this (again, I get it about weekly) on Thursday. I've already been baking for about four hours for today's wedding cake, when I get a phone call. Asks me if I can do a baby butt cake to serve 50. Setting aside the fact that I don't do body part cakes because the thought of cutting into them weirds me out, I ask her what date she was looking for. Answer: "Saturday". I tell her, unfortunately no, I am completely booked for this weekend. Then she asks, well, I can pick it up on Friday, instead. The next day. The day I spent 16 hours on my feet only taking three 15 minute eating breaks because I was decorating today's 5 tier monster of a detailed cake. No. I usually will refer out any calls I get for booked days to other area bakers, but I wasn't going to subject anyone else to a last minute carved cake for 50, either. I think people really do think we pull cake out of magic hats. Either that or they've watched way too many episodes of 30-40 minute cake shows and really do think that's how long it takes. Sigh.
I do think they watch those cake shows and don't take in to account that they are seeing a very edited program. Not to forget that the cakes are already cooked and that they show 10 seconds of them crumb coating but not all the smoothing etc that goes on and the person in the background who has taken hours to make the decorations.
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Original message sent by cazza1
I do think they watch those cake shows and don't take in to account that they are seeing a very edited program. Not to forget that the cakes are already cooked and that they show 10 seconds of them crumb coating but not all the smoothing etc that goes on and the person in the background who has taken hours to make the decorations.
I've had people say to me "but it only takes an hour on tv" and they're completely serious.
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Original message sent by Pyro
[QUOTE name="costumeczar" url="/t/751860/things-not-to-ask-say-to-a-baker/1170#post_7397471"] I've had people say to me "but it only takes an hour on tv" and they're completely serious.[/QUOTE]
It's a little less then that since you don't have to stop while they play commercials...
I just did a cake last night that took 40 minutes, but it is a rare occurrence, so this really cracked me up!
AIf you only count hands-on time we regularly make complete cakes (small, basic BC only of course) from scratch in less than an hour.
AI like dank
Original message sent by Apti
F...u....n...n...y... post!
My first 2 tier cake was going in my car and a neighbor came by and "ooooh'd and aaaah'd" and said, "You should sell these! You could get lots of money!"
Yeah.......right...... That hobby cake only took about 30 hours.
Thank Goodness I only do this for fun. I might poke somebody's eye out if I had paying customers.
--------------------------
By the way, no need to use "moist" when describing your cakes. Here are some possible synonyms: damp - wet - humid - dank - soggy - dewy - watery
[I]HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA![/I]
I especially like dank.
I just did a cake last night that took 40 minutes, but it is a rare occurrence, so this really cracked me up!
I make simple cakes in less than an hour all the time, but when customers say that they're always talking about a 3-D car cake that plays the Star Spangled Banner from a hidden stereo system, with fireworks coming out the tailpipes.
AOk let's clarify. Y'all mean you assemble and decorate within an hour right? The cakes are already baked. Cos I don't see how you can go from ingredients to finished cake in one hour.
Ok let's clarify. Y'all mean you assemble and decorate within an hour right? The cakes are already baked. Cos I don't see how you can go from ingredients to finished cake in one hour.
Yeah, assemble and decorate. I've seen people say that they bake their cakes the morning of the event, but they're big fat liars. No way you'd be able to go from ingredients to final product in an hour.
I was being sarcastic about removing the time for the ads because like costumeczar said, a 3-D cake in an hour is not going to happen ( except on tv ).
But if you give me prepared cake layers and BC, I can fill, stack and decorate a simple 8in / 10in cake in less then 10 mins. I used to do 60'ish + other random stuff in a single shift at work. But someone prepared the all the fillings and someone else baked all the layers.
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Original message sent by vgcea
Ok let's clarify. Y'all mean you assemble and decorate within an hour right? The cakes are already baked. Cos I don't see how you can go from ingredients to finished cake in one hour.
We do go from ingredients to a finished and packaged cake in less than one hour of hands-on time. The elapsed time is obviously longer because of baking time and cooling time (during which we are working on other orders).
We do go from ingredients to a finished and packaged cake in less than one hour of hands-on time. The elapsed time is obviously longer because of baking time and cooling time (during which we are working on other orders).
An hour of hands-on time isn't what they mean, they mean an hour. But you know that, don't you 
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Original message sent by costumeczar
An hour of hands-on time isn't what they mean, they mean an hour.
I have recently started up my own cake decorating business. I had a family member who got a quote from another cake decorator on Facebook (It came up on the news feed as she commented on it..you know that new thing where everyone can now see what your doing)..after she had already asked me to do this cake back in Feb (cake wasnt needed until Nov)
I asked her why and she stated that she thought I "might not be able to do it...so was getting a back up"...
She hadnt even allowed me to try..
Since then she has changed her design and when I quoted her a price she decided she didnt want it and may even call the whole thing off (all this over a cake quote??)
Any one else had something like this happen?? It might just be because I'm a family member..she thinks she can have a go about the price..($150 for a two tier chocolate mud with a large fondant monkey and giraffe..jungle detail etc..hand painting..you know the drill...I think thats pretty cheap..but thats just me..)
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Original message sent by jason_kraft
Taking into account baking and cooling the elapsed time for a basic cake should be under two hours, so theoretically some cakes could be made available the same day if there is capacity. Of course that's not where you want to set expectations for customers, otherwise you will have a chaotic schedule. And again that's only for very basic cakes.
Jason,you're preaching to the choir. Tell us a story of a rude customer or something instead.
I get this one too! from family... like F*** off... this is my business.. how about support me and buy a damn cake!
jeeze
I get this too...not the receipie part but the lack of support..getting quotes from other cake makers without even asking or after asking then decidiing (themselves) that I wouldnt be able to complete what they want.
Or wanting "Mates rates.." if I lessened by price anymore for them I may as well do it for them for free...
Not a customer related story, but similar-
My local grocery store had Hershey's Milk Chocolate morsels on clearance for .99 per 12 oz.bag, I got all 67 bags (huge baking ingredients sale that week, I lucked out)
so anyway,
I get up to the checkout and this ditzy blonde teeny-bopper girl starts ringing me up; at about bag 11 I tell her, I have 67 if you just want to ring up the quantity key.
She says 'that works' then proceeds to ask me 'are you gonna do some baking with all of these chocolate chips?' to which I smart-assily reply-
"No, I was just gonna take them all home and open the bags up on my newly finished front porch and watch to see how long they would take to melt".
Yes, I said that and I don't regret it either. She just kinda looked at me, but the much older gentleman bagging the chips gave me a horrid look.
Oh, well!
Why on earth would you say that to someone...and why would that be top of the concern list..
This thread is both funny and makes me shake my head, wow! I make custom cakes part time and have a full time job. My nephew is getting married in 2 years after college and is planning the wedding and budget already, which is small since they will both be graduating. His fiancee asked if I would make the wedding cake for them, I told her that I would be happy to. I live in Texas, they live in Vermont, and I would be going there to attend the wedding anyway. But I wouldn't normally ship half my kitchen up there, so I wanted to get some details so that I could plan and let her know what to budget and if I could realistically do it for them.
She told me they were going to invite 200+ people. Before things could get out of control and assumptions made by anyone, I emailed her a few websites that showed how big a cake for that many people would be and how much it would cost, just so that she could understand the grand task that she was asking for. I knew that they wouldn't have that kind of money in the budget.
I made the suggestion that she let me make her a beautiful 2-3 tier 10"/8"/6" for the showcase cake that they cut and serve each other and immediate family/wedding party, that I would make sheet cakes of the same recipe that the caterer could keep in the back and cut and serve and no guest would be any the wiser. I said that I would kick in my time and $300 toward perishable/non-reusable ingredients and decorations, and I would transport my kitchen gear to VT to make the cake as my wedding gift to them. I said that anything above and beyond that, they would need to pay for (which means she would get the cake for free if she took my recommendations).
I wouldn't be working in my own kitchen, I wouldn't have the refrigerator or freezer space to make a cake for 200+ people, but I could do the smaller cake and the sheet cakes without too much problem. I thought it was a great offer, but I haven't heard back from her yet and it has been 2 months or so. I know the wedding isn't until 2015, but I would have expected some response, like "wow, that's so sweet, thank you, we will talk more as the event gets closer". Nothing! SMH
I think thats extremely generous of you considering you are going above and beyond.
Its quite rude for her to not even respond with at LEAST a thank you..
I had two calls on Sunday afternoon (don't ask me why I answered the phone, I don't know!). First person asked me if I could make a Bundt cake. Of course I can make a Bundt cake. When, what, where...? She needed it for Memorial Day. :( Before I could tell her that I was on vacay (NO! I don't know why I answered the phone!), she asked me if I specialized in Bundt cakes.
*sigh*
" I make all kinds of specialty cakes to suit my customers' needs."
"Oh, I want the place that specializes in Bundt cakes."
"Uhm, I think they have Bundt cake in the name..."
"They have Bundt in the name?"
(Am I being pranked? You know that there is a company that specializes in Bundt cakes, but you don't know that it's called Nothing Bundt Cakes? At this point I just want to hang up...but I persevere...) I feel like I'm in that scene from Big Fat Greek Wedding... "It's a BunnnnnT! "Boun?" "BunnT!"
Then I get a call asking if I can make cupcakes. Of course. When? "Today. I only need one for my daughter."
(Well King of Good Planning, why aren't you in your car hauling ass to the grocery store?)
Nope, can't make you one cupcake for today. I only bake to order...minimum order...blah blah blah. Yet I feel like I've somehow let him down. I stop answering and miss a call from a legitimate referral for a wedding cake. 
Sometimes ignorance is bliss and I’d rather not have had something said to me; I got a repeat order over the weekend but they didn’t say a word about their 1st cake so when I replied and confirmed the order I just started my email “hope the party went well last week; thanks for your new order…….”
The reply below made me wish I hadn’t asked….
“Lol well party was off to a wrong start; our cousin, he's only 5 was hiding under the table and when he jumped out the cake went with him!! Smashed on the floor before we even got a photo of it- was gutted lol….. but the bit was brilliant , and what was salvaged from the cake was gorgeous lol.”
:-( booooo! Flippin’ 5-yr-old!!!! *mental slap telepathically dealt*
…I’m having a new flavours trial with cupcakes this weekend so I’m going to drop her a wee half dozen…. I’ve been drawn in by heartstring plucking sob stories before like a big softie but I don’t think this is one of them - besides I can’t eat All the samples myself ;-)
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