Hi Amy, sorry that you had such a stressful experience with this cake and sorry you've gotten such a bashing on this forum. Even when you realised the mistakes you made, some people insist on rubbing salt in wounds. You've taken it on the chin even though it's soul destroying the way you've been torn apart, which says a lot about your character.  Please do not give up on your dreams.  We all had to start somewhere and we've all made lots of mistakes along the way. Chin up Amy - you'll do great.

In the top picture the bottom tier had a design on both sides...In the second pic it didn't

Batter Up, I'm sure it was just another side of the cake.  It's def. the same one.

Hmm..Well there is only one floweron the top tier, but I suppose she could have moved it. There is no decorations in the mirror reflection. I guess it could have been the left side...I just found it odd

Remember she had to unstack, and redo lot of the bottom tier, so it was probably rotated. It is definitely the same cake, just re-worked quite a bit.

As far as the 'bashing' comment, I saw a tiny bit of snark, but for the most part people really going out of their way to explain the issues they saw, and doing so in an honest manner. Sugar coating something like food safety is very unwise.

Kudos to the OP for taking it all in stride. I guess as long as nobody got sick, the bride was happy and you learn from it, like you say you have, cest la vie.

AYes I had to turn the bottom tier and make the side of the cake the front. When the top 3 tiers shifted forward the weight of them squished the front of the cake. I tried to pushed the squished sides back up as much as possible with the fondant smoother that way when I put the top 3 tiers back on it wouldn't be totally lopsided and fall. But it obviously did not go back to the original height and that is why I had to cut the dowels down about 1/8", before I could put the other tiers back on top. Once I used the smoother to push the cake up there was no fixing the piping so that is way I used the side of the cake for the front.

AYou can't accept money if you're not licensed. You're a horrible person if you break any rules. It's on every thread I've read. It seems like any and every new baker is ripped to pieces on here. I understand the OP made mistakes, clearly she sees them as the posts are loaded with the same comments. I realize some want to help, but I see no need to be hateful.

AWait. Who was being hateful? I've read through the whole thread, and I did not pick that up.

AThe OP said she felt attacked and hurt.

I understand the fact that laws were broken but this is in nearly every thread on this site. I joined so I could learn and better my skills. I'm a home baker, I bake for friends and family and don't accept a dime from anyone.

I'm afraid of the repercussions if I post a cake and have questions. It's like their must be a disclaimer that I don't take money.

That being said, most questions posted get turned into business. Their is a lot that could have been learned here aside from the business aspect.

AThe alternative is ignoring the fact that a lot of new posters are putting themselves at risk by doing something they likely never dreamed was illegal, and that doesn't serve anyone. Most of the time people only find out from us that they're even doing anything wrong, and it's better to hear it from us than from an attorney who's just filed legal action against you.

I definitely feel your pain, as I've had my close encounters with falling cakes! I did get a flyer on how to stack a wedding cake from my local cake supply store, and they suggested using a long dowel, a little shorter than all layers combined, in order to keep all the layers/tiers from sliding.

When I made my first wedding cake (first, and only, thus far), I went to JoAnn's and bought a long wooden dowel, sharpened it with an electric pencil sharpener (depending on how thick of a dowel you get, you can always sharpen it with a knife), and hammered it straight through the top of the tiers (it had to go through through 3 cake layers, separated by styrofoam layers, and into the bottom styrofoam base), to keep the cake in place. The biggest of my fears, at that point, wasn't whether the cake was going to come apart, but rather that the rolled buttercream covering the cake wasn't going to melt on the way to the reception! Living in Texas has its moments. LOL

We all learned a lot from the comments on this post. Congratulations on the fact that the cake wasn't a total disaster!

*sticks hand in hornets nest*

Can someone explain to me WHY kids are so grossly unhygienic by being present?  Seems a bit blasè to me...or are we only talking in the context of preparing food for the public, although I still don`t understand how their very presence would cause contaminated food.   They shouldn`t partake in prep or handle anything or touch the counters, but setting foot in the kitchen- should you then toss everything? Our local regulations are very thorough and there isn`t a single word in the home food guidelines about not allowing children due to hygiene or any reason.   Animals, strict personal (and kitchen) cleanliness, all the expected basics- hell yes!   I see more of a safety issue for the food preparer and the child which would translate into an insurance issue in commercial settings.

In settings in which children are ALLOWED to be present, does that really mean contaminated food and unsafe food practises?   

And to the OP:  I`m in awe of how you took all that in stride.  So, I`d thought I`d share :)

I`m a total rule breaker (not of health codes!)   My first and a half cake was my first time covering a cake in fondant, first wedding cake, and first tiered cake.   I even stacked the cake on site a full 24hrs before!  You just have to make sure no one gets hurt or sick or sued!-along the way.   And nobody asked me to make them a cake after seeing this one, haha.   My friend who is a pastry chef was polite enough to talk about my cake with enthusiasm which I overheard, also when I realized that you are allowed to make cakes at home and sell them to friends and family (where I live).  I would`ve definitely hired him if I had known!   

I moved the tiers seperately and assembled them on-site.  

Also, I really believe if you aren`t comfortable asking full price for your cake, you aren`t ready to sell your work yet.   Practise!   I know I wish I had the time to before I made this :)

 

A

Wow! The original poster, Amy, asked specific questions, she told a story: This is what happened, I charged but I bake for friends/family-this is my first wedding cake, I want to eventually run a business...

She asked: What did I do wrong? I would appreciate help, guidance, criticism all posters welcome. How do I avoid this? Granted I'm paraphrasing but she specifically asked for help and that's all we tried to give her along with comfort afterwards! She is hurting herself, she has potential and she wants to one day run a successful business. It is not always pleasant to hear to complete truth, but in order to grow and learn she (and others) need to hear it! Not everyone reads the other threads.

Many people here run (or ran) successful business', who better to offer guidance?! I run a business and I still listen to others that have been doing this longer, there is always more to learn. I encourage you to listen to these men/women if you want to advance your career/skills. It's certainly not meant to be hurtful.

Amy-You made mistakes, your embarrassed it happens to many, many people. It's hard to turn down an order, I get it! I promise we only want you to succeed if this is something you enjoy. Yes, some do get offensive, including myself because as From Scratch said we can feel it trivializes what we do. The laws in my state required me to build a separate commercial kitchen (or rent a building-which I didn't want to do) I had to save money, add on to my house, get multiple inspections, seperate insurance, make a business plan, scour auctions for commercial equipment, I could go on and on...all the while during this process and before perfecting my skills and practicing.

That's irrelevant, just an explanation of where some people are coming from, please don't take it personally! You went through this stressful process, do you really feel the stress was worth what you were compensated?! I can't imagine you do. Please ask questions, if this is something your passionate about then go for it! We just don't want you to set yourself up to fail, plain and simple.

MyCakeSchool.com is a great online school, Melissa runs it with her mother, it's like $30/year. Great place to start, they have videos, recipes, forums, etc. starting from basics like baking a cake, frosting, and covering in fondant-building tiered cakes and topsy turvy carving. LearnCakeDecoratingOnline.com has video tutorials that are a bit more advanced, they have a collection of famous cake decorators. PaulBradford has online classes and I think SugarEd is a new one, they are popping up all over. I just hope we didn't scare you away.

A

Your decorations seem very clean. I wondered if your mushrooms were made on wires, toothpicks, or something like that? If the are built on something like floral wire it must be shielded when inserted into the cake-either by stir straws or something similar.

You can't see the entire cake but the tiers appear level. I would recommend working more with fondant, like you mentioned, there are several imperfections, dents, and even holes you can see the BC through. These happen, try covering with decorations. The bottoms of each tier are also jagged, try elevating your cake tiers while smoothing your fondant or cover it with a simple border. If they don't want a border make BC the same color as your fondant and use that the blend the seams at the bottom.

The last things, and this will help with transportation as well as keeping your cakestand safe, is using a durable board underneath the largest tier. Something strong enough to support the weight of your fully assembled tier, cover in fondant (or decorators foil) personally I think fondant and a nice ribbon around the edge of the baseboard is the cleanest finish, regardless use something under the cake also.

Did manicgeisha ask for feedback? We might be in trouble now. 

Love this cake, Manic Geisha! Especially the piped ferns. Great job! Can't believe it was your first wedding cake - well done!

Hmm, I can`t remember exactly why the powers that be exclude family and friends but it seems right in the sense you are allowed to make food for them in the first place; there are no regulations regarding food prep for people you know.   General public would be superseded by the pre-existing relationship, the public being people who do not know you nor you them.   An exchange of money wouldn`t flip a switch and change them to the general public that needs protection and is regulated.   I know that is a hot button issue here but its not always the case in every jurisdiction. 

It is my own wedding cake.  It just adds extra foolishness -and rule breaking!- of making my own wedding cake on top of it being my first well everything.  Maybe that came across as saying that I made and sold my first cake to a friend but I meant I would`ve hired my friend who was a pastry chef as it would`ve been OK for him to work at home (and accept payment for all his hardwork) per local lack of regulations   I might be hopelessly optimistic but I still get a bit nervous at the thought of making someone else`s wedding cake.   My own was a terrible experience having come down with the flu the day before the wedding when I was trying to finish the cake.   I like to think that if I hadn`t become so sick I would`ve put more effort into finishing it but as it was I threw it together and went to bed in the middle of the day.   I do not recommend anyone give it a go because my cake wasn`t a total disaster. 

Mimi is right though, I never asked for feedback.  I was being commiserate because the OP left me impressed after all this.   I made this cake 4 years ago next week, and it was my first.   I`m hoping to hit my 30th cake soon.  I`ve been debating re-making this cake now and maybe a side by side of practised vs ignorant will be in-order.    I`m aware of wiring.  And that was the only time I used a small hidden cake board for a tiered cake, also the only time I never moved an assembled cake.

GeekUK- thanks it was also my first cake, first everything.  LOL.   The ferns are made of fondant which were extremely fragile but I was thankful for in the end as I barely made it through decorating.

 

I need more coffee before I respond.   Hope that made sense to you BatterUp.   Haha, I`ve seriously never questioned it but the definition of general public does not include friends and family.  I can only surmise why.

A

If you do a count of threads in the forum that bring up legal aspects or are about business (outside of the "Cake Decorating Business" forum) you may be surprised to find that the vast majority of them do not bring up these topics.

Legal/business issues are brought up when they are warranted, even if they are not explicitly talked about in the OP. The most common example is threads about pricing, which often can't be answered comprehensively without a business-oriented discussion. If you don't like reading about these topics, I recommend simply ignoring threads that discuss them.

I agree with you completely, Just4Fun26.  I feel Amy was torn apart on this thread, even after she admitted her mistakes and conceded on all points, she has been repeatedly condemned over and over again.  I'm appalled, quite frankly, the way she has been belittled.  It's very off-putting for new cake decorators to post on this forum in this kind of atmosphere.

A

I agree that some of the advice in this thread (while valuable) could have been presented in a more sympathetic manner, but I think OP handled it very well and I am impressed by her professionalism.

I agree.   Its extremely off putting as a long-time lurker turned newbie forumite.   This place is helpful and this thread is still helpful just a touch hostile.

As an aside, I realize how silly it seems to say that I would have my pastry chef friend work from home for us.  At the time he worked at a grocery store bakery that paid for his schooling, and apprenticed him.   I looked at their wedding cake options, they only made undecorated or ribboned cakes in two choices chocolate or vanilla.   I just couldn`t have a stacked birthday cake as our wedding cake, blech!   If anyone is wondering about that, which I`m sure someone is.   I wasn`t trying to be purposefully cheap I just wanted my woodsy vegan lemon cake, and to eat it too...minus the fondant.

AI don't think it's silly to have your friend do your cake from home as long as his workplace allows it. A lot of employers have no compete rules but it wouldn't really be competing if they don't offer what you wanted.

Oh yes, non-compete forms.   They really didn`t have any choice, nor were they allergy safe.   I forgot back then we had much worse allergies to worry about and almost never ate things from bakeries.   Just to make life harder, LOL.   

This thread has run it's course.  Thank you all for your participation.

Hi, I am writing to say what I wouldve charged. I too, do it for hobby. My prices start at 2.00 a slice plus add .50 cents for working with fondant= $2.50 x 154 pieces + 25 for the top+ the cost of the fondant...probably around $40 - $50 so $450 - $460 plus delivery. I guessed probably 75 miles one way (one hour plus a bridge) = 150 miles divided by the mileage you get on your vehicle then times that by price of gas. Also thats approx 3 extra hours 2 on the road and at least 1 at the hall... so $75 probably okay. add more if miles are more. Anyway, sorry for your luck. The first wedding cake is the hardest.. I almost puked doing mine... the pressure.!!!