Damage In Transit? Help Please!

Business By Edible Art Co Updated 23 Aug 2014 , 9:39pm by winniemog

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Edible Art Co Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 3:20pm
post #1 of 11

I delivered (well, carried down the road) this cake yesterday. Opened box, all fine. Today I have a disappointed customer who sends me pictures of it with a split in the icing on the front, and the back of the handles smushed at the bottom. I've never had any damage reported and know I put a good amount of boards/straw support in it, hence it's still standing just fine. The handles are dried flowerpaste with florist wire and SP wrapped around them to match the bag. What do you suggest I do

 

 

 

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10 replies
-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 3:31pm
post #2 of 11

are the handles anchored into the board? what is SP?

 

does it look like someone tried to pick up the purse by the handle? cuz how could those cake crumbs be present otherwise?

 

looks like someone pulled up the handle and tried to put it back huh --

 

the cracks in front could have been caused by the heavy handle jiggling in transit maybe -- but if the handles were pushed back in that could have caused it to crack too

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Edible Art Co Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 3:43pm
post #3 of 11

The handles each had 2 inches of wire going into the cake and were glued in place. They weren't going anywhere - I expected to need to lean them against each other for support but they were solid. I really don't know, having never seen a damaged cake of my own! It was in a big box with lid on, propped up by tall straws in the corners (lid was still 1/2 inch off the handles)... wondering if it got squished from the top somehow.

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 4:01pm
post #4 of 11

if the cake was not kept perfectly level and cold what would keep the handles from moving with gravity wobble wobble -- 2" of cake would not hold the wires nor the weight -- they were glued in place into cake? 

 

so the crumbs could have gotten there with someone trying to right the situation too --

 

that might have caused it-- it would be like setting 2" dowel in a thin 4" cake --nothing for the supports to hold on to -- do you think?

 

 

 

see how thin this handle is? it just sat on there nearly weightless -- yours are quite hefty -- idk 

 

 

i could not have placed two of those pink handles in there without internally adhering them and my cake is thicker than yours

-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 4:09pm
post #5 of 11

if there's still time for a save -- you could design a quick scarf out of fondant and drape it over to conceal the issues -- you could put a pair of gloves over the handle area and a price tag over the cracks stating 23 years old or something like that -- hang  a pair of sun glasses-- a necklace --

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denetteb Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 4:11pm
post #6 of 11

It looks like the weight of the handles was too much and gravity was pulling them down, which made the fondant below start to sag.  The handles are fairly large and if they are all fondant or sugar paste would add quite a bit of weight, especially if only staked into two inches of the cake.

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 4:25pm
post #7 of 11

or a handerkerchief

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Edible Art Co Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 6:03pm
post #8 of 11

Turns out it made it to her home safely. She put it in the fridge overnight and this was what it looked like next morning. I'm still baffled as it was sat ready for 5 hours and didn't settle/slump or anything... I promise you they were sturdy... those are great ideas K8memphis, fortunately she has already eaten some and said it tasted good, and the bday girl was happy, so thank goodness for that... I'm having a right day of it, with cupcakes not working the way I want them to and trying to think about this as well I think I need to go sit in a corner and regroup.

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 6:09pm
post #9 of 11

well case closed then -- if she served it/liked it and the birthday girl was happy -- very strange when you're trying to add it all up huh -- but a happy customer is a happy customer!

 

sorry about your cupcakes -- yes taking a time out is a good idea -- best to you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(did the filling give way inside?) (can cold fondant wrinkle?)

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Edible Art Co Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 6:32pm
post #10 of 11

It seems so, luckily. Thank you so much for your thoughts, I'm going to look into other ways to make handles in future, just in case it was that. Never stop learning/trying stuff/making mistakes/taking a time out lol I will get the cupcakes to do my bidding though! Thanks again :)

 

 

 

 

p.s. No and I don't know!

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winniemog Posted 23 Aug 2014 , 9:39pm
post #11 of 11

AThe handles on my last handbag cake were made of fondant with a hefty dose of tylose that I allowed to dry for close to two weeks - no internal structure at all. I did place long skewers (the thin wooden ones) in the base of each handle to allow them to be attached to the cake. So when I constructed the cake, I added the handles right at the end, I inserted the skewers the full depth of the cake (which was 20cm high choc mud cake torted and filled with nasty dairy-free "buttercream"). I was able to drive this cake 3 km down the road to deliver, and it stood for the whole 24-30 hours until the party. We didn't see any structural changes to the cake at all over the time it sat out at room temperature. I just won't do fondant cakes in the fridge, but that's a personal decision.

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