The owner of the commercial kitchen I rent called and left me a message today -- she has a friend who is getting married. The owner is going to make the cake, but she asked if I'd like to decorate it in "barter" for kitchen time. The owner runs an organic desserts business out of the same kitchen. Any thoughts?
Actually I am planning on doing that this weekend. I have to do a large baby shower cake for my church. With my classes and work, I just didn't have the time to put into it (or the space). I am going to buy a sheet cake (already iced) from BJs and decorate it myself. I told them ahead that I was thinking of doing that, and they were fine with it (they aren't paying me for it).
have you tasted the owner's cakes?
I would do it and just tell him not to mention who decorated it..hey kitchen time!!!! 
Typically, I would say no. In this case, however, I would probably do it. The "organic" part is probably not a business area you would enter into on your own and it could form an interesting partnership in future ventures, and lead to more solo work. I would make sure that it was clear to the client(s) that you are the one doing the decorating and someone else the baking.
I think it's an opportunity knocking.
I've done something similar, and it lead to a great business relationship.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't think twice about saying no... HOWEVER, given the situation, I'd say go for it. You don't have to worry about the origination/food safety, the only thing is whether or not she wants it iced with organics, etc.
I'd say go for it. You don't have to worry about the origination/food safety, .
ditto.
i would not if i did not know where it came from . you know that this is a reputable person (and i am assuming- a clean kitchen)....who makes good products. MAAAAAAAAAYBEEEEEEEEEE....it could get as good as a partnership in the future???? you never know. how cool.
by the way, you could do a 4-6-8 cake for the wedding and have it be about right...more intimate setting, bigger pieces! 
The guidon cake in my photos was baked by a bakery and I frosted and decorated it. It was a full sheet and I don't have a pan that size or anywhere to keep one nor would it fit in my oven so that was easier for me. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. I say go for it.
I've done it. When I first started, I was swamped, so I contracted the baking part out to a local bakery. I picked them up baked and iced and decorated them for my client.
Only had to do this one month in my lifetime, but lots of things are contracted out. (If you ever use icing from a tub, you've contracted out the making of the icing.)
the only concern I would have is that if that cake tastes like garbage and those eating it ask who made it -- your name will likely come up in conversation which could conceivably hurt your business. It's just something to think about. I had a lady who used to buy cakes from me all the time but then decided she could do it herself (NOT!) and started calling me asking me to come over and decorate her cakes for her. The answer -- no.
I did it for my neice's wedding. She really wanted me to bake and decorate but the reception hall would not allow me. I am licensed in NY - wedding was in Wisconsin. She had a local bakery make the cakes and I decorated. It worked out very well. It was easier on me as there was little stress on my part. I did make cookie favors though.
Ok everybody, now that I've done it, I can answer this question definititively. The answer is no, no, no, don't decorate someone else's cake.
What a nightmare. Oh my God.
I had emailed the woman a few days prior giving her directions for the cakes: overfill, level off the top so the cakes are perfectly level, then let rest for several hours so they will be stable and not bulge.
When I got there, and it was the woman's sister making the cakes - she hadn't been given the instructions. The cakes were only recently out of the oven, and they were all different heights, they weren't level, she'd put the layers together with the domed side facing in. She'd crumb-coated them and had them in the refrigerator so they would cool faster (it was HOT and muggy in the kitchen). They were bulging LIKE CRAZY in the middle, the top layer kept sliding around. When I covered them with fondant, the fondant just adhered to every bulge. I ended up ripping the fondant off 2 of them and re-covering because it was so awful, but nothing seemed to help.
This was my only time to do them, I was leaving in the morning to go out of town. If I'd had more time I would have told her I'd come back in the morning.
It was the most awful work I've ever done. I ended up staying an extra hour to hand-roll pearls for a border just to do SOMETHING to distract the eye from the awful cake. I was in tears and sick to my stomach. The sisters said things like "it will be ok", but this isn't even a case of me being a perfectionist and there being nothing wrong with the cake. They could see it was bad. I loaned them a plateau, and they're putting fresh roses on it, so I hope that makes it look somewhat better.
I took pictures with my phone, and I'm posting the picture so we can all learn something and maybe have a little laugh. It's ok to laugh, I know it's bad.
It's fine and saves you money. However, if they want "organic" than why isn't she decorating it, as well. I'm assuming you are not icing organically. 
Wow what a hard situation. I would say never! Because you just don't know what you are putting your name on , or what you woll be working with.
Sorry it was so difficult for you. Did you at least get some kitchen time out of the deal?
Yes, I got 10 hours kitchen time, in exchange for:
- Loaning them my 14" silver plateau, and the round cake pans
- providing all the wrapped cake boards for in between tiers, and the foil wrapped bottom boards for both the brides and grooms cake
- 9 lbs white MMF and 3 lbs chocolate MMF (forget the gym, that's a workout right there)
- covering all the cakes (5", 8", and 11" for the brides cake, and a 9x13 sheet for the grooms cake) with fondant
- stacking and doweling the brides cake, and then decorating with the swiss dots.
* And then I threw in the hand-made pearls for the border because I felt so terrible about how it looked.
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