I had to edit this - it is being misunderstood. It is NOT a criticism. It is admiration, wonderment and awe. It also makes me want to be less stressed about the quality of my cakes when I can see the end product is fabulous!

His new website www.aceofcakestv.com is a fun interactive one BUT...

I was shocked when I saw a stack of his cake layers they were using for a construction. If one of us on cc had some layers come out of the oven in the a similar condition -- we'd be having a heart attack! They are are buckled and slumped.

We all know how his finished cakes look, but seeing under the icing of his cakes gives me great hope.

Go to his website aceofcakestv.com
Click on the 3rd frame at the bottom and then click on the dog in the image and watch the video. The stacked layers are about 1/3 the way through the presentation.

I'm at work right now and can't see the video, I will check it out when I get home.

I watch a lot of the food network cake challenges and when they pull those cakes out to stack, they are not great looking. They also look like rubber. They just pull these cakes out with 2 hands and stack. I wonder what kind of cake is that ,that bounces and does not break.

Why do we have to have post after post on here harping on Duff's attitude/cleanliness/staff/techniques. C'mon...the bakery is SO creative & unique. Everyone harps on this and that because Duff's a personality featured on tv and that makes him an easy target to pick on.

Do you think his clients are really going to him because they expect 100% perfectly level, uniform layering....NO! They want his amazing designs and his incredible take on far-out novelty and non-traditional cakes.

The cake is a 3-D DOG people! It's not a Martha Stewart wedding cake.

Leave him alone already! (I'm sure he couldn't care less that anyone critiques his layering. He'd probably laugh!)

As he says on the video:

"We have a method. Is it a method that works for everybody? Maybe not...but it works for us".

Way to go antonia74! I agree completely.

I don't think anyone was harping on Duff. Sounds like they were saying that if Duff didn't always have a "perfect" cake, then everyone can have hope with our non-perfect layers.

I think pointing out a weakness and then pointing us to look at a video of the item to back up the argument is a criticism.

I said the "harping" is "post after post" on this site...not solely from Kayakado's thread here, though I do believe that it's done on here a LOT.

ditto to antonia.

i know i have had several times that my layers didn't come out perfect, but i was able to make them work.

All I can say is he is awesome, and what a cool website, that in itself shows you the degree of creativity! I always enjoy watching him do his cakes, The other night the episode about the castle that fell apart and the incredible reconstruction they did, that's a cake decorator.

[quote="Kayakado

We all know how his finished cakes look, but seeing under the icing of his cakes gives me great hope.

[/quote]

I agree, it used to drive me up the wall when my cakes didn't come out perfect. After watching the cake challenges and the stuff Duff does makes me feel better. There is hope.

Cracked me up when his brother said he baked a whole oven full of cakes with out eggs. They are human after all.

Lighten up people IT'S FRIDAY!!!! Turn up the tunes and do the friday dance

'Make cakes that are out of the box.........and I don't mean Betty Crocker'

ROTFL!!! My hero !

OMG! That is the most amazing website! I love it! Thanks for the update!

Wow! I was just sitting on that sight for the past 1/2 hour!! Well, that was fun! I liked how he made the Campbell's soup can, I watched that twice with my daughter. Thanks for sharing that sight, and I actually feel better, like I don't have to have the cakes in perfect shape before I start! LOL!

That is a cool website, gives me inspiratation to go out and try and crave something or create something different.. and out of the "box"..

I love watching him. He truly has fun with what he is doing. His employees all appear to like what they do and how he does it. I'd love to work with someone with that much enthusiasm towards their work.

I loves me some Duff! He is great to his staff too! The work really hard and he rewarded them recently with a trip to Costa Rica! I love his staff too-just a little off-center! Those are my people!

I missed that show again last night I always forget when shows are on until later. I need to get tivo or something

I like Duff.
We all make mistakes and it's nice to see he's not perfect.

I've seen some of the best at their worst. What really counts is the finished product and that the customer is happy.

I'm sure these people have seen him on tv and they know what he is all about.

Anyway, that is my 2 cents.

I like Duff's goofy laugh. I'd like to have it recorded so that when I've got one child pulling me one way and the other pulling the opposite I can play that over and over again and just feel goofy.

The whole staff at Charm City seems kooky in a fun-way - something my uptight self could never be! Love 'em!

I didn't think you were putting Duff down. Sometimes it's comforting to know that the pro's have to work through disasters and bumps in road too. I know it encourages me and gives me hope, it doesn't make me think any less of them, in fact it boosts my opinion of them. I know I won't ever come near to the talent of Duff or his staff or any other cake great, but it gives kind of a comradery feeling to know we all have to work through the same kinds of things from time to time. Yeah, I freak out when my layers are just perfect so it's nice to know that even if they don't look perfect when they come out of the pan, there's a way to make the finished product look great!

This is really bothering me... I wasn't going to say anything and I left this thread so I didn't but I had to come back and say something.

I don't think the original poster was putting Duff or anything about his site, work, cakes, etc. down. I think she was just stating that even someone as famous as Duff can have floppy cakes.

I think what needs to stop around here (CC) is the people who jump everyone for having opinions and speaking their minds. This is a place where we can come share our thoughts, feelings, ideas etc and ask for help and assistance and when we want to share something and make it a point to say something makes us feel better about having a screwed up cake once in a while, someone gets jumped for putting someone down.

Now on the last thread I commented on about a Food Network "employee" was the thread about Sandra Lee. It got locked because people opened up and shared their thoughts and feelings and some people couldn't handle it. What I don't understand is why people take it so hard or take it to heart when someone says something that they THINK is "bashing" or insulting when in reality it was just the opposite.

I've taken a big long break from posting on CC because it seems no matter what I say weather it be nice or rude good or bad I get ***** at for it. And it seems that it's the same people over and over again that do the complaining and pushing until people leave CC.... I think people need to relax and take a chill pill and let people have an opinion and stop jumping people for their opinions.

*Moderator edited for language*

I love watching Duff and seeing him enjoy his job makes me love decorating cakes that much more and makes me strive to try new things.

Whoa folks, I was NOT criticizing Duff or his cakes. I was just pointing out that we stress so much about our cakes and in the long run, you can make a beautiful cake out of something not so perfect. I think it said they have made 27 cakes in one week, that is pretty remarkable, too.

I love Duff and his cakes!!!!!

Please don't jump to conclusions and think any kind of review is a criticism when it may be total admiration, wonder and awe.

OhMyGoodies, you are THE WOMAN! I know a few weeks ago I almost quit posting entirely, was just going to use the site as inspiration and become one of the *silent* members, then I realized, why should I let a few judgmental, rude people scare me away? I belong here as much as anyone, and I am going to have fun while I'm here! I have done my level best to be a helpful member here, and I think I've done a lot of good for a lot of people!

Having said that, when I read the original post here, I felt she was saying, "Hey look guys, don't stress when a cake comes out a little crooked, Duff can take a couple of slightly off-kilter layers and turn them into a masterpiece, so maybe you can too!" If someone else took it another way, that's their business.

In my opinion, if you don't like the way a thread is going, GET OUT OF IT. No one is forcing you to read it.

Yes I would because she didn't mean it in a bad way. All she was stating was that if they are ok at showing us viewers that they aren't perfect and they have bad days too then it's ok when we have a bad day it's not the end of the world.

I didn't say you couldn't have your opinion but what I was saying was you were extremely rude as you just came in and jumped her for saying something or implying something that she wasn't.

What about the fact that Duff and his staff are members here? What of it? I don't have a problem with that. I love his show, and I love the fact that they show us viewers that they aren't perfect, that they too can make mistakes or have bad days. It makes them seem not so perfect and more human like.

Interesting to see his website. I've never seen a whole show of his but I'd love to hang out in his shop for a day. He's got talent and isn't arogant about it. I have to admire that. He seems like someone I'd really like knowing.