Okay - business has been good in my little home cake baking venture and then today happened. One of the things I do for my customers is deliver their cakes to them, (Wal-Mart won't do that). Today, I left my home with a beautiful cake destined for a hospital that could increase my business 100 fold (but there was no pressure 
). When I arrived and unpacked the cake out of the box the very tasty strawberry filling had decided to break out of the icing dam and spew itself all over the side of the cake 
. Because I wasn't driving very far I had not taken the typical "emergency" kit with me with extra icing. spatulas and tips. I had to try to fix the cake with a plastic knife! Needless to say the cake ended up with a raked look all over AND for sure it was NOT pretty. I can only hope that by not charging them for the cake at all will help rectify the situation. HOW do I avoid this situation again? Never happened before, now I just feel down in the dumps because I delivered something that was NOT my best work.
I am so sorry this happend to you!! That sounds awful! Isn't it a b*h when we are confident and then crud happens to us! I do that all the time! But, I think that the people at the hospital will know that it was an honest mistake and still remember you for your great tasting cake and hospitality!
I am curious as to what type of strawberry filling? If it was real strawberries it might have been too juicey for the cake and spilled out??
Unfortunately, the way we improve and take those steps that put us closer to the 'professional' title is by our experiences logged in on the "Lessons Learned" column.
For every step back, for every mishap that happens, it teaches us what not to do, it shows us what we need to do instead, it makes us a better decorator.
And when a "newbie" pops on here with a question regarding berry filling, you will be the resident expert who will be able to guide her/him thru the process!
I'm sure it still tasted great, and you did right by them by not charging them. That counts for a lot with our customers.
Boy, just what Debi said.... I don't know anyone who hasn't had experience with a sliding, oozing or leaking cake at one time or another.
Here's a multi-linked Leaky & Bulging help thread:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-223481-.html
HTH
Please, no "save" posts per Jackie. Thanks!
It seems like there is always something that prevents me from having the perfect cake upon delivery.......... I do learn from each one. The only way to learn is to learn from your mistakes....... No worries! The only thing I guarantee is that it tastes good because stuff happens. I'm sure you told them it was perfect when you left the house and you have the pic to prove it. Who (even non cake people) haven't broken something in transit. It would be impossible for them not to understand.
Stink! I hate it when things go wrong with cakes. Things can go from calm to very stressful in a matter of minutes when something goes wrong.
When I have a filling in my cakes, I never seem to have much luck with making a dam...it always seems to bulge.
So what I do is I level the bottom layer as normal and then I take a spoon and gently scrape out a place for the filling. I do leave an edge of cake around the edge and that holds my filling in place. I then put my filling in and make it level with the rest of the cake. Then I put the top layer on and ice as normal.
I hope that makes sense, but that's how I always do it and I have never had a bulge since.
Stink! I hate it when things go wrong with cakes. Things can go from calm to very stressful in a matter of minutes when something goes wrong.
When I have a filling in my cakes, I never seem to have much luck with making a dam...it always seems to bulge.
So what I do is I level the bottom layer as normal and then I take a spoon and gently scrape out a place for the filling. I do leave an edge of cake around the edge and that holds my filling in place. I then put my filling in and make it level with the rest of the cake. Then I put the top layer on and ice as normal.
I hope that makes sense, but that's how I always do it and I have never had a bulge since.
Luv2cake, this is exactly what I do and I never have a problem with oozing. It also looks really nice when you cut into the cake. Instead of a spoon I use a sharp bread knife and make a cut about 1/4" or so from the edge of the cake, all the way around it. Using the same knife I then start slicing pieces out of the middle working my way to the edges. I end up with a nice "stepped-down" area with a 1/4" retaining wall. I add the filling then put the other cake on top. Works fantastic and is fast and easy to do with guaranteed success.
Stina, so sorry you had this leaking problem but it is unfortunately the way we all learn things sometimes. I am sure the hospital folks were very forgiving and understanding of what happened and will remember you next time they need a cake. 
Thanks Luv2cake! What a great idea, and just in time for my next delivery!
On the brighter side, the hospital called and they loved the cake! The women who placed the order insists on paying for the cake because she said NO ONE could tell there was a problem. I explained that although I apprecieate the thought I would far rather her just continue doing business with me. By the end of the phone call I begrudgingly accepted her offer to at least pay for the supplies. I thought that was sweet.
Thanks to everyone who has offered suggestions. I sure hope it helps more people so these humiliating mistakes can be fewer and less disasterous!
Stink! I hate it when things go wrong with cakes. Things can go from calm to very stressful in a matter of minutes when something goes wrong.
When I have a filling in my cakes, I never seem to have much luck with making a dam...it always seems to bulge.
So what I do is I level the bottom layer as normal and then I take a spoon and gently scrape out a place for the filling. I do leave an edge of cake around the edge and that holds my filling in place. I then put my filling in and make it level with the rest of the cake. Then I put the top layer on and ice as normal.
I hope that makes sense, but that's how I always do it and I have never had a bulge since.
i've yet to experiment with fillings yet but that is certainly a trick i'm going to try
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