Okay so a repeat customer and I were working out a design for a cake. The initial idea was a warehouse for her father's pet business. She wanted the warehouse to be 40 servings. She also asked my advice. I personally didn't think a warehouse would make an attractive cake and suggested several 3D pets instead with collars with her father's logo on the collars (since he owns an online pet store). She agreed.
Well I'm working on this cake, and am having trouble with some stability issues but I'm pretty sure it will be ok. HOWEVER I just found out that she will be coming to pick up the cake, driving 1 1/2 hours to her mom's house, spending the night, and then driving another 45 minutes to the party site!!! Not only that, but she has no flat place to put this cake (20" heavy round board) other than her lap! I highly recommended refrigeration over the night but I do not know if she will have that or not.
Now...my question...
Whose responsibility should it have been to iron this out beforehand? Had I known this cake was going to be a world traveler I would probably have just gone ahead with the warehouse, being more stable. (Although she wanted a semi truck with the warehouse which also would have been questionable). I took the blame (somewhat) and just said I should have asked about transport before this late but in reality, how much responsibility should I take to make sure the customer knows how to transport a 3D cake, and how much is their own fault?
So, if this cake does NOT make it, how much responsibility should I take for it? I hope it does, but I am not pleased at this turn of events. Oh and the party site is 2 hours total from my house, and there is no way I am able to deliver this cake for her. I would have gladly done it 45 min- 1 hour away just to make sure it makes it, but can't swing 2 hours (4 hours roundtrip). I still have a long list of stuff to get done and its also my son's birthday.
Comments?
So you WERE going to delivery it when it was only a 1 hour drive, right? 
If so, then just make it clear that you created it with the idea that you, the professional, were going to deliver it, but since the plans have changed, the cake is "all" hers when it gets into her car. Also let her know ahead of time she might want to try to borrow or rent a van due to the size.
So you WERE going to delivery it when it was only a 1 hour drive, right?
If so, then just make it clear that you created it with the idea that you, the professional, were going to deliver it, but since the plans have changed, the cake is "all" hers when it gets into her car. Also let her know ahead of time she might want to try to borrow or rent a van due to the size.
No, delivery was never discussed. From the beginning she had said she would pick up the cake as far as I remember.
I usually just get a pickup time a week or so before the cake date and so just now its all coming out how far she is traveling with the cake. She is a repeat customer too so I knew her as being within driving distance, I didn't realize she was going 2 hours north.
yikes. I would really just warn her that it is a high risk operation she is planning. Tell her in advance that you can not take responsibility for the cake once it leaves your house. And, I would nicely suggest that she rent a more suitable vehicle to travel with the cake. Just be really nice and give her as much advice as you can but also make it clear that you are not responsible.
tell me how it works out
She said the reason she didn't have room for the cake is because they are packing the vehicle up with kids and luggage for the trip
Well, if she wants her cake to remain intact, she will have to move her luggage around and ensure there is a flat safe space in her car for it!
I mean really! It is a CAKE not a bloomin statue, she has to allow for it in her car packing, that is NOT your responsability. I would just ensure that your cakes are stable enough for any car trip, distance shouldn't really matter, but where it is in the car is her problem.
She said the reason she didn't have room for the cake is because they are packing the vehicle up with kids and luggage for the trip
Well, if she wants her cake to remain intact, she will have to move her luggage around and ensure there is a flat safe space in her car for it!
I mean really! It is a CAKE not a bloomin statue, she has to allow for it in her car packing, that is NOT your responsability. I would just ensure that your cakes are stable enough for any car trip, distance shouldn't really matter, but where it is in the car is her problem.
Well my 3D cakes, I try to make them stable, but refrigeration helps alot. With the 3D ones if the cake gets to be room temp and then goes on a long bumpy car ride, it can tend to crack or shift. I try my best to make it sturdy enough for a ride but I can't guarantee a ride, then a night at grandma's, and then another ride after that, esp if no refrigeration will be available (which I haven't found that out yet.)
kitagrl,
I really feel that this is all up to her.
She is buying a cake that NEEDS refrigeration. All you can do is keep it in the fridge until she collects it. She will then have to freeze in her car aircon turned up maximum and shove it straight in the grandma's fridge.
If she can't do these things, then she is not taking care of her own cake. What would she do if it was raw meat? Just leave it out overnight instead of ensuring that it got in a fridge, any fridge to keep it the way it was intended?
I know we cake decorators HATE 
our cakes to not be perfect until cutting time, but if she is taking it for an overnight unrefrigerated holiday prior to cutting, that is up to her.
My fingers are crossed for your cakes, I am sure they will travel just fine, but she needs to put a higher priority on her cake if she wants it to work out.
I think that once you give her the cake you are no longer responsible for it.
Once a cake leaves my hands it is no longer my responsibility. You have no control over it once it leaves your possesion. I would stress how important it is to be on a flat surface and keeping it cool. I had someone want to leave 2 sheetcakes out in a pickup overnight--when she picked it up it was 95 degrees out. I flat out said you are going to have a huge mess in the morning. It is worth taking a few extra minutes to pack to get the cake on a flat surface and to take it in to an air conditioned house when they get to their destination.
i would say, stabilize it as best you can, inform your customer of the best way to transport, and possible problems that may arise if not transported as directed....have them(no matter the frequency of their business) sign off on something that they are now the responsible party...close the door and let out a sigh of relief that your job is DONE.
in my opinion, its in there hands and there worry after they pick it up. you did your part. all you can do is make recommendations on how to keep it the best way..i.e. rubber matt, refridgeration, etc.
its normal to worry and want the cake to be its best, i do that too.
That cake is awesome!! WOW!
Do you k now if it made it???
Fantastic cake, Kitagrl!! Glad it made it in one piece!!
glad to hear things worked out. I myself have transported cakes 3 hours on my lap and one of them was actually a 4 hour drive up in the mountains and itwas one of those double decker hamburger cakes which is acutally more then two layers thick lol..
these however were my own doing and for family occassions. the ones for the 3 hour trips were because i made it at home and we drove down to celebrate family occassions. .. there would have been no room to decorate the cake (trust me i tried a few times and was a disaster emotion wise) and the hamburger cake was because we were delivering it for my father inlaws birthday who was a police officer then doing backwoods service and could not come home- he'd been out there by himself lonely and extremely bored lol. so with the help of alot of skewers it made it intact with only a few smudges that were touched up on arrival. the use of skewers in the hamburger cake was because it was i think a ten inch cake stacked repeatedly and dowels would have caused too large of cracks in the cake. i did however use one large on in the middle. skewers were removed as the cake was cut.
no i haven't transported assembled cakes since then lol and i too consider it once its out of my hands its no longer my responsibilty to an extent. i will however offer bags of frosting for certain customers so they can touch up etc or help with tips on how to transport if they insist on transporting it themselves.
if its a large cake and one that needs assembly work etc anything beyond handing it over and saying congrats- i try to insist on delivery myself so that i can ensure a delicate cake to arrive intact and no one has to worry over the stress of transporting such a task and ruining it.
one did happen that way with one of my biggest repeat customers but this was because she didn't follow all of my advice. I've learned since then with her if a cake cannot be refridgerated; to add some skewers and a plastic bag cover so that the bag cannot touch the frosting but can be covered if its too big to fit under those disposable tray and cover things.
its handy that her daughter has some basic decorating skills so that when somthing happens i know it can be touched but they usually dont bother- they'd rather enjoy the family occassion 
Small cakes such as a standard 8 or ten inch 2 layer most usualy just come by and pick it up which is fine by me.
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