My husband advised me that one of his co-workers had called and inquired about a birthday cake while I was at school. He said she had called twice and was going to call back later on when I was home. Here I was thinking that this was some one who really was interested in my cakes. Guess what she wanted??? She told me that she had baked a cake for her birthday and wanted to know how much I would charge her just to decorate. She stated that her child did not like homemade cake, so she baked one from a mix, but she wanted it decorated "REAL PRETTY". People will do anything to save a few dollars. And what if the cake was nasty?? When people see the decoration, they ask who did the cake and then she says my name and it seems like I baked it. I want to know what some of you think, because my husband was miffed because I told him I didn't want to do it. OH, and she wanted to drop the cake off at 7:30 that morning and pick it up at 4:00pm.
You did exactly what I would do. Like you said, who knows how that cake tastes? You could decorate it beautifully, but if it tastes like crud, then your name is attached to that. I would have said, "Sorry, I either do the whole cake or no cake." 
So she thinks that the five minutes it took to mix the batter and the hour it sat in the oven was going to save a buck. Everyone knows that you are paying for talent. And yeah what if the cake did taste like dirt! NEVER. Be sure to show hubby this thread just to ease the tension.
I never cease to be amazed at how cheap, (and rude) some people can be, but worse than that, they don't even realize it! I wouldn't have done it either.
Sweetcakes
You're one very smart lady!
I wouldn't touch that situation with a ten foot pole.
She could have very easily asked you to make the same cake mix!
Let her muddle through decorating the cake instead of setting you up for the fall if the cake itself is sub-par!
Sheesh--were do people get these crazy ideas from, anyway 
Rae
I would have offered to make her a cake from a mix and decorate it. That way I knew that it was good...lol. And then charged her my regular price.
Ok, I am serious the world is full of wackos. Forget her baking the cake, who does a cake all in one sitting. You plan and prepare drop off at 7 and pick up at 4:30. That is just crazy. Plus how do you know what condition the cakes are in; are there crack? how far out of level is the thing? People are nuts.
I cant even imagine someone having the nerve to ask that.
Oh boy!! I heard that before, I'm a WMI and one costumer at michaels asked if I did wedding cakes, I said yes and gave her my business card, she called me and asked the same thing!! How much I would charge her to decorate her 5 tiers cake!!! I have my way of baking, torting, fillings, who knows how is her cake, and then people would think I made it.
I told her that I would be glad to make her cake, but if I was going to do it I was baking the cakes, otherwise I couldn't do it. She said she'll think about it and will call me back, yeah, you guessed, she never called!!
I mean, how cheap people can be, I was reasonable with the price, I told her I would charger 3 dollars per serving and she wanted fondant.
She probably got a cake at Costco of different sizes and stack them!! 
You could always offer to decorate the cake for her at TWICE your regular price for the whole cake....since you were putting your reputation at risk.
After thinking about it through the giggling to myself and the talking to myself, I have heard someone ask someone to decorate the cakes they wanted to bake for a wedding. But the cakes this lady was going to make were from recipes that had been in the family not any cake mix. I understood this lady not wanting to release a secret family recipe by baking them herself. The person she asked wouldn't do it. I am just saying, I could understand the "secret recipe" lady's reason more than I could the "cake mix" lady.
You could always open up a can of DH "whipped vanilla" and spread it on for her....charge her $10, say it will only take you 5 minutes to do, she can wait in her car!!!!!
my neighbor has done that to me. more than once! 
and to make thing worse we agreed on year to make cakes for each other's bday. I made her a real pretty cake foe her 50th and when it came time for her to make my cake something came up 
.
NO< I won'tever do that again! 
I've had the same lady ask me twice now to decorate cakes she's made herself because she wants only her family recipe and then wants me to "make it pretty". WRONG! She thought it would be no big deal. I'd never even heard of anyone asking about that before so I'm glad to know I'm not the only one this has happened to.
She even had the nerve to ask if she could use MY pans, bake the cakes at her home by herself, bring them back to me, have me decorate and then deliver them to her! WHAT THE HECK?!?!? I haven't heard from her since and hope I don't to be honest.
KimAZ
I love this place. I have laughed out loud reading these posts. My husband just walked in and asked "what's wrong with you?" I am going to let him read this and see how utterly ridiculous this was. Oh, and I couldn't offer to bake the cake for her because she had already did it just ASSuming that I would do it. Oh Welllllllllll...............
There's no way I'd decorate a cake that someone else made. The PP'ers are right- what if it's horrible tasting (yes, some people CAN screw up a cake mix) and you've decorated so the word gets around that you made it? No way. Tell your DH that you'll take care of the cake biz! 
I had the same situation b/c the girl was so cheap. It was actually my sil's sil. She wanted to know what it would be first for me to do the whole thing. I gave her a decent price. She called back and asked what would it be for something simplier. I gave her another price. Finally she emailed me and asked what it would be if she made the cake and the icing and I just decorated it. I told her I couldn't help her with that and if she wanted me to make some decorations for her to buy, I would do that.
Don't we remember about the parents who like to bake their children's birthday cakes; some can't decorate, but they want to give their child something special? This was a thread a few months ago. Maybe some people can't AFFORD to buy something from the store. Earlier this summer, we were so broke I had to have a garage sale to give my son a decent birthday party. (Yes, I did the cake!)
You know what guys - I really HATE to sound like this but you all seem kind of narrow-minded about this. I have frequently decorated cakes someone else baked. I don't think this customer was being cheap - I think she was doing something nice for her son, baking the cake she knew he'd like, and having you decorate it because maybe she's not skilled in that area. Think about it from her perspective....if she had you bake it, maybe it's HER that wouldn't know what it would taste like. At least with her baking it, it's a cake she already knows her son loves - which is very important to a mom. I don't think she'd try to pawn the credit for the cake part off on you, and I don't think she'd do or say anything to imply you baked it. I'm also sure that she'd be very grateful to you for helping make her son's birthday just about as special as possible.
I'd say - decorate the cake, take the credit for your beautiful work on the outside, and thank her for her business. If this ever comes up in the future, you could gently offer to help her out by making the cake too, to save her the time and effort. But I really don't think you need to be worrying about damaging your reputation by not baking the cake too.
IMHO!!
I've done it before and plan to do it again....the first one (and second) was a black cake baked by the daughter and passed along to me to decorate as it was a speciality cake. A lady on my team is having a baby shower for her DIL in Sept and since she bakes alot, wants to bake the cake and me to decorate. I don't take it as a knock against my baking skills, some people just want to feel like they have contributed. Maybe she planned to decorate the cake too, but ran out of time after she baked it?
But in both these cases the family would know the individual baked it not me, although I am not looking to increase business nor to start one. I think at the end of the day you need to do what is comfortable for you.
Here I go with my unpopular opinions ...yet again! I don't think any of the previous posters are being narrow minded or mean...or inconsiderate towards a poor needy child. I think that the issue is someone not respecting our craft or art to the point that they ask you to do something aren't comfortable with in your business.
As a parent I have wanted to give my children many things that at a certain time I simply was not capable of, but not once did I ever ask someone else to compromise their standards to make up for it...before i knew how to decorate a cake my kids simply got one that was the best I could do. Most of the people here are kind and if they knew of a child not having a cake or a hard case that made it impossible for a parent to provide one...would DONATE a cake. It isn't always a case of not being able to afford it so much as (in my humble opinion) many times people thinking you just do this from home and do not be deserve to be paid as well as a "pro". and they want to take advantage of your skills just as many do my ex sil ( a cosmotologist) wanting freebie haircuts. A fancily decorated cake is a luxury item and to be honest I don't feel terrible for someone who doesnt have one..(my mom made me many crooked although delicious...sloppy looking cakes as I was growing up and not one of them made me feel underpriviledged)
I do sorta understand someone who wants a family recipe asking this...but they should expect to pay a little more . I doubt this person went to a party entertainment store and asked to "borrow" the clown costume. Bottom line being...unless you do this for fun, it is a business and people should treat it as such.
I agree with DelightsByE, it's not always about being "Cheap". Due to various circumstances in our lives, we don't always have the extra cash to blow on a fancy cake that will be destroyed in a matter of minutes. Maybe those who have concerns about their reputations can create a sticker to put on the cake box that reads "Decorated By....".
As a side note, I oftentimes decline the "Bakery" cakes at parties because I like my own cakes better! I've noticed my children don't always eat them either, and they are not picky eaters! Thankfully, while I'm not a pro at cake decorating, it pleases the recipient, and I don't have to buy someone else's idea of a "good"cake.
While I can understand and appreciate the concerns mentioned here about decorating someone else's cake and running the risk of ruining your professional reputation, I hate to see people put down because they are trying to provide the best they can afford for their loved ones.
Hope I haven't offended anyone, but that's MHO.
I respect everyone's views, but maybe I didn't make myself clear. The birthday cake was for HER. She was saying that her child did not like homemade cake, but the cake was not for the child. I, like a lot of others have been basically penniless. But at those times, I did what I could do for my children and it included countless Publix cakes, lol!! My children were happy and so was I. I do not base my children's happiness on trying to afford things, but more on the basis of that I'm doing something. A child doesn't care how it's decorated, they know their mom's love them because they actually did something. Now that I can decorate my own, I do throw more lavish parties, etc. But I love them just as much as I did when I was buying cakes, or even when I was just baking box mixes and putting on canned icing. (and I must say that Publix cakes taste pretty darn good to me, sorry, but they do)
Another PUBLIX fan here too 
I'll take the paranoid view. I worked at a bakery for a while and a couple of people asked the same question. I didn't see anything wrong with it but the owner said it was a liabilty since if the cake made people sick then it would come back on the bakery. I'll decorate someone else's cake only if it's someone I'm close to like family or a friend.
The only way I would decorate that cake is if that person was an individual who had done favors for your spouse. Maybe she helped him type reports at the last minute or something along those lines. We all have coworkers who help save our butts sometimes and help us finish projects. I am a firm believer you get payback with random acts of kindness. BUT, I think I have a strong radar when I feel someone is trying to take advantage of me. There are so many parents who can't drive their kids to the high school football games. Thru junior high and 9th grade, it was amazing how many "friends" my daughter had on Fridays. I put my foot down and told my daughter I would not give anymore rides until other parents return the favor. Same parents, cars sitting in driveways, but the parents are "busy" and can't drive the kids. My husband and I both work, have a life too and we also have to pay the high price of gasoline. Sorry to rant.
The comment I liked was the kid didn't like "homemade" cakes. That makes no sense to me. I think it was just a pitiful excuse to have you decorate for free/cheap perhaps. Maybe if you told her that she has to make 10 colors of icing (all in bags) for you, use her coupler and tips, buy a box to carry it home in, cardboard round, etc. Maybe she'll leave you alone if you send her all over town to buy supplies for her cake.
Ellen
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