I just opened my shop about 3 weeks ago. It's going well, and overall, I'm pleased. But tonite, I think I will be losing some sleep.
I had two sweet sixteen cakes to deliver this eve, back to back. The first one turned out beautiful, I couldn't be more pleased. The second one, well, I'll put it this way - does anyone have a spare rock I can crawl under?
I had my first order for a topsy turvy cake. I was honest with the client and her daughter that I had never made one, but I was willing if they were. They said yes, and so it began. Three tiers, all different flavors. The party was at the Radisson Resort, and this one is a very upscale place. Since I have never delivered a cake to this venue, I wanted to make a good impression. We all have our dreams, right?
As luck would have it, my sister offered to do my deliveries with me. She is my angel in disguise. I knew the bottom tier wasn't going to hold, I just had that feeling. Perhaps I jinxed myself.
So we're setting up the cake, with the birthday girl's mother standing, who, BTW, is a great lady. A girl couldn't ask for a more cool mom. Anyway, I was stacking my tiers, and as I put the top tier on, the whole back of the bottom tier just kind of fell away. I was horrified.
Luckily, this woman was very supportive, saying things like, we'll figure it out, we'll make it work. My sister, who thinks she doesn't have a creative bone in her body, came up with a slew of ideas, and most of them worked. The banquet server was also phenomenal in helping out. She came out with ice buckets with unopened jars of applesauce in them. We pushed the table closer to the wall, surrounded the back of the cake with the buckets covered in napkins to prop up the back. We used the peacock feathers and some plants and a palm frond to decorate the table.
The birthday girl loved it! She had no idea that her cake was on death row! I was feeling pretty sick to my stomach, but she was very happy. Her mom was happy that her daughter was happy, and I am hoping that the cake held up till cutting time. I know it will taste fantastic, but I'm still pretty upset with myself.
I will not do any more of this type of cake for a very long time. Not until I have had time to practice. And maybe not even after that. Way too much stress.
So, here is a picture of the final outcome. I could not have pulled this off without the patience, support, and imagination of my "team" - my sister, the birthday "mom", and the banquet server.
I'm sure part of the problem was that I cut the angle of the base way too much, among other things.
Honest opinions, tips, etc. are always welcome, as that is how I learn.
P.S. - I happened to have my checkbook with me at the time, and immediately gave a partial refund to the mom. It was the least I could do. I felt absolutely terrible. She said she felt bad for taking my check, but she didn't pull her hand away, so I think I did the right thing.
Great save!! The cake looks great from what I can see. I've never done a topsy turvy cake so I can't give you any advice. Sorry you were so stressed, but I think you not only made the cake work, you refunded some money so the customer was happy. That's good business.
Ericsmom, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Can you tell me a little bit about how you constructed the cake? What type of doweling system did you use? What type of cake was it a pound cake or a soft cake like a mix? If I know more about how you constructed the support system (dowels)and the type of cake, maybe I can figure out why it collapsed.
I don't think it was the angle. Had the cake been refrigerated?
Great save!
Minette
Well even though it was on death row, it sure looked beautiful. Kudos to your whole team of supporters for figuring out a FANTASTIC way to save the cake - the napkin-covered shapes, in different sizes, totally fit the theme of the cake and I can see how nobody would have ever known there was a problem lurking.
I'm sure the client was happy; the cake was gorgeous, and you handled the disaster perfectly!
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