that I keep cringing at myself!
Today I had to deliver this huge cake. It was so heavy. The top was suppossed to just be a giant cupcake, so for the second tier, I inserted only one dowel, thinking it would hold up fine.
So I drive over to the party. This cake weighed like 40 pounds, and I take it in, put it on her counter, and tell her I will be right back because I need to get some more stuff from the car. When I came back, her whole family was there, looming around the cake, and someone asked "Will this last until the party?"
I look at the cake, and yep, from the drive over, it is leeeeeaning backwards. It also cracked a little bit. I didn't put in enough dowels to support the 3rd tier! And of course I didn't bring any with me!
So I ask them if they have any wooden skewers, a spatula, and some scissors to try and dowel it. Three people followed me to where I put it on the table to make sure it didn't fall over. And then everyone gathered around the table to watch me fix it, and I just started sweating like a pig. 
It was so hot in there, and I was just dying at how the cake looked! I got 4 skewers in, and it helped it, but I am so embarrassed! I feel so unprofessional, to bring over a leaning cake!
Here's the link. I hope it was OK!
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1039923&done=1
Yeah first off WOW that cake is awesome! Don't be embarrased at all...things happen...yes you probably should have doweled it more, but you never know you could have put 10 dowels in it and it still could have leaned...it happens...as long as the cake didn't crumble to oblivion (sp?) you should be proud! You did a great job!
Thanks. She thought it was cute, I think, but shocked at the leaning.
She was one of those people who I talked to every single day for two weeks about napkins and plates and balloons coordinating, etc. I was nervous about pleaseing someone that seemed to be such a perfectionist!
Wow is right... that cupcake looks so yummy!!! Your cake is gorgeous!!
The cake looks great. So sorry that that happened to you. I agree, you don't know if putting more dowels in would have helped in the drive over.
Sorry this happened to you. Your cake looks wonderful, I love the way you did the cupcake on top!
I can only imagine how you felt, but at least you didn't drop it on the floor on your way through the door. Sounds like you made the best of an unfortunate situation. Consider it a learning experience that you don't want to repeat and put it behind you. You have too many wonderful cakes to create to let it get you down.
Your cake is GORGEOUS! So...you've had your first technical difficulty - you've gotten it out of the way! Sounds like you dealt with it just fine (even under the added pressure of an audience)!
Bottom line is still that the cake is awesome! Don't waste any more time being embarrassed about the snafu - just pat yourself on the back for a beautiful & creative cake creation!
.... I look at the cake, and yep, from the drive over, it is leeeeeaning backwards. It also cracked a little bit. I didn't put in enough dowels to support the 3rd tier! And of course I didn't bring any with me! ....
Summernoelle, I think you did an excellent job here. Your cake is very nice and, despite the problem you had at delivery, you recovered quite well to make this a successful cake.
That being said, I wish to give you a little advice and I really don't know how to make this sound any way but snippy, so please don't take it that way; this is meant to help you make your next tiered cake even more successful.
Although I'm self-taught, I would never use less than 3 dowels to support a tier and always make sure there are extra dowel(s) to skewer from tier to tier to tier. (I also take extra dowels with me on a delivery) It is far too easy for a single dowel to be placed off-center which would cause the tier it is supposed to be supporting to lean. Roads are bumpy, other drivers can cut you off, you can stumble while carrying the cake. All these factors could have caused your top tier to lean.
That being said, you showed grace under pressure to work so feverishly while being watched like a hawk as you made the necessary repairs. I'll bet you learned more from this job than any other. I am impressed with the finished product. It's great!
[And after all the "hands on" of the lady who ordered it, you might have to think in retrospect that this was the way this job was meant to be!]
Keep up the good work,
Odessa
No not snippy.
I guess I was just thinking "well, it's only a little cupcake!" But what I wasn't thinking about is "that cupcake is a 4 inch round for the top with a ton of fondant on it!"
So, I asked her how the cake was, and this is what she said:
"It was FABULOUS!!! My Dad and my husband put some wood shims under the base to lean it forward. That seemed to help take some of the pressure off of the back. The flavor was out of this world...and it was SO moist. Everyone loved it and raved about how good it was and how pretty it was. Jackson ate his ENTIRE cupcake. I think he liked it too!!
Thanks for everything. You really did a great job!"
Yeah! I am so relieved!
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