Okay...had a customer that called me this morning. I made a sheet cake for her daughter....the gal picked it up on Saturday morning. They had it on Sunday afternoon. I told her it would be best if she kept it in the fridge till the party time. I baked it on Friday afternoon.....decorated and put in my cooler. So the cake was chilled. She told me that they had to throw the cake out.....cause it had a SOURED taste to it. Was a plain white cake. I asked her all kinds of ???'s too.....did she leave it in the car after she left my shop.....she said no....but she does live in a town about 20 miles away.....so she could have went shopping, etc. Did she have it in the trunk of her car? I asked her if she put it in the fridge when she got home....she said no....but it was right by the air-conditioner. I have been doing cakes for over 30 years....and never one time has anyone called back and said the cake had a sour smell or taste to it??? I have heard of a chemical reaction that when a cake sits in a hot place....then cooled down....it can cause the alcohol in the vanilla to ferment.....so wondered if anyone else has ever had a problem with this??? I sure never have and it's buggin' the crap out of me. And it's the customer's word saying she didn't leave it in the car, etc...but she did say she left it sitting out but the house was cool. Please let me know if you have ever had to deal with this or not? I told her I will make her another cake....FREE OF CHARGE. She said they had to throw the cake out....here again.....I don't know that they did....but taking her word for it. But things like this can bug us decorators....and I've never had this problem in 30 years. Anyone else????
Was it the cake or the icing she said had soured?
I never refrigerate any of the cakes I make (except when I do cream cheese icing) and never had a problem. Even when we used to buy WM cakes (before I started making them last year) which sometimes had whipped icing and weren't refrigerated, I never had a problem. hmmmm
I never heard of such a thing....i think they just want a free cake.
I would sure ask for some of the cake back so you could inspect it before giving them anything for free,
You sure can't get anyone else to give you free stuff without bringing something back.
the "we had to throw the whole thing out"...is a tipoff...now theres no evidence.
Think about it...if you got something that was bad, wouldn't you keep it to show the people?
You sure can't get anyone else to give you free stuff without bringing something back.
the "we had to throw the whole thing out"...is a tipoff...now theres no evidence.
Think about it...if you got something that was bad, wouldn't you keep it to show the people?
ITA
Thanks everyone.....that was my reaction as well. I have never had someone say a cake was SOURED??? I've done all kinds of searches on the internet....and nothing comes up on a cake getting soured? After doing cakes for 30 years in the town where I live....I'm not worried about my reputation on this one....LOL!
It definitely sounds fishy to me, I bet they stopped off at the grocery store to run in and get a few things and left it in the trunk. Did you use anything perishable in the fillings or icing that could have went rancid in such a short amount of time like milk or anything? Even 20 miles in a hot trunk may cause it to turn. I personally have stopped doing anything perishable because I have no control over how the customer stores the cake!
I do use some cream or milk in my frosting.....but I asked her about the frosting....she said it tasted good....she said it was the actual cake that tasted SOUR? I used Duncan Hines white cake mix....have for 30 years and never had a problem. I did 10 other sheet cakes and 2 weddings this weekend.....same as I made her cake....and no one has called saying they had a problem??? I'm seriously thinking she put it in her trunk....and since she lives in a smaller town....they went shopping at our Super Wal-Mart before heading back home....and it just set too long in the HOT car. It was close to 90 on Saturday here!
sorry this happened. It's one of my biggest fears.
Uhm... she liked the icing, and she did not keep any evidence to show you....uhm... maybe there was NO cake left to keep and show you .... maybe she just wants a freebee. Who knows what people will do in this economy!
Hope this all turns out.
Good Luck.
sorry this happened. It's one of my biggest fears.
Uhm... she liked the icing, and she did not keep any evidence to show you....uhm... maybe there was NO cake left to keep and show you .... maybe she just wants a freebee. Who knows what people will do in this economy!
Hope this all turns out.
Good Luck.
My Grandmother, Mother then myself have never refriderated our Butter or Margerine in the Butter dish. We've never refridgerated our Peanut Butter (unless all natural). Never had a problem. When I have cake for family or a party I don't refridgerate it until the next day. And, that's to keep it from molding.
The only problem I have had is when I used butter in the buttercream and had to drive the cake 70 miles away in really hot weather. I thought it had a rancid taste, no one else noticed, but I sure did. So I won't use butter in hot weather.
The only problem I have had is when I used butter in the buttercream and had to drive the cake 70 miles away in really hot weather. I thought it had a rancid taste, no one else noticed, but I sure did. So I won't use butter in hot weather.
I wonder if once the Butter is mixed with another ingredient it changes it.
Sorry that this won't really help your side of the story, but I think I may know what she is talking about. The last two DH white cakes I made both tasted funny the next day. The first one cracked as I was turning it out, so I figured I would just make cake balls!! I left it covered overnight and the next morning the taste was horrible!! Ended up throwing it out afterall. The second had slightly the same taste the next day. I didn't do anything different to either, I thought maybe DH might have made some changes I didn't know about, as this has never happened before and I only use DH. I did make cupcakes last weekend and they turned out fine. I'm a little relieved to know it wasn't just me, but I'm sorry you had this happen.
Do you have your "smaller" cake orders sign a release or contract? I know in my wedding contract I state that no refunds will be given for "alleged" bad cake if I do not get a sample of it within 2 days of the event to check out the problem. I'm thinking of doing this for smaller cakes too 'cause people are getting crazy about getting something for nothing! The large restaurant/bakery I work at now requires a release to be signed and any "bad" cake to be brought in so that the baker can see what happened. I agree with aswartzw as how it is even possible for a cake to sour! Mold yes - sour no way! Have you dealt with this person before? Is she asking for a refund? I would tell her that without a sample of the cake for you to check out that the best you can do is 10% off her next order. She is just wanting it free! 
I'm like everyone else.....I'm thinking she's wanting a FREE cake. I called her back and of course....they threw it out and it's in the trash now...go figure!!! On the Duncan Hines thing....I made several other white cakes this past weekend too.....no one else has called with a problem?? Like I said....30 years in business and never had someone say the cake was SOURED? It's her word against mine....and I do have a sign in my shop that says they are responsible for transport and storing their cakes once it leaves my shop. I even told her to place it in the fridge....since she wasn't serving it till Sunday....which she didn't. I told her that since she didn't bring the cake back in to me to check it out.....it's best she just gets her cake from Wal-Mart then. I'm not giving her a FREE cake. I'm not worried about my reputation over this one cake....not in 30 years! LOL
when i worked at albertsons....they put "cake tables" out on the floor....no refridgeration...for days and days....didn't pull them until they started looking bad....no "sour" cake there.
i say forget her....let her go on to her next scam.
littlecake....RIGHT ON.....I mentioned to her that I know our Wal-Mart will take the cakes and place them on a metal rack....and has a sign that says..."Opps, baked too much" and it holds the old decorated cakes on there that they couldn't sell....and the date that is on it....has been 4 to 5 days later?? And that's been sitting out of a cooler and they still sell those at a lower cost. My main thing was to even find out if anyone else had EVEN HEARD of a cake soured or not....LOL
It's early and maybe I'm not thinking clearly, but I seem to remember a thread a few months back about some bad DH mixes? Just certain lot numbers? Anyone else remember this?
Other than that, sour cake sounds....crazy!
I think she just didn't like it, or it tastes different from the ones she usually gets, or something like that. There's no way it "soured".
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