I wouldn't even take the time to give any excuses. I would just say it is too late of a notice.

Seriously, those who feel that she should've done the cake, would you really feel comfortable allowing someone to "put the finishing touches" on a cake you started?

You have no idea what it's going to end up looking like and you're willing to put your name on it? I don't understand that...

I can see your point of view. I guess my "Type A" personality wouldn't allow that for me personally. I have to know exactly what my name is attached to, because I'm almost positive that someone like this person would be sure to let everyone know it was me who did the cake if it received bad reviews, wether they believe it or not is on them. And just like you said, he most certainly would take all the credit for the good ones.

I'm curios:
How can anyone "design" a cake, but not bake it? Not all recipes of the cakes can stand the designs.
What if the "head" of the penguin was heavier than the "body", and the cake cracked? Or vice versa?
A while back someone asked a quote for a 3 tier fondant covered cake, and after I gave them my price, the lady asked me if she baked the cake, could I decorated with fondant. And I said no, bacuase I didn't know how she baked and what if her cake couldn't stand the weight of my fondant? I wasn't just that she was could be taking my compliments, she could blame me for a disaster.

Karateka.....what did you end up doing?

Sorry I haven't responded....I keep forgetting that the email notification is down, and I've just forgotten to check back.

I listened calmly to his spiel. I clarified that he wanted this TOMORROW. Then I told him I needed more notice. He gave me a half sigh, half huff like "Geez, she's obviously not a professional" and hung up.

I was irritated not because I'm a diva. He was so brusque and cocky sounding, and talked to me like I was an underling in his kitchen. And I have to admit, this calling me and expecting it tomorrow.....is it because I'm a home baker that he assumes I've got nothing else to do?

And really....I am a CUSTOM cake shop. I can see sculpting a penguin cake for someone, but not baking part of it and letting somebody else mess with it. His whole tone was arrogant and condescending and he really irritated the fire out of me.

I'm aware that this will never pay the mortgage on my house. Basically I earn enough each year to pay for my trip to OSSAS. So I don't need to put up with people who treat me like that. And I won't. I spent years in college to do something I loved, and now that I have to do it to pay the bills, I don't enjoy it anymore. I don't want to make that mistake with cakes.

So no cake for him!

You go girl!

Good for you karateka!!

I too spent time getting the job I have to now hate what I do to "pay the bills".

I do cakes because I enjoy doing them and I love to make someone happy with a cake! I also know that I will more than likely never "pay my bills" completely with cakes so I will be choosey when it comes to jerks and divas like this guy obviously was. I had one recently that just about did me the same way. It was one of the "friend of a friend" situations.

Long story short.. a co-worker's dghtr was having a baby shower but the co-worker's friend was throwing the shower. The mom to be wanted me to do the cake even picked it out the design she wanted. this "friend" wanted my price then wanted to price check with her "cake lady" to see what the difference was. I explained to her that I would need confirmation two weeks prior to make the cake. Well she "assumed" that since I was a friend of the g-ma to be that I would make concessions to her calling me a few days before. I gracefully declined to her dismay and disgust. Needless to say, she had a very disappointed mom-to-be when she found out that I was not making the cake. I did explained the situation to the mom-to-be and g-ma to be and both understood totally and were not upset with me at all.


Oh well. Just b-cuz we are "home kitchen" bakers does not mean "not busy".

Way to go girl!! I am so glad that you didn't do it...ecspecially because of the way he treated you.

I see that being a real nightmare if you had gone through with it. He would have been so rude and disrespectful.

I would definately think it odd- not that he wanted you to bake half the cake- the black part and the sweater part- did he want you to decorate that part?

It kinda seems to me- like maybe he's been watching a whole lotta duff- He said he's a cake designer (not baker). I bet he was making a styrofoam HEAD for the penguin and intended to put that into your cake. Even if he was a decorator that got others to bake his cake- It seems to me that he would not let you ice half of it. I bet he's watched a whole lot of TV and said "I can do that" just because he can carve a piece of styro . People are amazed if the cake is 3/d -even if it is half styrofoam- so he probably gets or will get a lot of business from it!

I think a lot depends on the situation and you ABSOLUTELY did the right thing given these circumstances. I think it's one thing if you know the person and they call you up in a panic because something happened.

Last year on the day of our daughter's birthday party, two structures of my parent's family business burnt to the ground. That was the day I had set aside to make a Dora cake for our daughter. Not a fancy cake by any stretch... Well, the buildings weren't the only thing that managed to burn that day, for the first time in YEARS I managed to burn DD's birthday cake... It was black crisp on the outside, raw in the center, and baked at 325 in our oven that hundreds of cakes have come out perfectly with, I have NO CLUE how that happened... I literally went to the grocery store in a panic, confessed my inadequacy to the poor gals working the bakery counter, walked out with $34 in strawberry shortcake cake and a Dora Edible Image that I just simply had to finish on my own in the remaining hour before the party. The thing is, I about had the girls in stitches laughing so I could get them to sell me what I wanted (they only sell that cake by the slice, so getting them to lob off a quarter-sheet's worth from the frozen sheet box was a challenge)... OTOH, I probably could have called up several friends up here and had a cake to get the job done in the remaining time I had given the circumstances.

BUT, this situation posted sounds like one of WTF??? and the guy probably would have canceled the order after you quoted them the PITA fee price... OTOH, a true "cake designer" would be like "here's an extra $$ for the short notice!!!"...

I often wonder if the posters coming here bitching about there 'difficult' customers ever think that those same customers might come to this site and read all the nasty things people are saying about them?? How would you feel if you were the recipient of the blogging attack

Unlikely that they would even know of this site. I don't think any of us are trying to be mean we just need to vent to our friends when we have a bad day.

Run Forest Run!!

Sometimes if a customer is being "odd", they need to hear they're being odd - even if they hear it in an offhanded way about some unmentioned person in an unmentioned town on a message board.

I agree with most others though, if he's a professional, he should know that he is asking something unreasonable. Put all "it's my cake" attitude aside, he asked for an overnight turnaround on a carved cake partially decorated with black. Black is a stinker and as a professional, he should know this. Plus, what if the black of the body and the black of the head didn't match? And to then put the penguin in a sweater? That's a healthy amount of weave to put on there in just an evening (assuming you wanted to work all night on someone else's project).

For me, it's not so much a matter of attitude as it is a matter of logistics. His failure to plan would not constitute my emergency.