QUESTION AT THE END..you guys always give good advice!
Everytime a new customer places an order I make them fill out an order form. I print out the forms for that week and hang them up by day on my kitchen cabinets so that I don't forget any detail.
I was finally done with my deliveries for the day (its Saturday) and was going to go home to bake the cakes for the Minnie cake I had to turn in on Sunday, the 5th. Not 10 minutes go by, as a matter of fact I was still warming the oven, that the Minnie cake lady calls me and asks when she could pick up the cake. I told her any time in the morning....and then...silence. So she asks "what do you mean?" and I said you can pick it up TOMORROW anytime in the morniing. So she said"No the cake is for today".
I FREAKED out! 
I ran to my order form and I was right. So I went ahead and told her that it said SUNDAY on the paper not Saturday. She was so disappointed in herself. So I asked "what time is the cake for" ? She said "4:00" and it was 1:00 and I still had to bake 2 round 10 inch cakes and 2 round 6 inch cakes. I told her I would do it anyway and rush through it.
I finished at 5:00 and she was pretty happy with the result. I wasn't as thrilled because I had made the cake before and knew it could come out better. It was really soft since it didnt cool properly and was crumbling in some parts. Also it came out a bit thinner than usual since I had to cut off the piece that was falling.
My question is this, what should I have done if she said ok FORGET about the cake, but I had already made the batter and prepared the pans? Do I charge her for half the work only or the complete thing?
It is not you fault I would charge her the full amount. I think the cake looks great.
I don't know about how to charge for that situation because i don't sell cakes but I wanted to tell you that given everything I think you did an amazing job in just a few hours! It usually takes me at least two days to decorate a cake....
Thanks, I usually take 2 days too. I bake one day and let cool and decorate the next and have never had a problem.
I was actually surprised I was able to design it in an hour.
since it was her fault, if she tried to cancel, she should be charged full amount
If she had said forget about it then you would keep whatever deposit she left and let her know that it was for the stuff you already made and the time you spent working on it up to that point, as well as for the loss of business by turning away other orders for her time slot.
She SHOULD be happy with the cake lol. It's got gorgeous colours, still very nicely done with the only minor thing being the shape of the top tier, would be better than anything she could have made, AND was done in a rush due to HER mistake. It was very nice of you btw to accommodate her instead of just cutting her loose.
I think the reason I did it was because she was very nice to me. She got upset only with herself and was very grateful that I made it in such a rush.
I think would she have been nasty I wouldn't have done anything.
Oh, and all the time I was baking/decorating, I kept thinking how much I wanted to come on here and post. I didn't know if she was going to see the cake and be like "this is not what I ordered!" and I wanted to be prepared with what to say!! 
Looks cute... Because it isn't your fault I would charge the full amount...
It's not your fault,and she was lucky to have gotten her cake, i wouldn't have been able to do it,esp. since i still had some to bake.You did great anyway.
You should have a standard cancellation policy. If your contracts call for 50% deposit and balance on delivery, and she then canceled, she would lose her deposit. If it's deposit to hold the date, and then payment is made in full prior to date of delivery (1-2 weeks) and cake has already been made (or is in progress) when she cancels, then she loses her full payment. But, again, you need to have these things spelled out in the contract/order form/customer agreement, for your own protection, if it comes up again.
Oh, and all the time I was baking/decorating, I kept thinking how much I wanted to come on here and post. I didn't know if she was going to see the cake and be like "this is not what I ordered!" and I wanted to be prepared with what to say!!
First, absolutely any deposit or payments she had made would be non-refundable if she cancelled because of her own error.
Second, I frequently take orders with 1-2 days notice. In that case, the client can give me a general idea what they want but the final design is up to me. I have a husband, 2 children who play sports, a house to keep up and a VERY SPOILED cat... I know what I have time to do in that time frame.
I recently had a woman who ordered a sculpted cake but didn't pay the deposit until 12 hours before her scheduled pick-up. I did a cake (because it was for a 4 yo b-day and babies are my Kryptonite) but what she got was a 10 inch round with fondant details. When she came to pick it up, I told her it was not carved because she had not paid her deposit in a timely manner.
Granted, she hasn't ordered another cake since, but as debi says... "NEXT!"
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