Hi guys,

I got my first customer complaint this morning. I made an 8 inch round WASC with MMF. I always use the WASC for my vanilla cakes and have never had a complaint. I made the cake on Tuesday night and delivered it on Wednesday evening. Well, the customer told me when I delivered the cake that her husband did not want her to pay that much money for the cake; which in my opinion was not a lot. Anyway, she emails me this morning and says that the cake was pretty and they everyone said so, but it was DRY and it feel apart when she cut it so that had to throw majority of it away. She also stated that she did not want her money back she just wanted me to know since I was building my business. I posted the pic below. I know that the customer is supposed to be right because word of mouth can hurt your business. Anyway, I have never had a complaint on WASC being dry. Have any of you experienced it being dry. I can understand the cake maybe falling apart because you have to cut through the fondant, but even so, fondant does not dry rock hard. Anyway, just wanted to share with my CC family.

First the cake is pretty, and second i think it depends on the customer, because i also use the wasc recipe and the only person that has ever told me that it was dry is my hubby .. everyone else seems to like it because i get alot of request for it.

Pretty cake! I always make WASC or a version of it when I do my girls' cakes and I haven't had a problem with it being dry. I do think it has a different texture than just a plain box mix. Maybe the customer was used to box mix that hasn't been enhanced and took the difference in texture as being dry. I'm sorry you got a complaint. (((hugs)))

if she hadnt thrown it away, then you could have asked her to bring it back so you could see. and only then, think about a refund or voucher or something.
but they threw it away (or ate it more likely!), so tough for them really. you already know the husband (or wives excuse) wasnt happy to pay a fair price for the cake, so it is not an unreasonable jump to imagine him/ them trying to get their money back.
i wouldnt worry about it.
xx

I actaully baked a version of WASC last night and baked it 50 minutes (2 8" rounds) and it still could have used at least another 10-15 minutes, no risk or being dry.

NEw at all these abbrev.

What is WASC? thanks

WHat is WASC? And the cake was reallu cute. I've had that happen to me and they threw the cake away. But the person that complained about didn't like me anyway. But don't worry about it because you will find you can't please everyone. And I'm sure it was a way for the wife not buy another cake because he was cheap!

I agree with brincess_b, they were just looking to find a way to get a refund. Everyone I know that has tried WASC comments on how moist it is. A little more dense but moist.

Don't worry about this "complaint" just consider the sour grapes they ate before the cake!

White Almond Sour Cream.........very yummy. There are a few recipes on here in the recipe section.

Ooooo sounds awesome must try

I think it was a texture thing too. the first and only time I made it I did it for a friend's co-worker's birthday. She and I got together and made it. We both ate scraps and thought it was very moist. My husband tried it and complained it was dry. I think it was because it was so moist that it sticks in the mouth kind of like dry cake does when it sucks up all the moisture in your mouth and you don't expect that.

JMO

Judi

I suspect she is just trying to appease her husband, who's probably still complaining about how much they spent on the cake. Sounds like she is hoping that you will offer a refund.

Don't offer one. A simple follow up email that says "thank you for your feedback, I'm sorry you weren't happy with the cake" is all she is owed.

Quite the contrary. I find it can turn out too moist or wet if not baked with a heating core in the center but have never had it come out dry.

Maybe just watch the amount of time you put it in next time and see if you can shave off a few minutes and see if it still bakes up ok. The only thing that would make it dry is if it is overbaked. I leave mine in for about 55 minutes total (less time for smaller cakes) and I follow kakeladi's recipe at 300 for 30 mins then 325 for about 25 mins.

I would thank her for the input, apologize for her not being happy about the quality of the cake, assure her that this must have been a fluke as you usually get nothing but raves, and offer her a small discount on a future order.

This shows that:

1. You are not taking it personally.
2. You care about her business.
3. You care about the quality of your cakes.
4. You are not a sucker (she has to place ANOTHER order to get anything back).
5. You believe her (even though you might not). When you show other people that you trust them when they are trying to con you - they often feel guilty. If you argue back, they feel justified.

Hmm, I did an amaretto cake using the wasc recipe last week and it turned out really moist. I baked 2 9x13 at 325 for about 48 mins. I leveled thursday night and assembled and decorated Friday. I received so many compliments regarding how good and moist it was. I did use a flower nail in each. Normally I let them bake for 50 mins.

I did do a chocolate version in which I used 3 shallow pans and didn't properly adjust the time so they overcooked and werenot as moist.

oh my ganache has some great advice.

ok i might be asking a dumb question but is the flower nail in the cake used to help the cake bake more evenly in the bigger cake pans?

Yes it is used to help with even baking in larger cakes.

thanks

I've tasted a lot of cakes in my time. Some good, some bad and some just okay. But I can't believe that there as many cakes being thrown away as people would have us believe. If they were all telling the truth, we'd be deaf from the reverberating echos of cakes hitting the bin all over the world, day in, day out. Who throws away cake?? And just because it's a little dry and crumbly? People scarf down dry and crumbly cake all day, every day, all over America! Doubt it? look at peoples butts and guts next time you walk down the street instead of looking at theirs faces. Threw most of the cake away...please.

That said, OMGanache does give some excellent advice on dealing with these dishonest people, who should be ashamed of themselves.

Yes, a flower nail acts like a heating core for larger cakes and helps evenly distribute the heat. I think ohmyganache has a good idea. Appologize (even if you secretly wish she and her husband would inhale some of those dry cake bits and .....well at least cough a little lol.) DO NOT ADMIT FAULT THOUGH! The whole it was a fluke and many other requests thing is better. If she was just telling you to help build your business she will happily accept the discount and order again. Do not second guess yourself and let one apple spoil the bunch.

I would do exactly as OhMyGanache posted, honest, and to the point.

Maybe I've misread your post but it sounds like she was just trying to give feedback, not ask for a refund. Is that right? If so, I'm not sure why there are so many comments suggesting that her feedback is worth disregarding. Not all customers are out to save a buck. Some of them are genuine. If I were in your shoes, I'd certainly thank her for her feedback and maybe offer her a discount for the next time.

As for WASC...I've always found it to be dry and threw it out the second time I made it for that reason. I've been baking for many years so I'd like to think the dryness had nothing to do wtih me.

I use WASC a lot and have never gotten a complaint. In fact, most people say it is the best cake they've ever tasted. BUT - I always use a little vanilla soaking syrup. Not enough to drown it, just enough to ensure moisture. I poke holes in the cake with a thin skewer and then lightly brush the top. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I just don't want anyone saying my cake is dry. The vanilla flavor adds a lot too, I think. You can add almond extract or anything else you want to the soaking syrup. It's always fun to experiment!

No fun to get a complaint though, valid or not! It's like someone saying your baby is ugly!

mombabytiger, how do you make your vanilla soaking syrup?

I first can totally understand where you are coming from....I too just recently had my first complaint in 12 years...I was so taking back and honestly shocked that I didn't know what to say to the lady....She has ordered from me in the past, always gotten the same exact cake, this time she chose something completely different and off the wall for flavors to go together...I even commented to her when she ordered, that I wasn't sure that her choices would compliment each other well...but then stated that it is her cake, and if that is what she would like, I would most certainly make it. She came picked it up, the next morning first thing (what a way to start your day) calls and says that that was the worst cake she had ever eaten....WTF???? I didn't even know what to say to her....I had tasted the cake, as I had to tort it and there were some scraps....I offered her her money back, she said that wasn't what she called for????? She said not everyone hated it, just her. I then re-explained to her that I didn't reccommend her choices to go together...she said she was just calling so I wouldn't pass anymore of this cake along to others hun? I simply told her thank you for calling, and if she didn't want her money back, I didn't know what else to offer her. They had eaten all the cake, so she couldn't bring it back for me to taste (again) and see what the hell she was talking about...funny hun? If it was SOOO bad how come it was all gone.????I also explained to her that I bake each cake one at a time, so it isn't like I have a vat or freezer full of her cake. Honestly I do not want her to return as a customer...it did totally annoy me, and put a damper on my day, so I can totally understand why you are upset....I would just ignore it, and keep going on...I have more people RAVE over my work, and my cakes that one person being crazy....just think of it that way...sorry this had to happen to you, but maybe this will be the last one you get!

The only time that my WASC has ever been dry is when I've substituted a liqueur for part of the water, and not cut back on the sugar I added. Otherwise, I don't think it's possible to have a dry WASC cake.

I would simply thank her for the feedback, explain that you have had a lot of positive feedback on that recipe, and that you tasted the cake scraps after you leveled the cake, and didn't find it to be dry, but that you're sorry it wasn't what she was expecting.

Don't offer a discount on a future order unless you want to deal with her again.

Cute cake. The balls are all evenly shaped.

It sounds like you have overbaked your cake. If not, I'm not sure what it is.