I got an email from a lady (she ordered the penguin cake in my pics). She raved about the decoration and the taste of the buttercream, but said that the cake was crumbly and they were only able to cut "a few whole pieces" which "was a letdown given the decoration". She said she just wanted to share this feedback with me.

What to do now? I don't understand how it could have been crumbly as I've never had this complaint before....the pieces I cut off to level it didn't seem crumbly to me.

Is she fishing for something, or do I simply thank her for letting me know and then go on?

It was a 10 in round and I charged her $115.

You can ask more information, like what did she mean by crumbly?

My thought is maybe she cut it with a knife that didn't cut through it well and it caused the pieces to fall about.

"Thanks for your email question about the cake. Sometimes the type of knife will affect how a cake is cut. A straight-edge (not serrated), sharp knife is the best type of knife to use for nice smooth pieces.

Sincerely......"

If the person doing the cutting didn't use a sharp knife to cut through the cake to apportion the slices, but used something with a dull edge that smooshed the cake down and apart resulting in a crumby mess - that's not a problem that could be resolved by the baker....

HTH

I'd just thank her for her feedback and let it go.

Does anyone else put "do not use a serrated knife" on their instruction cards, if you provide one for cutting? I do.

Really? No serrated knife? I ALWAYS use a serrated knife to cut any type of baked goods. hmmm . . . .

Even fondant covered cakes? I haven't had any luck with that.

This was a buttercream covered cake with a bunch of fondant penguins on top. Now that I think of it, one other person did say that, when I first started out. I discovered that I was doing something wrong in the recipe and corrected it....haven't had the comment since.

Oh yeah! I always make sure to say no serrated knives near this fondant cake! Now that I think of it...it was from reading something you (Debi) posted about this same thing that got me to be dilligent about it! And I did try it one time, sawed back and forth one half stroke. Nope. Got a real knife out.

Bake a small test cake & try it out!

You also have to clean the knife as well when you cut the cake, regardless of the type. They're just looking to nit pick at something.

I made an extra 6in chocolate cake today, just so I could cut it up. It cut fine, and I really cut it into small and large pieces until it was all cut up. Not a one crumbled. Of course, I didn't ice it, but I think she must have used a butter knife or something. No way this cake is a crumbly mess.

Maybe she used a hacksaw. Even a butter knife will do an okay job on a cake.

I got a response from her:

Thanks for the follow-up. We did use a straight edge cake knife. But because
the cake was so dry, most pieces simply disintegrated when cut. It wasn't a
matter of a smaller piece breaking off (i.e., putting 2-3 pieces back
together to form one smooth slice). We were scooping tiny granules onto
plates, not chunks of cake. I am sure you will discover what needs to be
adjusted in the recipe or baking process.

What to say now? I'm upset and bewildered. Like I said, I made a chocolate cake this morning and it was great. Not dry, cut beautifully....I'm upset and just don't know what I should do. She isn't outright asking for anything...what should I do? I made another chocolate cake that same weekend...haven't heard from them. Do I call them and ask how it was? Or is that asking for trouble?

If the cake was crumbly like that, you would have been able to tell when you leveled it. And you said it was fine then.

I would not respond to her email. If she wants something from you, let her come right out and ask.

"disintegrated"????? Oh pul-lease!!!

I wonder if she stored it in the refrigerator and dried it out.

It doesn't sound like she wants a refund, she didn't ask for one. Maybe she just wanted to give you her feedback.

Is she a repeat customer?

File that email away and move on. No refund, no asking other customers, no more dwelling on it. You obviously know what you're doing or you would not have customers at all. I know it bugs you, but some people will just never be pleased.

tiny granules?

I can see this if they were trying to feed 500 with a cake that feeds 50? Were they shaving the cake?

I agree with jammjenks, try to put it behind you. Have confidence in what you're producing. If you're still worried about it bake the same recipe in the same size again and give it to an honest friend, whose opinion you know will be sound, and ask them to review it for you.
Good luck getting over these negative feelings. Chin up!

sounds like she one of those people that wants the last word on the subject

im only a office baking hack and even my cakes dont disintergrate so i cant imagine how yours could achieve such a feat as she describes

Did she by any chance order more cake than she needed? The first year I was in business, I heard the same complaint that you got--nearly word for word. The customer told me that "half of the cake" was left over, because it was dry and no one would eat it. Keep in mind that this was two different flavored cakes for a tiered presentation. My first thought was that it was highly unlikely that both cakes were overbaked. Plus, like we all do, I level the cakes, and have a pretty good idea if the cake is dry at that point.

What really happened was that she had not served the cake to the large group of people it had been planned for and had waited until two days later to serve it to a much smaller group of people!

Naturally, cake was left over and she had buyer's remorse for ordering way more than she needed. I had waited around for hours on a Friday afternoon for her to pick up the cake for a birthday party that evening. When she finally decided she couldn't make it to my house, she picked it up the next day, and told me they were holding it to serve until after she attended church on Sunday.

In her letter to me, she actually asked for a refund, which given the circumstances, I declined to do.

Be happy she didn't ask for money back, and forget about it. You know that your cakes are good.

Deb...she is a new customer, and I'd hoped for a repeat. Oh, well.

BethKay...she originally told me 30, and I use Earlene's chart, so that is a 10in. I gave her a cutting guide. But today is the first I've heard from her and the party was supposedly Saturday the 23rd. So it has been 6 days. Maybe she DID have leftover and do just as you said.

I'm so grateful to have my cc buds...without you guys I'd never get any work done or any sleep! Thank you to all who responded. I'm really very grateful for your help.

I simply responded (to her last email) "I will certainly make that my first priority. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. Sincerely, XXX"

I had considered sending her a 20% off coupon, but now I don't think I will. Phew...having a glass of vino and hitting the rack.