I delivered a cake yesterday that was just horrendous! Vampire Sweet Sixteen cake - red velvet cake with cream cheese icing - red and black roses - PINK candles - triple stacked - picture of girl on top layer (stuck on the side of the top layer). After I delivered that thing I didn't sleep last night. I haven't heard from the client yet so I don't know how they felt about it. What do you all DO when someone requests a cake that may hurt your reputation as a serious decorator?? HELP!! I would post a photo but I can't bring myself to do it!

I have yet to read anything that sounds horrendous. Maybe it's just you.

Just put the pic in the post and then we'll be able to tell you if it was bad or not.

Pic please

Yes...no pic; no help.

If it is what they asked for, then you have nothing to worry about! Just make the best disaster you can!!

when your doing cakes, Sometimes you have to use knowledge to tell the client No, its just not possible to create and 16 inch tall and only 3 inch wide cake that till serve 3 . . .But then, you'll get some who want the wackyiest craziest cake they can possibly think off, And you just have to go with it, after all, its there cake . . As much as it might hurt you to do it, i bet it makes them very happy

I was asked to make an ugly fish one time out of cupcakes. The client brought in a picture of the fish she wanted (I think it was a pike fish--her DH favorite to fish for) and she told me to make it as ugly as possible--the uglier the better. It was hideous to make and hard to do also! As a decorator, we strive for things to look nice and therefore ugly is hard to do. But she loved it! Lesson learned, the customer gets what they want! All we can do is give them our suggestions and hope to lean them in the direction that we know it will look good in. But all in all, if they wanted what you produced, then that is the cake that they will get!

Post a picture, it probably isn't as bad you think--just not what you are used to making!!

If it turned out exactly as the customer wanted it can hardly be called a disaster. Just because someone wants what we don't think is appealing doesn't mean its so...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
They may tell everyone who the best decorator is, we have all seen that one house on the street that is painted pink & blue well whoever lives there thinks its lovely!

you know its a disaster but it is what the client wants...then that is what you give them. I was asked to do a purple and fusia cake that was horrendous. It looked like someone blew up Barney!!.. I didnt even take a pic of that cake for my album.. ((gag))

Thanks for the comments folks. I'll try to upload a photo...I think I'll pass next time if someone makes a request I don't think I can do well. I haven't at this very long (3 years) and my reputation is at stake.

It might be exactly what they were envisioning. I once was asked to do a cake that I thought would be awful. And it was...I felt like crying the morning of delivery. I redid part of it to try and "improve" it.
I got to the venue and the cake just fit there. It clearly wasn't as bad as I thought...just not a style I liked (at all!!). A couple of weeks later I got a beautiful thank you note from them written on a thank you card that had the cake pictured on the front with their wedding pics. Apparently they loved the cake enough that they had thank you cards made up with it on the front! You just do the best you can...deliver what they ask for...and don't worry about it not being something that you would like.
Point is ~ they loved it despite the fact that I hated it.
ps. That cake pic is NOT in my portfolio for other brides to see... LOL

OMG I have done boob cakes, male parts cakes, and toilet cakes. Not how I would like to be remembered, but they made the clients happy. What I really hate to do is over the hill cakes with gravestones and stuff like that.Go spend the money and enjoy it.

It's funny to me that this morning I got a call from the Mom raving about this bad cake. The other kids at the party wanted to know where she got, who baked it, etc. I got a cake order from the girl's aunt for a wedding cake. That cake gave me an ulcer but I got business from it. I still can't believe it and it will NOT be going in my portfolio!! Thanks to all of you who encouraged me. I really love this web site. I was just about to "lose it" Saturday night!

It wasn't a cake disaster, it just wasn't your style. But, it sounds like you nailed it anyway since they're raving about it and telling everyone where they got that awesome cake!

I really want to see this cake! LOL

I've been trying for 2 days to upload that photo. It just sits there and never loads. Verizon in our area is having problems with the tower. As soon as we're back up I'll send it on. Yuck!

It's probably not Verizon's fault. CC has been on the fritz lately.

Beauty is in the eye of the person paying for it !!!

As long as what the customer is requesting is within your moral guidelines,make them and collect your money.

AWESOME!! Congratulations to you...pulling off a cake that is completely opposite of your style and likes is definitely harder to do then a cake that is right up your alley. Give yourself a giant pat on the back!!

I finally got the photo to upload. Can't seem to attach it to this thread - but it's one of two of my photos.

I love the "blood" dripping!

Good job! Its just as you described and most important, just what was requested by the BG. I wouldn't worry about adding the cake to your portfolio, its very unique. Its easy to see why the BG loved her cake so much. Lots of blood and gore but super cool at the same time.
A perfect cake for a teenager thats into vampire shows!!

I like it because its quite unique, I did a headless lady for a 16th birthday

I love the blood dripping! It makes me want to bake a Halloween cake now! Thanks for the inspiration. (See, even cakes you don't like inspire others)

lol I know they are all into the gothic scene

I think that is something that has happened or will happen to every decorator. We can only do so much to guide the customer in the right direction. Some of the more experienced decorators put their foot down for reputations sake, but ultimately its the customers cake and its what they want right?

I did a baby shower cake once and they wanted me to copy the baby's bedding on a two tiered cake. No problem until I got to the bottom tier. She was adamant about wanting "thin" stripes. I told her that thicker stripes would look much better, she argued and said she wanted thin stripes and she wanted only 5 on each side. I told her that more and thicker would look much better, but she insisted. I made it her way. I thought it looked stupid and unfinished, but she loved it.