Which Is More Important To You...

Decorating By caked4life Updated 18 Sep 2010 , 12:26am by madgeowens

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angelwings1 Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 6:50am
post #31 of 52

Taste. They won't come back for pretty, if the taste is ugly.

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pixiefuncakes Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 7:07am
post #32 of 52
Quote:
Originally Posted by step0nmi

I don't decorate the cake unless i know it tastes good. period.



Like she said!

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Caths_Cakes Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 8:28am
post #33 of 52

Gah! this gets me sooo hard! so many people say, I dont care what it tastes like as long as it looks the part . . and i think . . You wouldnt say that if i filled your cake with Crap. . .

For me, Taste. Nothing to me is better, was my grannys home made cake, she was not a baker, She had arthritius and parkinsons. given that, she couldnt ice a cake to save her life, but it still is to this day, the best cake ive ever had! I just wish she was still around to give me the recipe! We all liked to joke, even she did ,about how her cakes were always lopsided, shes been gone 8 year but every one still talks about her famous sponge.

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kathyx1 Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 9:09am
post #34 of 52

Oops, my interpretation of the question was slightly off. icon_redface.gif What can I say, it's Friday and I've had a busy week. icon_rolleyes.gif

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Coral3 Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 10:10am
post #35 of 52

It really does have to be both for me, sorry!

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gatorcake Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 11:49am
post #36 of 52
Quote:
Originally Posted by KimmyKakes4Me

A delicious, moist, bursting with flavor cake isn't worth squat in my eyes if it's sloppy, crooked and sad looking. Cakewrecks anyone?




It may not be worth much from a business perspective and in the ideal world the answer is both are equal. However the question posits a situation where you have a cake that is poorly decorated but tastes great versus one that is beautifully decorated as tastes terrible. In either case I would bet most people when offered a piece would be willing to try a bite from both. And ultimately a cake is judged on its how it tastes.

I have been to many functions with nice looking cakes where the cake tastes mediocre at best. I have also eaten cakes that have had frosting slathered on them that were amazing. There is no question which one I would rather have, give me someone who can bake with minimal decorating skills over someone with great decorating skills who cannot bake. It may be an eye sore but it will be enjoyed will it is eaten.

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caked4life Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 1:23pm
post #37 of 52
Quote:
Originally Posted by adventuregal

oh my goodness lol to all the posters that wonder why both aren't an option-I think it's because the poster wanted us to pick a SIDE-not both sides. It's a fun game-like what one food would you pick to take to a desserted island kind of thing. Unless I'm missing something and this is supposed to be serious icon_lol.gif




I could not have said it better! Thanks adventuregal! icon_biggrin.gif

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psmith Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 1:34pm
post #38 of 52

I think appearance first and taste a very close second. Taste is super important to me but I think that a cake's appearance such be such that it makes people want to get a taste of it. Cakes that look sloppy or unappealing will lessen the desire to eat the cake.

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caked4life Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 1:45pm
post #39 of 52

The responses received to the post have been great to read. I ask this question because I recently read a cake decorator's comment that read something along the lines of being a decorater first and a baker second. I found this interesting.

I have attended a few weddings. I can't remember the design of one single cake, but boy can I remember the taste of almost all of them, one in particular. As far as I can remember the design of it was nice, but the taste...Let's just say I wanted to bite the plate to get just a little more of it.

I would personally choose TASTE over decor anyday of the week. Ideally both would be the best option, but as we all know life does not always give us the ideal option. Sometimes it's one or the other.

A phrase rings in my ear...It may not look good, but it tastes amazing!

Thanks to all that responded! thumbs_up.gif

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KimmyKakes4Me Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 1:58pm
post #40 of 52

Well, to people who know nothing about your cakes other than their first impression upon finding your website, it's a good bet they will judge by appearance first. You know the old saying "can't judge a book by it's cover"? Yeah-that saying is total BS in most regards to anything non cake related as well.

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mmdiez10 Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 2:09pm
post #41 of 52

I think the disappointment is greater when you are mesmerized and lured in by a beautiful cake and then take a bite and it tastes like baking soda or cardboard. I am always more pleasantly surprised when a mediocre-looking cake turns out to taste awesome. So my vote is TASTE.

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all4cake Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 2:24pm
post #42 of 52

I dub myself a baker who happens to decorate.

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debbief Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 2:56pm
post #43 of 52

I'm going to go with taste first. I spend hours and hours decorating (I'm also still learning and practicing techniques). But even when I'm happy with the way it looks, I don't get too excited until I find out how it tasted.

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NJCakeDiva Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 3:24pm
post #44 of 52

If I were a business owner, I would say both equally. Since I only bake for fun, I will have to go with taste. Long before I knew what fondant was or learned all the neat decorating tricks that I have, I always cared more about what was going on inside the cake than what was on the outside (Can you say frosting swirled on with butter knife?) lol icon_wink.gif

The image may last because of a photo (Oh, what a beautiful cake! )but the taste will live on in the taste buds of anyone who ever ate it and they will tell a friend thumbs_up.gif

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tinygoose Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 3:30pm
post #45 of 52

Taste, but if it is so ugly that they won't taste it, then taste doesn't really matter does it.

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what_a_cake Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 4:09pm
post #46 of 52

A delicious cake with a wonderful look is a thousand times better... in a perfect world, we will all have awesome cakes in both taste and appearance, right?

Now, appearance is what gets the attention of a client, specially with all the cake shows on TV, but at the end cake is to be eaten icon_smile.gif so will have to say TASTE definitively should go first and never sacrifice taste for look.

Want to quote something that I once heard and always remember : "when I see a cake with a thick layer of buttercream I want to eat it regardless it's shape. When I see a masterful confection of sugar art, I want to take pictures."

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adventuregal Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 11:09pm
post #47 of 52

kathyx1-I really like your profile pictures!
Reading this post really makes me want to eat some cake! It's funny because while I've always been a dessert lover, I think it's the decorating part that got me interested. In saying that I spent 3 years finding the perfect recipes for me and we all know recipes are NOT created equally LOL I had to go through alot of so so and not so great cakes to find the ones I love icon_smile.gif

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Rylan Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 11:28pm
post #48 of 52
Quote:
Originally Posted by psmith

I think appearance first and taste a very close second. Taste is super important to me but I think that a cake's appearance such be such that it makes people want to get a taste of it. Cakes that look sloppy or unappealing will lessen the desire to eat the cake.




I kinda feel the same.

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glow0369 Posted 17 Sep 2010 , 11:30pm
post #49 of 52

well said tinygoose.. thumbs_up.gif

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Rachel5370 Posted 18 Sep 2010 , 12:08am
post #50 of 52

I have been a pastry chef before and just now really getting into decorating. Cakes that are undecorated can be pretty and appetizing, food in it's natural state and color is subconsciously appealing to humans, as are high contrast colors. I have seen some people remark about not wanting to eat cakes that don't look like cakes and have unnatural colors on them. My pastry instructor in culinary school was highly opposed to any colors that don't occur naturally in food being used. That being said- I love the art of cakes nowadays. It seems there are no limits- and it's fun! I think people often expect pretty cakes not to taste good, alot of people do hate wedding cake. But I know how to bake and I just love blowing that stereo-type out of the water! I love surprising people with a cake that tastes awesome. I think a cake with a deliberately "rough-iced" look is beautiful because it reminds us of grandmas, moms and aunties and gives us the "warm-fuzzies". I have seen some cakes that were so poorly decorated that it looked unsanitary, you know like when things look "over-handled" and playdough-like- I get kinda grossed out and won't eat it.

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indydebi Posted 18 Sep 2010 , 12:17am
post #51 of 52
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachel5370

I have seen some cakes that were so poorly decorated that it looked unsanitary, you know like when things look "over-handled" and playdough-like- I get kinda grossed out and won't eat it.




"It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it." ----- Julia Child

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madgeowens Posted 18 Sep 2010 , 12:26am
post #52 of 52

I took a cake to the dentist office yesterday that didn t look like grammys cake, and I think they cut into it before I started up my car to go home hehe........every one has different likes and dislikes, thats what makes the world go round.......if it looks nasty....I wont eat it....that simple to me icon_smile.gif

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