Last week I was contacted by a bride.
A good friend recommended me...I don't advertise that I bake so everything is word of mouth.
Can I make an 8in square to go on the top of her cupcake tower?
I'm free that weekend, the design is very pretty ( and do-able) and she seems pretty easy to work with until I get to the flavor.
"What flavors do you make?"
Sent her the list.
A day later she asks,
"Can you make it takes like white chocolate cheesecake?"
Not on my list.....however I tell her I can use pudding with that flavor, but the cake will be denser than the cake she had at my friend's party last summer.
An hour later, she e-mails back, " My boyfriend and I would like red velvet."
Also not on the list.
So, since I read the lovely discussion on CC last week about the difference of real Red Velvet ( actually a buttermilk cake with just a hint of cocoa and what people sometimes call Red Velvet, a huge amount of red dye in a chocolate cake mix ) I ask her,
"Will you be wanting a red-chocolate cake or a real velvet cake that is made with buttermilk, a tablespoon of cocoa and beet juice for coloring?"
She doesn't answer until the next morning.
"We have decided to go with a white cake and strawberry filling."
Now, we are talking.
That was on my list. 
Honestly, if she had pulled another flavor out of the air I was going to loose my interest. I gave her a huge list to choose from and she just ignored it. I'd rather she asked for what she wanted up front.
I just realized as I typed that last sentence that maybe she didn't know what she wanted until she DIDN"T see it.
mommchris
Wow. I hope she doesn't change her mind again!
Yeah... I guess I go to Outback steakhouse and order sushi.
Maybe because I am from the south I could see asking for the red velvet even it if wasn't on the list. Because to me, it's sort of a staple cake, like a carrot cake, or white cake or chocolate cake.
Now the white chocolate cheese cake, that would be pushing it a little if that wasn't on your list at all.
Next time after the first one off the list I would probably say something like..
These are my go to cakes that I have made many times and feel totally comfortable with making. I wouldn't want to experiment with a new flavor on a clients cakes, but I will definetly look into adding that flavor to the list in the future after I have time to find the perfect recipe. Unfortunetly that won't be happening before your order, so what flavor, off the list, would you like to have. 
I've told people "I could make that, but it would be sort of experimental." for flavors not on my menu. usually that gets me out of it.
Texas and Vanillacoke,
I was just about to be honest with her about my comfort zone. I'm fortunate that she finally picked a standard.
It's only a small order, but I'd rather work with recipes I feel confident in and make them a very tasty cake.
mommachris
I am fairly mean - I would have said something to the affect of
OMG! I didn't realize that is on list, where is it?
I'm a scratch baker and a request for something that sounds good, like white chocolate cheesecake, would be nice to add to the list. I already have a white chocolate cake, so it would be easy to experiment. If the date is a few weeks or months away, I say I will develop it and I will call in a few weeks to provide a sample. I would never just wing it and sell it, but for a wedding, the bride will tell people that the flavor was developed for her... an opportunity for good PR.
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