Things Not To Ask/say To A Baker!

Decorating By step0nmi Updated 20 Oct 2016 , 2:28pm by ch5964

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ellavanilla Posted 13 Aug 2013 , 5:42am
post #1891 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by milkmaid42 

 

 

 

For her 6th birthday, Madeleine wanted a rabbit with a carrot in a flower garden. I asked her to paint me a picture of what she had in mind so I could replicate it in cake. Every picture she draws  contains a rainbow, so using flowed sugar for the figures, and pastillage for the rainbow & sun, here is what I came up with. It took more effort to make the wobbly rainbow and crossed lines pencil effect in the rabbit than I thought it would. The cake is strawberry with dark chocolate ganache filling, covered with white chocolate cheesecake MFF.

 

I hope this sweet little girl is always able to find the rainbow after every storm.

 

Actually, it's somewhat difficult to make a non-perfect rainbow. But you can see why she was disappointed when she first saw a pic of the flowers...

 

Moral of the story: Do Not Tell A Cake Artist That You Are Going To Modify/Change A Design Yourself!

 

Jan

 

 

what a great idea! i think you've got a little theme business idea there!

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manddi Posted 13 Aug 2013 , 6:03am
post #1892 of 3221

A

Original message sent by milkmaid42

I've been enjoying this thread from its inception. Up to now I haven't had anything much to post...except now that I think of it-- I was making a cake for my sister's grand daughter's 6th birthday. We've always had a very good relationship, cake-wise and all other wise. I make our family cakes and she buys me new cake toys I cannot afford which I can use for other cakes. Win win, right? Well, her grand daughter asked for a very special cake and I agreed to make it to her specifications. We decided to make a cake like one of her paintings which always have a signature rainbow, with the usual children's sun in the corner,etc. I eagerly e-mailed my sister pictures of the cake in progress, the flowers that I replicated exactly as her grand daughter had drawn. I was floored by her response, "Aren't you going to put more flowers on it?" (Read that as, "aren't you going to put your realistic gumpaste flowers on it")  I told her no, I was doing what I was requested to do by a 6 year old little girl who loves to paint. The real kicker came when she told me that she was going to go out and buy some fake flowers and [U]add[/U] [U]to[/U] [U]my[/U] [U]cake[/U] ! I told her that that would be the last cake she ever got if she dared to mess around with my design. Well, all turned out well and she said that it was the favorite cake I ever made for her. We simply hadn't been on the same page and she didn't see my vision. She thought she'd be getting a veritable flower garden, knowing how I love to make gumpaste flowers. The birthday girl was delighted to see her painting come to life in a cake. This is a long story since I can't seem to edit myself, but I'll post a picture so you can see what I was talking (at length) about:

[URL=http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3042712/]For her 6th birthday, Madeleine wanted a rabbit with a carrot in a flower garden. I asked her to paint me a picture of what she had in mind so I could replicate it in cake. Every picture she draws contains a rainbow, so using flowed sugar for the figures, and pastillage for the rainbow & sun, here is what I came up with. It took more effort to make the wobbly rainbow and crossed lines pencil effect in the rabbit than I thought it would. The cake is strawberry with dark chocolate ganache filling, covered with white chocolate cheesecake MFF. [/URL]

[URL=http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3042713/]I hope this sweet little girl is always able to find the rainbow after every storm. [/URL]

Actually, it's somewhat difficult to make a non-perfect rainbow. But you can see why she was disappointed when she first saw a pic of the flowers...

Moral of the story: Do Not Tell A Cake Artist That You Are Going To Modify/Change A Design Yourself!

Jan

I love that cake so much!

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BatterUpCake Posted 13 Aug 2013 , 9:18am
post #1893 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by milkmaid42 

I've been enjoying this thread from its inception. Up to now I haven't had anything much to post...except now that I think of it-- I was making a cake for my sister's grand daughter's 6th birthday. We've always had a very good relationship, cake-wise and all other wise. I make our family cakes and she buys me new cake toys I cannot afford which I can use for other cakes. Win win, right? Well, her grand daughter asked for a very special cake and I agreed to make it to her specifications. We decided to make a cake like one of her paintings which always have a signature rainbow, with the usual children's sun in the corner,etc. I eagerly e-mailed my sister pictures of the cake in progress, the flowers that I replicated exactly as her grand daughter had drawn. I was floored by her response, "Aren't you going to put more flowers on it?" (Read that as, "aren't you going to put your realistic gumpaste flowers on it")  I told her no, I was doing what I was requested to do by a 6 year old little girl who loves to paint. The real kicker came when she told me that she was going to go out and buy some fake flowers and add to my cake ! I told her that that would be the last cake she ever got if she dared to mess around with my design.

Well, all turned out well and she said that it was the favorite cake I ever made for her. We simply hadn't been on the same page and she didn't see my vision. She thought she'd be getting a veritable flower garden, knowing how I love to make gumpaste flowers. The birthday girl was delighted to see her painting come to life in a cake.

This is a long story since I can't seem to edit myself, but I'll post a picture so you can see what I was talking (at length) about:

 

 

For her 6th birthday, Madeleine wanted a rabbit with a carrot in a flower garden. I asked her to paint me a picture of what she had in mind so I could replicate it in cake. Every picture she draws  contains a rainbow, so using flowed sugar for the figures, and pastillage for the rainbow & sun, here is what I came up with. It took more effort to make the wobbly rainbow and crossed lines pencil effect in the rabbit than I thought it would. The cake is strawberry with dark chocolate ganache filling, covered with white chocolate cheesecake MFF.

 

I hope this sweet little girl is always able to find the rainbow after every storm.

 

Actually, it's somewhat difficult to make a non-perfect rainbow. But you can see why she was disappointed when she first saw a pic of the flowers...

 

Moral of the story: Do Not Tell A Cake Artist That You Are Going To Modify/Change A Design Yourself!

 

Jan

You nailed it!

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owatto Posted 13 Aug 2013 , 10:32am
post #1894 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by milkmaid42 

Well, I'm in Missouri. Whaddya know, midway 'tween you two. OK, let's meet in the middle. I adore chocolate and orange!

 

Jan

Feel like a small detour to Australia?... I love chocolate and orange!!

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BatterUpCake Posted 13 Aug 2013 , 11:08am
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I wanted to try the cocolate and orange so I made one as a suprise for a family member. I wasn't too fond of it. Neither was she, but others loved it....

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shanter Posted 13 Aug 2013 , 3:34pm
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I've already made a chocolate cake with orange icing and my work colleagues loved it. I thought it was good but a little bland. Should have used devil's food or bumped up the chocolate somehow.

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shanter Posted 13 Aug 2013 , 3:41pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by owatto 

Feel like a small detour to Australia?... I love chocolate and orange!!

 

I'd love to see Australia again. I went on one trip to see friends in Canberra and Sydney and checked one thing off my bucket list: snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Yay!!!

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MBalaska Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 2:18am
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things not to say, if they were really thinking about it:

"Your icing was too soft."

"It was the same icing as before" (same recipe, same consistency, the decorations were well formed, everything was at room temperature in the box, when they picked them up.) "So After you picked them up from me  What happened?"

"Well I moved them all into a big plastic box. Packed them in the bottom of the boat with the rest of the camping supplies, maybe near the engine.  Boated out on the ocean to the camp site. Unloaded everything, set up camp. And the next day when drug them out to eat them....we all enjoyed them.......but the icing had kind of melted down........because your icing was to soft.

 

"Ok, for you, I'll make the icing thicker next time you're going to go camping with them."

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Annabakescakes Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 2:41am
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A

Original message sent by MBalaska

things not to say, if they were really thinking about it: [COLOR=000080]"Your icing was too soft."[/COLOR] "It was the same icing as before" (same recipe, same consistency, the decorations were well formed, everything was at room temperature in the box, when they picked them up.) "So After you picked them up from me  What happened?" "Well I moved them all into a big plastic box. Packed them in the bottom of the boat with the rest of the camping supplies, maybe near the engine.  Boated out on the ocean to the camp site. Unloaded everything, set up camp. And the next day when drug them out to eat them....we all enjoyed them.......but the icing had kind of melted down........[I]because your icing was to soft.[/I]

"Ok, for you, I'll make the icing thicker next time you're going to go camping with them."

Lord, take me now, if you are making people this stupid, I don't want to live here anymore! Well, on second thought, I do want to try to protect my kids from them!

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mollineau Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 6:01pm
post #1900 of 3221

Very nice cake for a little lady!!

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Carrie789 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 6:15pm
post #1901 of 3221

Don't think that idea would have ever occurred to me, but that cake is perfect for a little girl. It is so adorable.

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SpeciallyYours Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 7:00pm
post #1902 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by milkmaid42 

I've been enjoying this thread from its inception. Up to now I haven't had anything much to post...except now that I think of it-- I was making a cake for my sister's grand daughter's 6th birthday. We've always had a very good relationship, cake-wise and all other wise. I make our family cakes and she buys me new cake toys I cannot afford which I can use for other cakes. Win win, right? Well, her grand daughter asked for a very special cake and I agreed to make it to her specifications. We decided to make a cake like one of her paintings which always have a signature rainbow, with the usual children's sun in the corner,etc. I eagerly e-mailed my sister pictures of the cake in progress, the flowers that I replicated exactly as her grand daughter had drawn. I was floored by her response, "Aren't you going to put more flowers on it?" (Read that as, "aren't you going to put your realistic gumpaste flowers on it")  I told her no, I was doing what I was requested to do by a 6 year old little girl who loves to paint. The real kicker came when she told me that she was going to go out and buy some fake flowers and add to my cake ! I told her that that would be the last cake she ever got if she dared to mess around with my design.

Well, all turned out well and she said that it was the favorite cake I ever made for her. We simply hadn't been on the same page and she didn't see my vision. She thought she'd be getting a veritable flower garden, knowing how I love to make gumpaste flowers. The birthday girl was delighted to see her painting come to life in a cake.

This is a long story since I can't seem to edit myself, but I'll post a picture so you can see what I was talking (at length) about:

 

 

For her 6th birthday, Madeleine wanted a rabbit with a carrot in a flower garden. I asked her to paint me a picture of what she had in mind so I could replicate it in cake. Every picture she draws  contains a rainbow, so using flowed sugar for the figures, and pastillage for the rainbow & sun, here is what I came up with. It took more effort to make the wobbly rainbow and crossed lines pencil effect in the rabbit than I thought it would. The cake is strawberry with dark chocolate ganache filling, covered with white chocolate cheesecake MFF.

 

I hope this sweet little girl is always able to find the rainbow after every storm.

 

Actually, it's somewhat difficult to make a non-perfect rainbow. But you can see why she was disappointed when she first saw a pic of the flowers...

 

Moral of the story: Do Not Tell A Cake Artist That You Are Going To Modify/Change A Design Yourself!

 

Jan

 

I LOVE that you did the cake as close to the little one's picture as you could!  It is absolutely darling!  And what a great and inspiring artist that little girl is!!  Fantastic job!!

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SpeciallyYours Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 7:08pm
post #1903 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by shanter 

I've already made a chocolate cake with orange icing and my work colleagues loved it. I thought it was good but a little bland. Should have used devil's food or bumped up the chocolate somehow.

 

I usually add 1-2 teasp. expresso powder. Quicks up the chocolate flavor quite a bit!

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milkmaid42 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 7:10pm
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Thank you all! I think the thing that got my sister off track was that Madeleine said she wanted a rabbit with a carrot in a flower garden. My sister didn't hear the subsequent conversation where I asked Madeleine to draw me a picture of what she had in mind. All my sister envisioned was a full flowery cake with lots of gumpaste flowers... really realistically done. It made me appreciate good consultations with prospective clients.

 

Jan

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milkmaid42 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 7:12pm
post #1905 of 3221

I always add a little instant coffee when making chocolate cakes. You don't taste the coffee, but it certainly enhances the chocolate flavor.

 

Jan

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kaylawaylalayla Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 8:23pm
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A

Original message sent by milkmaid42

Thank you all! I think the thing that got my sister off track was that Madeleine said she wanted a rabbit with a carrot in a flower garden. My sister didn't hear the subsequent conversation where I asked Madeleine to draw me a picture of what she had in mind. All my sister envisioned was a full flowery cake with lots of gumpaste flowers... really realistically done. It made me appreciate good consultations with prospective clients.

Jan

I teared up the first time I read about this cake in another thread, and the second time too! I love it I can't wait til my daughyer starts drawing lol. Have you vever heard of the website that makes stuffed animals out of the drawings? Its amazing.

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milkmaid42 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 8:30pm
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Kayla, I haven't heard of that website. It sounds like they'd have a winner, though. I'm afraid I might have hi-jacked this thread and that certainly wasn't my intention. I know you will love it when your daughter starts drawing. There is a lot of love to be seen in children's drawings. (It's just darn hard to draw like a child, though. Especially when I've sketched and painted for so many years.) Thank you for your kind comments. I was really happy with the way it turned out and particularly happy to see my sister enjoy a helping of crow!

 

Jan

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Sparklekat6 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 8:51pm
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I'll un-hijack for you milkmaid.  So things NOT to say to your baker:  "Hi, I put that wedding cake you made me on e-bay"  

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/love-***/bride-lists-appalling-wedding-cake-on-ebay--publicly-shames-cake-maker-180206231.html

 

Oh yes she did!  

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hbquikcomjamesl Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 9:40pm
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Well, I think I can understand the bride's disappointment with how the cake turned out.

 

What I can't understand is her taste.

Then again, it's quite rare when my own cakes don't fall somewhat short of the cake I see in my head. Though (as was the case with my own 51st birthday cake, and the 3rd-rate edible printing for which I had to settle) that's not always entirely my fault.

 

Incidentally, the auto-censor got the link. Replace the 3 asterisks with a 3-letter word that can mean "biological gender," and that, when prefixed with "Es," "Wes," "Sus," and "Middle" yields the names of 4 British places originally founded by the Saxons.

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Sparklekat6 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 9:42pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hbquikcomjamesl 

Well, I think I can understand the bride's disappointment with how the cake turned out.

 

What I can't understand is her taste.

 

Then again, it's quite rare when my own cakes don't fall somewhat short of the cake I see in my head. Though (as was the case with my own 51st birthday cake, and the 3rd-rate edible printing for which I had to settle) that's not always entirely my fault.

Hahahaha I so know what you mean.  It's my favorite thing when I can say, "Oh it looks like it's supposed to!!"

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Dayti Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 9:48pm
post #1911 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparklekat6 

I'll un-hijack for you milkmaid.  So things NOT to say to your baker:  "Hi, I put that wedding cake you made me on e-bay"  

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/love-***/bride-lists-appalling-wedding-cake-on-ebay--publicly-shames-cake-maker-180206231.html

 

Oh yes she did!  

Someone has to tell Cakewrecks about this one!

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as you wish Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 9:50pm
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Lucky6 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 9:58pm
post #1913 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparklekat6 

I'll un-hijack for you milkmaid.  So things NOT to say to your baker:  "Hi, I put that wedding cake you made me on e-bay"  

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/love-***/bride-lists-appalling-wedding-cake-on-ebay--publicly-shames-cake-maker-180206231.html

 

Oh yes she did!  

Is that the tire cake? If so it made the news

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BatterUpCake Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 10:03pm
post #1914 of 3221

AXi[quote name="Dayti" url="/t/751860/things-not-to-ask-say-to-a-baker/1860#post_7430316"]Someone has to tell Cakewrecks about this one! I submitted it yesterday as I'm sure many others did as well

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Lucky6 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 10:07pm
post #1915 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by BatterUpCake 

Xi
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dayti 

Someone has to tell Cakewrecks about this one!
I submitted it yesterday

Now I'm very curious to hear from Sparklekat6

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Sparklekat6 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 10:25pm
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Oh yeah I went there after I posted here.  It is on cakewrecks.  I just saw it on yahoo news.  

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Sparklekat6 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 10:32pm
post #1917 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky6 

Now I'm very curious to hear from Sparklekat6

Sorry maybe there was a miscommunication but I am not the baker.  I was just saying, if you were the baker it would be horrible if someone said that to you. 

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daryll Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 10:48pm
post #1918 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparklekat6 

Sorry maybe there was a miscommunication but I am not the baker.  I was just saying, if you were the baker it would be horrible if someone said that to you. 

 

One look at your beautiful cakes Sparklekat6 and I knew it couldn't have been you :)

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Sparklekat6 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 10:51pm
post #1919 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by daryll 

 

One look at your beautiful cakes Sparklekat6 and I knew it couldn't have been you :)

Haha I feel like I could have a bad day with fondant and it might look like that but I would NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER again try to MAKE black fondant.  Did that early on and now I would certainly rather shoot myself. 

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Lucky6 Posted 14 Aug 2013 , 10:52pm
post #1920 of 3221
Quote:
Originally Posted by daryll 

 

One look at your beautiful cakes Sparklekat6 and I knew it couldn't have been you :)

My bad.. I like cake icon_smile.giftapedshut.gif

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