Need advice.....I had to email the bride to remind her to return my cake stand.  She emailed me back saying the cake was great but there was a problem.  She says the entire bottom layer of the cake had collapsed before they got there.  The hall "saved" the top 3 layers but the bottom was unusable.  She says she will send me pictures that the hall took in a few days. 

I cannot understand how this happened!  I've been doing cake for 16 years!!  Not once has this happened.  The only difference....this was a Naked Cake.  I have done naked cakes before but they all had a crumb coat of frosting on them where this one did not.  I had at least 15-20 wooden dowel supports in the 18" layer.  The hall was very chilly so it wasn't at heat issue.

She sent me a photo of the 3-tier after the "save" and there is even a side that looks like it's falling.  I'm not sure why the hall didn't replace the flowers at that area, but....who knows.

Any thoughts on what may have happened (other than someone really bumping the table)??   Also, should I offer her a refund for the entire bottom layer??  Or a portion of that cost?  I don't know how to handle this.

4-tier Picture is of my cake when I left, and the 3-tier she sent me from her cake cutting ceremony.

That sure sounds suspicious.  Your cake looks level, stable and sturdy as can be.  Go figure??

I think someone either hit road bumps, slammed on brakes or drove too fast. I really don't feel it was your fault but someone else's fault. I can see why many people who do wedding cakes want to go themselves and set the cake up at the venue. This way, no one can mess it up!! You might want to invest in SPS system which really helps cakes not to fall down. I hear they are well worth the peace of mind knowing the cake will never fall but if someone hit it or drove recklessly forgetting it was in car then no wonder the bottom layer fell down. I am sorry that you had to go through this. Don't feel alone because everyone here has been through this at least once!! It may never happen again with you!!! Keep the faith and move on. If I were you I would call the venue and ask them if anyone had an accident with the cake who worked there and talk to whoever knew about what happened. Good luck!!

 i know you are a veteran careful caker 

playing detective here -- just in an effort to give you some possibilities:

• was it cold when it left your cakery?
• who delivered it?
• how was it boxed?
• the hall being cold would not help if it got jiggled too much on the way --
• so you have over a dowel per inch of cake --
• you had 15-20 wood dowel under a 14"? 
• you had an 18x14x10x6  right? 
• so it was delivered stacked?
• how is the cake drum affixed to the drum?
• maybe it slipped off the plateau or the drum and they crunched it sliding back on --
• was it even on the plateau for the delivery?

i'm just going by what i can glean from your post -- of course i wasn't there -- i know you are a veteran careful caker -- there could be some issues in there if the stars aligned just right/wrong for you 

i mean how is the cake drum affixed to the plateau -- and how is the cake affixed to the drum

Going by what you said, if the picture of the 4-tier is how you left the cake, your responsibility is done.  It looks to me like someone fell on the cake or dropped something on it (from the picture of the 3-tier).  This is way beyond your control and certainly not something you're responsible for.

Obviously you won't get a straight answer from the bride, so I would check with the venue IN PERSON and see if they can tell you what really happened.  I find it hard to believe that the bottom tier spontaneously collapsed.

All else aside, the bride needs to return your cake stand immediately and the rest can be settled as a separate issue.

I now have a photo of how the cake looked before the hall took it apart.  It looks like no guests were there yet?  I've never had this happen before!  It's like the cake simply slid on it's own??

To answer all of the questions, 

• I delivered the cake myself
• The cake was unstacked for delivery and stacked on site
• I may have over guessed the dowels.  I space them about 3 inches apart generally
• the cake was not cold.  I have found that if it sweats, the frosting slides more.

The bride said that none of the cake could be saved or served.  From this photo, I don't see why at minimum half of the cake could have been served.

Here are the pics.  How much should I refund the bride?  I'm horrified, yet defensive.  Does that make sense??

it slid on the red filling -- it happens 

an idea for next time:

https://www.cakecentral.com/tutorial/61807/filling-fortification

i would refund a considerable amount -- 

i'm so sorry this happened -- i know how you feel and i'm gutted for you -- don't let it get you down though

Thanks.  I just feel like the hall could have served a significant amount of the cake instead of just trashing it.  :(  

I have a call in to them.  I suppose I'll have to refund her for the entire layer.  This is just so upsetting.  I wish someone would have called me.

I wish I'd known this before.  I guess you never stop learning!  This business is going to kill me someday. LOL

I hear ya! That cake was beautiful, it looked like an internal problem on that bottom tier. may never really know, it is strange though. Don't let it get you down. I don't see why that bottom tier could not have been cleaned up a little and served. EVERY time I do a wedding cake, I swear it's the last one I'll ever do, but then the passion draws you back in. People who don't "get cake" have NO idea of the stress involved and how we torture ourselves! Brides today are so mislead too, they see the "fake" perfect photoshopped cakes in all the magazines and that's what they want for $300...

 K8, that is great information about putting globs of frosting in a spoke on top of the filling.  I have learned a lot of great tricks of the trade from this site. Thanks for your valuable information!!! I am going to copy this and put in my file.

So sorry sunlover00

Definitely looks like the cake slid on the jam layer. Jam warms up and becomes slippery. Jam is not a big request here in Canada. I know from a good Brit decorator friend that a bc or ganache dam and skim coat over the jam is required to avoid cake actually touching the jam filling. K8memphis dam is exactly what is needed. 

I too would refund a considerable amount to the bride. And, I have to say kudos to the hall for the great save. The whole cake was sliding, as you can see in the pictures. If hall staff hadn't removed the top 3 layers, I believe the top 3 tiers would most likely have keeld over and gone splat. Don't beat yourself up. Things happen. Everything is a learning experience.

thank you, remnant, cake buddy supreme  leanne is very sweet to put that out there 

K8memphis does the blob and spokes go under or on top of filling?

it's part of the dam -- it goes directly onto the cake -- then fill in the exposed areas with filling -- the blob and spokes are tall enough so the cake above and below touches it -- it's extra dam like we put around the outside -- no filling above or below it --

filling just within the boundaries you create

Thanks to everyone for their support. That's why I love this site. :)  

I just spoke to a person at the hall.  He says the bartender came in and saw it, so I know that no guests had arrived.  Apparently the blame falls on me.  I will most definitely use the spoke damming trick from here on out.  I will chalk this up to a learning experience and move on.

Side note, the second wedding from that day returned my cupcake stand broken.  Just not my week!!!

Cheers...

So sorry that happened, it was such a beautiful cake! I too think the venue did an awesome job at saving it. Whoever took the time to see it and save it would get a hug from me. Thanks K8, for the damming info, I would never have known that. Thanks for sharing your story sunlover, we all feel for you, and it may help any of us one day.