Hoping someone can help me here. I have been asked to do a small wedding cake 6” and 8”.  She wants a semi-naked spice cake.

The first sample cake I did was from scratch and she wanted brown sugar cinnamon frosting.  She was not happy with it-said the cake color was too light and frosting color was too close to being same color that the “semi-nakedness of the cake didn’t show.

So we tried a vanilla buttercream-she was still not happy.

Now she wants us to do a box spice, thinking it may be darker in color, along with a cream cheese frosting.

Question 1-thoughts on using box spice?  Question 2-will a cream cheese frosting hold up?  Any recipes for one that would?

Thanks for any help you can give me.  Really stressing out on this one.

Duplicate post 

Can’t use cream cheese frosting if it’s going to sit out - use K8’s recipe for white balsamic vinegar buttercream...it has the same taste.

spice cake sounds delicious. 

Seems like the customer might be a smidge difficult?

She’s being very difficult   She’s a friend of my daughter-in-law and if it weren’t for their relationship, I’d probably back out   We gave her a very good price, but now she’s saying that if we are using a box mix, that the price should drop.  We’re also doing 150 cupcakes for her and after 7 test runs she narrowed it down to 3 flavors, one being an apple pie filling.   Now she’s decided because someone is making apple pies that may be too much apple and asked to change to pumpkin spice-this not being one we tested.  We simply told her we did not have the time to test any more-but if she gave us the recipe that’s what we would use.  So that’s the plan for now.  Ughh....

Holy macaronis!!! She seems like a tyrant!! That’s totally ridiculous. I’m sorry you’re stuck in that position :(.

**7!** test runs??? And she still is not happy!?! She thinks the price should come down???    Come on - STOP NOW   She has no right to tell you how much to charge!!  Friend or not  I would tell her that's the price take it or leave it.   Really

Oh and don't be surprised when you make HER recipe and she comes back wanting a refund because it 'just didn't taste right"..........

Oh I’m sure....

your daughter-in-law should pull the plug on this for you — this girl is not a friend — she’s a diva being allowed to run you ragged — this is an incredibly jaded unfair situation that you are allowing — literally ridiculous —  get some gumption and send her packin’!!

but whatever you do — do not cut your prices — if anything raise them

Amen, K8!!!!

Yes K8 is right  especially with your comment that even you think she will not be happy with anything you do —demanding a refund after ALL the cake has been devoured by the delighted guests   Get your DIL to intercede 

You should drop her like a hot potato.  No way will this end well.

As much as I’d like to drop her, the wedding is in 2 weeks.  I just can’t.  She has agreed to the original price and still wants a box mix  

consider telling her no more changes then — but before she comes up with something else — not in reply to another change — unless she wants to add additional servings in the form of a quarter sheet or your easiest cake to whip out — undecorated of course