My family and some of their friends are a VERY difficult bunch....just generally. One moment my cakes will be praised so much it’s embarrassing, the next moment someone is thinking they are a panel judge on a Food Network show or making a big show of not liking icing or cake in general. 

I’m not sure what to do with comments about “too sweet”. I try hard to plan not just a cake’s decoration, but also the flavours. Mixing flavours and getting the most flavour out of natural ingredients etc. I take it in two very separate sections: the bake and the decorating. Both have to be good so I keep mental walls between the planning. But these people who complain about sweetness, who have cut sugar out of their lives and eat roasted kale treats (not dissing it) shouldn’t eat cake if they’re going to have an attack when it turns out to have sugar and fat in it.

Someone specifically asked for strawberry cupcakes so I roasted strawberries, used some lemon which I feel brings out berry flavours, made a yellow cake base with strawberries mixed in, all-butter buttercream I piped into rosettes and topped with hand-made chocolate roses. 

I was told later they “didn’t go down well with the women” who threw them out cuz they were too sweet. (The same crowd spent their girls’ weekend away swilling cheap pre-made green cocktails out of test tubes....no sugar in those!

Honestly, sounds like you will never please this particular group of people so I would just stop trying.  Cake is sweet...period.  And yeah, if they generally don't eat sugar/sweets, eating a cupcake that is full of sugar will probably seem overly sweet to them.  But that certainly doesn't mean that it actually is overly sweet.  They just sound like major pains in the behind.

Totally agree with Freckles0829, that are just being picky and hateful.  Don't make cake for them anymore.  When they ask why, tell them.

Yes, I agree the answer is to STOP making cakes for them and tell them (loudly) CAKE IS SUPPOSE TO BE SWEET! 

Amen to that!!

bump

Thanks everyone! My immediate response was that I’m sooooo never bothering with that bunch of knuckle-draggers again. Trust your gut, right?

Either that or make them unseasoned kale cakes with poached white fish frosting... I could still make it pretty...

Haha!  That is a brilliant idea, ASlingsby!  When they complain, tell them that is what you thought they wanted, not sweet and healthy!

 hey — looks like last call — the lights are flickering here —

let’s meet up on  “keep calm and cake on” on fb