Everything that could go wrong did. This was my first big cake as I had never done a stacked or tiered cake for a customer. I was so excited and up for the challenge. It started off with the customer being very fickled about how she wanted the cake. I met with her to do the consultation (for her daughter's sweet 16 birthday party). I spent over an hour with her and I actually drew her description of the cake she wanted. After her appointment, I drafted a simple contract and made a copy of the picture I drew of the cake. She agreed that it was what she wanted. She finally sends the deposit but proceeds to tell me not to cash it. Because it was my first major cake, I was willing to work with her. This should have been an indicator of how it was going to be. Anyhow, I was up for the challenge. Finally, she gave me the go ahead to cash the check. This was five days before the cake was to be delivered. She also had not sent the remaining balance of the cost. When I asked her about it, she said she would be sure to pay me at the hall which is a no, no. The cake was to be delivered on a Friday.
On the Tuesday before, I baked the cakes, a 12", 10", Doll Cake and 2 - 8" cakes. I made the frosting on Wednesday. I felt good because I anticipated that I would be done with the cake on Thursday night - I was wrong. Thursday night at 10:00 pm, I pulled my 12" cake out of the freezer, let it thaw for 2 hours and while I was trying to move it onto the cake plate, it fell apart in one spot so I cut that spot out and I then had to re-bake another layer to patch the part that was missing. Then when I went to frost the 10", it was crumbly and even after doing a crumb coat, it would not stop crumbling. It was chocolate so it showed through white icing. Finally, I was able to smooth the frosting enough where the crumbs were not showing. It was not until 5:30 on Friday that I finished the cake. The cake was to be delivered at 6:00 so I finished it in the nick of time. I was pleased at how easy it was to transport the cake, I basically boxed up each cake and placed them in the van.
While driving down the highway, I noticed the exit I needed to get off of was closed and there was a detour. The detour took me out of my way 30 minutes. Once I made it to the hall, I realized I had left my bag of supplies like, extra frosting, spatulas, etc at home. The Birthday Girl had not made it yet, so I had to run to the nearest baking supply store. Luckily it was down the street. I made it back and finished setting up the cake. There were guests there already and they were admiring the cake which made me feel good. With it being my first, I just was not sure if anyone would like how it looked, although I thought I did a good job. I did remember to take pictures.
After going home and sleeping until the next day, I still felt nervous about the customer's feedback. I got up the nerves to call her a couple days later, to set up a time to pick up my plates and pillars. When I asked her how she liked the cake, she said "it was ok" It felt like a knife cut me and I was disappointed. She had the nerve to say that I had too much pink accents and she wanted the pink lighter. Her daughter's colors were pink and out, which was the same shade of pink I used for the accents. Needless to say, it was not a very positive conversation. I got off the phone and I just cried
because I had put so much time and effort into completing the cake. This experience made me realize the harsh reality of being a cake decorator. I was more so disappointed because I had done exactly as we had agreed to in the drawing and in the contract.
Lessons Learned - for any newcomer
1. Always get a deposit up front
2. Always follow the cake mix recipe exactly - I'm sure I must not have followed the recipe correctly
3. Never collect money at the place of delivery. You should always have the customer pay before you deliver - create a simple contract.
4. Remember that no matter how well you do, some customers are still going to complain. Just learn from the experience and move on. Try not to take it personal. Some people just never have anything good to say.
5. Always take pictures of the cake
6. Don't be afraid to turn business down. If you see the situation would be too stressful, you can turn them down. I have prepared a list of bakeries in the area for places to refer them to.
7. Last but not least, if you have a passion for cake decorating, never give it. There's always a first time. I know if I continue, I will get better!!!!
On the Tuesday before, I baked the cakes, a 12", 10", Doll Cake and 2 - 8" cakes. I made the frosting on Wednesday. I felt good because I anticipated that I would be done with the cake on Thursday night - I was wrong. Thursday night at 10:00 pm, I pulled my 12" cake out of the freezer, let it thaw for 2 hours and while I was trying to move it onto the cake plate, it fell apart in one spot so I cut that spot out and I then had to re-bake another layer to patch the part that was missing. Then when I went to frost the 10", it was crumbly and even after doing a crumb coat, it would not stop crumbling. It was chocolate so it showed through white icing. Finally, I was able to smooth the frosting enough where the crumbs were not showing. It was not until 5:30 on Friday that I finished the cake. The cake was to be delivered at 6:00 so I finished it in the nick of time. I was pleased at how easy it was to transport the cake, I basically boxed up each cake and placed them in the van.
While driving down the highway, I noticed the exit I needed to get off of was closed and there was a detour. The detour took me out of my way 30 minutes. Once I made it to the hall, I realized I had left my bag of supplies like, extra frosting, spatulas, etc at home. The Birthday Girl had not made it yet, so I had to run to the nearest baking supply store. Luckily it was down the street. I made it back and finished setting up the cake. There were guests there already and they were admiring the cake which made me feel good. With it being my first, I just was not sure if anyone would like how it looked, although I thought I did a good job. I did remember to take pictures.
After going home and sleeping until the next day, I still felt nervous about the customer's feedback. I got up the nerves to call her a couple days later, to set up a time to pick up my plates and pillars. When I asked her how she liked the cake, she said "it was ok" It felt like a knife cut me and I was disappointed. She had the nerve to say that I had too much pink accents and she wanted the pink lighter. Her daughter's colors were pink and out, which was the same shade of pink I used for the accents. Needless to say, it was not a very positive conversation. I got off the phone and I just cried
because I had put so much time and effort into completing the cake. This experience made me realize the harsh reality of being a cake decorator. I was more so disappointed because I had done exactly as we had agreed to in the drawing and in the contract.Lessons Learned - for any newcomer
1. Always get a deposit up front
2. Always follow the cake mix recipe exactly - I'm sure I must not have followed the recipe correctly
3. Never collect money at the place of delivery. You should always have the customer pay before you deliver - create a simple contract.
4. Remember that no matter how well you do, some customers are still going to complain. Just learn from the experience and move on. Try not to take it personal. Some people just never have anything good to say.
5. Always take pictures of the cake
6. Don't be afraid to turn business down. If you see the situation would be too stressful, you can turn them down. I have prepared a list of bakeries in the area for places to refer them to.
7. Last but not least, if you have a passion for cake decorating, never give it. There's always a first time. I know if I continue, I will get better!!!!
