She Said There Was Not Enough Cake. How??

Decorating By karapags Updated 4 Oct 2008 , 1:29pm by dawncr

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karapags Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 12:58am
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Hi All,

I just got a call from the customer and she said she was very happy with the cake. A bunch of people didn't know it was a cake. But she said there wasn't enough cake. I always make my cakes bigger because I get nervous that that might happen. I make 3 pillows stacked on top of each other. I made a 8, 10, 12. I know you carve the sides and stuff but I still can't believe that there was enough. She need it for 54 adults and 18 kids. I thought it was a big cake and they would have left overs. Maybe I am wrong.

Do you think that was enough?? I am very upset.

Kara

45 replies
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akgirl10 Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 1:07am
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Was each layer 4" high? If so, that's over 100 party size servings, that's a lot of cake! Someone at that party went crazy with the slices, I mean hunks o' cake they were serving.

Did you tell her in advance how many servings there were and how to slice it? I think next time I would add instructions or a cutting guide. I'm sorry this happened to you but don't be upset, there was plenty of cake.

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Mac Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 1:07am
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That should have been enough (according to cake cutting standards). However, most tend to cut bigger slices than that.

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modthyrth Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 1:09am
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Without taking the carving into consideration, a 12-10-8 would serve 90 people by *earlene's* chart. If round. If they were squares, it would serve 124.

Even considering that some was shaved off for carving, you made way more than enough cake. I can only imagine what monster-sized servings they were cutting to go though all of that cake.

Did you give her any guidance as to how a cake should be cut? If not, consider typing up some information and perhaps creating a diagram to give out to anyone not cutting the cake in your presence.

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seagoat Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 1:13am
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I've never made a pillow cake but I would think you could figure out the amount of cake by going to the next size down....like 6, 8, and 10. That way it gives you an inch on each side to shave. With those figures it's only enough cake for 76. Like I said, I've never made one so maybe you need to shave more than an inch??? I could see how you would be short. That has always been my fear also. When I have gone to party's that have my cake there is always left over. You also have to remember the rule about 30%? not showing up. Maybe she had more guest than she expected??

Ok, I am rambling now...too many possibilities

Figures are based on Earlene's cake chart

~Edited to change my figures~

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karapags Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 3:00am
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The cakes were 4' tall. I dropped it off to the restaurant in the hotel and I was suppose to met here but she was still getting ready and her husband said I could wait 20 minutes for her and I already had waited 10. My husband and two boys were in the car waiting for me so I left. I should have told the guy that works there but I never would have thought the would of ran out of cake. I still can't understand where the cake went and how huge the piece could have been and she had ordered an 8' cake (not from me) for her uncle birthday and that was all gone too.

I wish I could go back in time and just tell the guy what to do. The customer thinks that maybe someone in the kitchen dropped a lot of the cake or one whole cake. She said she was going to call them.

Kara

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CoutureCakeCreations Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 3:16am
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Honestly, it sounds like you supplied enough cake but whomever cut the cake cut very large slices. I would not worry. i think you did fine and they just did not know how to cut it.

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Kitagrl Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 3:17am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karapags

The cakes were 4' tall. I dropped it off to the restaurant in the hotel and I was suppose to met here but she was still getting ready and her husband said I could wait 20 minutes for her and I already had waited 10. My husband and two boys were in the car waiting for me so I left. I should have told the guy that works there but I never would have thought the would of ran out of cake. I still can't understand where the cake went and how huge the piece could have been and she had ordered an 8' cake (not from me) for her uncle birthday and that was all gone too.

I wish I could go back in time and just tell the guy what to do. The customer thinks that maybe someone in the kitchen dropped a lot of the cake or one whole cake. She said she was going to call them.

Kara





Ohhh yep I bet that's what happened!!!!!!!! Somebody had to have dropped a tier.

BTW you are almost a neighbor!

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Meloda Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 3:31am
post #9 of 46

I'm sure you made enough cake. That is always my fear so I always make too much. The same thing happened to me with a wedding cake last year. The groom worked with me and told me the following week that the wedding party never got any cake. I couldn't believe it. I made a 14, 10, 8 heart shaped cake and 2 2-layer full sheet cakes. I found out later that the venue only cut the 14, 10 and part of 1 sheet cake. The bride's mom took the rest home icon_confused.gificon_confused.gif go figure. I am sure that someone most likely messed up in the kitchen. Sorry you had to deal with this.

Melanie

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Kitagrl Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 3:44am
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Most people tell me they have leftover cake...except one guy who said his wasn't big enough, and ordered extra servings the next time around. haha.

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chutzpah Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 7:29am
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You made enough cake.

If you read between the lines what she really means is that everyone got a slice of cake, but those 54 adults and 18 kids couldn't sit and gorge on cake all afternoon.

icon_evil.gif

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CakesByJen2 Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 2:22pm
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It's always hard to figure servings with cakes that are carved, but the cakes you started with should have served 90-100 wedding-sized servings, and around 75 more generous servings. Without a picture, I can't guess how much was lost when you carved it, but I would think they should have been able to make it work for that many people.

I would guess either the person cutting was cutting huge slices, or the restaurant staff kept back one of the tiers for themselves. I have seen this happen several times, unfortunately.

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Wendoger Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 2:29pm
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Honestly karapags, I wouldn't worry about it.
Same thing happened to me and I was a bit bummed untill I found out how huge the pieces were.
My coast guard ship cake was to feed 20 and they said there wasn't enough. Well, my cake was the only 'food' at the shindig.
So the pieces were huge.
Thank God it was a friend of my husbands and they weren't terribly upset....but.....that is exactly why I make my cakes bigger. I do NOT go by the Wilton charts as they are waaayyy too small.

It really sounds like your sizes should have been sufficient. icon_wink.gif

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SweetConfectionsChef Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 2:30pm
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Always provide the amount of cake the customer orders and always give them a cutting guide telling them how to cut the cake. Most people don't realize how big a "serving" of cake really is. If they want larger slices for their guests then they can order (and pay for) more. thumbs_up.gif

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grama_j Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 2:32pm
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If the slices were sitting on the table waiting to be picked up by the guests, then some probably came back for more than one serving..... at one wedding, a guy there came up for THREE slices, just because he thought it was really good........

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indydebi Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 2:34pm
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For those who make the cake servings bigger ..... are you charging for bigger or for extra servings?

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leah_s Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 2:34pm
post #17 of 46

Always, always provide a cutting guide. If the customer doesn't follow it, it's not your fault.

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Wendoger Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 2:47pm
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....for me, price per serving goes up per difficulty of the cake.....
....sculpting, whatever its adorned with, etc.....
If its a plain, ordinary, easy-to-cut cake, my sizes are closer to Earlene's.

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sunnybono Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 2:48pm
post #19 of 46
Quote:
Originally Posted by chutzpah

You made enough cake.

If you read between the lines what she really means is that everyone got a slice of cake, but those 54 adults and 18 kids couldn't sit and gorge on cake all afternoon.

icon_evil.gif




I'm with you...I bet that with America's rapid rise in obsesity we need to have "amended" cake serving charts. People are just bigger and expect to eat more!!! Seriously...I"m from one of the fattest parts of the country (oh yeah) and I see people just eating far bigger portions than what those charts were based on 50 years ago. Any thoughts?

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Pookie59 Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 7:12pm
post #20 of 46

I think in the future I would take the time to educate the customer as to the size of the serving size (they have no idea). Maybe they would then want to order an additional sheet cake or two if they know that their group is the type that wants to gorge on cake. I know my family well enough to understand that a "serving" of cake by bakery standards would never satisfy - they all want big hunks and probably seconds at that.

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costumeczar Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 7:28pm
post #21 of 46

It sounds like there were a bunch of pigs there who all ate either multiple pieces of cake, or huge pieces. You made enough cake, they just all ate too much, apparently.

As far as the serving size issue goes, just because Americans are getting more overweight doesn't mean that I have to make my serving sizes bigger to accomodate a ridiculous appetite. A serving is a serving, so if you want to eat a huge piece order three times as much. Don't expect bakers to make their servings bigger just because customers think it's normal to shove three pieces down and call it one serving.

If this woman calls to get another cake, make sure to give her a serving chart, and tell her that if she thinks she'll need extra cake, she should order extra. And that's what it is, extra. Not regular. Even Walmart charges more for X-large sizes these days!

Can you tell I'm in an ornery mood today? icon_twisted.gif

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sunnybono Posted 10 Aug 2008 , 7:33pm
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Maybe we should off "Super Sized" pricing. ha ha. icon_biggrin.gif

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michellenj Posted 16 Aug 2008 , 12:22am
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How much do you want to bet the piggy service staff started pigging out on the cake before everyone got served? Maybe it's just my employees that are hogs. One wedding I ran, we were serving the cake, still maybe 20 guests or so that had not been served cake yet, and a server (I swear he was high) ate an ENTIRE football tray full of cake. That was like 15 pieces of cake! Grrrrr.

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kbrown99 Posted 16 Aug 2008 , 12:47am
post #24 of 46
Quote:
Originally Posted by michellenj

How much do you want to bet the piggy service staff started pigging out on the cake before everyone got served? Maybe it's just my employees that are hogs. One wedding I ran, we were serving the cake, still maybe 20 guests or so that had not been served cake yet, and a server (I swear he was high) ate an ENTIRE football tray full of cake. That was like 15 pieces of cake! Grrrrr.




I hope you fired him, or at least gave him what for. That is beyond ridiculous. He's messing with your reputation. (I know if I paid for something and there wasn't enough because one of the staff was eating before everyone was served, I would be really upset.)

(Not trying to criticize you. I'm just amazed at the audacity of some people these days.)

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mayamia Posted 16 Aug 2008 , 12:50am
post #25 of 46

Relax you made enough cake, what probably happened is that people were getting bigger pieces than what they suppose to get, sometimes people just can't help themselves with a great cake thumbs_up.gif

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karapags Posted 16 Aug 2008 , 12:59am
post #26 of 46

Thanks everyone! I feel better knowing you all think I made enough cake. I thought I made plenty but after speaking to the customer I was puzzled and felt bad.

Thanks again,

Kara

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FrostinGal Posted 18 Aug 2008 , 6:46pm
post #27 of 46

Even when I give a cake as a gift, I always explain the size of the servings and the amount of servings you can get with each size - single or double. Always charge the single size 1x2" as a serving it is a paid cake. If they want to pay double price per person so that they can give larger pieces, i.e. the cake is the only food at the party, or the family could give Jethro a run for his money, well, that is their business.
The last wedding cake I did, the bride and the MOB "forgot" to tell me that there were 50 more guests than they had originally planned for. A WEEK before the wedding. I offered a kitchen cake for 40 for next to nothing to make up the difference in servings ordered and servings needed. They still refused. icon_eek.gif
So I just did the cake like they wanted, and let the caterer know what had transpired so that she could shave off slices of cake for the guests when serving. She was appreciative of the heads-up, plus the fact that there were 80 large chocolate-covered strawberries to go around. I felt bad for laying on the caterer, but I had done all I could do. Even though the cake was done on barter, I was not going to simply give her 30% more servings for free!
You did what you could. Maybe you could explain serving sizes and cutting the cake or give them a handout with that information when ordering and with delivery. That would ensure that your hiney is covered.

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tracycakes Posted 18 Aug 2008 , 7:02pm
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Years ago, before I took any cake classes, I was asked to serve the cake at a wedding. I had never done this before, there were over 300 guests and I had no one to help me! icon_cry.gif My saving grace was that it wasn't a stacked or tiered cake, each cake was on a stand and there were several satellite cakes. They were probably 10" round cakes and I had no idea how to cut and serve this, especially by myself. I know that I cut slices twice as big as they should have been. icon_surprised.gif

I wish I had had a cutting chart or something to show me how to cut it, at that time. Of course, I later learned how but I didn't know then. I think providing a cutting chart would be helpful to whoever is cutting the cake, in case you get someone like me that was thrown into it.

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lilmiz Posted 18 Aug 2008 , 7:10pm
post #29 of 46

I was in a wedding party a few years ago (before I even made cakes).

I guess no one was in charge of slicing and serving the Cake.

I noticed a few people (young guys) just digging in and cutting huge pig size pieces for themselves!!! icon_eek.gif

Another bridesmaid and I swooped in and took over, cut proper sizes, all while the bride was having a good time dancing.

We just barley had enough after the pigs had eatin almost and entire teir!

That memory has stuck with me and I always remeber to tell them sevings are based on a size make sure someone is designated to slice and give the charts!

People can be Pigs icon_mad.gif

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Jayde Posted 19 Aug 2008 , 1:43pm
post #30 of 46

HAHA I am laughing as I read this. Cause I have the opposite problem.

A friend's mother asked me to make her daughter's wedding cake. Hey no problem, she wants a very simple design. When I quoted her $650 for a cake to feed 250, you could literally see her eyes bug out of her head. Just like this icon_eek.gif .

She was like oh that is way too much, and disappeared off my radar for awhile. I happen to see her at a Fourth of July party, she tells me that shes read up on cakes, and that she wants me to make a 4 tier dummy cake, with the top tier real (for the bride and groom to cut), and have kitchen cakes to be served in the back. She proceeds to ask me how much I would charge for that, rather smugly I might add. By this time she thinks she has bested me. So when I did some quick math in my head, I told her that the price would go to $550 if thats what she wanted.

I thought she was going to keel over! I calmly explained to her that I was still using the SAME amount of ingredients, and the SAME amount of icing, PLUS I had to make a cake out of styrofoam as well. I told her that it would be the SAME amount of time, if not more.

She emailed me last week saying that she was only going to order cake for about 150 people. Mind you that they are sending out 300+ invitations (jeez trim the darn guest list if you are looking to save money!). Her reasoning for purposefully not ordering enough cake, was that "People just dont eat cake at weddings anymore, like they used to. So I am figuring that of the 200-250 people that show up, only about 150 will actually eat cake."

I wasnt quite sure how to reply to that, so I havent yet...

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