Ok, I was watching the show the other night (I admit, I do it even though I am a buttercream gal) and they read a review from a local newspaper downing the taste.
I know a lot of people on here have posted wondering about how the cakes taste and I thought I would share what happened to another caker from the Wilton Forums:
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=4&threadid=107119&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=&STARTPAGE=3
It's on page 3 that she got the cake and described how it tasted, then on page 4 she posted pictures.

Wow is all i have to say. I would've thought that their cakes taste incredible. The cake was pretty though!

Wow that was very interesting.

That is unbelievable!! I can't imagine paying that price for that size cake. I just had someone make a comment that a good cake is all about looks and presentation, not taste. I think this proves that if you don't have a moist and delicious cake, why bother having a cake at all.

I delivered a wedding cake to a restaurant the week after Charm City had delivered a groom's cake to the same place and the owner said the cake tasted terrible as well. Strangely enough I have had several clients say they have tasted cakes at some of the real famous places here in the DC area and have complained that the cakes tasted terrible. It always surprises me as baking a cake seems like something everyone can do, it is the decorating that is hard.

Kristin

Wow neat post.

I have ALOT of comments about my cake, like people in shock that a cake can actually look nice and taste nice too! I have had people call me word of mouth that wanted a cake only because they had a slice of one of my cakes somewhere and wanted to order something...anything...just to get that taste again for their own party.

I'm not saying I do anything special...CC is full of awesome bakers! I'm just big on a moist cake and I only bake cakes I personally like (and I'm picky) and I guess most people like it. And I do know fancy bakeries sometimes have a bad rap....one wedding I did, she reported that her guests were saying it "doesn't taste like wedding cake." (I thought wedding cake was cake was cake. haha)

Anyway...sheesh ok this post sounds full of ego....its really NOT...I guess I'm just saying that cakes are getting a bad rap and people are shocked if they "actually get a good one" so....most of us are doing GREAT in that area!

WOW! Thanks Serious_Cakes for the link and post. Very interesting.....Hats off to Duff and his team for their art, but I also wondered how a cake with so much fondant would taste. Sometimes it sure seems that the cake is more fondant than bread.

Kitagrl-ok, so about a year ago when I really started getting into this I had a conversation with a friend about some really bad tasting wedding cakes. She's like, 'Well, wedding cakes are supposed to taste bad!' I did a double take, after being on cakecentral I realized that I am not alone in thinking a cake should not just look good but taste good too. I also realized that a lot of bakeries are not like us The funny thing is that I took a cake to our pediatricians office as a thank you and the doctor personally thanked me for bringing in such a delicious cake! He said, 'Wow, it was so good, like a wedding cake!' I had to remember that wedding cakes are supposed to taste GOOD, and he was basing it off that.
I recently had to take a break from taking any orders for awhile (just need some off time, make the things *I* want to make for a change!!) and everyone was upset! I get most of my orders through hubby's work, like you, someone had a piece of my cake and just HAD to order something!

The cake was cute, I love pink! Anyway, i love Duff too and I would have thought the cakes would have been to die for considering his training. I'm disappointed that they didn't taste good. My youngest son is going to the Culinary School in Austin next fall for a baker's certificate. He's very excited about it and wants to do what Duff does. I'll have to tell him about the cake though. He doesn't want to go into business with me, no he'd rather compete against me, but we would be in two separate towns separated by 2 hours of miles and school rivalry!

I always thought that you needed a cake that tastes as good as it looks. I take samples to places and that is how I started my business off. Just recently, I took some samples to some of our government offices that I had not thought about taking samples to. Within 2 hours after I took that sample, I received 2 orders. I want my business to be know for taste as well as looks and, so far, I have managed to pull that off. I love buttercream and that is what we do the most of. Perfection takes a lot more than just looks!!

Baking a cake is a very easy thing to do. Just like a loaf of bread. Now where it gets tricky is making them taste good. LOLOL

Mike

That's funny! I posted that same link a few days ago in the Ace of Cakes Isn't that Great thread.

That lady actually is a member of CC and posted about that cake here too... It's surprising that people keep buying them if they don't taste great. I guess using a famous bakery is more important than taste?

Hey cool--my boy graduated from there a few years ago. He's actually a very accomplished savory chef but an opening for pastry chef came up where he works so he took it. So he's 24 and is pastry chef at a two Michelin star place in California. His parents could not be more proud.

I tell yah, the Cordon Bleu thing is an expensive brand name. I hope your boy has some good scholarships mine did not. I understand the idea about going to the best school but honestly it's a passion driven industry. The diploma is nice but honestly means little. You come out of school able to make the same wage as somone who walks in off the street and is driven to cook/bake.

The whole thing about schooling is to get out and stage (stagh not stage) where you work for someone and learn all their stuff. He's got it made with you and doesn't know it.

That school is crushingly expensive.

My boy was in Brownwen Weber's last class she taught there before she got her shop--but he wasn't in the pastry program per se--just got the 6 weeks of pastry.

I wish him all the best.[/quote]

I had looked into the school for myself. We live in CS and I would have had to live at my in-law's house for the school week and come home to my hubby on the weekends. The expense is what kept me from doing it. My youngest is 20 and my oldest is 24 (now in boot camp for the National Guard). After they left home, I wanted to do something that was about me. Culinary school wasn't it, apparently. At 44 I have my own way of doing things! laughing. I really wanted the Pastry Certificate, but again, the expense, time away from home and I'd have to work as well as go to school to support the house I didn't live in all week! laughing. Fortunately, my job is portable somewhat. laughing.

He knows it's expensive and HE has to pay for it. I don't know if he will get any financial aid or scholarships, but I think he thinks he is going to step out of school in a year and open a shop. Not likely! laughing. He'll have to work for someone else, but hopefully Austin is a good area to do that. In the meantime, I'm having to learn on my own all the things necessary to open shop in Texas - UGH, and I can only "practice" making cakes in the meantime. I'm already $2500 vested since taking the four Wilton classes in my area earlier this year, but I keep my fingers crossed that things will fall into place, like they always do, when it's tme.

I do agree there is a lot of natural talent involved with making cakes. He is a fairly good artist and I told him, you could go work on a cruise ship or at a fancy hotel somewhere! laughing.

I'm glad your son fell into something. I hope my youngest gets it figured out soon too!

This was interesting.....

I had to laugh when the one gal said to get a smooth finish on fondant, you have to put a thin coat of icing. I don't think so! I put a normal layer of icing under my choc. fondant, don't have any issues with lumps and bumps. Personally, I think people like a creamy layer of icing on cake, I know I do.

It's always fascinating to hear how others do things.......

Jen

I believe that cakes should taste as good as they look or better. I so often hear surprise that the cake not only looks good, but tastes good, I do a customer follow up to find out if everything was as expected. I enjoy watching Duff & Co. & have always wondered how the cakes tatse, that was very interesting.

I was soooooooo curious about the taste myself!! I mean the cakes are unbelievable but can they have it all???!!! lol. Good to know! But I am still a fan of the show!!!!!

Geez... Sure wish my cakes tasted so aweful that people would be happy to pay $500.00 each for them...lol I think that the Ace of Cakes crew has helped the cake industry. Cakes are now "cool" in the eyes of a lot of people that really never took the time to think about them much... They do some incredible artistic work, and I would love to take a couple classes with some of them.

My 2 cents,
Pat B.

I think they just had a couple of bloopers that got too much attention.
I think 99.9% of their stuff is great.

I believe Duff gets $1000.00 minimum on his cakes now.

I have read other really good reviews of their cakes. I find it hard to believe they ever would have gotten where they are if they made crappy tasting cakes. I would love to taste myself though!!

Well Merissa - I am the one who got the cake in the mentioned post and I will tell you from my experience that it did NOT taste great at all! It was a big cake and I had a ton left over and I even took it into my work the next day and no one would eat it after they tasted it! It sat there for days and I threw it away (and those people will eat anything). I currently have a new job and a man that works here bought a cake for his wife's 50th bday and they went for a tasting (guessing it was a huge cake so therefore they were allowed a tasting) - I believe I mentioned this in the other thread/post also, and he said that the cake they tasted at the shop was good but the cake they received for the birthday was horrible!! He said his wife was a huge fan and she was extremely dissapointed as were the rest of the guests! He said the cake looked amazing but tasted really bad!

So I guess the only way for you to know if it's true or not is to taste one yourself! I did and my opinion is that it's not worth the NOW $1000 minimum -unless you just want to say you had a Charm City Cake made for you I wouldn't buy another one at all.

I've spoken to other people who live in the area too (I'm in the Baltimore area) and have heard the same response....so I guess tasting is believing!

Brandie

oh it's not that I don't believe you. In fact I don't know whether or not I would like it either. (I am kind of a doctored cake mix girl myself!) I just wonder if maybe some cake flavors are better than others, or if you perhaps got a "bad" cake (we all have our days!), or if it could be a matter of personal taste. Like I said, I've heard both good and bad reviews. It just seems like some people can't wait to knock down success. (I am not calling out anyone in particular, but similar threads go around all the time!)

am I the only one that noticed that the fondant layer is actually thicker than the filling layers?? That's crazy!! I'm so sad it didn't taste good......with all those cool flavors I'd think they have something like chocolate with cherries down pat!!! Maybe they SHOULD start freezing their cakes, I think it makes them more moist!

Brandie, are you a scratch or a mix girl?

A couple of weeks ago, I did a baby shower cake for a friend and alot of people were there that I didn't know very well. My hubby heard people talking that they were so surprised that the cake was cute (Bailey shower cake in my pix) and TASTED good too! I was thrilled of course but sad that people have the impression that if it looks good, it won't taste good. IT'S A CAKE!!! If it doesn't taste good, why have it at all?