Has anyone had a major disaster while delivering a cake?

Example: your a small bakery (so you have no back up cakes on hand), your delivering a wedding cake for 150 people, some idiot crashes into the side of your car (or you have to swerve to avoid a crash even though you are driving 30 MPH) and the cake is totaled?

What do you do? What was the reaction of the wedding couple?

My husband brought up the subject so I was just wondering if anyone has had this happen to them and what they did?

we had to stop fast and one side of the round cake was converted to a sharp angle after cramming into the corner of the box. I tried to push it back into a curve. The icing was a bit smashed. I explained and the couple laughed and I turned that bad side to face the wall.

I know this has happened to others... Delivering a 14" round cake covered in whip cream, an hour drive and my niece who is a laaarge up top girl is holding the cake for me in the front seat. OK, I get out and she carries the cake in to the hall sets it down - I hear her say "ut-oh". I turn to see what is wrong, the side of the cake is missing about a 3" diameter area of whipped cream and she has a big circle of whip cream right on the tip of her laaarge...
I laughed sooooo hard!! We also set that cakes missing icing area to face the wall.
mpc

Thats hilarious mypastrychef, but I too am wondering what in the world one would do if a cake was totaled on the way to the church due to an accident or something? That is my worst nightmare, ruining a brides special day with no wedding cake. Does anyone have contingent plans?

I think someone would have to sedate me or call the cops to restrain me!!
mpc

I've never had an issue with a cake. I always use slip mats under the cake in the car. If they are stacked cakes I have a dowel going down the center of the entire cake.

I did once this spring have to run uphill with a 5 tier wedding cake in a micro flood in the middle of downtown K.C. I still can't believe that the icing made it ok (and I did'nt flip out either) . I had to pat the cake with towels to remove the water, but since the cake icing was cool there was no problems and no one ever knew what happened. The crap us cake people go through for our brides!!!!!

Andrea

I have thought about this a lot over the past couple of years and my backup plan is as follows:

1. Cuss that dude/chick that hit me out, making certain that I mention a few things about his/her mother.

2. Phone one of the 2 other people that has a key to my shop and instruct them which dummy cake they need to grab from the showroom and where they need to meet me.

3. Phone the "day of" contact and aprise them of the situation but assure them that there will be a nice cake on display and everyone will have plenty of cake to eat.

4. Go to Costco and grab sheet cakes to feed the wedding guests.

5. Meet whomever grabbed the dummy cake at the reception site, set up the cake and deliver the sheet cakes to the kitchen.

6. Let whomever is in charge (coordinator, family, etc) know that I will be issuing a full refund immediately and express my sincere apologies and offer the bride and groom free anniversary cakes for life to help make up for the situation.

7. Go home and drink anything that has a Proof greater than 80.

Wow. I think every decorator has entertained thoughts of this nature! Gah!

I do have one cake disaster story that gives me shades of horror at night in my dreams. Another cake decorator here on CC, "StandingforJesus" was delivering a cake to the church, and SHE FELL DOWN! Poor thing. So did the cake! Double Gah!

She ended up buying them a grocery store cake and sending them a gift certificate to a nice restaurant here in the Smokies. (She's from a town close to the mountains there.)

She handled it like a champ. Someone here may have a link to that thread. I don't know how to find it.

But that's the worst thing I think ever...

--Knox--

Great plan PieceofcakeAZ! I will take notes. I don't have "someone at the shop" to call (I'll call DH). And I guess I need to get a nice dummy wedding cake made up just for that reason! Ha! Ha! Good info.
Sweetcakes23