I am doing a wedding cake soon for a bride that has very specific ideas of what she wants. She is requesting a tiered wedding cake but instead of using my own buttercream icing she wants it iced with CANNED frosting!

She likes my frosting but her husband-to-be loves the canned frosting with the little candy coated chocolate chips in it. She wants to do this as a surprise for him and use that icing only on the entire wedding cake.

I thinks it will be impossible to smooth and how do you even begin to decorate it? The wedding is going to be very classy - all done in black silk and ivory.

But she wants this for her groom and wants the reception to be more fun after such a formal ceremony. Any great ideas out there for me?

Have you tried suggesting using the canned frosting on a smaller groom's cake instead of the wedding cake?

lol is it funfetti? I had a bride request the same thing but I suggested we cover it with fondant (or buttercream) so it can be the best of both worlds. Elegant on the outside, party on the inside Good luck!!

I will not put canned frosting on my cake. You can't smooth it at all. Suggest using it as a filling instead.

I personally would not do it! That is your reputation on the line and anyone who eats the cake won't know its not your original way of doing things. They may think that you always use canned icing! Grooms cake would be more ideal but you will still have guest eating it. What about a small 6" honeymoon cake? You could have it boxed and ready for them to take with them after the reception.

The bride does not want to have a groom's cake or any other small kind of cake for this icing.

It seems that this is the only thing that the groom requested for the wedding and she really wants him to have it. She is really excited about surprising him with it.

I don't want to shed a bad light on my cake reputation but it is her day and her cake. She is not interested in covering it with buttercream and was very insistent that I not use any fondant on her cake.

I realize that this is going to make for a very UNIQUE looking wedding cake which is why I was turning to all of you for some of your great ideas.

At the end of the day, it's your name on the line, don't do anything your not comfortable with or wont be proud of.

Run the other way! Do you really want people to remember YOUR cake as the one with canned icing??? You can tell them all day long that's what the bride wanted, but something tells me that may get lost in the translation!

If she's not willing to have the canned frosting on another cake, or even as just a filling, you may not be the caker for her. It would be too bad to lose the customer, but it's not worth the risk of damaging your rep and losing even more customers in the future.

It's too bad she's not being flexible, because filling, groom's cake, or honeymoon cake are such good alternatives. I hope it all works out!

Maybe you could suggest using it as a filling? There's NO WAY you're getting rainbow chip icing perfectly smooth!!

If that was the ONLY request the groom made, then his request should be fullfilled. It is THEIR day and it should be THEIR way!

I wonder if you mixed some meranguine(sp) in it, if that would help it crust. Maybe you can try a trial and see if it will.

It's great they want to make it fun after such a formal wedding

What about doing it and deliberately not smoothing it? What if you did a more homemade look like the cakes that are pictured in older cookbooks? Do you know what I mean? I sometimes do cakes at my daughter's shop and use lots of frosting and take my spatula and start at the bottom of the cake, turn the turntable and gradually bring my spatula up as the turntable goes around. It really has a pleasing effect and she is going for something different. It could work out to be.........less work!

No effin' way. If he likes that crap so much she can buy him a can and he can sit and eat it all with a spoon.

No way would I jeopardize my business name and rep by doing this.

I wouldn't do it. Not everyone is going to know of this special request and at the end of the day it will reflect on your business.

Compromise! Ask her to "rethink" this. Suggest that she talk to her parents or friends. If she really wants it FUN....then, suggest that she have all of the bottom tiers done beautifully, then have the very top tier "funky" or whatever. I hate for you to lose the business, and this may turn out cuter/better than you think.....IF ONLY THE TOP TIER IS FOR HIM!!!

hmm.. can you alter the icing a little? maybe add some pwd sug to strenthen it up a bit. Then pipe it on using a 1m tip or something? that way it will have some sort of design to it and smoothing wont be an issue.

If someone asked me to do it, I would. For the simple fact that it is their special day and sometimes it is hard to find someone who will take the risk to give them that extra "special meaning" they are looking for, in this case icing.

I would inform her of the potential problems of using canned icing, your limited options of decoration and MAKE SURE that she INITIALS that part in the contract. oh, definately use a contract on such a "special request".

What if you did a fancy main cake and did cupcakes in the canned frosting? Then they could save the small fancy cake for their first anniversary and everyone else could have cupcakes (with maybe fondant flowers or a little circle with their last initial imprinted into it or something of the sort) with the frosting that he loves.

I don't currently have my own business, but I used to be the pastry chef for a private club with a busy wedding season. When the customer had a request like that, we did it. In my experience the family was so tickled by their unique request that they were running around talking about it to the other guests, so everyone knew it was a family recipe or something the bride really wanted.

Personally, I hate to eat the stuff, but I think it could make for a really cute cake. Smooth it as best you can. Add some beautiful creamy white buttercream borders. How about decorating it with some little fondant butterflies or daisies in the same colors as the candy chips? I don't thing that being accomodating and giving the bride what she wants will hurt your business.

I figure if she's willing to fork out the money to pay for the thing and you can sleep at night, just do it. I like the idea of a "rougher" frosting look. Let her know there is no way it will be smooth or crust and make her sign the agreement.
Get creative and make it fun
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/jlcberry2003/0922081612.jpg

Ok, I wouldn't be crazy about doing it but I would do it. I would suggest to her to use chocolate curls on the top and around the tiers to give it a more elegant look and let the chocochips shine thru on the sides of the cake. Forget about a smooth look and go with the rough look as a design element. Big dark chocolate curls would help it look more elegant. Put in a pretty topper into the nest of choco curls on top and set it on an elegant stand and your cake will fit in just fine.

I'm standing over in the crowd that would refuse the order. I have standards. The customer is NOT always right.

I won't do cakes with stairs and plastic people either. Or sheet cakes. And if I lose orders, that's OK. There are some things I don't want to be known for.

It sounds like the candy in the frosting is what he really loves?? I like Tesso's idea to see if it would be ok to mix the canned frosting with something to make it easier to work with. Maybe do some trials until you find one that works and then have them taste it to see if they are ok with it. I did a quick search to see if you could mix canned frosting with a crusting buttercream. It turns out that several have done it here on CC. HTH! Good luck.

cdent..... I think what she said is a good idea.... cover with fondant... so when they cut it.... it's a surprise to him and the cake will still look amazing...

good luck

I can see what everyone is saying about your reputation being on the line. Perhaps the compromise with the top tier... and then cover it with big chocolate shavings? I just hate to see people remember 'the wedding cake with the canned frosting", when that is not how you do your business, but I can see that you are trying to please them. If you really do not want to do it, do not. I have found that the times that I was talked into doing something my heart was not into, I regretted it. I have learned to politely decline.

since you won't be able to get it smooth how about icing it with the canned frosting that she wants and then pressing hershey's kissables all over the side of the cake.kissables are candy coated mini chocolate kisses.it will be a bright fun cake. i often cover the sides of cakes with sprinkles or cookie crumbs so why not the kissables. if this is the only thing the groom has asked for and the bride wants to do it for him go for it. it is their after all,and she will probably brag to everyone what a great job you did in honoring her request..........

I agree with patticakesnc. Suggest it as a filling.

Interesting pic:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_y31ogCNRaYQ/StPe-6hTKCI/AAAAAAAAEKs/lphI2peJCHk/s400/DSCF5313.JPG

I agree with LeahS--there are just some things I don't want to do. I have been working with the Small Business Development location in my area and I've been told over and over that there are just some people you don't HIRE as customers.. I love that!!

I would squirm over the thought that someone would find out I put out a canned frosting cake--after all the fuss I make at my little shop about my homemade bread, pies, cakes..etc...

That bride is an idiot. If she can not come to a happy medium then don't risk your reputation on this customer. The only impression prospect customers at that wedding are going to get from you is that you are one of those cakers that uses cake mixes and canned frosting!! Don't expect the bride to tell all her guests how flexible you were with her about the frosting, not gonna happen. The cake will speak for you, that's your business card.

I personally wouldn't do it because, as everyone has said, it's your rep and people who don't know the request will tihnk that you're intentionally trying to get over by using "cheap canned frosting" and it also doesn't work well. ALSO...you'd be spending a WHOLE lot of $ on those little can's of frosting, so PLEASE let it reflect in her quote!

This is about the only thing that comes to mind when I think canned frosting...

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1258668

Good Luck!