Omg! What Did I Do Wrong?

Decorating By Tracy7953 Updated 16 Jun 2010 , 3:55am by julesh268

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 4:41am
post #1 of 53

I made what I thought was a very sturdy three tier topsy turvy cake, it turned out really nice but I got a call 45 minutes after the client took it and she said it collapsed onto her dress while driving in the car. I need to know if I constructed it wrong or if it was her fault. It was a 10", 7", 3", with 8 fat dowel straws and a center spike thru all three tiers. It was chilled 3 hours before pick up. Here is a picture of the disaster.
LL

52 replies
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mamawrobin Posted 30 May 2010 , 4:43am
post #2 of 53

How many dowels did you put in the bottom tier?

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PiccoloChellie Posted 30 May 2010 , 4:48am
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Collapsed onto her dress in the car?
Was she holding it in her lap? Was she driving while holding it in her lap??

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mamawrobin Posted 30 May 2010 , 4:50am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PiccoloChellie

Collapsed onto her dress in the car?
Was she holding it in her lap? Was she driving while holding it in her lap??




I was kind of wondering the same thing. I take it that she was a passenger and was holding the cake?

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 4:51am
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The bottom tier had at 9 or 10 dowels, I can't remember. She was the passenger in the car and held it on her lap. I cautioned her to keep it level. What a mess!

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mamawrobin Posted 30 May 2010 , 4:53am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracy7953

The bottom tier had at 9 or 10 dowels, I can't remember. She was the passenger in the car and held it on her lap. I cautioned her to keep it level. What a mess!




How wide were your "fat dowel straws"? Too many can cause your cake to be unstable.

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Texas_Rose Posted 30 May 2010 , 4:53am
post #7 of 53

If it collapsed on her dress, it sounds like it was on her lap or the car seat, neither of which is the best place for a cake. Looking at your pictures, you definitely know how to construct a tiered cake, so I would guess there was some issue...maybe she slammed on the brakes and it toppled.

If I'm sending a stacked cake with somebody, I put it in a big moving box with nonskid drawer liner under the bottom board and another piece under the box, ideally in the back of a SUV or wagon. I haven't had one fail yet, even with the crazy way all my relatives drive.

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PiccoloChellie Posted 30 May 2010 , 4:54am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracy7953

The bottom tier had at 9 or 10 dowels, I can't remember. She was the passenger in the car and held it on her lap. I cautioned her to keep it level. What a mess!




I'm sorry, one more question.... was the cake boxed up? Or just on a drum?
Trying to get my head around what happened, and unfortunately the photo is really kind of small.

I'm sorry this happened to you. icon_sad.gif

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:01am
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I will try to answer all the questions. The dowel straws were smaller than the bubble tea straws. The cake was on a drum and in a 6" box. She showed up in a tiny Mercedes coupe and the backseat was so slanted, the only place to put it was on her lap. I have never had this happen before with all the tiered cakes I have make. I just want to make sure it never happens again. I am thinking something happened on her end but like to hear all of your input. I thought it was something I did wrong with the topsy turvy construction. You never know what you don't know!

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mamawrobin Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:06am
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What did you put your cake on? cakeboard? cake drum?

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:07am
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Here is a photo of the cake before the accident. Maybe someone will see if I did something wrong putting it together.
LL

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mamawrobin Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:13am
post #12 of 53

Your cake is absolutely beautiful! I don't see anything wrong with the way you put it together but is the base strong enough for that cake? If I use cardboard cake circles I tape at least 4 of them together to make them strong enough to support that size cake. I can't buy cake drums locally so I don't always have one available when I need it.

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PiccoloChellie Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:14am
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So.
The cake is in a box, sitting on this lady's lap...in a Mercedes coupe...and the cake somehow lept out of the box and landed on her dress?

Something isn't adding up with this lady's story.

I'm not sure I would have let the cake leave in a vehicle that couldn't safely fit it. Maybe if they signed an explicit waiver indicating that you do not recommend transport in said car and wouldn't be held responsible for any damage.


Okay, I just saw your pre-smoosh picture (gorgeous cake, BTW!). Good lord, it looks like someone sat on it!!! Your client doesn't happen to be....well endowed in the chest area, does she? It really looks like it got smooshed as if she leaned over into it during transport or something. icon_confused.gif

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mamawrobin Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:16am
post #14 of 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by PiccoloChellie

So.
The cake is in a box, sitting on this lady's lap...in a Mercedes coupe...and the cake somehow lept out of the box and landed on her dress?

Something isn't adding up with this lady's story.





I was wondering the same thing about the cake being in a box. If it was in a 6" box then wouldn't the "smooshed" part of the cake have been "in" the box? icon_confused.gif

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:20am
post #15 of 53

Thanks mamawrobin and piccolochellie for the compliments. You are definitely making me feel better. Something does not add up with her story either but the lady is so nice I feel bad for her - and for Gramma who is turning 99 with a smooshed cake. BTW, she was very tiny with no bosoms to speak of. Maybe her hubby got mad at her and slammed on the brakes! lol

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PiccoloChellie Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:21am
post #16 of 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamawrobin


I was wondering the same thing about the cake being in a box. If it was in a 6" box then wouldn't the "smooshed" part of the cake have been "in" the box? icon_confused.gif




Mhm. Methinks the customer did something stupid here aside from picking up a large cake in a tiny sports car.
How many stories have we seen on here where someone picks up a cake and goes screaming out of the driveway/parking lot like they're running the final lap in Talladega?

The more I look at that first picture, the more I picture the driver "stopping short" and the passenger going bosom-first into the beautiful cake.

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mamawrobin Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:21am
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You're welcome. You never did say what your cake is "sitting" on. Cakeboard? drum?

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:27am
post #18 of 53

mamawrobin - sorry its a drum...3 heavy duty boards wrapped in contact paper then foil. She just said it collapsed, nothing about the board. Poor thing, she was so nice when she called. I think piccolochellie is right about the hard stopping thing.

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heddahope Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:30am
post #19 of 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracy7953

.. The cake was on a drum and in a 6" box...




Answer to above question.


I agree with previous posts that it looks like it was very rough transportation that did this cake in. Gorgeous cake by the way.

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mamawrobin Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:33am
post #20 of 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracy7953

mamawrobin - sorry its a drum...3 heavy duty boards wrapped in contact paper then foil. She just said it collapsed, nothing about the board. Poor thing, she was so nice when she called. I think piccolochellie is right about the hard stopping thing.




Thanks for answering. I knew that it looked to be plenty sturdy enough for your cake. I think piccolochellie is probably right. Either that or when she went to take it out of the box something happened? I hate that this happened because that was one beautiful cake. thumbs_up.gif

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all4cake Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:36am
post #21 of 53

What type filling did it have...the bottom tier inparticular?

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:36am
post #22 of 53

Thanks again heddahope and mamawrobin for the compliments. Its hard enough to know all your labor is cut up and eaten but when its DESTROYED its even tougher. And it was a really yummy cake too. I would have liked to have some icon_smile.gif

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:40am
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It all had the same filling. Frostin Pride which is very firm with some strawberries. I still have some leftover and the berries did not leak.

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catlharper Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:44am
post #24 of 53

You should post your photos to Cake Safe and see if you can win a free one! Your cake was SO gorgeous before the fall.

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:46am
post #25 of 53

Thank you and what is Cake Safe?

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all4cake Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:48am
post #26 of 53

The reason I asked is it looks like the bottom tier had slippage and it looked like a fruit filling...I was actually thinking it may have been a sleeve-type filling (not that that by itself would've created an issue.)

Could it be a combination of the supports, the way it traveled, the filling, and heat? It had been refrigerated but if it was introduced to even the temps here (mild today though), could cause sweating and slipping.

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Tracy7953 Posted 30 May 2010 , 5:52am
post #27 of 53

I don't use fruit that often. Because of that, I didn't put much in. But now that you mention it, that could have been it. Dang! I was starting to feel better. I did want to make sure this does not happen again.

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catlharper Posted 30 May 2010 , 6:16am
post #28 of 53

Tracy...go to the website...you'll be hooked!

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SugarFrosted Posted 30 May 2010 , 6:28am
post #29 of 53

If the "cake collapsed onto her dress" had not been mentioned, I would not be so suspicious. But I bet they got around the corner out of your sight and she took it out of the box because the box was too awkward. Then she set it on her lap and they drove away. Then the brakes got slammed. And now she is blaming you for her stupidity.

When my clients pick up a cake, I tell them that once it is out of MY hands, it is now THEIR responsibility.

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catlharper Posted 30 May 2010 , 3:54pm
post #30 of 53

I agree...that is what I tell my pick up clients as well AND it's in my contract. If I deliver then I'm responsible, if they pick up then they are responsible. Suddenly my delivery charge makes sense to them.

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