I also don't see what the big deal is with customers asking for "yellow" cake (many box mixes use that term), I just confirm that they are looking for vanilla cake.

It's not nearly as annoying as customers who don't understand the concept of a custom bake shop with no retail location and no inventory of finished products.

I don't sell cakes so I don't have folks ask for 'Yellow" but to me "yellow" is that non-specific non-flavor cake... The kind mom made when I was a kid and put that canned chocolate frosting on top of. Vanilla is either French Vanilla or Vanilla Bean or Golden Vanilla cake so it would make a difference to me because I don't bake "yellow" cake.

When I think of a "yellow" cake I think of a butter cake. mmm.

My recent one was a family member who e-mailed several times for a cake to go with his "Amazing Race" anniversary party. He actually wanted two cakes and had a logo he'd designed and wanted the cake in a diamond shape (not the typical four sided diamond but one resembling a round cut stone like in an engagement ring.)

The issue I had was that every single e-mail from the guy included a comment about how he was expecting the "family discount". I told him to go to Walmart.

The most popular cake muggle question in Germany is " How much do you charge for a 3-tiered wedding cake?" Sometimes it is even just "How much is a wedding cake?"

Another thing is that almost all customers fear they will not have enough cake - and our serving sizes are a lot larger than the wilton chart...

I too (in fact the next two weekkends) am doing family cakes. One graduation and one 16yr old girl birthday. I like the girl... the boy.. not so much so my heart isn't into it.

I would say no to these cakes but we have a neice that thinks she can bake. don't know what she does to them but they are not edible. my husband eats anything but I saw him spit out one of her cheese cake creations and doesnt even attempt to eat her cakes. Anyway she is 40 going on 8yrs and takes everything personal ..so she isn't talking to me for doing these two cakes which I don't think she could do anyway. topsy turvey and a tiered...

but that said I charged my neice for both of these cakes. Yes a disount but she didn't even expect that she would have to pay... now she hasn't ansered back to me about the money just the place to bring the cakes.. she hasn't figured out when I ask her what day she wants the cake and time wasn't me bringing the cake it was for her to pick up. Think I will let her uncle tell her!

Had two brides who when they gave me the numbers didn't include 90 people in her count and another who cut her guest list in half. . Just so they didnt have to pay for it. I know it would be her fault to run out but no one would think that, it would be blamed on the baker. So I get it in writing when I find out soon enough to do that. Want backup so that they don't come back saying there wasn't enough cake.
And I try to let the venue know so they arent wondering when they run out.

Wow, I could go on for a while - but I think everyone has heard it all. I guess, like everyone else - "We're on a budget, so........"

So, what?....No, no matter what - everything takes time and money to create. So, you see a gorgeous 3 tier cake that's decorated beautifully and you ask what it would cost to create something like that - then you say "we're on a budget, what if it's 3 smaller tiers or 2 tiers". Same time to create all the decorations, the baking of the bigger tier not much time or money.

Or, they see some wild thing I have created in the past and say "Can you do something just like that only smaller, that should save me money right?" Wrong! Again, cake very little time - decorating alot of time/$$

Or, to tell me I am overpriced compared to everyone else - even though I am not. Good Advice, keep an eye on what the others in the area are charging.

I guess friends and my wife can be the most difficult - basically want everything free and never give enough time. Take care - Cakesmith[/i][/list]

Duane, I just wanted to say I checked your photos and your website and WOW! You do incredible work!!! Glad to see you have joined us at CC and I will definitely look forward to hearing from a pro like you!

"can you make a not sweet icing?"

haha, sugarshack, I love that one. I just got an order from a lady who didn't even look at the flavors I offered before ordering German Chocolate, which isn't currently an option. She then told me "surprise me - but nothing too sweet because the cake is for teenage boys and I don't want them to get tummy aches".

Ok... so German Chocolate isn't sweet?? Am I missing something here?

I am pretty new at this, but here is my favorite.

- Friends and family that say "I wouldn't have the patience to make that." Seriously, it takes more than patience, dammit! It takes TALENT!!!

Great thread! Here's a few good ones I've had lately:

Customer on phone: "I'm throwing a huge 30th birthday party for my husband. I'm really going all out this year. I want a 3 tier topsy turvy cake with 30 fondant candles sticking out at all angles." Me: That sounds great! 3 tier topsy turvy cakes start at $160. Customer on phone: "Oh. I was wanting to spend around $30."

I know you're busy...but...I need a cake for tomorrow.

I love your cakes! Could you teach me everything you know, and you could pay me to be your apprentice, then teach me to start my own cake business? (in our small town, where she would obviously be my competition)

Could you make a standing up motorcycle cake? (for less than $100)

Goonergirl I have also had to deal with that people too!!! the one that say "can you teach me everything you know and I will be an extra hand with your cakes!" I think : yes! until you steal my brain and give me a kick in my a$$ and go and put a bakeshop of your own with my recipes and filling? don't think so!!! LOL

or " i want x amount of cookies,can they be cheaper if they don't have the stick? what if I packe them? can they be cheaper? or can you sell me your cookie dough? i want to make cookies but I want your cookie dough oh and can I borrow your cookie cutters? LOL

and as sugarshack says: can you make a frosting with no sugar? WTH? I can make a SMBC wich only have a cup of sugar i say! NO they answer I want a no sugar frosting! then get a frickin' fruit salad instead of cake! ALL cakes carries sugar at some point!!! LOL
I guess we have to count to 10 and then breathe,very deep!! regards! I love this post!

[quote="aracely30"]Goonergirl I have also had to deal with that people too!!! the one that say "can you teach me everything you know and I will be an extra hand with your cakes!" I think : yes! until you steal my brain and give me a kick in my a$$ and go and put a bakeshop of your own with my recipes and filling? don't think so!!! LOL

or " i want x amount of cookies,can they be cheaper if they don't have the stick? what if I packed them by myself? can they be cheaper? or can you sell me your cookie dough? i want to make cookies but I want your cookie dough oh and can I borrow your cookie cutters? LOL

and as sugarshack says: can you make a frosting with no sugar? WTH? I can make a SMBC wich only have a cup of sugar i say! NO they answer I want a no sugar frosting! then get a frickin' fruit salad instead of cake! ALL cakes carries sugar at some point!!! LOL
I guess we have to count to 10 and then breathe,very deep!! regards! I love this post! keep on going!!!

I hate it when the ask for a sugar-free, gluten-free and yes I have had requests for a fat free cake. It is cakey-goodness, it is CAKE, it NEEDS all the things above.

Not a pet peeve about clients, but a pet peeve about ingredients. What's up with the extra cornstarch in confectioners sugar, the no trans-fat in Crisco and WHAT HAVE THEY done to PAM Spray--I have been using it for years now without problems and now everything is sticking.

What about... "I can buy the supplies you can make them for me". Right... that sounds like WONDERFUL idea...

My best advice to help you weed out the cheap skates that underestimate our services and talent is to notice the very first sentence out of their mouths. If it's related to money.... i have a budget....I just need a cheap simple cake..... how much is a.....etc...They are not my customers and I am not their cake designer. My simplest fondant 8" cakes start at $45. If they have a design in mind or if they have a special request for a carved cake and make no mention of $$$$ except that they want it to be special for mom, grandma, etc... usually money is not an issue.

Also, they don't realize that it would take me the same amount of time to make a simple $45 fondant polka dot HBD 8" cake as it would to make a 12" one with the same design for $120-$150 (I didn't pull out the calculator).
I had a woman have a fit that I charged her $20 for a 5" fondant smash cake and then another $20 for her to have a matching one for professional pics the next day. A 6" and 8" tiered cake and 2 - 5" smash cakes for $120. "You mean to tell me 2 smash cakes are $40 and my big cake is $80???!!!!" waaaahhh waaaaahhhh I could have made another tiered one in the time it took to make the 2 little ones.

My yellow cake is my absolute favorite. Hennessy, vanilla bean paste, homemade Grey Goose vanilla extract. We eat it with no frosting it is so good. It is the base for many of my cakes and cupcakes and I use it for samples because it is so good.

It has been the second most popular flavor since the term was used in cookbooks before we were born. Chocolate or yellow...

It is the butter or yolks in the batter that gives it the color, but both add a richness and depth of flavor in scratch cakes.

everytime , I see the term 'Yellow Cake " I think of uranium

Let me clarify, where I am located, people expect to pay $24.99 for a 1/2 sheet cake and $100 for a tiered wedding cake to feed 150-175. I am in a small rural Arkansas town with a pop. of 2000. They is only a handfull of people that do fondant covered cakes/carved 3-D cakes and the closest Wal-Mart is 35 miles away. I do custom work and for the most part, I am not a full-time cake designer. I am a full-time art/special ed. teacher. I usually do 10 cakes per month (approximately 3 wedding and 3 groom's and a few big celebration cakes). I have had to cut back due to a recent hand surgery. I work with a florist/caterer here in town and when she books an appointment, she informs them of my base price and asks if they are interested. Most of my cakes are booked in conjuction with the caterer. However, when I get phone calls at home, I have found many of the customers that start off already concerned with budget issues, usually do not want to pay the base price of $3 a serving for a fondant cake or by the hour for a carved cake and try to haggle or negotiate.

I'm not a swap meet, so it bothers me when they want me to give discounts or insult me by saying "IT'S JUST CAKE". They do not realize that custom carved cakes take so much time. My '57 Chevy took approximately 12-15 hours and only served 40-50.

Also, It is a little different for me as well since I don't feel the burden to take every cake order that comes by. Believe me, I did that for 4 years going through a divorce and I basically gave my services away just for the money and it didn't matter about the time. Now, my time is much more important to me and I am more selective as to the jobs I take. I so hated Dora during those years, with all the colors and time to do one silly birthday cake ( for $30) as well as the clean up,I realized I could have made a wedding cake for 150 in that time and made so much more money. I no longer do sheet-type cakes or simple birthday cakes unless it is something I WANT to do, not what I feel like I HAVE to do.

Sorry if I came off as a cake snob in the earlier post

[quote="dguerrant"]

Sorry if I came off as a cake snob in the earlier post[/quote]

No need to clarify - everyone, depending upon where they work - have their own quirky ways of having to do business. I find most of it is educating the customer on what it takes to create a cake. Especially, if it is quite elaborate - I generally take them through the process in a shorter readers digest version. Customers have become accustomed to seeing teams of people whipping out a cake in 3 to 8 hours on TV - in just a half hour or so. Even though it is mentioned that it is 8 hours, the viewers are thinking wow they did that in just a half hour or hour. Of course, forgetting that they are seeing just small snippets of the entire process. So, they don't "REALLY" understand the real time & cost involved in creating their masterpiece.

Customer: "It's Just Cake" - hahaha very true, then you make it. If they could, they wouldn't be asking for your service. But, if you have checked out the local Michaels or other hobby shops you will see that they are creating some really great products that are making things much easier for the layman to create very nice stuff. And, with everyone on a "Budget" we could be seeing more and more business dropping off. Our good friend Duff is supplying all kinds of fun crap that allow people to make their own "charm(ish) city cake" - so watch out.

So, to be a little picky about what cakes you would like to create is alright and if you have the ability to pick and choose, then good for you. I know that some of the so-called simple cakes can be the biggest pain in the butt. I prefer doing the crazy cakes - don't ask me to create a 1/4 sheet cake, unless something is flying out of it - HAHAHA. Take care - Cakesmith

dguerrant I think you may be on to something and I don't think it makes you a cake snob.

Most of the reason I don't do cakes for money is because I too have a budget. My budget includes all that money I spend on tips, bags, ingredients, boards, books to learn from, washing powders to wash all those dirty, icing crusted towels and clothes, dishwashing liquid, pans, racks, assorted cookware, parchment, colorings, electricity, gas going back and forth everywhere it takes to get all that stuff and most of all my valuable time. People don't even take into consideration everything that goes into a "professional level decorated cake"... all they think of is eggs, flour, sugar and butter. The true cost of making a cake would absolutely floor most folks because even if you break it down for them piece by piece, most decorators I know don't include anything but the cost of ingredients plus the time it takes to do the cake.

I guess the biggest thing that bothers me is the whole budget thing because while most folks will try to negotiate the price of a cake they wouldn't dream of doing that to a photographer... and they are hiring that person on the same info - work samples and skill level.

I guess I will never grow up to be a real baker... o well.