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I just want to cry!

post #1 of 34
7/31/11 at 9:16am
Thread Starter 
I have been decorating for nearly 3yrs now...and until now nearly disaster free.But then came the red velvet cake! A client ask me for a red velvet cake,which i don't usually do (its not a big flavour in australia). I said yes figuring between the library of cake books i could figure it out...i was wrong. Unfortunatly i didn't know that when i handed the cake to the client. it was decorated beautifully and the client was happy. then 3hours later i get a text message from the client "the cake looks beautiful,but it tastes bitter and no one can eat it".......i just wanted to cry. I felt like the worst person in the world - i had ruined a childs birthday cake!!!So i imediately called the client,apoligised and apoligised,offered another cake,offered a refund (anything to ease my guilt),but the client didn't want a refund.Infact the client was so nice to me about the whole thing,she said she only let me know as feedback and she didn't blame me.this only made me feel worse.
so now my confidence is shaken and i'm feeling a bit fragile.i just wanted to share my story with cake people who understand what its like and hope that someone can learn from my mistake.
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post #2 of 34
7/31/11 at 9:35am
icon_sad.gif . I'm so sorry this happened to you. <<<<<BIG HUGS>>>>> sent your way.
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post #3 of 34
7/31/11 at 9:45am
So sorry this happened to you but at least your client was good about it. Any idea what may have caused the bitter taste? What recipe did you use?
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post #4 of 34
7/31/11 at 9:50am
Awww, I'm sorry to hear that! icon_sad.gif Red Velvet was a tough nut for me to crack as well and, took me several attempts before I got one I liked. I know most traditionally use oil but, I just couldn't get something that made me happy till I did it with butter.
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post #5 of 34
7/31/11 at 9:51am
You must have made a test batch, right? Did it seem bitter to you?
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website www.BakingFix.com
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post #6 of 34
7/31/11 at 9:54am
Sorry this happened to you . It happened once to me as well - turns out is was the Wilton color red. I never used it again, and never had the problem again. Cheer up, tomorrow's a new day!
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Baking Blog - http://thebaKINGway.wordpress.com
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post #7 of 34
7/31/11 at 10:03am
Might you have used Buttermilk in the recipe - so many Australians are not used to that taste?

Can you list the ingrediants you used - and perhaps we can go from there and find a solution for you.

Bluehue.
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post #8 of 34
7/31/11 at 10:23am
I'm sorry this happened to you...at least she was nice about it.

I always make a test batch with ANY new cake flavor.I want to know what my customers cake taste like for this very reason. icon_smile.gif
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post #9 of 34
8/1/11 at 3:23am
Thread Starter 
I used Martha Stewarts red velvet cake recipe.I had made a test batch i thought it tasted fine.I now put the bitter taste down to the red food colouring - i've changed brands since my disaster-and made 4 test batches(my husband is so sick of red velvet cake) no bitter taste!!! luckily the client was nice about everything - it just might take awhile to get all my confidence back.
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post #10 of 34
8/1/11 at 8:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by l_rock

I used Martha Stewarts red velvet cake recipe.I had made a test batch i thought it tasted fine.I now put the bitter taste down to the red food colouring - i've changed brands since my disaster-and made 4 test batches(my husband is so sick of red velvet cake) no bitter taste!!! luckily the client was nice about everything - it just might take awhile to get all my confidence back.



Never use a Martha Stewart recipe if you know what's good for you! Her recipes have a well-deserved reputation for stinking.
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post #11 of 34
8/1/11 at 3:46pm
Actually, I just made the MS red velvet recipe for a wedding cake over the weekend. It was awesome! I have heard a lot of good things about that specific recipe so I decided to give it a try. The only problem is that when I made it the first time it came out more brown than red. I re-baked and ended up using two teaspoons of Wilton no taste red to get a really deep crimson color.

I think the red velvet is the only one of Martha's recipes that turns out well for people!

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The Dude abides.

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post #12 of 34
8/1/11 at 4:02pm
I did the same thing luckily it was a practice cake. I found out that my mistake was not using the "no taste red" coloring. I used just a regular red because I was out of "no taste red" This could be what went wrong, I will admit my cake went right in the trash even yummy cream cheese frosting couldn't help!
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If you need more creativity, ask The Creator.
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post #13 of 34
8/1/11 at 4:07pm
The problem was most likely the red food coloring that you used. Try the no taste red from wilton next time. The first time I made RV it came out bitter too.
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post #14 of 34
8/1/11 at 4:11pm
I have to agree with costumeczar. The majority of her recipes that I have tried have been so off-balance. They are terrible. You may get some hits, but I've found only misses. I'm not wasting my time on her recipes. Luckily, I've gotten to where I can read and predict recipe outcomes, but for those who are just getting started with scratch baking, a bad recipe could be taken as the baker's fault.
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post #15 of 34
8/1/11 at 4:16pm
I did a rainbow cake using Americolor gel colours in a vanilla cake and I got the bitter taste you are referring to. Luckily I tasted the cake scraps after levelling so I had time to rebake (no rainbow, I explained the taste compromise and they were happy to have the yellow colour of the vanilla cake).

Which gel colours did you try on your 4 test batches? And on your original cake?
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