i made beautiful white rosette cake for my friend's Parent's anniversary. At her house I tripped on the front steps and it was bye-bye cake. She and her husband were very gracious, still insisted on paying me and had me in for wine. I feel so badly, can't wait to make her a birthday cake ( mostly to make me feel better.). Has this ever happened to anyone?

Fortunately not, but I feel for you. If something like that did happen to me, I would probably just totally lose it after all that hard work and just bawl like a baby!! Till I got it all out. Even the simple cakes I put a lot of time and effort into so I would still really have a tough time with it. Not so much for myself, of course, but that I was letting someone down that was celebrating and now they don't have one. Yes, I would be very embarrassed too, but I would mainly be crying because I had let them down so!!

This has not happened to me yet ( knock on wood) but my mother always made cakes when I was small and I remember going with her on a delivery to take a cake to her bosses house. She was wearing high heels (not smart right) she was almost to the front porch when she tripped and the cake smashed into the front door! It was a horrific sight but like your friends parents, were very comforting and gracious.

So, I am sure it was worse on you then on them! Accidents happen! Im sure you will make her an amazing birthday cake...just make sure they pick it up jk~!

I had this happen years ago when I was still in high school. I had made a grasshopper pie for our award ceremony ( I was on the swim team) and tripped going down the stairs with it. Pie in the face for sure. I was able to make another one but was late for the ceremony. I cried like a little baby when it happened.

I have had a few close calls though, and that was scary enough for me. I feel for anyone that has ever had this happen and yes, knock on wood, fortunately, it has not happened to me yet.

My husband and I were just talking about what I would do in that situation. I always try to make sure that my cakes are delivered 1 or 2 hours before the event, that way I have time to come up with an alternative should the need arise.

one to two hours would not be enough time for me, but I guess if you had some cakes baked ahead of time for emergencies and icing made up ahead of time for emergencies it could happen, but even then it would sure be cutting it close. I had a part of my border come off of my cake I delivered Sat. right before I was going to deliver it. Unfortunately I had already put my icings in the fridge that were used for the trim colors. I had to take them out and quickly thaw them out. Fortunately they were all three in a freezer bag so I set the freezer bag in a bowl of water while I got my border icing ready to go again.

I think Vista means for someone to run to a bakery or grocery store so at least there's a cake.
I too have not had this happen to me and always try to be so careful when carrying my cakes. I am such a nervous wreck until that sucker is on the table at the party!

me too, mbark. I understand precisely.

I always finish the cake the day before its needed ( just incase I run into trouble),..
That saved me one day- I just finished 5 cakes and I was putting them into the fridge, last one to go in and the door moved about an inch ( just enough!!! to hit the cake and knock it off out of my hands and on to the floor!!!! So then there was enough time to do it all over again...

Jodi

Mbark is exactly right. It may not be enough time to recreate, but it does give enough time to come up with a cake. Even if I had to run to walmart. I always make sure I have extras of all the design elements and icing that I use. If worse came to worse I could use a walmart cake and add my design elements. Obviously it will not be the same, atleast the event would not be cake less.

I have not had that happen to me {yet and hope I never do lol} but I was just reading up on some forums on cake disasters and I got a chuckle out of some of them {mainly because it wasn't me it happened to} I did feel terrible snickering but I figured that's why they put them here. And thank the Lord most of the ppl's who's cakes hit the floor were very gracious about it and knowing it wasn't their faults. I always did freak out a little bit when I walked outside my house to put my cakes in my car because I had a big ol' puppy bloodhound that was always wanting to jump up or walk in front of me when I walked outside. My fear was that it would jump up on the cake or push me down when I started outside. Luckily that never happened {and won't now cuz she got killed a few weeks ago}
Thank God for the glass of wine to help ease the pain!

Been there, done that with a wedding cake no less. I didn't trip, but it still crashed. I secured a cake from another bakery before even calling the bride's family. They were very kind, I was a blubbering mess...but it worked out. And no more wedding cakes for me! I don't ever want to go through that again!

Yes..that's unfortunate but you know what? The point is you made the cake. You did a nice thing.

I've had this happen to me with cupcakes. They were all still in the box but many were smashed. I ended up cutting them and giving them away as free samples. It was a good move (I was ready to trash them and close down our booth) however I ended up with a lot of new clients and a couple of orders as well.

Good for you, pinklatte, way to go!!

Now as sure as I say this has never happened to me it will happen. I've never tripped with a cake which is uncanny considering I'm one of God's less graceful creatures.

But I did have the mother of all disasters a long time ago with a wedding cake. It was a 5 tier buttercream iced mamma jamma with a ton of royal icing flowers and a crap load of piping. My caterer friend insisted all would be fine, she would pick me and cake up in her new van and we would be in and out lickity split. I knew better but didn't do better. Just as the venue came into site we came to a stop on a downward slope. We pulled into the parking lot and open the back of the van to find the bottom layer had broken. I had a rod all the way through the cake which kept the whole thing from tumbling over. A friend of the bride's was on hand to let us in the building when she say what was going on she quickly offered to help. I left my friend there holding the cake up while the brides friend drove me to a local bakery. The owner was a saint and gave me two 14 inch layers and a tub of icing. Thankful it's was a long ceremony with Mass so I had some time. I disassembled the remaining cake, took off all the flowers and started over. I finished it with plenty of time to spare, thanks to some deep prayer. My caterer friend never offered to help with cake again. But surprisingly the bride's friend called on me to do her wedding cake a couple years later.

I have never dropped one while I was delivering it. The cake in my av, I dropped the bottom tier when I was moving it (totally iced and done) from one counter to another. It was soooo heavy and I wasn't ready for that when I picked it up and it just flopped onto the floor. I stood there for a second, collected myself and made another. I don't know what I would do in your situation.

It hasn't but I think of it all the time when I have a heavy cake in my hands Knock on wood, hope it never does. Don't ever lose site of the fact that we all are human. We all make mistakes.

(((hugs)))

Jennifer

I aM happy to say her birthday cake came out great!

I haven't had a delivery issue (also knocking on wood), but something similar. I made a co-worker's wedding cake (my gift to her), delivered and set it up at the venue and left to go home and get ready to go to the wedding. About 15 minutes after returning home, the venue called to say the cake was on the floor!! I jumped back into the car and drove back to the venue, and there it was, but not as bad as I was expecting. The top tier had fallen off, but landed on the table. I fixed it as best I could and put the bad spot on the back. I was HOT! Not sure how this could have happened because the table and the cake were stable when I left. I talked to the women who called me, and as it turned out, the guys that delivered the keg bumped the table the cake was on.