Cake Central › Cake Forums › Cake Talk › Cake Decorating › My DD just broke my heart:(
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

My DD just broke my heart:( - Page 2

post #16 of 30
6/29/12 at 7:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momofjaic

Ok so my DD 5th bday party is this weekend at the zoo and I found an awesome cake i wanted to do a 3d cheeta! So I've got everything baked and ready to start working on for tomorrow and she found a picture of a cake she wants instead icon_sad.gif. So like a good momma I'm scratching the 3d cake for a plain cake.........



Anybody who thinks that a 5 year old needs a 3D cake to be happy is going to have trouble down the line...

I really wonder, when I see those TV shows where the 3 year old gets a bigger fantasy cake than some wedding cakes, what those kids will have for their 16th birthday, and ultimately, what they will have for their wedding cakes. Ditto for the bar mitzvah with the working hockey game on top...

Kids under the age of 7 are too young to care about carving. Give them a character cake baked in a rented pan, or give them a plain layer cake with the printed character on the top, and they will remember that they had an awesome character birthday cake.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 30
6/29/12 at 8:01am
Thread Starter 
First of all I don't think she NEEDS a 3d cake for her 5th birthday I wanted to make it for her to be honest this is the first time we've ever done a party outside of our home for any of my children! And you have no idea what kind of hard life she has had. And who cares that a 3 year old has a huge cake. if her parents can give that to her then who are we to juge that it's too much. Where would a lot of bakers be if not for those crazy parents that want to do that for their kids? I might make a lot of people mad by posting this but my op was soposed to be a "funny" sad story. If she wanted a walmart cake with nothing on it that's what she would have gotten. I set limits for my children just as I'm sure you set limits for yours.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 30
6/29/12 at 8:03am
@BakingIrene--that's easier said than done. icon_smile.gif My daughter sees me making really awesome cakes for other kids, so I feel bad when I make a scraggly little cake for her (although I have done that--since I tend to run out of time when I'm the one planning the party!). I started decorating cakes because I wanted to make cool cakes for my kids' birthdays, so it seems a little lame that I put all my time and effort into someone else's cake. But also, when it's your own kid, you tend to get a little more creative license, so it's fun to be able to do a design that you want to do.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 30
6/29/12 at 8:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by traci_doodle

@BakingIrene--that's easier said than done. icon_smile.gif My daughter sees me making really awesome cakes for other kids, so I feel bad when I make a scraggly little cake for her (although I have done that--since I tend to run out of time when I'm the one planning the party!). I started decorating cakes because I wanted to make cool cakes for my kids' birthdays, so it seems a little lame that I put all my time and effort into someone else's cake. But also, when it's your own kid, you tend to get a little more creative license, so it's fun to be able to do a design that you want to do.



I totally agree traci...this is why I do what I do...for family and friends only. Maybe if I had a business I would feel differently, but right now the smiles that I put on my kid's and grandkid's faces is all I need. thumbs_up.gif
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 30
6/29/12 at 9:03am
I'm not talking about a scraggly little cake. Those character pans when covered in colourful icing stars are not scraggly. Put them on a sheet cake for a bigger party--they do just fine. The kids like to play with the plastic toys for about a week after the party and then they forget where those toys came from...

I guess I was lucky that my female family and in-laws asked for cakes with their favourite flowers on top of their favourite flavours of cake and icing. Also not scraggly or a half hour job. And the ones who got cakes at 17 or 18 were more entertained by the booze in the layers...they didn't seem to need a 3D sculpture.

I'm not talking about saying "no" to a specific theme or image. But the translation into cake can be effective and accurate without entailing a month of work by Michelangelo. I'm also talking about managing expectations that are different at different ages.

As far as I am concerned, a multi-tier job with a carved tea party all over it for a 3 year old (it was on TV) is WAY WAY WAY over the line. It teaches the child that "over the top" is a normal way of life. Because after you do that for 3YO, what do you do when they can find pictures online by themselves??? Do you really spend $500-$5000 for every birthday cake or do you teach the kids to put that $$$ into their college fund?
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 30
6/29/12 at 9:18am
I started cake decorating in the 1980's when my kids were little and I used the character pans piping a gazillion little stars on them...I hated them then and I hate them now. If I never saw another character pan, it would suit me just fine.

Yes, I agree that some of the cakes we see on tv are WAY, WAY over the top to the point of being ridiculous....unless you're having a party with a couple hundred people. But I don't think too many 3 year olds have birthday parties with that many "friends" attending! But I guess we can thank "Buddy" and the like for bringing these types of cakes into our lives. Totally ridiculous!! How much of that cake really get's eaten and in fact how much of that cake is really cake!!??

I guess what I'm saying is, make what makes you and your family happy and in a style that reflects the child, or person's likes and personality. And in a size that fits the number of people that will be eating it!

JMHO.... icon_smile.gif
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 30
6/29/12 at 9:34am
I agree, no scraggly cakes for any age. No booze for any teens. We all want to take our decorating to the top. It might be for a friends child and especially our children. I make what i am paid to do (if getting paid) . for family(to impress) and to get other business.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 30
6/29/12 at 9:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by icer101

I agree, no scraggly cakes for any age. No booze for any teens.



The drinking age was 18--that's why they got those cakes with an ounce of rum per layer. The whole cake was one legal drink's worth. But they could taste it and they were amused...and none of them ever drank too much.
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 30
6/29/12 at 12:17pm
I also hate doing character cakes. icon_smile.gif But I wasn't referring to them when I made the comment about scraggly cakes. I only mean that the cakes for my kids tend to look a little weaker than the ones for my friends' kids, which I feel a little guilty about. Things always go wrong when they're for my own kids, for whatever reason. I guess I get a little more experimental, but don't have as much time to fix it....

I get what you're saying about expectations for your kids, but I don't think a shaped cake is too much for your child. It's a labor of love, and frankly, I'd much rather do a tiered or shaped cake for my kids' birthdays than a character cake! I hate piping all those stars... My kids get really excited when they see their cakes, and I don't think they're spoiled. It's easy to judge the people on TV with their big cakes, but maybe we should cut them a little slack. After all, I'm sure many of them make great customers. icon_smile.gif
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 30
6/29/12 at 1:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BakingIrene

Quote:
Originally Posted by Momofjaic

Ok so my DD 5th bday party is this weekend at the zoo and I found an awesome cake i wanted to do a 3d cheeta! So I've got everything baked and ready to start working on for tomorrow and she found a picture of a cake she wants instead icon_sad.gif. So like a good momma I'm scratching the 3d cake for a plain cake.........



Anybody who thinks that a 5 year old needs a 3D cake to be happy is going to have trouble down the line...

I really wonder, when I see those TV shows where the 3 year old gets a bigger fantasy cake than some wedding cakes, what those kids will have for their 16th birthday, and ultimately, what they will have for their wedding cakes. Ditto for the bar mitzvah with the working hockey game on top...

Kids under the age of 7 are too young to care about carving. Give them a character cake baked in a rented pan, or give them a plain layer cake with the printed character on the top, and they will remember that they had an awesome character birthday cake.



My goodness - the OP did not say that her daughter needed a 3D cake. She said that she wanted to make one and was disappointed that she wasn't going to be able to make one when her daughter wanted a simple cake instead.

And while I agree with the sentiment that kids don't need over the top cakes, I suspect that there are lots of people here who make their livings from parents who buy them, who are happy there are lots of people who disagree.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 30
6/29/12 at 3:45pm
Oh for goodness sake! When it's your own kid and you are basically your own customer, it's a treat to get to make something that you've always wanted. My little boy has had two 3Ds: one blue race car when he turned 4 and one jumping monster truck when he turned 5 (he got the short straw for his 6th and he had a sweet little round cake with fondant truck silhouettes cut out on it). He LOVED both of his 3D cakes and has since come up with some designs that completely overestimate my ability icon_lol.gif

After seeing what i make for other customers, both of them look forward to helping design and choose their cakes...and a character pan and star tip has nothing to do with it! (and believe it or not, some families really try to avoid the commercialization of children's toys and stay away from marketed character items, cakes included). I know for sure that i have one Star Wars cake in my future and the other...hopefully i can pin down an idea a couple of weeks before, but seeing that he's my guy that loves to 'bake and decorate' cakes with the Cake Doodle Ap on the iPad, i think he's leaning towards a three tier, star shape cake covered in black cats, the number 7, and secret agent men (aka groom toppers) LOL
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 30
6/29/12 at 4:23pm
@lorieleann...
LOL...love your post, love your attitude, and love, love love your cakes. thumbs_up.gif
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 30
6/29/12 at 5:07pm
this entire thread take "white whine" to a new level.
No license or insurance. Put lead wires in cakes, never wash hands, cake boards are used cardboard. No contracts cause I can't read or write. No lawyer cause I'm judgment proof. I bake with old mix boxes found behind Walmart. Now about my question
Reply
No license or insurance. Put lead wires in cakes, never wash hands, cake boards are used cardboard. No contracts cause I can't read or write. No lawyer cause I'm judgment proof. I bake with old mix boxes found behind Walmart. Now about my question
Reply
post #29 of 30
6/29/12 at 6:00pm
I hear the OP's point. I wanted to make a doll cake for my g'daughter's birthday a few years ago, but she wanted a dog food bowl cake with Reese's cereal on top for dog food. So that's what she got.

This same child doesn't even like cake that much, and doesn't like frosting at all. She 'allows' me to make cakes for her other guests, while she enjoys the store bought ice cream cake, or this year...it will be cheesecake.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 30
6/30/12 at 7:04am
Thread Starter 
Ok the cake turned out really good and she lives it so I'm happy!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cake Decorating
Cake Central › Cake Forums › Cake Talk › Cake Decorating › My DD just broke my heart:(