things NOT to ask/say to a baker! - Page 31

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetTzippy 

LOL @ costumeczar & Annabakescakes !!!

 

@ jason_kraft, I did ask and her response was "you are the expert".

 

@ BakingIrene & Shanter, cake has to be dairy free so I did not think of ganache.  I don't have experience with modeling chocolate and did not know that it can be used to cover cakes, it is interesting to know, thank you. In this case it might not work because brown is not a suitable color for this cake and I also wonder if that would be dairy too. 

If you buy chocolate (white or brown), it will probably have milk in it. You can make your own (search for "vegan white chocolate" which I think is made with soy milk). It can be tinted with food color. If it isn't enough like ganache, add more soy milk. If you want a covering you can roll out, I imagine you could probably make vegan white modeling chocolate.

[I have never done this; I just read about it on the web.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason_kraft 

Whole Foods sells vegan chocolate chips, which can be made into dairy-free ganache with coconut milk.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm that sounds divine!! I have to try that- it's on my Sunday to do list now (it replaced 'tidy up house')

I think it looks better to say no than to do a cake that is pretty much impossible to pull off without ending up on cake wrecks. If you truly think their request is impossible you should tell them sooner rather than later. If they decide to go elsewhere the other baker will be the one dealing with an unhappy client (and possible refund) and you'll be the one that told them the truth. 

I had a lady other day request a cake. We went over all the detials and she couldn't seem to make up her mind. She wanted a rather large cake with different flavors each tier... Well once I gave the price she responded with "I'm going to just get a square sheet cake from the bakery. Do you make balloon arangments?" I was soooo heated.. But oh well, If she is fine with a flat boring cake from a bakery filled with roaches then goooo right ahead... Just hate having my time waisted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason_kraft 

Whole Foods sells vegan chocolate chips, which can be made into dairy-free ganache with coconut milk.

Thank you so very much jason_kraft for this information.

I suppose its time to start experimenting with new products and familiarize myself with vegan ingredients for my dairy free cakes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanter 

If you buy chocolate (white or brown), it will probably have milk in it. You can make your own (search for "vegan white chocolate" which I think is made with soy milk). It can be tinted with food color. If it isn't enough like ganache, add more soy milk. If you want a covering you can roll out, I imagine you could probably make vegan white modeling chocolate.

[I have never done this; I just read about it on the web.]

Vegan white modeling chocolate that can be tinted in any color and used to cover cakes instead of fondant.  It sounds like an idea worth experimenting!

Thank you Shanter

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpeciallyYours 


This is NOT a good client! Just because someone places several orders, does not make a "good" client. A good client would not make this kind of request. Just be honest and tell her/him the reality of cake decorating. If they want a naked cake, then make a cake, make the decorations as best you can, and put them in separate boxes. They can take them home and put it together themselves! I draw the line at "ridiculous"! As much as we try to please the public, and give them what they want, there is a limit. I doubt you will lose the majority of your business if you can't deliver what this person requests. Just say'n!! (sorry, but this really struck a nerve with me!)

Believe me, SpeciallyYours, that phone call and request struck a nerve with me too!  That's why I posted it here "what NOT to ask a baker".

But as I said she has been a good client up until now (I would have probably rejected a new/unknown client with this kind of request) and I am not afraid of challenges, so now with the suggestions from the amazing cake designers on this thread I might just have found a possible way to deliver it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllaMarie 

I had a lady other day request a cake. We went over all the detials and she couldn't seem to make up her mind. She wanted a rather large cake with different flavors each tier... Well once I gave the price she responded with "I'm going to just get a square sheet cake from the bakery. Do you make balloon arangments?" I was soooo heated.. But oh well, If she is fine with a flat boring cake from a bakery filled with roaches then goooo right ahead... Just hate having my time waisted.

 

So rude. Why not say, "Thank you for your time. I'll get back to you if I decide to order." 

I had someone asking about the price of a wedding cake. I gave them a quote on it. He thought is was too expensive to pay for such a "minor detail" at your wedding day! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by vgcea 

Random thought: was thinking about how much my hairstylist charges to spend an hour on my hair. I wish all cakers would value their work as much.

Or how much a a maid service gets per hour to clean your house.