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Original message sent by costumeczar
Well, that's possible that she thought is was dry, that has nothing to do with what it looked like. But I'd definitely put her on the no-cake-for-you list since you wouldn't want to make her endure another "dry crumbly" cake.
I know that must have stung!
I made my own wedding cake...all red velvet. And I was upset when I discovered at the reception that it was...are you ready?...dry and crumbly! That caused me to go back and do a couple of tests and tweak my recipe a little. I think maybe the flour I had used had perhaps changed over the years. (I don't do red velvet very often.) In any event, after a couple more tests, I now don't worry about inadvertently serving a cake I'm not 100% happy with. Not sayin' that your cake really WAS "dry and cumbly" but just suggesting that for your own peace of mind it might be worth a test.
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Original message sent by Crimsicle
Not sayin' that your cake really WAS "dry and cumbly" but just suggesting that for your own peace of mind it might be worth a test.
AWell it was pretty nice for her not to knock the cake on FB though. Not that your cake was dry again but credit where credit's due.
i had a friend's friend order a superman cake that she would take to a party as a present to the birthday celebrator. 2 weeks prior to pick up, she sent me pics, rang a number of times for very specific requirements on the design. i complied and did the best i can... a few minutes after he son picked up the cake, she posted on my fb page "cake looks awesome. love the design... thank you!" then she posted pics on her facebook with the cake being cut, and everyone looked happy... 5 days later, she sent me a text saying "just a constructive criticism, but your red velvet was dry and crumbly".... wth?!!! i was fuming mad! first she compliments me then she criticizes me!
I think that's called "passive-aggressive" disorder!?!? Or maybe she's just plain nuts?!?!?
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Original message sent by kikiandkyle
No, I'm in fear of only ever wanting to use another very expensive product in my cakes! There isn't a restaurant depot anywhere near me, the closest thing is a GFS and their baking section is dismal. So far, I'm really happy with my cakes as they are, and since cake flour isn't something I'll be able to use if I move back overseas, I'll probably just stick with what I'm using.
I buy my cake flour at GFS. You have to call in a special order for it but it arrives at the store within a couple weeks. It's a 50 lb bag and it is $20.
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Original message sent by SpeciallyYours
I think that's called "passive-aggressive" disorder!?!? Or maybe she's just plain nuts?!?!?
So glad that this thread is back on topic-----and just in time for my psycho story!
I had a customer come in and request a cake from another associate. The next morning I saw the order, and she wanted a picture of Sonic the Hedgehog on it. At the bakery I work at we cannot do anything copyrighted.
So I called her and polietly informed her that I could not put the image she printed on the cake, and gave her the option of maybe decorating the cake with Sonic colors and she could put on her own toys before the party. This was the best option I could give her considering she called on a Friday night and wanted the cake Saturday Evening (not to mention I'm talking to her at 9am and she is wanting to pick this up by 6pm that same day)
So.... I airbrushed the whole cake blue, did a red border, and white writing (leaving room to put her toys on the cake) and even drew little gold circles around the bottom to resemble the gold coins. She comes to pick it up and goes CRAZY!!!!
She asks for the manager and when the manager comes over (I wasn't there) She proceeded to tell the manager that this was the WORSE cake she has EVER seen and it was so unbelievably awful that they should FIRE me and could not believe I even had a Job doing cakes! Said she never ASKED for the rings and said I was stupid to think she wanted them. She even asked the manager if she would ever pay for a cake I did--and the manager truefully replied that she has ordered 3 from me for her daughter. The customer scoffed and said that her (the managers) standards must be awfully low! The manager offered her the cake for free and the customer still refused it. She ended up getting a BIGGER cake from the case of predecorated basic cakes for free.
I sadly did not take a picture of it to show you all but everyone else who saw it was completly confused as to why psycho woman was being, well Psycho!
Now keep in mind when I first talked to her, she was upset when I said I couldn't do the image and she proceeded telling me this cake was for a little foster boys 6th birthday, and he had never had a cake before. She wanted something special for him.
Special sure--call and order a last min cake and expect Cake Boss quality from a retail bakery-----good luck!
This story just goes to show you, don't let the complaints get to you! I know I am not a GREAT decorator but I know I'm not as awful she said!
Hope everyone has a great WEEK!! Happy Caking!! =-)
Seems to me that the "other associate" who accepted the order in the first place needs to be gently educated about the basics of intellectual property law.
You better believe that when I take an image file into the local cake supply for edible printing, I'm prepared to show whatever documentation I need, in order to establish that either (1) I'm the copyright owner, or a bona fide representative thereof (2) the images that aren't my own are either PD, CC, or GPL. (And if they were ever to question my use of International Printing Museum logos, I could simply go out to my car and grab my docent badge.)
(In recent years, the model railroad industry -- which had traditionally been allowed to use railroad logos and other "corporate identity" art freely, without pre-clearance, and without any constraints other than that the art be used accurately [which is what they strive for anyway, as a matter of course] on the grounds that [1] nobody was going to confuse an HO scale boxcar with the real thing, and [2] it provided the rairoads with free advertising -- has been hit by litigation-happy railroad legal departments.)
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Original message sent by DebbyJG
I buy my cake flour at GFS. You have to call in a special order for it but it arrives at the store within a couple weeks. It's a 50 lb bag and it is $20.
Thanks for the tip, if I ever have anywhere to store 50lbs of cake flour I'll give it a go!
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Original message sent by DebbyJG
I have a large plastic bin with a snap on lid that I keep flour in. The bag isn't really that large, it's just heavy. It's smaller than a bag of dog food.
Or you can just continue to pay $5 for a box that you can make one cake out of.
She doesn't buy Cake flour to make her cakes she uses recipes with AP flour used in them. We are trying to talk her into trying cake flour.
AI also keep bay leaves around to store with all my pastas, flours, etc. Keeps the little critters out.
AOne last comment about cake flour because I'm repeating myself. NOT EVERY CAKE RECIPE NEEDS IT. If a recipe calls for AP then use that. If it calls for cake flour then use that. Switching around might make the cake softer,but it can also make it too soft if the balances on other things are off because you switched. If your cakes are fine with AP then go right ahead and keep using it. My recipes are about half and half cake flour and AP, each one is different. Nobody needs to use cake flour if your recipes don't call for it.
AI got an email today which reads: your cousin lives here with us... we already have a set of Peter Pan cake toppers/figurines so I was thinking of buying or making a reasonably plain, large cake and then just doing some decorating with icing, lollies and figurines. She suggested it would be worth getting in touch and seeing if you have the availability to make something as she highly recommends your work! So... how busy are you this week
In my contact form it had the details: Servings 40 Budget: $40 Date required: Saturday 13th April
Apart from the fact that her budget won't get her that and she didnt give enough time, and she wanted to cover it in lollies and icing, Saturday is my birthday so im going to be eating my own cake, which my partner is making me... With my guides help as I learnt when he started baking tonight
She was ok with me not having time and has said that she will give more notice when it comes to her next childs birthday.
And actually, it doesn't even mean gelatin-free: there are such things as kosher and halal gelatin and marshmallows: a Google search turned up all of them. The kosher gelatin vendor (they carry plain and flavored beef gelatin, and marshmallows made from fish[!] gelatin) even went into some detail on the subject, including a page explaining that because of the processing involved, kosher gelatin loses its "meat" status, making it parve.
Of course, to me, gelatin is still just edible glue. (And as I recall, fish glue is the preferred adhesive for wood-to-leather bonding in the construction of organs, while rabbitskin glue is the used for sizing canvases for painting, for making traditional gesso, and, at least according to Wikipedia, for construction and repair of small musical instruments.)
The comment about rice krispies costing more because they're annoying sounded like somehting I would say...
I was tlking to a florist the other day and he said that someone had asked him the question that I'd told him someone asked me a couple of years ago. I had totally forgotten about it,but he said that he had an answer because I'd told him what I had said. The bride asked him "what happens if you die and you can't do my flowers?" He said he told her "well, my family would be really sad."
Because yes, if we die, we all feel so bad for ruining your big special day that we will want to rise from the grave and make your wedding perfect by making cakes and flowers from beyond.
This had me laughing so hard. I like you already, Costumeczar!
poeple always say i have a fabulous cake for you to do for me. its always some fondant covered cake with gumpaste or some other time consuming detail work. id say the cheapest custom cake starts at JMD$5000 which is about US$53. the'd be like "so much money for cake!" and im thinking to myself that maybe they want it made from mud
That will make a literal mud cake! Love this!
Now that I've finished reading all 50 pages of this post (i'm a newbie), I am here to share my story which is more of a things-not-to-do-a-baker.
Last month was my nephew's first birthday and while my family were discussing about the birthday party, my SIL said a two-tier cake, which is all the rage here now, will cost $300 or more. That is about US$240. My sister suggested letting me do the cake. I will love to make it as a gift to my nephew though I have not made a two-tier cake before. So I showed her a small and tall chocolate ombre petal cake that I did recently which is a frosting design that I feel is more neutral compared to rose and shell pipings etc. But she found this design still too girly for a boy. I told them I don't do fondant and I don't use food colours which will make the choices of the design very limited. She said to leave it to my creativity.
I have a full-time job and I only do this on the side. The party is on a Friday and every night of that week, after work, I went home playing with different fruits and spice powders to test out the colours on meringue buttercream frosting. After all the research, I settled on my trusty chocolate colour and planned to make it into a tree house. Throughout the week, I drew up some graphics of how the cake will look like. And I also made meringue mushrooms, a huge '1' chocolate cookie, the bunting and green tea sables which I plan to crush and scatter around the edge of the cake on the cake pedestal.
When I presented the cake, all I got was, "The colours are so dull" and the like. This went on for the better part of the evening. The family took the liberty to jazz up the colours on the cake by sticking M&Ms around it which totally defeats my point of not using artificial colourings. (No offense to bakers who use food colouring but it is just my choice not to.) After almost a whole week of working on this cake, which weighed close to 5 kilos, I have not heard a word of "thanks"..... The cake is not perfect, of course, even then I think they were being super insensitive.
AThe "does it taste good?" Calls over phone always get me. Go call the crappiest worst restaurant in town and ask the owner how the food tastes.... What do you think they will tell you???? These people firstly have no common sense and secondly have obviously never watched restaurant impossible or any restaurant make over show.
The next one that gets me.... My friend I grew up with has kids with life threatening allergies. I clean down my kitchen and machines and the whole nine make her killer amazing cakes (she married a millionaire very very successful man) says "oh I wish I could pay you what your work is really worth" and gives me waaaay waaaay under market price. Meanwhile she doesn't even send me so much as a card on my birthday. Or call to say hi all that often mainly only when she wants a cake. She is the ONE person I know who can afford to pay a high price for a show piece cake!!!
Now that I've finished reading all 50 pages of this post (i'm a newbie), I am here to share my story which is more of a things-not-to-do-a-baker.
Last month was my nephew's first birthday and while my family were discussing about the birthday party, my SIL said a two-tier cake, which is all the rage here now, will cost $300 or more. That is about US$240. My sister suggested letting me do the cake. I will love to make it as a gift to my nephew though I have not made a two-tier cake before. So I showed her a small and tall chocolate ombre petal cake that I did recently which is a frosting design that I feel is more neutral compared to rose and shell pipings etc. But she found this design still too girly for a boy. I told them I don't do fondant and I don't use food colours which will make the choices of the design very limited. She said to leave it to my creativity.
I have a full-time job and I only do this on the side. The party is on a Friday and every night of that week, after work, I went home playing with different fruits and spice powders to test out the colours on meringue buttercream frosting. After all the research, I settled on my trusty chocolate colour and planned to make it into a tree house. Throughout the week, I drew up some graphics of how the cake will look like. And I also made meringue mushrooms, a huge '1' chocolate cookie, the bunting and green tea sables which I plan to crush and scatter around the edge of the cake on the cake pedestal.
When I presented the cake, all I got was, "The colours are so dull" and the like. This went on for the better part of the evening. The family took the liberty to jazz up the colours on the cake by sticking M&Ms around it which totally defeats my point of not using artificial colourings. (No offense to bakers who use food colouring but it is just my choice not to.) After almost a whole week of working on this cake, which weighed close to 5 kilos, I have not heard a word of "thanks"..... The cake is not perfect, of course, even then I think they were being super insensitive.
omg!!! that is hurtful! you went through all the trouble of making this cake (which is an expensive gift) only for them to "jazz" it up? no way! you should've spoken up and told them it's disrespectful.
oh, need to add something here... WELL DONE to you for doing such an amazing looking cake! it is beautiful and i'm sure tasted good too. big hugs doll!
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Original message sent by peilinl
Sandra, it is pretty upsetting. I think a "thank you" for all that effort will be nice. :( Thank you for your kind words!
Family is always going to be the worst clients that you can have.I would just tell them thanks but no thanks when they try to get you to do this again,since they definitely will. If a paying customer had been that insulting you wouldn't work for them again, so why put yourself through the aggravation? What a bunch of jerks. Doesn't family just suck sometimes?
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Original message sent by sweettreatsbysandra
omg!!! that is hurtful! you went through all the trouble of making this cake (which is an expensive gift) only for them to "jazz" it up? no way! you should've spoken up and told them it's disrespectful.
Original message sent by sweettreatsbysandra
oh, need to add something here... WELL DONE to you for doing such an amazing looking cake! it is beautiful and i'm sure tasted good too. big hugs doll!
Original message sent by costumeczar
Family is always going to be the worst clients that you can have.I would just tell them thanks but no thanks when they try to get you to do this again,since they definitely will. If a paying customer had been that insulting you wouldn't work for them again, so why put yourself through the aggravation? What a bunch of jerks. Doesn't family just suck sometimes?
ADid they not know anything about your cakes? So rude. If they wanted a $20 Walmart beauty they should have gone there.
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Original message sent by costumeczar
Family is always going to be the worst clients that you can have.I would just tell them thanks but no thanks when they try to get you to do this again,since they definitely will. If a paying customer had been that insulting you wouldn't work for them again, so why put yourself through the aggravation? What a bunch of jerks. Doesn't family just suck sometimes?
After that night, i truly think sometimes it sucks to be family! Lol
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Original message sent by manddi
If I voiced my opinion it would just be a carbon copy of what has already been said but I just have to add how much I Flippin' love those mushrooms!
I do too! I have got somebody saying "who on earth puts mushrooms on a kid's cake? " they are unbelievable sometimes!
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