Oh thank goodness - I read this post three times and still couldn't work out what the problem was. In fact, the whole first page of this thread had me pretty confused.

 

My favourite question is, 'When do you have time to do make these cakes?' My favourite answer at the moment is, 'I neglect my children, and I live in squalor.'

 

As though I'd be sitting around on the couch if I didn't spend some of my time making cake. As though other people don't do scrapbooking, or restore furniture, or knit, or play tennis, or any other hobby.

I've heard so many of these, numerous times. I had a think about it, and the ONE thing that seems to give me the irrits more than anything else is the last-minute callers for an 'oh-so-important' special occasion, who can't seem to get their head around the idea of this being a custom cake business. That whole thing of expecting you to pull a cake out of your...cakehole really frustrates when I am already neck-deep in wedding orders usually at the end of a busy week.

 

Call me old-fashioned, by why would you not go to a Michels, or supermarket bakery, or Cheesecake Shop or even a cornerstore bakery and buy a simple sponge cake instead of thinking someone to slap together a specialty-flower-or-fondant-adorned mud cake in an hour or so?

Fullhouse- I actually have a lady tell me she was going to put my buttercream , perishable filling cake in the back of her Suv and leave it there for a day and a half in mid summer heat and expect the cake to hold up to this fform of torture. I mean Really people would you do that with a gallon of milk and expect it to taste oh so yummy

"But it only takes them an hour on tv..." Yes, I've heard that one before.

To me it just sounded like she was confirming that the cake would be covered with BC and not fondant.

I asked my wilton instructor how does wilton fondant taste..
I did this as we were messing with fondant
She told me to taste it I tried it, it was just ok so I asked why do people cover cakes in fondant she replied to make them look nice. I asked what happens at a wedding when the cake is covered in fondant , she told me most people at a wedding peel the fondant away and eat the cake. I asked if she ever made homemade fondant she said once and never again that it was to much work but that it did taste good. Now I've been a hobby baker for over ten years but nothing but buttercream . Here I took the classes to learn about gumpaste and fondant and I get a teacher who couldn't stand the stuff much less teach us...so if asked to do a fondant cake I say nope but I can make you a pretty buttercream one.

I recently offered to make a cake for the couple , I was going through the mother of the bride anyways the cake was gonna be my gift to the couple but before I could say that the mother said a woman from there church was making them a cake for a reasonable price.
.ok enough said

Wilton instructors are required to use and promote Wilton products and recipes in Wilton classes.  That's the whole point.

 

What they do in their own kitchens is something else.  Some of them probably use the Wilton homemade fondant recipe that was printed in all the hardback Wilton Celebrate books in the 1970's.  It tastes pretty good (because you choose the flavouring) and is easy to make. 

This instructor hated dealing with fondant altogether and made it well known some of her students quit and went to hobby lobby to take the classes over there from a different instructor. She made it very well known that she hated fondant and hated teaching about it

Wilton fondant tastes like butt.

 

Making your own fondant takes about ten minutes and isn't difficult, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper.

Look at this first:

 

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/food/toronto-hotel-unveils-5-metre-high-gingerbread-replica-of-cn-tower-182984531.html

 

and then just think about asking this chef "can you bring one of those to my holiday party?"

Edited to add "we plan to serve it as the primary dessert"

 

I once built a throne room scene out of gumpaste and  "we want to break it up and serve it" was actually said to me.  I was speechless...

Edited by BakingIrene - 12/12/12 at 6:53am

My favorite is "I have a budget of $150. Can you provide a three-tiered wedding cake for that price?" I may work out of home, but I am not going to undercut a storefront bakery or myself with that price. It's madness. This is why I hate these cake shows on these cable networks. Hardly anyone brings up price.

Well sure for mouse sized servings from a 4-6-8" tiered cake...