3D Cakes And Customers...

Business By jenmat Updated 13 Oct 2013 , 8:59pm by Stitches

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jenmat Posted 13 Oct 2013 , 4:25pm
post #1 of 4

I don't love 3D cakes. I do them, but I'm not one to make anything spin or light up or anything. I just try to do clean work and make the cake colorful, somewhat detailed, and most of all, sturdy. 

 

But I've been getting some push-back from type A customers lately. Don't get me wrong, I am type A. But I also understand the creation process so I "get" it. 


I'm getting questions I can't answer well enough to satisfy these certain clients, and I empathize with these people, I just can't answer them as thoroughly as they'd like. 

 

For instance, I had a customer order one a few weeks back and immediately needed to know the exact dimensions. I could give her the box size, the board size, but I truly couldn't give her dimensions of the cake itself because I'd never made it before, and even if I had, I carve all my cakes, I do not use mold pans or anything. I knew what MY plan was and what sizes of cake I needed to start with to get the estimated serving count but that was it. 

 

Another picked up  her cake, loved it, but needed to know how to serve it. Now, this was an easy cake, almost not 3D (the dreaded belly cake). I showed her what I would do, but she insisted she needed to know the exact size of each serving, how many she should get out of a row. Could I draw her a graph? REALLY? I assured her she would for sure have enough cake and that I always over estimate. I even gave her an estimated size for the serving that I thought was best. But in the end, dude, it's a 3D cake. I felt incompetent, but I'm not going to sit and make a chart for every cake that goes out the door. 

 

I have another that's asking for sizing and the cake isn't until Nov. I haven't even thought about the plan for construction. I've given her estimates, but tried to make it clear that these are estimates only. 

 

Is there a better way to approach this? 

3 replies
-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 13 Oct 2013 , 7:06pm
post #2 of 4

wow kinda putting the average type A to shame there--

 

i would just say that the exact dimensions are determined as the cake is being carved and decorated--

 

wth do they need to know that for?

 

there's a flag on this play--the annoyance flag--whoooh

 

and as for serving i'd just relate that it's approximately 1x2x4 and i'd say that this is the hazard of purchasing a sculpture--that they get that level of exactness and assurance with sheets and cupcakes not sculptures--

 

which is what you probably already said

 

i'd say it more dismissive--not mean but in a final way--done--go away ;)

 

and i mean who cares the exact dimension--they can get their surveying equipment out after i deliver-- omg

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jenmat Posted 13 Oct 2013 , 8:00pm
post #3 of 4

I know, right? I'm sure they are thinking it is a perfectly reasonable question, but it's really not an easy answer, you know?!

I guess if I actually liked 3D cakes I'd be more apt to sit down and sketch and think and figure out all that info ahead of time (lol, probably not). But I don't really like them and to me it's an organic process. Take some cake, stack it sturdy, start carving and watch what comes out. 

 

At that point it's more about the shape than it is the exact measurements. Ugh. 

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Stitches Posted 13 Oct 2013 , 8:59pm
post #4 of 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenmat 
 

I know, right? I'm sure they are thinking it is a perfectly reasonable question, but it's really not an easy answer, you know?!

 

I'd ask them why they want to know.......because they might just be concerned with buying a tray to place the cake on, or how much room on the buffet table it will take.

 

Maybe they think their people eat a lot and they are worried that there will be enough. Or the last time they got a cake it was too much or not enough. I once worked at a cupcake shop that did custom cakes that were sooooo small I wouldn't know how the client could have gotten the correct servings out of their cakes.

 

Just ask them why, it might come back to being a really basic reason why they are asking.

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