I've been trying all week to make a cake for my newborn niece and her family. She was born on Tuesday, so as soon as I heard, "It's a GIRL" I started baking. For the first cake, I think I used the wrong flour and it came out so heavy and dense. So, into the trash it went. Wednesday, I tried again. I baked a beautiful golden yellow cake. Took it out of the oven, flipped it out if the pans, and let it cool. I was on the phone when I rounded the corner back into the kitchen and saw my 2 year-old son (who had managed to get his stool from the bathroom all the way to the kitchen without me noticing) who was digging into my cake. He looked up, gave me a crumb-filled wave and said, "Hi Mom" and then he dove back into the cake. I felt like screaming but he was so cute and innocent, and there was no saving the cake at that point, so I just had to laugh. Not a good, hearty laugh . . . more of a "at the end of my rope and ready to snap" laugh, but it wasn't tears so that's good. So Thursday, I baked cake #3. It came out of the oven beautifully, I stood guard over the cooling process and was actually able to ice and decorate it to completion with no major issues. It was definitely a "rush job" as I didn't have a whole lot of time to work on it but at this point I just wanted it to be finished. HOORAY! So I packed the boys into the car, gently put the cake in, and started driving to the hospital to visit my new niece and her family (they go home today). Not even half a mile from home, I look down and notice that the top half of the cake has slid off and was crushed up against the side of the box. OH NO! I pulled over, thinking I could rush home and do a patch job (still had the buttercream and most of my cake mess all over the kitchen so it should have been easy to do a quick repair) but the top layer was starting to crack across the middle where I inserted the letters and I knew that even if I put this back together again it wouldn't look as pretty and it wouldn't be very stable. So, I just kept right on going and we at least got to visit. I kept the tears to a minimum and the boys in the backseat didn't even pick up on my distress. And so far, I haven't heard them utter the profanity that slipped from my lips as I noticed the cake so *maybe* they didn't even hear me. I have never had so much trouble starting and finishing a cake! Times like this, I wonder why I'm even going through the trouble! I love planning and working on the cakes but my stress level is always so elevated and it's never a smooth, relaxing process. I know that practice will get me to that point but the stress of it all right now (and my "stress coping-mechaism", a.k.a. eating cake scraps and buttercream) may be enough to push me over the edge!!!

I am so sorry that this has happened! It feels like the end of the world for me when I have a disaster. I always think, "maybe they won't notice if I don't show up!" Yeah right!

I had the same thing try and happen to that hideous pink cake in my pics. It was sliding as I was decorating. It was last minute and I baked and decorated all in the same day which I NEVER do but had not choice for that cake. It was sliding all around and instinct is to put my hands on the sides and try to straighten it out. Yeah, it's not good to do that once the darn thing has been iced! You can see bulges on the cake. Believe me, I have worse pictures.

It's good that you didn't cry but practically laughed from hysteria!!!!! You were probably "cracking" up. (Not laughing but coming apart at the seams)

This is your one goof for the year! Everything from this point forward should be perfection.


Amy

OH NO! You'll look back on the "slide" and laugh - well maybe in a few years. I'm chuckling about your child and the cake wave, I can totally see my own 2 year old doing the same thing, saying "lookie Mommy, cake!" I'm with you on the stress level comment. I have 3 small kids (under 5) and I love making cakes, but get very stressed about them since I'm still so new at it. I find myself snapping at the kids, saying "no touch" and of course they always want to "help". Fortunately all my cakes are for family so as long as my kids are happy about the cake, and it tastes good, I don't think too much else matters. The more practice we get the easier it should be - right? I just keep telling myself that.

you should post that in the cake disaster picture forum. I love looking in there. Keeps the perspective that it happens to everyone!

Oh man...so sorry! I've had a disaster myself.....a 3-tierd, covered in marbeled fondant, hit the floor upside down...yep, I made about 200 cake balls
I feel your pain sister!

so sorry your beautiful cake slid! Being a mom to a 5 1/2 and a 4 yr old, I love the Hi Mommy! crumb filled wave. I know the stress of no touch. This is for a customer. You can have some cake tops when I'm done!
Hang in there. did it taste good?
It sure did look yummy.

My daughter once took a big ol' bite out of the side of a cake I made for the chef's at school as a thank you. Nothing you can do but laugh at that point---or go on a psychotic rampage! The cake was beautiful though that you made--sorry it happened.