CakeMade Asks: What’s the Biggest Mistake Novice Cake Decorators Make?

No one becomes an award-winning cake artist overnight; it takes time, patience, and tons of practice. We asked several CakeMade instructors what’s a common rookie mistake newbies should avoid.

Photo of Amanda Oakleaf courtesy of the Boston Globe

Amanda Oakleaf, owner of Oakleaf Cakes Bake Shop in Boston, MA. Check out Amanda’s CakeMade course, Sculpted Hamburger Cake.

Trying to be perfect from the beginning. People see pictures of cake online all day long and expect it to be simpler than it is. Cake decorating involves several facets of talent and takes repeat trial and errors. Get all your practicing out of the way before you have to make a cake for a real paying client, when the pressure will really be on. Make lots of cakes, try lots of techniques, and be fearless. When you’re experimenting, what’s the worst that could happen? You’ll have to eat the mistakes? Doesn’t sound so bad : )  Plus you’ll know what to do the second time around.

 

Photo of Amy Noelle courtesy of TheMarthaBlog.com

Amy Noelle, owner, Sugar Flower Cake Shop in NYC.  Check out Amy’s CakeMade course, Modern, Elegant Sugar Flowers.

Not stepping back from their cake. We tend to be Type A personalities who can get bogged down in the details. By stepping back from our creations, we can get a different perspective on what the final product looks like. While we are working, there are times where the cake is better served if it gets popped into the refrigerator. Continuing to work on it at room temperature will only make things worse. After just 20 minutes, not only will our perspective change, but the consistency of the cake and buttercream will be much easier to work with.

 

Shawna McGreevy 

Shawna McGreevy, owner of McGreevy Cakes in Akron, NY.  Shawna teaches the CakeMade course Amazing Gumball Machine Cake.

Not starting with a solid, structurally-sound base cake for their creations.

 

Photo of Liz Marek courtesy of Cakers for a Cause

Liz Marek, owner of Artisan Cake Company in Beaverton, OR.  Liz teaches our course Rustic Wedding Cakes.

The biggest mistake any cake decorator can make is to be unwilling to accept critiques on their work. We should never stop learning, growing and expanding our knowledge; otherwise we are doomed to become stale, bitter and outdated.

 

Dawn Parrott

Dawn Parrott, OSSAS award-winning sugar artist. Check out Dawn’s CakeMade course, Piping, Stenciling & Filigree.     

Over-promising and under-delivering. Never agree to do a cake you are not positive you can handle. Just because you saw someone doing it doesn’t mean you can tackle it.  Be honest; only offer what you confidently can do. There is nothing more embarrassing than delivering a cake that is nothing like what you promised. It hurts your credibility.

 

Photo of Bronwen Weber courtesy of tvrage.com

Bronwen Weber, owner, Frosted Art Bakery & Studio in Dallas, TX.  The OSSAS winner and Food Network Cake Challenge Champion teaches the CakeMade course Contemporary Wedding Cake with Classic Piping.

Underestimating themselves! It is amazing what you can accomplish with the right mix of gumption and passion, which is what almost all cake decorators are made of. Go for it! If you make a mistake, you can only learn from it. Besides, even the funny-looking cakes are delicious!

 

Photo of Karen Vazquez courtesy of CharmedWeddings.com

Karen Vazquez, owner of Kakes by Karen in Naples, Florida. Watch Karen’s CakeMade course Modern Ruffled Cakes & Cupcakes. 

Allowing their nerves to take over and comparing themselves with other cakers, especially ones that are on a different playing field. We all need to walk before we learn to run.

 

Photo courtesy of Susan Carberry

Susan Carberry, owner of The Cake Cottage in Murrieta, California. Susan teaches the CakeMade course, Gravity-Defying Garden Cake.

Not chilling their cake before icing it.  Also, the icing needs to be the right consistency. If it’s too stiff then you are more likely to end up tearing the cake and creating crumbs..

 

Share with us your biggest cake decorating mistakes! What did you learn from the experience? Do you have any advice to pass on to your fellow cake decorators?

Can We Talk About Cake Pops?

What is it about cake pops that leads to profanity, tears, and alcohol consumption?

For anyone who has been living on another planet, cake pops are little mashups of cake crumbs and frosting that are placed on sticks, dipped in chocolate or candy melts, and decorated. Rumor has it they were invented to use up cake scraps. The idea was soon picked up by bloggers, perhaps the most notable being Bakerella, whose cake pops book earned her a spot on the New York Times bestseller list for six weeks.

And once Pinterest found cake pops, there was no turning back.

Now we see cake pops everywhere. Couples have started using them in place of wedding cakes. They go perfectly with the dessert table trend. Basically, cake pops are the new cupcake (or are cupcakes the new cake pops? or is that the cronut? anyway, you get it!).

So what is the controversy? Customers seem to love them, so why do so many bakers recoil at the thought of them?

Well, for one thing, they can be a nightmare to make. Take a look at Pfoinkle’s tale to see why some bakers’ attempts at cake pop creation end in frustration and beer. I’m sure she could sympathize with ColleenBlooms from BlogHer, whose cake pop endeavor was so hellish it made her husband, a pastor, start cursing.

In fact, so many things go wrong with cake pops that there are entire troubleshooting guides and forums dedicated to fixing them. Blogger Ninerbakes’ Cake Pops 101 is full of good information to prevent cake pop mishaps, but the sheer number of things that can make cake pops fail is astounding.

And plenty of foodies think cake pops are, to put it bluntly, crap on a stick. Kristenaiken summed up lots of caker’s feelings in this tweet: “Cake pops are to cake what SPAM is to ham. They take a really good thing and mash it up into something gross.”

OK, that’s a little harsh. Lots of folks love Spam! But CakeMade’s Facebook fans seem to agree; when we recently polled them on the subject, the vast majority chose “hate ’em” over “love ’em.”

Don’t worry cake pop haters. No doubt some clever caker is inventing the next big thing in cake as we speak. And in the meantime, want to sound off about cake pops? Share your tales of woe? Teach us your cake pop wisdom? Share in the comments below!

Ask the Cake Lady: Should I Watermark My Photos?

Today’s topic: Should I watermark my photos?

You certainly don’t have to. There are plenty of cake people who choose not to watermark their cake photos and it suits them fine. Why do people watermark digital images of their work? Well, mostly to prevent other people from taking credit for their efforts. Will not watermarking your photos hurt your business? Not with regards to clients coming to you for cakes, no. Is it likely that a stolen image of your cake might be used to dupe a potential client of an unscrupulous business owner? Yep. That’s often why digital images are stolen. But even here, it doesn’t directly affect your business; it affects the poor client who likely is not going to get that beautiful creation you made from the unethical caker.

But even though not bothering to watermark your photos may not hurt your business, it certainly won’t help it either. Whereas if you take the time to watermark the image, that photo has the potential to drive traffic to your social media sites and/or business.

Let me tell you the story of the rainbow-colored stacked polo shirt cake. The cake was brilliant. It was one of those defining cakes that changes caking for the better, making everyone up their game. When a photo of it began circulating on the Internet, many in the cake community knew it was the work of Sweet Love Bakes even though the image wasn’t watermarked. Soon the photo began to be used without Sweet Love’s permission, and most links and shares did not point back to Sweet Love owner Kelli Marks. So the majority of the outside world where it was gaining popularity did not know she created it. It seemed generic after a while, and eventually someone used it for their own personal gain. But beware, shady cakers: the cake community takes care of their own! They immediately bombarded the faker’s Facebook page, demanding that credit be given and shaming them for trying to pass Sweet Love’s cake off as their own. Most detrimentally, they reported the thief to the powers that be at Facebook, an action that can result in a person’s account being shut down permanently.

Cake by Sweet Love Bakes

Moral of the story? If you don’t mind others copying your designs and attempting to profit off images of your work, there’s no need for watermarking. But if you want traffic to be more likely to be directed to you when someone posts a picture of your cake, watermark! There are a number of programs for your computer and smartphone that can easily do this for you (computer: Photoshop, Visual Watermark (free), Easy Watermark Studio; mobile apps: Phonto for iPhone (CakeLady’s fave mobile watermark app!), Add Watermark for Android).

My big reason for slapping my company name on all my photos? To build my brand. I want my cakes — especially those that I have become known for — to ALWAYS be seen with my name. Ego? No. Just good business.

World’s 11 Most SHOCKING Cakes! Look If You Dare!

Some cakes are so beautiful they take your breath away. Some cakes are such colossal failures they make us laugh. And then there are these cakes….

The “It’s Just a Cold Sore” Cake

Really? The severed limb wasn’t enough?

The Carrie Cake. Mwuhahahahahahahaha.

 

It’s not every day you see bestiality represented in cake.

Now this is what you call “conscious uncoupling.” 

 

The dearly departed (in this case, Vladimir Lenin) would have wanted you to enjoy a nice slice of cake.

 

Let’s just call this The Rorschach Test Cake. What do YOU see?  

Who else thinks young Mitchell is going to grow up to be an entomologist?

We know it’s a trend but WHY?

  

Call it The Weight Watchers Cake: It makes you lose your appetite.

 

Would you like a spoonful of placenta with your baby slice?

We apologize for any trauma you, dear reader, may have experienced during the reading of this blog post. 

CakeMade Asks: What Do You Do with Leftover Buttercream?

Most cake artists are very precise about the amount of ingredients they need to make to fill their orders. But every once in a while they find themselves with some leftover buttercream. After hearing all the yummy ways they use up extras, we suspect they sometimes make more than they need on purpose. 

 

Karen Vazquez, owner of Kakes by Karen in Naples, Florida. Karen teaches the CakeMade course Modern Ruffle Cakes & Cupcakes.

We make cake jars and/or Kake push pops.  It can also be used in between baked cookies (like an ice cream cookie) or for cake balls.

Here’s how to make the cake jars or push pops:

1.  Bake a sheet cake

2.  Use a round cutter to cut three 1/2″ high cake rounds

3.  Place a cake round at the bottom of a jar or push pop

4.  Add a layer of your leftover buttercream; add fruit or sprinkles if you like

5.  Add another layer of round cake cutout

6.  Repeat Step 4 and Step 5

7.  Top with a dab of buttercream or fruit decor to finish up

 

Shannon Bond, owner of SB Cake Design in Olathe, Kansas and the mother of six children

My kids like it on top of French toast or waffles instead of syrup, or on cinnamon rolls – yum!

 

Sachiko Windbiel, owner of mimicafe Union in New York City. Sachiko teaches the CakeMade course Cute Cake & Cupcake Toppers.

Sometimes I add different gel colors to leftover buttercream and, using a pastry tip, make little flowers on a piece of parchment paper.  Then I put the flowers — still sitting on the parchment paper — into the freezer so they’re ready to pop on cupcakes or other pastries.

 

Amy Noelle, owner of Sugar Flower Cake Shop in New York City. Amy teaches the CakeMade course Modern, Elegant Sugar Flowers.

We use leftover buttercream and cut-off cake tops to make “scrap cake.”  We line a pan with plastic wrap, put down a layer of cake bits (the domed tops that we’ve cut off and broken into pieces), then add a layer of buttercream.  Depending on pan depth, we may repeat this a couple of times.  Be sure to finish with a layer of cake even with the top of the pan. Wrap the plastic wrap over the cake and refrigerate until the buttercream is hard. Then, turn the scrap cake out of the pan and ice normally. It’s super fun when we have lots of scraps of different flavors; when you cut into the cake, you don’t know which flavor you’re going to get!!! Staff take these home or we give them away to friends or our local food pantry.

 

Bronwen Weber, owner of Frosted Art Bakery & Studio in Dallas, Texas. Bronwen teaches the CakeMade courses Contemporary Wedding Cake with Classic Piping and Pinata Party Cake.

You could make a batch of Nanaimo bars, my favorite Canadian treat.

 

Photo courtesy of ChefInYou.com

Here’s how to make them:

Bottom layer:

½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg beaten
1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup shredded coconut

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8″ x 8″ pan.

Second layer:

Your leftover buttercream!

Third layer:

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

 

 

Amanda Oakleaf, owner of Oakleaf Cakes Bake Shop in Boston, Massachusetts. Amanda teaches the CakeMade course Introduction to Cake Sculpting. 

We make a ton of buttercream — ten to twelve 12-quart buckets a week — and we use all of it!  But if I had any left, I’d use it as an alternative whoopie pie filling or as a dip for pretzels and graham crackers.

Elizabeth Marek, owner of Artisan Cake Company in Portland Oregon. Liz teaches the CakeMade course Rustic Wedding Cake Trends.

I hardly ever have any left, but you could use it to frost sugar cookies or combine it with cake scraps to make cake pops.

Avalon Yarnes, owner of Avalon Cakes in Denver, Colorado. Avalon teaches the CakeMade course Princess & Superhero Cakes.

Well, let’s see; it all depends on how my cake went. If all went well, the extra buttercream goes into the freezer for future use. However, if I had a “rough” cake experience (late nights, accidents, etc.) you can find me, a fork and leftover cake scraps covered in buttercream, rolled up in the fetal position in the corner of the room eating my stress away. Or, you could take the high road and just add a little strawberry jam to the buttercream and spread it on toast. Deeelicious.”

11 Ways to Take Better Cake Photos

Whether you’re a professional cake maker who is building a photo gallery for your website, or an amateur cake artist who just wants to show off your creations on social media, these tips will help you best capture the beauty of each cake.

 

 

1. Natural light is always best.

 

2. If a good amount of natural light is not available, use a white piece of poster board as a bounce card to redirect the light onto your cake. The goal is to have the softest lighting possible and no harshly defined shadows.

 

3. Backlighting is key. It helps separate the subject from the background.

 

4. Make sure the cake’s background isn’t messy or cluttered. The cake should be the focal point of the image.

 

5. Use a portrait lens. Lenses with focal lengths like 85mm and 100mm are ideal; they allow for a nice sharp subject while letting the background drop out of focus naturally.

 

6. Play around with framing. Images with the subject directly in the center tend to be boring; feel free to get creative with the placement and size of the subject within the photo.

 

7. Consider picking out a prominent detail of the cake and showcasing it while still having the rest of the cake in the frame. The entire cake does not need to be in focus.

 

8. Use a tripod.

 

9. Inspect the cake to find its most flattering side (every cake has a back!)

 

10. Take photos from different angles, including from the top. Try others at eye/table level.

 

11. Don’t use your phone; use a real camera.

 

 

How to Make LMF (Liz Marek’s Marshmallow Fondant)

Not all fondant is created equal. The texture of this popular cake decorating medium varies from brand to brand, with some types even formulated for different climates. CakeMade instructor Liz Marek is no stranger to working with the stretchy icing and when she couldn’t find a fondant that was exactly right for her sculpted creations, she decided to create her own.

Lucky for us, Liz believes in sharing with the cake community. So she divulged her winning formula, a combination of her own homemade marshmallow fondant with a little commercial fondant thrown in. The result is inexpensive, versatile, and tasty. Make a batch and see for yourself.

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LMF (LIZ MAREK FONDANT)

This is my own marshmallow fondant recipe that I invented very early on in my career. I was tired of using cheap fondant and tossed around the idea of making my own. I was not happy with the first marshmallow fondant I created because it was not stretchy at all and cracked a lot, but I didn’t want to waste it so I added it to some leftover commercial fondant that I had on hand. The resulting concoction was a beautifully stretchy fondant that worked great. I began tweaking this accidental recipe and now it is all I use. It rolls super thin, does not tear or get elephant skin, and actually has a good vanilla taste. I use my weekly coupon to buy commercial fondant 40 percent off, so 4 1⁄4 pounds of fondant costs me about $6 to make and works every bit as well as the expensive stuff.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (907 grams) powdered sugar, sifted

• 31⁄2 ounces (99 grams) vegetable shortening

• 1 pound (454 grams) mini marshmallows (store-bought marshmallows work best)

• 2 tablespoons warm water (reduce by half a tablespoon for humid areas) or dark food coloring

• 11⁄4 pounds (567 grams) commercial fondant

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or other liquid flavorings (optional)

Steps

1. Weigh out powdered sugar and sift. If you do not sift, you will have lumps in your fondant that will cause tearing.

2. Place shortening into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

3. Begin heating your marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl (allow for expansion during heating). Heat for one minute on high and stir with a spoon. Heat again for 30 seconds and stir. Heat for 40 seconds more and do not stir.

4. Pour in water and/or dark food coloring, and vanilla extract or other flavorings if you are using them.

5. Use a spatula to guide the water between the marshmallows and away from the outer edge of the bowl and then pour into your mixing bowl.

6. Begin mixing on low speed. Add in 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 of the powdered sugar until a thick paste forms. Let mix until smooth. Add color at this point.

7. Add in one more cup of powdered sugar to get the paste pulling away from the bowl.

8. Heat the commercial fondant for 30 to 40 seconds in microwave on high, until soft.

9. Put a little shortening on your hands. Pull the dough off the hook and scrape out of the mixing bowl into the bowl with the remaining powdered sugar.

10. Add in commercial fondant and knead on a table until you can stretch the fondant between your hands like taffy and it does not tear or break. That is how you know it is ready. You may have sugar left over. That’s okay. You can use the fondant right away or store it in a plastic bag for months. Heat in the microwave and knead until stretchy before each use.

Makes 4 1⁄2 pounds.

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Meet Cake Artist Bronwen Weber

CakeMade instructor Bronwen Weber, who teaches the courses “Contemporary Wedding Cake with Classic Piping” and “Pinata Party Cake,” really needs no introduction. Most of you probably know her from her many appearances on the Food Network’s Cake Challenge, where she won so many competitions that she was crowned Cake Challenge Champion. Bronwen is also an Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show grand prize winner, having taken top honors with her Bombay Romance Cake. Here are some things you may not know about Bronwen.

 

 

CakeMade: How did you get into cake decorating?

BW: I always wanted to be a chef. As a child we lived all over the world and I would be at the elbow of the cook, asking questions and watching. I made my first cream puffs at six. I can’t tell you how they turned out; I only remember what a mess I made of the kitchen. At 14 I started working at my first bakery in Acton, Ontario, and I have been in a kitchen ever since.

 

CakeMade: What are you best known for?

BW: I am known for over-the-top cakes — giant-size cakes, crazy sculpted cakes — and for my obsessive love of pink.

 

CakeMade: What is your most popular cake?

BW:  Our most popular flavor right now is silver pound raspberry petit four.  It’s alternating layers of raspberry, Italian buttercream, thin layers of marzipan and our silver pound cake.  It is the cure for a bad day.

 

CakeMade: What is the most unusual cake you’ve been asked to make?

BW:  An in-progress surgery of a knee for a doctor’s groom’s cake. Ivory airbrush color makes for a convincing iodine wash, FYI.

 

CakeMade: Is there any kind of cake you won’t make?

BW:  There are a few things we don’t do. We won’t make religious figures — no one eats the baby Jesus or the Buddha! Also, we only make G-rated cakes. I know there is a great market for risqué cakes, but I wouldn’t be able to decorate while giggling. What I say is, I’ll make whatever you want — if you provide a live model of my choosing! No takers yet!

 

CakeMade:  What kind of cake or pastry would you pick for your last meal?

BW:I would have to hope for a dessert buffet for my last meal. I would have hummingbird cake and carrot cake to get my fruit and veggies in, a chocolate soufflé for protein, a baba rum for fun, and a key lime pie to prevent scurvy in the afterlife.

 

CakeMade: What’s the best compliment you ever received about a cake?

BW: I love when people ask for elements of the cake to keep afterwards, like a sculpted dog or sugar flowers. Or sometimes they ask for the whole cake to be faux, so they can keep it and display it. As cake decorators, we are used to making very temporary art, but when someone loves it enough to keep it indefinitely that is a huge compliment to us and our talents!

 

CakeMade: What’s the biggest mistake novice cake decorators make?

BW:  Underestimating themselves! It is amazing what you can accomplish with the right mix of gumption and passion, which is what almost all cake decorators are made of. Go for it! If you make a mistake, you can only learn from it. Besides, even the funny-looking cakes are delicious!

 

CakeMade: What’s your favorite cake trend?

BW:  I love buttercream cakes with piping and right now that is big in Dallas.

 

CakeMade: Is there a cake trend you wish would go away?

BW:  Ombré is a four-letter word in our bakery right now. Mention it and the peeps shudder.

 

CakeMade: What would you like to recreate in cake if you had the time?

BW:  I have always wanted to make a life-size, all-cake elephant. Why not?

 

CakeMade: What’s the best part of your job?

BW:  Every day is different! We seldom make the same crazy thing more than once.

 

CakeMade: What’s the worst part of your job?

BW:  Sometimes parting is such sweet sorrow. Occasionally we get really attached to a cake and then we have to deliver it to slaughter.

 

CakeMade: It must be stressful making someone’s wedding cake. How do you deal with the pressure and expectations?

BW:  Like many cake artists, I have a serious addiction to the adrenaline of our time restraints. We never get to say we aren’t quite done yet and we need more time. I love the stress of it! Some people hang glide or jump out of airplanes for that feeling; we just go to work on Fridays!

 

CakeMade: Why do wedding cakes have such a bad reputation, taste-wise?

BW: I think some places use their creativity for the outside and forget to use it on the cake’s guts as well. Some are still just making a couple of options — white and chocolate. Yawn! What flavor is white anyway? We try to make flavors that would get us out of bed in the middle of the night for another slice.

 

CakeMade: What kind of wedding cake did you have?

BW:  My co-workers made my cake and I wanted no say in the design of it! I had nine peeps at the bakery at the time and each one made a tier in the color of their choosing, in the style of their choice. It was a surprise to me, and I absolutely LOVED it. I guessed almost all of them right. They put a cheesy bride and groom on the top for giggles and it kept falling off, so we taped it to the side. Hilarious!! It was such a great day and so meaningful to me that they had fun making it.

 

CakeMade: Is it difficult, diet-wise, to be in the cake business?

BW: It is a constant struggle. People are amazed that we all still eat cake. We love it. We try to limit ourselves to a piece a week. But it’s tough. Everyone gains weight when they start at the bakery. I warn everyone. Dieting is a common topic of discussion while we are working, as is exercise.

 

CakeMade: Fondant or buttercream?

BW: That is like picking a favorite child!

 

CakeMade: Swiss buttercrean or Italian meringue buttercream?

BW: I like the ease of Swiss and the flavor of Italian.

 

CakeMade: What’s your advice for aspiring cake artists?

BW: Be patient and keep trying. All the masters have made thousands of cakes, so don’t get discouraged after your first, tenth, or even hundredth! It will get easier; soon you will be decorating like a pro!

 

CakeMade: Any tips on how to win a cake competition?

BW: Make what you love to make and decorate it for you, not for the judges. Your passion will shine through. This is your chance to have carte blanche on design — no client telling you how they want it, no bride’s colors to keep in mind. If you don’t win, you will have made something you love and can be proud of! And if you do win, you will have made something you love and can be proud of! That is why we do this, right?

 

Bronwen’s Lion King cake — one of Bronwen’s many Food Network Challenge winners! Photo courtesy of Bronwen Weber.

CakeMade: Who is your favorite cake artist?

BW:  Ron Ben-Israel has an eye for design like no other and a sense of humor that is unparalleled. He is gracious and patient. Ron is truly a master decorator and a great man.

 

CakeMade: What’s your favorite thing about the cake community?

BW:  The sharing of knowledge Is wonderful! I can’t imagine any other industry where people call each other and share their tips and tricks.

 

What cake course would you like Bronwen to teach next? Let us know in the comments section.

 

 

 

7 Customers That Make Cakers Want to Throw in Their Rolling Pin

Most custom cake clients are lovely people who are willing to pay a fair price for a delicious cake that is also a work of art. And then there are these folks….

1. “You want me to pay WHAT?! It’s just CAKE!”

There’s nothing that makes cakers madder than a client who orders an elaborate, labor-intensive cake and then bitches about the price tag.

 

2. Friends who expect benefits. Benefits meaning free cake.

You’re a baker, I’m a friend, ergo, you are going to make a gorgeous cake for 80 people for me for free, right? Right? For some reason people who wouldn’t dream of asking a lawyer pal to draw up a Will gratis or a doctor acquaintance to perform a little procedure on the house think nothing of asking cakers to bake cakes for free.

 

3. “It was ugly and tasted horrible and I want my money back. What’s that? Oh, we ate it anyway.”

You know the type: They come up with some lame excuse about the cake being too sweet or not sweet enough or overdone or not done enough so that you’ll offer a substantial refund. To preempt this problem, some cakers state in their contract that if a person wants a refund they must return the uneaten cake.

 

4. “I need a 6″ birthday cake. When can I come in for a tasting?”

Some customers expect you to woo them with free cake tastings to win a modest order, even though such niceties are generally only extended to brides who are commissioning a cake to feed a substantial guest list.

 

5. “Hi! I love your work, but I really love [insert famous cake designer here]’s cakes and I want YOU to make me one of HER cakes. No changes.”

There’s nothing more disheartening than a client who wants to hire you for your talent, skill, and artistry yet wants you to make them an exact replica of a cake they saw online or in a magazine.

 

6. “I have a small budget, so make the bottom 8 tiers fake cake with one small cake on top. That’ll keep the price under $100, right?”

Many brides have bought into the myth that it’s cheaper to order a Styrofoam wedding cake with one small real tier that they can cut, and then serve a behind-the-scenes sheet cake to their unsuspecting guests. What they fail to realize, of course, is that it is just as time-consuming to decorate a fake cake as a real one.

 

7. “Wait! I’ve changed my mind (for the 20th time) and need you to alter the design/flavor/magical-atmosphere-you-make-your-cakes-in before my wedding (in two days).”

No, cakers do not make cakes weeks ahead of time (usually). However, preparations often begin far in advance. Changing designs at whim after a contract is signed causes workflow problems for a cake maker and can cause product to be wasted. Expect a service charge if you’ve already signed and paid.

 

What types of clients set off your alarm bells? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section!

 

 

Ask the CakeLady: Can I Recreate Cartoon Characters in Cake without Getting Sued?

Today’s Question:  What’s the deal with copyright infringement regarding Disney, Nickelodeon, etc.? I’m just a small home baker and it will kill my business if I can’t make fondant figures. 

 

 

The CakeLady: It’s like a caking urban legend — the tale of the little home baker being served a cease and desist order or being sued for making Mickey Mouse. Does it really happen? Can it happen? We’re all a bit confused about the truth behind copyright infringement and the use of trademarked characters and brand logos. What is OK? What can we safely do? What are the legal issues surrounding using these images and likenesses? (See? So many questions!) This debate is HOT right now in the caking community and there’s a lot of misinformation out there..

Can you legally use a design (image, character, logo, etc.) in your cakes that someone else created?” No. Not legally. I know. That was some tough love right there. But I would be leading you astray if I told you to keep making Elsa cakes in a cloud of powdered sugar bliss. The cold, hard fact is that the creators of these works are protected in a number of ways by the law, and that protection includes derivative works — cakes that have one or two details tweaked so as not to be exact replicas. Still an infringement. There are many court cases documenting infringements, and in ways subtler than cake and cookie creation.

“But!” you cry. “Cinderella was created way before Disney ever got their money-grubbing hands on her, so she’s still fair game, right?” Let’s be honest. Are you going to make a replica of Charles Perrault’s 1697 Cinderella, or Disney’s? Exactly. You and the 647,992 other cake decorators around the world are going to recreate Disney’s iconic interpretation of the tale (leaving 4 cakers paying tribute to Perrault’s Cendrillon, and kudos to them.) Here again the answer is “No. It’s not legal.” “But lots of other decorators do it and they’re fine,” you argue. “Why should I worry?” If your friends jumped off a bridge would you jump, too? It’s really that simple. Just because they haven’t been caught and served cease and desist orders or, worse, hit with a lawsuit doesn’t make it any more legal for your business.

“Well, what if I make a basic cake and add little plastic figures from the toy store to the top?” you ask. Alright. Now you’re getting clever. But it’s still a bit of a gray area. According to some copyright and trademark lawyers, the rights of the creator end when a purchase is made of licensed products, like figurines. How they are used after purchase is no longer under control of the creator. Let me insert a big “but” right here. It is still not a good idea to purchase a bunch of toys to slap on top of cakes and advertise that you do so for profit. It’s the profit thing that most companies/designers/creators are concerned with. Let’s jump into reality for a moment. Is it likely that Disney is going to go after every cake maker that makes a Belle, Nemo, or Elsa cake? No. Just know that they have the right to do so and can exercise that right when they see fit. In fact, they have to actively defend their designs to maintain their rights. Going after little cakers is something big companies have done and will continue to do.

I can’t tell you how to run your cakey world. We all have to make decisions for ourselves. If you’re okay with making the character cakes without license and accepting the risks involved, go for it. If you’re pouting and kicking the toe of your sneaker against the flour bin, and begrudgingly throwing up your white flag to the big guys, good for you. It’s your decision. You have the facts. Now you know the risks.

For additional information, facts, and just plain good advice:

“Selling Cakes With Copyrighted Characters” http://www.cakeboss.com/Cake-Stuff/Articles/Copyrighted-Cakes?language=en- US

“Selling Copyrighted Character Cakes – Should you do it?” http://www.cakeboss.com/Cake-Stuff/Articles/Licensed-Cake-Pans

And the final word, at least in the United States, The US Copyright Office: http://www.copyright.gov/