I was hoping to get some bakers perspectives here – I ordered a birthday cake from a home baker for my daughters birthday.
I had an inspo pic (first pic), and while she said she couldn’t do all fondant she could do the sunflowers and the rest in buttercream and it was be a similar vibe, which sounded fine to me.
My friend (who helped organise it) has picked it up and sent me this, and I couldn’t help but feel really really dissapointed, but I’m not sure if I should.
We paid $300 aud for this. Do I have a right to be upset or am I being too harsh?
by Majestic-Swing-3993
37 Comments
for that price point I’d be pissed if this is what I received.
the sunflowers don’t even look like they were handmade. just bought from a store, which would be fine if the cake looked better… 300 for that is a lot and i’d be pissed
Home baker needs Wilton training. #1 is covered with fondant, (as stated) missing on #2. Home baker doesn’t know how to smooth out the buttercream. I would express disappointment, ask for some funds back, and let them know I will let others know how disappointing the product was.
Where did the rest of the cake go?
It looks like this baker doesn’t have the skill to be making such an intricate fondant cake anyway.
300 is ALOT
It is sloppy for what it is.
It is one thing that they did all buttercream instead of fondant, that part was agreed upon in advance.
The “smoothing” of the buttercream looks horrible. And the colours are all off. It is too dark, especially the blue, which makes it look cheap IMO.
300AUD is about $195 USD which would acceptable pricing for a two-tier cake with fondant accents. Where this cake really falls down is the smoothing of the buttercream (and the more garish color than you asked for), and the poor execution on the topper. If the cake tasted good and was enjoyed by your guests, I might ask for a discount rather than a full refund (which a baker will likely only give if you return the cake, if at all).
For future reference, ask to see pictures of work they’ve actually done. Unfortunately, there are people who’ll say, “Sure, I can do that” but their portfolio would say otherwise.
That was made by a baker who does not have the skill to make cakes at this level.
Honestly I don’t think I’d pay $100usd for that…
It’s wildly different and messy. I wouldn’t be happy either
ooooooh I’d be *FUMING*
This is pretty shitty lol – most egregious is the “smoothing” of the buttercream and the chunky lettering. I think any home baker charging those prices should at least know how to get a smooth surface and sides with no random holes and ridges in the frosting
It truly looks homemade by an inexperienced decorator. Whatever ingredients purchased to make and decorate the cake is what it is worth. $25-50, maybe. Shame on anyone who charged $300 for this cake.
That’s not fair pricing at all
Former home baker, that’s the level work I being for free to an event I’m attending but pressed for time… I wouldn’t dream of charging for that. I’m guessing she doesn’t actually work with fondant because the thickness is insane
FWIW, I am not a baker. I am not good at cooking. However, it’s become a “joke”(?) that I make ridiculous cakes for my daughter’s birthday. She says what to do, and it is done.
This was for her 3rd, and I feel like it’s on par with your baker who you paid $195/300.
I would be mad.
https://imgur.com/a/Qbn24mZ
I’d be embarrassed to ask for money if I’d baked that!
Nah mate $300 takes the piss. I have a friend whose mum does cakes a sort of retired side hustle, she made my 21st cake, same size but far more polished, and it was $150. This is clearly a home baker, which is fine, but you can’t charge professional quality prices for a cake that’s not professional quality. If you’d made this yourself I’d be like slay sista you did amazing, but $300????? What is this brunetti??
They bit off more than they could chew. A novice baker not great with smoothing buttercream. They shouldn’t have accepted an order like this. I’m sorry OP.
I’d say seek a partial refund at a minimum. This is just kinda messy – poorly smoothed buttercream, some splatter of the lighter color on the blue, the color is very very bold compared to inspo.
The flowers are nice, and there is some room for… lower quality due to buttercream vs fondant. But this is not clean work.
Honestly my daughter’s costco cake looked better….and that was 34.99aud…
This cake is a mess. I would love to have been in their brain to see their thought process on how it seemed fair to even charge you for what appears to be an unfinished cake. You can see the skewer in the “3” cake topper ffs
That is way too much money if basic buttercream smoothing is out of their skillset. Plain and simple.
More on the artistic side of things, I think the white piping is way off from the vibe of both cakes, and they should’ve used a different tip for that.
You got ripped off
Omg I would be so upset, mostly bc the quality and finish is not good for paying almost $200 usd. I would pay around $50bucks for this to support someone who is learning and honing skills.
$300? Yea I’d be upset with that. It’s a decent looking cake, but it definitely has a homemade vibe and doesn’t really resemble the look of the first cake enough at all.
Edit: I’m also pretty confused about why she didn’t flatten the blue buttercream… it looks messy
The home baker should not be charging so much for that skill set.
The buttercream work is messy, and so are the flowers. I would be disappointed if I were you as well.
However, the first cake would probably cost double as the work is flawless.
Not good! She was honest with you and stated she couldn’t do fondant, however, her skills are no where near what he charged. It’s sloppy. She didn’t smooth the buttercream. As a home baker that doesn’t give her an excuse for sloppy.
I am an amateur baker.
I know how difficult buttercream can be…
That being said this looks like the forgot, and didn’t his as fast as possible.
Another 10 ish minutes of work and this would have looked much cleaner.
Their skill level is not on par for what you wanted. I would request a partial refund, but YOU need to do your due diligence next time and ask to see their work.
As an experienced baker and decorator, I would never give that to a customer.
I would provide feedback and ask for a partial refund. Mainly, I feel like the buttercream is very poorly smoothed and the letters are too thick. The buttercream is distracting, even, from the overall look because it’s SO uneven and scraggly on the top edge, right by the name! And the fondant letters for the name just need to be much, much thinner. I understand this baker does not do full fondant cakes but if they are not comfortable with fondant at all, they need feedback that these letters are not it.
Sweetheart, id try to get some money back. I went to school for pastry arts and I can honestly say cake decorating not my thing except piping. The buttercream isn’t smooth, the decorations are too heavy for the cake itself and there even looks like there is something dripping from the number three. I would tell them that the execution does not compare to the inspo you sent. If you have to send comparisons but id definitely be upset too.
Edit:
I realized that was a visible tooth pick holding up the three. This cake is definitely not worth all that money.
300 for a small cake.. that looks like it’s my first cake I’ve ever made…you got robbed.
It’s not awful, but it’s not worth $195USD (300AUD). I would price that closer to $75USD max. The buttercream needs to be smoother, the decorative roping doesn’t really match the feel of your inspiration pic (which would require smoother, more consistent buttercream as well) and the proportions and neatness of the topper decorations aren’t at the professional price level.
$300 for a kids bdy cake is crazyyyyyyyyy🤪
When she said she couldn’t do fondant, you should have left. Fondant and regular icing look nothing near the same. The fondant tastes like garbage though.