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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to be disappointed in this cake…

999 replies

Notwhatiimagined · 15/10/2021 14:54

I picked up dds cake today and it was not what I expected.

Would you be happy with this cake? I’ve attached two pics below, one was the pic I sent to the cake maker of what I wanted (a family dog) and the other picture is of the cake.

Also his head is made of Rice Krispies as apparently heads are hard to do. I wasn’t aware that it wouldn’t be all sponge.

It’s from a proper cake shop, not someone who does it as a hobby.

What do you all think?

OP posts:

Thread gallery

ilovepuppies2019 · 15/10/2021 18:26

I think a lot of posters are underestimating the work that goes into a custom cake. They need to be planned, baked, carved, crumb coated, coated again, piped and then any speciality feature need to be made from fondant. If the cake is made well then it needs butter with a very high volume of fat and gel bases food colouring to help the butter cream hold onto its texture. It sounds like you were hoping for a 3D cake Op but these will cost hundreds more. I've included two other cakes that might have been reasonable at your price point in my opinion if you remove the legs and the flowers so neither were 3D. Would you have liked either of these styles more? The second one looks like buttercream with a grass tip and the second one is fondant. The second one might cost more than you were willing to pay but I think the first one without the flowers would be reasonable for 110.

I wouldn't have thrilled about the rice crispy head without warning though as it's perfectly possible to make the head out of sponge cake and then affix it but it will be harder, take much more planning and make take a lot of reinforcement. The dinasour cake was amazing and a good cake for the price but it wasn't 3D so was easier to work with. 110 pounds was reasonable for what you received although I wouldn't spend thar on a cake personally. Store bought fruit cake is all I would stretch too 😁

DillyDilly · 15/10/2021 18:27

@Notwhatiimagined

No!!! The dinosaur head was £150, the same person who did that dinosaur wanted £350 for the dog

There’s your answer so, you didn’t want to pay £350 to someone who is very talented in a certain area of cake decorating and went with someone who made a lovely cake with similarities to a photo you gave her but not a creation made with fondant and an obvious artistic talent.

ExPatHereForAChat · 15/10/2021 18:27

Really cute cake, haven't rtft but would assume your daughter will love it!

AveryGoodlay · 15/10/2021 18:28

Do you think people's time should be free?
@Doyoumind I'm not a professional baker but a few friends are. In my experience people don't tend to even consider the time it realistically takes to bake and decorate. Many people don't value bakers' time at all!

AveryGoodlay · 15/10/2021 18:29

Also surely a 9yo would be horrified at eating a realistic looking dog!

category12 · 15/10/2021 18:30

Anyway, why would you want to eat a realistic depiction of your dog? Bit weird.

Oh lovely bit of Fido's leg.

DinaofCloud9 · 15/10/2021 18:31

I think the cake looks lovely.
I can't imagine my children being ungrateful about their birthday cake. I'd be pretty disappointed in them.

Polkadots2021 · 15/10/2021 18:34

@Notwhatiimagined

Great response! Thanks all.

My dd requested a very realistic cake of the dog so cutting it up if it looked too good wouldn’t of been a problem. I did have a cake done for my sons birthday which was a dinosaur head and that was £150. This was done by a different person though.

The person who did my son wanted £350 for the dog cake.

The person who did the dog cake has a fb page, their work was mainly drip cakes etc but they looked very good.

I did go in and see her to make sure she understood that we were expecting a like for like of the dog as her price was so much cheaper than the dinosaur cake maker.

Anyway dd came home from school and sort of went… oh… err that’s nothing like the dog! However she said she likes it but it wasn’t what she was expecting.

She charges £350 because it's £350 worth of work, you chose to pay £110 and got the £110 version (which I think is really lovely btw). Bit disappointed in your DD's reaction. She got an expensive cake made for her to her specifications, wow I'd have been over the moon at that, whatever it ended up being.

bigyellowtractorface · 15/10/2021 18:34

At £110 for that cake, I can guarantee the maker won't have earned minimum wage.

I was a cake maker and I would slave away for very little profit. All those saying you have been ripped off, have literally no idea.

Did you not get an explicit email of what the cake would be like? I would for example have explained the cake would be decorated with piped buttercream and probably supplied an image of a similar cake. I would also have explained about the Rice Krispies in advance. I think your child and her friends will find them tastier anyway.

The rice Krispie part means the shape can be more easily moulded than cake and is also lighter, so the head is less likely to fall off in transit.

Cherryana · 15/10/2021 18:34

I think is looks great and very cute.
I don’t really understand the issue- bespoke creations are expensive.

I feel for the cake maker. It’s hard enough being a small business without having to be approached for refunds because something didn’t match the expectation in your head.

That is your preference and nothing to do with the skill or standard of what the cake maker provided - and she should not be penalised or out of pocket because of your standards that are based on another cake-makers cakes.

InFiveMins · 15/10/2021 18:34

It's great, I would be happy with it.

DeadButDelicious · 15/10/2021 18:34

I think it's cute! Using rice crispies is pretty standard, easier to shape and not as heavy as cake so it won't squish the cake underneath. Considering cost of ingredients and the time it would take I think £110 is fair, I made my DD's birthday cake last year and that was a relatively simple tiered affair but it took me a good long while to make the cakes, the buttercream, put it together, decorate it, the bakers time is worth money too. A 'realistic' cake would be a heck of a lot more than £110.

1AngelicFruitCake · 15/10/2021 18:36

@groundhogdaycherry

I made this cake I'm heartbroken

If this is true then don’t be upset. I personally think the OP has been insensitive putting this on Mumsnet. Lots of people think you’ve done a great job.

fourandnomore · 15/10/2021 18:36

Wow the Dino is amazing, the dog is cute but not the same same sort of cake style at all and the price is significantly less so don’t think you could expect the same standard.

whynotwhatknot · 15/10/2021 18:37

If its meant to look ike your dog no it doesnt just a generic dog so in that case i wouldnt be happy

fourandnomore · 15/10/2021 18:38

And also the rice crispies moulding stuff is very common for shaped cakes and is edible so I’d have no problem there.

TSSDNCOP · 15/10/2021 18:39

I think the eyes are the only part I'd question, if she'd done those black with white accents it would have been more accurate.

That said, I'd have paid the money as I do value the time and effort that bakers put in and this thread is proving that's not universally the case.

I was expecting it to look like those monstrosities on Extra Slice from the OP.

MRex · 15/10/2021 18:40

@DinaofCloud9

I think the cake looks lovely. I can't imagine my children being ungrateful about their birthday cake. I'd be pretty disappointed in them.

This. If it had a longer tail it would be marginally better, but for £110 and all that work you've had a good deal. Ungrateful kids is a different issue and one you really ought to get on top of.

Confused about why you want to eat your dog, but it's your dog.

Doggydoodah123 · 15/10/2021 18:40

I like it My nine year old would love this cake!

DeadButDelicious · 15/10/2021 18:43

@groundhogdaycherry

I made this cake I'm heartbroken

Please don't be! The cake is adorable and £110 considering all the overheads involved is really reasonable. Some people have no idea how much effort and time goes into making cakes, especially ones that are sculpted!

Christmas1988 · 15/10/2021 18:44

I’m sorry I think it’s a bit crappy, much better than what I could do but for £110 I’d expect a bit more than a cartoon dog. It’s yellow not white for a start. It looks like a generic dog, floppy from the magic key books maybe. I’m sure your daughter will be delighted but I’d be asking for a price reduction.

mswales · 15/10/2021 18:45

I'm so gobsmacked people pay £150 for a cake! I guess if you've got the money why not, still shocked though

1forAll74 · 15/10/2021 18:45

It's quite cute, but i had to laugh about it. How do you cut the cake for all the various portions to give.!!

vixeyann · 15/10/2021 18:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BungleandGeorge · 15/10/2021 18:49

I think it’s a lovely cake and definitely worth the money you paid.
Personally I think bespoke cakes are usually wasted on children as they don’t appreciate them. Mine were as happy with a Colin the caterpillar!

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