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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do you think the person who made this cake is a complete amateur?

228 replies

Melloplan · 18/12/2025 17:42

Just that really. Curious as I got a funny comment.

Not a serious post at all. My feelings won’t be hurt. In full transparency the buttercream did not have time to set. Lunch was earlier than planned so the buttercream wasn’t entirely firm. Still tasted good. Sponges weren’t slipping apart of anything.

Made in an air BnB without piping bags, mixer etc.

Do you think the person who made this cake is a complete amateur?
OP posts:
ittakes2 · 18/12/2025 19:09

It looks like it was as made with love and they are the best cakes.

meganorks · 18/12/2025 19:11

Well yes, in that it doesn't look like a cake anyone would pay for. But it still looks delicious and a cake I would be happy to eat. And I would be delighted if someone had made it for me.

Original poster
Melloplan · 18/12/2025 19:12

At least this one kept his comments to himself 😂

Do you think the person who made this cake is a complete amateur?
OP posts:
Treebaubles · 18/12/2025 19:17

It probably tasted delicious OP, but the presentation leaves it down. Yes, it looks like an amateur or novice cake, it would look like one that I’d do (but mine would taste poorly too). Work on your presentation I’d say, and don’t take the comment too much to heart, it’s not like anyone else offered or bothered to do one, and it still beats a store bought.

winterwarmer8274 · 18/12/2025 19:18

Well yeah it looks rushed because it was - you know it looks 'novice'. Still looks delicious though and I too would be very happy with this being made for me.

I dont think anyone has ever gone to the trouble of baking me a cake for my birthday!

Merryoldgoat · 18/12/2025 19:19

It looks like a delicious homemade cake made by someone who is not an experienced baker.

TappyGilmore · 18/12/2025 19:19

Do you think the person who made the comment was trying to be funny? Because if meant seriously, it’s obviously an extremely rude thing to say even if the cake looked terrible. I suspect most likely they were trying to have a joke, thinking that you could handle it as you are confident in your baking abilities.

10/10 would eat it.

nocoolnamesleft · 18/12/2025 19:30

I'd definitely assume home made, but I'd certainly be passing my plate for a slice.

TheCosyViewer · 18/12/2025 19:30

It’s a home-made cake which I’m sure was delicious.

Rosamutabilis · 18/12/2025 19:32

It does look very slapdash and like you didn't even try to get the icing even. It also looks like you didn't grease the sides of the tin because you can see all the knife gouges and bits missing when you tried to get it out.

However, as none of the other people offered to make a cake they should all be grateful, no need to make a sarcastic remark.

Dollymylove · 18/12/2025 19:35

I would certainly consume a slice 😋 although I would say is that buttercream made to the correct consistency shouldn't need to "set" 😄

NewGoldFox · 18/12/2025 19:36

It looks lovely and I’m sure the recipient was pleased.
Some people just love to knock other people down and never learnt of you haven’t got anything nice to say then don’t say anything. My fil is like this and I pay him absolutely no mind anymore.
You did a nice thing for someone ✨

biscuitscake · 18/12/2025 19:43

It does have a beginner-baker look about it. The buttercream probably needed more icing sugar to make it firmer and the jam is best placed in the middle of a cake with icing around the edge to kind of hold it in so it doesn't escape around the edges.

All that said, it looks delicious and I would have happily scoffed a big slice.

For the person who was unnecessarily sarcastic - there is always someone who is a critic even if they could not do better themselves!

IAmNotALoon · 18/12/2025 19:44

That looks like a cracking cake. I wish it was mine!

Original poster
Melloplan · 18/12/2025 19:46

Rosamutabilis · 18/12/2025 19:32

It does look very slapdash and like you didn't even try to get the icing even. It also looks like you didn't grease the sides of the tin because you can see all the knife gouges and bits missing when you tried to get it out.

However, as none of the other people offered to make a cake they should all be grateful, no need to make a sarcastic remark.

I didn’t realise that you weren’t supposed to pull the baking parchment off when the cake was still warm. Only a tiny bit fell off to be fair. Learned my lesson by the second sponge. Pulled off the paper when cool with no issue. But you can see where the second one was starting to catch (my sister turned up the oven for her Yorkshire puds). And I wasn’t allowed to open the oven 😂

OP posts:
Original poster
Melloplan · 18/12/2025 19:48

Dollymylove · 18/12/2025 19:35

I would certainly consume a slice 😋 although I would say is that buttercream made to the correct consistency shouldn't need to "set" 😄

Oh that’s good to know. The baker said it needed to be refrigerated before serving. If you can get stiff enough without needing to then that’s very good to know! Thanks

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 18/12/2025 19:48

It looks like a delicious homemade cake (and a lovely dog). And certainly very good for one made in and air B&B with one tin!

Bread baking is very different to cake making and decorating so whoever made that silly comment sounds rather ignorant.

Babyboomtastic · 18/12/2025 19:49

It looks really tasty, but its very much a beginner/first attempt at decoration IMO. It's your first cake and everyone has to start somewhere though.

If I'm being completely honest, it's probably on a par with the decoration my 6+8 yo would do.

Rude of him to say though, and I'd most certainly still happily eat a slice!

CinnamonJellyBeans · 18/12/2025 19:50

I think I'd have kept quiet about the baking course, while presenting that cake and waited for a better opportunity to practice and showcase my new skills

Flowerslamp · 18/12/2025 19:51

I made a cake very similar to that for my DP''s birthday. He loves his food but comes from a world where everything comes from a box. He was very impressed!

ErrolTheDragon · 18/12/2025 19:52

I’m a very amateur cake maker but the ones I used to make for DDs birthday always went down well. They consisted of a pair of uneven chocolate sponges sandwiched and thickly covered to hide the lumps and bumps with chocolate fudge ‘icing’ - which was lots of melted plain chocolate with some cream stirred in. No one criticises the cake if it’s just a vehicle for that!😂

purplecorkheart · 18/12/2025 19:53

Looks like a lovely homemade cake that someone put a lot of effort to make in not ideal circumstances. If I was the Birthday person I would be touched that someone made such effort.

Your il and the nasty poster who post I read earlier are horrible. If you want to do the bread course do it and I hope you love it!

TheIceBear · 18/12/2025 19:57

It looks like a home made cake by someone who enjoys baking. I love cakes like that. They actually taste better than those professional cakes that are just a mass of tasteless icing.

LegoEmergency · 18/12/2025 20:00

I agree with recent PP that it’s the edges of the cake that really donut a disservice. With some burnt bits and some missing bits and uneven edges. I know you have explained that though. You could have covered that up by skimming a bit of buttercream round the sides and it would have looked a lot better.

I also have never needed buttercream to set - if it was made correctly, is it that you put it on while the cake was too hot and it melted?

Lastly, in my opinion (and I stress this is an opinion) both the cakes are upside down. If you put them both the other way up you would get the larger surfaces covered in the filling and in contact with each other and you wouldn’t have that concave edge to the whole cake. (I don’t make cakes in tins that have sloping sides for this reason, but given the tin you had it would have looked better if the cakes were the other way up).

I’m sure it tasted lovely though and I would very happily have eaten some and would not have passed any comments on its appearance at all.

awrbc81 · 18/12/2025 20:03

Looks like a nice home baked cake, I bet it tasted nice