Anyone bake cakes - help!

flutterbybutterfly

I've been baking cakes and decorating them for family/friends for a short while and have been paid for a number of these.

I have had success with my sponges and use the same recipe.

I have just finished a cake for my friend and charged her the going rate due to the time spent on the sugarcrafting decorations. I was mortified earlier today when she told me (in the nicest possible way) the sponge was inedible and dense. When I topped and tailed the cake for filling and decorating it seemed fine and proceeded to decorate. She is thrilled with the cake design it is just the sponge which was disappointing. I am really upset as I didn't realise there was a problem. I was planning on starting up a small cake decorating business but will have to put that on hold.

Does anyone have any idea what could have gone wrong? It is a tried and tested recipe and seemed fine before decorating.

Please help?

Olliebeak

Was it a 'true sponge' (ie whisked eggs/sugar/flour) or a Victoria Sponge (with fat)? Was just thinking that maybe the lady was expecting the much lighter texture of a true sponge and you had done a Victoria.

flutterbybutterfly

Hi it was a madeira sponge recipe from the Lindy Smith book. The recipe includes fat - creaming the butter and sugar together.

What I don't understand is that I've used this recipe loads - I am trying to work out the variable!

I asked her how it was stored from collection and it hasn't been in any extremes of temperature.

mouseymousey99

Did the mix 'curdle' when you added the mix? If so, some of the air has been lost - although not a major problem it can make the cake more dense. Especially in Maderia cakes.(super photo by the way)..

ragstoricheswannabe

have you tried the cake yourself?? thats the first thing i would do. if you are going to turn it into a buisness, could you not try out several different cake recipes and get friends and family to taste test and tell you which is the best??

flutterbybutterfly

Yes - I tried the cake and it was fine!

I cut off the "domed" section of the cake and the crusts to give a smooth surface for decorating.

I tasted the "domed" section as did my family.

thriftlady_2

It sounds like the cake was fine but just not to your friend's taste. I remember a friend giving me a bit of her mum's Christmas cake with the words 'you must try this, my mum makes the best Christmas cake in the world'. I thought it was incredibly dry and not at all pleasant.


I actually make the best Christmas cake in the world:D

THIRZAH

Could it be that your friend is used to the texture of shop bought cakes rather than home made?

Doesn't sound if you've done anything wrong to me.

ragstoricheswannabe

if it was fine to you then i wouldnt worry about it!!!! as said in prev posts, she was prob expecting it to be like the shop bought ones.

good luck with your buisness!!!!! p.s do you do wedding cakes??

flutterbybutterfly

I was hoping to move into wedding cakes at some point. Now I don't know what to do - my confidence has just taken a hit!

(I am doing my Dad's wedding cake soon though).

I have just changed my profile picture to one of my favourite cakes!

Teresa_Small

If nobody else has complaind before this issue then, I think she is pulling a fast one. It isn't as if you are a novice. YOU START YOUR BUSINESS. DON'T LET HER PUT YOU OFF