Cake gone wrong

lincroft1710

Quote:
Originally Posted by sarymclary
If all else fails, why not have the cake warmed with custard (minus the icing), it'd probably make a nice dessert, and at least it wouldn't go totally to waste!

Which is exactly what my mother would do whenever a fruit cake she had baked was too hard or didn't taste quite right. With lashings of custard it turned up as pudding the following day.

Sambucus_Nigra

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Quote:
Originally Posted by sarymclary
If all else fails, why not have the cake warmed with custard (minus the icing), it'd probably make a nice dessert, and at least it wouldn't go totally to waste!

Which is exactly what my mother would do whenever a fruit cake she had baked was too hard or didn't taste quite right. With lashings of custard it turned up as pudding the following day.

Yeah - that's fine if you haven't spent £70 on it. However....

flea72

hoxtonbabe wrote: »

I know about the glaze on the top, this is not glaze it is syrup poured into it, she has admitted to this so what has caused the wet cake is established, my concern is why I was not told this, as this is not common practice to add (not glaze) syrup into a vanilla sponge.

the glaze used by cake decorators is referred to as sugar syrup. if you asked a cake decorator if they put syrup on their cakes, they would say yes.

some people do use watered down golden syrup too, as it adds flavour

over recent years, yes it has been common practice to add sugar syrup to all cakes, as people want the taste/texture of a cupcake

i agree, the lady who made your cake was a bit heavy handed, but she should at least be willing to come and taste the cake before she agrees to any refund. How long have you kept onto the cake for?

F

McKneff

Did I read itright that you bought something from an internet site that had no address and no telephone number on the website.
You really were pushing your luck.

I would never buy from a website like this. Your lucky it wasnt a scammer who had it away with your £70 and no cake either.

maninthestreet

surely this thread proves the old saying that you can't have your cake and eat it?

lincroft1710

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Yeah - that's fine if you haven't spent £70 on it. However....

Which is exactly my point! they weren't £70 cakes and a £70 cake shouldn't have to end up as tomorrow's dessert.

I_know_my_ABC_and_my_CMYK

hoxtonbabe wrote: »

thanks folks.

my sons bithday party has come and gone, I could give her back the cake but the damage is already done so to speak, I will not be laying on another party for those pesky 3- 4 year olds

I didnt ask for samples,as I would have thought a sponge cake is a sponge cake, I totally understand that everyoone definition of what tastes nice is diefferent and there is no way if it was a case of us not just liking it I would be on here posting as I know I would get flammed but this is a variation of a pretty standard reciepe to which I was not expecting in the slightest, the cakes on her site looked very professional, there was nothing that would make me think "hmmmm this looks dodgy" the price was not sooo cheap that would make me wonder why but equally it was cheaper than the local (and not so local) cake shops.

Sad part is if she didnt ruin it with all this syrup nonsense it would actually taste nice, but the syrup totally messed it up, the icing was less sweet than the cake! can you imagine, there is sugar in the sponge, then ther is Jam so sugar, then buttercream, more sugar, then adding syrup?!?! You can get an idea of how sweet this thing is, and then I was expected to give it to kids :eek:

The syrup is added by by a pastry brush, it is actually to stop the cake from drying out.

It does sound as if she has over done it, but it is a common practise.

hoxtonbabe

Thanks folks, I so am glad to see that nobody has flamed me and you have all been supportive. Due to the nature of this, I thought some might see this as petty but £70

Sorry, to address the post about no address on the website. She had a mobile number, and her post code to give a general idea for collections but if I was going to collect then naturally I would have got the full address, but as I asked her to deliver there was no need to ask.

So my last post I had sent her an email, nothing official, explaining the problem and if we could come up with a mutually agreable partial refund to which I received !!!!!! all reply, bear in mind when I was placing the order i was receiving replies within 3 hours. As I could see I was not going to get far, I decieded to send a more "official" letter, to which low and behold I have received a reply and within less than 24 hours.

I have to admit I do wonder about people sometimes and how they function in society. Money and greed can seriously cloud people's judgement. The reply she sends starts with "Dear Ms xxxx, I am disapointed that you are unsatisfied with the cake that was delivered to you on xxx" , she goes on about the cake being as per the photo, which it is (even with the leaning/broken part that I did not kvetch about) she then goes on to say that she did not add syrup and was a sugar syrup glaze and refers me to a "carrot cake" reciepe in the Mitch Turner book, that I also have. She said she rejects the claim that the cake was wet and too sweet and "only a small amount was added to the sponge to keep it moist", yet all my guests could tell the cake was wet???

She goes on to say according to trading standards, had I not been satisfied with the cake I should have called her instantly and only a small peice should have been eaten. According to Trading standards, she also has a legal obligaton to supply her address on her website, but I wont get into that now. The party did not start till 5pm (was supposed to be 3pm, but my friends and family have no concept of time) the cake was not cut until around 7pm, when I cut it, i just did enough chunks to go round all at once, i have never (although I may start to do so) cut a cake just to taste first in front of my guests then pass it round, I just cut enough for the amount of guests, plonk on a plate and off you go. Not sure she would have been best pleased with me calling her at 7.30/8pm on a saturday night to complain about her cake and neither was I going to start anything up with guests in my house while I am hosting a party. She states I should have raised my concerns or rejected the cake upon delivery. How am I supposed to know a cake is laden in syrup from the outside appearance?

I emailed her at 10am on the Sunday, less than 24hours, but this was unsatisfactory according to her. However it was delivered at about 9.30am so maybe she is assuming that the party started at 11am?!? She has not asked to come and taste the cake, although her attitude so far suggests she would never agree with me anyway, she not even said ok, I will knock you up a small buttercream sponge without syrup or icing just so you can have some cake that you are satisfied with and also restore faith in my cakes and could have just been a simple mistake of me being a bit heavy handed with the syrup (although not sure I would have accepted it with the replies I have recieved from her) I have had the cake for almost a week now, boxed, just sat on the dining room table taking up space.

She says she stands by her cakes, I did not give her enough time to respond to my previous email, I should have called rather than email (sorry love I like to have all correspondence recorded) and I am victimizing her...I am the only one so far who has lost out here, but she is the victim. She point blank refuses to entertain any kind of partial refund, she said the delivery was a goodwill gesture. Her free delivery is a 5 mile raduis,I live 5.5 miles away, had she asked I would have been happy to pay the extra mileage, a good will gesture would have been her quoting me for for a 10x10" cake and me saying no I would like a 10x12 and her saying dont worry, but she charged me an additional £4 for the 2", which I paid with no issue, but to try and use a 0.5 mile extra car journey as goodwill is a bit far fetched.

Simple little suggestions I would have been fine with until we both came to a happy medium, but she is having none of it, so upwards and onwards I go with this.

hoxtonbabe

flea72 wrote: »

the glaze used by cake decorators is referred to as sugar syrup. if you asked a cake decorator if they put syrup on their cakes, they would say yes.

some people do use watered down golden syrup too, as it adds flavour

over recent years, yes it has been common practice to add sugar syrup to all cakes, as people want the taste/texture of a cupcake

i agree, the lady who made your cake was a bit heavy handed, but she should at least be willing to come and taste the cake before she agrees to any refund. How long have you kept onto the cake for?

F

Thanks Flea,

It will be a week tomorrow, I was open to suggestions, but there were none, it is her attitude that is really getting to me, I have never come across anything like it.

HannahIOW

Have you had any luck with this, hoxtonbabe?