You took it easy: 1. Ppl that pay the deposit and don’t pay the final payment and I have to track them down. 2. Ppl that order and give no detail at all. Like I want a butterfly birthday cake. How much? 3. When I ask ppl how many servings, what flavor cake, what flavor icing, delivery or pick up. They say I want a chocolate cake to feed 15. And don’t answer the other two questions. 4. Ppl that order and pay then want to “add” stuff and I tell them it will be an additional charge for that and they don’t understand. 5. Ppl that say I want this crazy detailed cake and instantly say I don’t want to pay a lot. 6. Ppl that think 3-d fondant decorations cost the same as edible images. 7. Ppl that ask if they can pay cash at pick up when I ask for the remaining balance. 8. Ppl that email for days then when you tell them the price ghost you. 9. Ppl that tell you they want a specific color then you buy that exact color in americolor and they tell you that’s not the color they wanted. 10. Ppl that think if it’s not made from scratch then it’s crap or “cheating” when most bakeries use a mix to start.
And this is some of the reasons I stopped selling cakes. The biggie though….wanting a quality decorated cake, with bells and whistles, at a grocery store price. Of course 99.99% of people ordering don’t even bake, so they haven’t got a clue. If they did, they’d make it themselves, right!!! And with today’s ingredients so much more expensive, it’s even harder. No decorator should have to justify their price…which is part of their living. Most don’t ask the mechanic, plumber or electrician to justify their prices, they just pay it.
I hate communication with more than 1 person about the cake. The husband place an order, the wife calls to confirm firm the theme, the event organizer calls to confirm shade of colour and size of cake for the table. Its annoying
😆 😂 It’s just that people don’t decorate cakes, and do not know how organized everything must be and that decorating is work. I believe people think it’s just the “decorating” is all there is in creating a cake entails. It’s so very satisfying when cakes are completed, so, I we always have the finality of each cake to look forward to each time. Just take time off here and there and set limits! Blessings 💕
Thanks for being so honest. The cleaning up goes on and on - imagine if you had someone to clean it would be amazing. On the telephone thing - so many businesses would charge for telephone consultations but yet again, women are expected to go the extra mile for free but the time and the admin costs time and money. x
I’m a home baker under Texas Cottage Law. I don’t do cake theme decorating because I’m HORRIBLE at it. I just do old fashioned specialty layer cakes, cupcakes, cookie cakes, cookies and dessert breads. But I can relate to almost everything you’re saying. I laughed and laughed. I love your expressions. You’re so hilarious. Thanks for being so honest and sharing with us.
I’ve got a question. Since every Kate gets frozen after you make it anyway is there a reason that you don’t have premade cakes already frozen and ready to go in the freezer for when a customer orders like your most popular flavors? I wonder because I have a homeschool my kids and I can’t give a whole day to baking, but I can do some baking in the early morning and so I figured I could use weekends to bake cakes and just keep them in the freezer for with my popular flavors for when the orders come up, but I wasn’t sure if keeping them in the freezer over then overnight effects the texture.
You can keep them in the freezer for a few months. However, I don't do it because I make so many different sizes, that there's no guarantee that someone will want a yellow cake in the size I have stored, so I would end up with the wrong sizes in my freezer! If you only make a few sizes, I don't see why you couldn't do that though.
Ok so these things just don’t happen to me? It actually happens to others? This makes me feel so much better and at ease. Although I will say, I work best with Wilton fondant, I tried doing marshmallow fondant but I felt it dried up so fast.😢
U so right...baking day and cleaning up after decorating...its the worse out of the 10..lol..not to mention all the tools we need to clean...that annoys me the most
I always hear you say store bought fondant is way too soft. However, I've never had problems with satin ice. I have had problems with the wilton brand tho. And I would agree the wilton fondant is crazy soft and hard to work with. Never got it again after that !! I've also heard bad things about wilton candy melts. What's up with the wilton brand lol it should be superior but it's not !! Absolutely hate cleaning up lol. Everything is just everywhere !
Wilton got bought out years ago. I think by a German company???? Anyway, I do believe the new owners removed product lines, and definitely changed many formulations of products, like the fondant.
Rainbow 🌈 cakes annoy me too and I just don’t do number or shape cakes. I also prefer everything recorded and written down in messages, & prefer not to take phone calls. The retro heart 💓 cake trend is with us at the moment and I don’t mind it as the more I make the better my piping skills become. I can almost do them with my eyes shut now 😂
I totally agree with you about email communication. I’m not a cake decorator but involved in another business. I tell people I work with that if they don’t put info in an email, I won’t act on it. Do I get tested, absolutely, but I hold firm and they quickly realize I mean what I say. Stick to your guns. It’s your business and your reputation.
YES! I have a wedding cake for this weekend. I have talked to the sister of the bride, the mother of the bride, finally the bride who got overwhelmed, then created a group chat with 3 other people, only to be passed off to the event planner….. I should’ve charged an annoyance fee 😩
@@KarolynsKakes No, the towel catches it all…it’s a pretty thick towel I think that helps…it’s a oddly large towel that I found at Ollie’s so I can wrap the entire mixer with it…when I’m done I just toss it in the washer on rinse….
Try having teenagers that decide they need to "make something to eat".......in the MIDDLE of you decorating a cake............WHEN YOU ALREADY TOLD THEM HOURS BEFORE.....EAT NOW....OR STARVE!!!!!!!!!!
Yes to making marble cake! Ugh! I'm lucky (in a way) that I work out of a commercial kitchen which makes cleaning much faster (a commercial dishwasher is awesome). I completely agree about taking phone calls or consultations. I don't often remember everything I need to say so prefer email, as well. I don't take text orders or messaging. Don't get me wrong--I like people and enjoy meeting new people and talking with someone. I just don't like remembering everything I need to say and so rely on templates in email to make sure everyone is protected and on the same page. I have to say, Karolyn--enjoy your channel so much!
lol I had the same issue. They are basically both vanilla. The white is a vanilla almond sour cream cake (traditionally) and the yellow is the same but without almond and with egg yolks. It took a lot of research to figure that out 😂😂 I’m still working on getting the flavor right on the white cake. I cheated and just used cake batter flavoring instead of mixing the vanilla and almond cuz I couldn’t get the ratio correct.
You can really add whatever flavoring to white or yellow. It's more of the color preferred. Here's how I make white cake using egg yolks! ua-cam.com/video/t4G7fd7tqVQ/v-deo.html
One of the things that most annoys me is when a customer says “I need a small cake then they tell me they need a cake for 50 people” hello 50 people can’t eat from a small cake. I also hate when I tell a customer that I’m booked but they beg me and then they say I only need a small cake but then want cupcakes cookies treats and so on. 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
I will always JACK UP the price tremendously to dissuade any customers from potentially ordering a rainbow inside cake... I hate them withe a great passion.. And the cleaning part... Oh my god.... Don't even know where to begin. To make things easier for me, I clean and bake/make/frost/decorate simultaneously. I know it does take up more time, but it saves me from all the mental trauma from cleaning up tons of dishes or whatever there is to clean at one go.
@KarolynsKakes I love measuring ingredients, mixing them together and baking the cakes. If I were closer I'd bake your cakes and you could do the decorating bit :)
I don’t sell cakes anymore. Been retired for 10+ years. I was a psw, and did cakes on the side. I soooo remember baking in the evening or Sunday afternoons. Then I froze my cakes. I know a lot of decorators who poo pooed freezing cakes, but my Mom did it for years and taught me. They actually make cakes moist, of course if wrapped properly. Then there was make icing evening…always such a mess. Icing sugar everywhere, even when you were careful 🤪🤪 And I don’t know a decorator who doesn’t HATE cleanup….arrrrg. I put absolutely everything in my dishwasher that can go in. I have multiple bowls for my KA so I don’t have to continuously wash a bowl t9 use again. Of course ya still gotta do the dreaded hand washing, it’s inevitable. I’m fortunate because I buy my fondant from a decorating warehouse not far from me in 🇨🇦 that makes there own with white chocolate. Doesn’t have all the nasty chemical additives. So good, and saves time. I hardly ever cover a cake with fondant anymore, because my family and friends don’t like it. Just gets pulled off and discarded. So I just use fondant for making accent pieces for cakes. I didn’t have all the platforms when I sold cakes. Fb was in it’s infancy, IG didn’t exist, so email was it. Thank goodness, cause I don’t think I could keep up with all the social media accounts today. I can just enjoy making cakes now for fun.
It's definitely way different now! Even I can't keep up with all of the platforms. I have TT, but I focus more on YT videos. It's exhausting trying to do a little of everything!
I agree with everything you said, except the making of fondant since I use store bought. I refuse to do my own fondant. Im more than fine with store bought (except the Hobby Lobby brand which is trash, sorryyy). Also haaaateeee weekday cakes, since they mess up my whole week. And also haaaateeee talking on the phone with clients, I need to have everything written down so I can go back to it. And honestly don't know why people are still ordering Unicorn cakes, I feel they all look the same with the horns and lashes. Another theme I hate with all my might is Frozen. Please, people pass the page, it's been like 12 years since the movie came out. Lastly, another thing I honestly hate with all my heart is when people leave me on read after giving them a quote. Like, you just made me lose my time, the least you could say is thank you. Smh. I have so many more things that annoy me, I wouldn't finish. It's a love/ hate relationship.
I love the unicorn cake trend! Hate the heart cake trend. At least unicorn cakes can be priced ok. Heart cakes are a money pit. Half and half cakes are essentially two cakes for the price of one sadly
Funny I really don’t mind heart cakes, I can get those done relatively quickly! And I find that people who want half and half designs usually want too much detail on a small cake so it just doesn’t work.
Oh the cleaning up! 😅 Once i was making my cousin's baby shower cake & her sister was helping. When it got to a point there was nothing for her to do, she started cleaning up while I kept decorating. I finished & turned around to clean kitchen & it was amazing! Once in a lifetime experience 😂
This is completely off topic, but do you put any kind of warning with your cakes to say they are not smash cakes? I’ve recently seen pics of where someone smashed another person’s face into a cake that had dowels. The results were horrible! So just curious if you add any warning with your cakes.
I attach an info sheet to all emails, and in that info sheet, I have in bold writing to never smash someone's face into the cake because it has dowels and supports inside. People want to blame cake decorators for the danger, but they need to not smash people's faces into food!! 😂
You took it easy:
1. Ppl that pay the deposit and don’t pay the final payment and I have to track them down.
2. Ppl that order and give no detail at all. Like I want a butterfly birthday cake. How much?
3. When I ask ppl how many servings, what flavor cake, what flavor icing, delivery or pick up. They say I want a chocolate cake to feed 15. And don’t answer the other two questions.
4. Ppl that order and pay then want to “add” stuff and I tell them it will be an additional charge for that and they don’t understand.
5. Ppl that say I want this crazy detailed cake and instantly say I don’t want to pay a lot.
6. Ppl that think 3-d fondant decorations cost the same as edible images.
7. Ppl that ask if they can pay cash at pick up when I ask for the remaining balance.
8. Ppl that email for days then when you tell them the price ghost you.
9. Ppl that tell you they want a specific color then you buy that exact color in americolor and they tell you that’s not the color they wanted.
10. Ppl that think if it’s not made from scratch then it’s crap or “cheating” when most bakeries use a mix to start.
Yes to All of these!! We could go on for days about things that people do to get under our skin 🤣
And this is some of the reasons I stopped selling cakes. The biggie though….wanting a quality decorated cake, with bells and whistles, at a grocery store price. Of course 99.99% of people ordering don’t even bake, so they haven’t got a clue. If they did, they’d make it themselves, right!!! And with today’s ingredients so much more expensive, it’s even harder. No decorator should have to justify their price…which is part of their living. Most don’t ask the mechanic, plumber or electrician to justify their prices, they just pay it.
Exactly all those things are super annoying. #99 , people order a 6 inch cake and ask for decorations and a name written on the cake
I hate communication with more than 1 person about the cake. The husband place an order, the wife calls to confirm firm the theme, the event organizer calls to confirm shade of colour and size of cake for the table. Its annoying
Yes. Too many cooks in the kitchen, right?
Yes!!! Can we please assign one person to take care of the cake?!
😆 😂 It’s just that people don’t decorate cakes, and do not know how organized everything must be and that decorating is work. I believe people think it’s just the “decorating” is all there is in creating a cake entails. It’s so very satisfying when cakes are completed, so, I we always have the finality of each cake to look forward to each time.
Just take time off here and there and set limits! Blessings 💕
I always say that people can't appreciate what goes into making a cake until they try it themselves. When you're good at it, you make it look easy!
I agree 100% with all 10 😂. I also hate making cakes with fillings. I forget all the time 🤣
Omg I know! I’ve done that before and had to take the cake apart and fill it. So annoying 🤣
Totally agree with all of these!! 😂
another great video! Thanks for sharing!
The Friday pick up also throws off my week! I have one like that this week. I have a moratorium on marble cake... and usually red velvet.
Fridays get you? I feel like that's at least close to the weekend so, for me, it's not too bad. But I totally get it!
Yes! Multiple contact points. So annoying. Orders can get lost that way.
It’s so easy to forget a message when they’re all over the place!
As a cake decorator and can 100% relate
Thanks for being so honest. The cleaning up goes on and on - imagine if you had someone to clean it would be amazing. On the telephone thing - so many businesses would charge for telephone consultations but yet again, women are expected to go the extra mile for free but the time and the admin costs time and money. x
Exactly!
Great vid. There's a but to think about.
I’m a home baker under Texas Cottage Law. I don’t do cake theme decorating because I’m HORRIBLE at it. I just do old fashioned specialty layer cakes, cupcakes, cookie cakes, cookies and dessert breads. But I can relate to almost everything you’re saying. I laughed and laughed. I love your expressions. You’re so hilarious. Thanks for being so honest and sharing with us.
Awwww thank you for thinking I'm funny! 😂😂
I’ve got a question. Since every Kate gets frozen after you make it anyway is there a reason that you don’t have premade cakes already frozen and ready to go in the freezer for when a customer orders like your most popular flavors? I wonder because I have a homeschool my kids and I can’t give a whole day to baking, but I can do some baking in the early morning and so I figured I could use weekends to bake cakes and just keep them in the freezer for with my popular flavors for when the orders come up, but I wasn’t sure if keeping them in the freezer over then overnight effects the texture.
You can keep them in the freezer for a few months. However, I don't do it because I make so many different sizes, that there's no guarantee that someone will want a yellow cake in the size I have stored, so I would end up with the wrong sizes in my freezer! If you only make a few sizes, I don't see why you couldn't do that though.
The constant dishes! Especially if they want buttercream with mouse filling with a chocolate drip. It's a never ending stream of things to wash.
Exactly! By the time you’re done cleaning dishes and the kitchen, it’s an extra 1-2 hours added to the day!
Ok so these things just don’t happen to me? It actually happens to others? This makes me feel so much better and at ease. Although I will say, I work best with Wilton fondant, I tried doing marshmallow fondant but I felt it dried up so fast.😢
You’re not alone! Unfortunately we all go through this. And I know quite a few people who prefer store fondant. We find what works best for us!
U so right...baking day and cleaning up after decorating...its the worse out of the 10..lol..not to mention all the tools we need to clean...that annoys me the most
I always hear you say store bought fondant is way too soft. However, I've never had problems with satin ice. I have had problems with the wilton brand tho. And I would agree the wilton fondant is crazy soft and hard to work with. Never got it again after that !! I've also heard bad things about wilton candy melts. What's up with the wilton brand lol it should be superior but it's not !!
Absolutely hate cleaning up lol. Everything is just everywhere !
Wilton got bought out years ago. I think by a German company???? Anyway, I do believe the new owners removed product lines, and definitely changed many formulations of products, like the fondant.
I wasn't aware they got bought out! That explains a lot.
Rainbow 🌈 cakes annoy me too and I just don’t do number or shape cakes. I also prefer everything recorded and written down in messages, & prefer not to take phone calls. The retro heart 💓 cake trend is with us at the moment and I don’t mind it as the more I make the better my piping skills become. I can almost do them with my eyes shut now 😂
Same!! They are simple and don't take long to make!
I totally agree with you about email communication. I’m not a cake decorator but involved in another business. I tell people I work with that if they don’t put info in an email, I won’t act on it. Do I get tested, absolutely, but I hold firm and they quickly realize I mean what I say. Stick to your guns. It’s your business and your reputation.
Exactly! It's too easy for people to change up what they said and accuse you of being wrong!
I hate it so much when someone want me to call them!
Right?! And not only for cakes, it's any time anyone wants to talk period 😂
YES! I have a wedding cake for this weekend.
I have talked to the sister of the bride, the mother of the bride, finally the bride who got overwhelmed, then created a group chat with 3 other people, only to be passed off to the event planner….. I should’ve charged an annoyance fee 😩
The annoyance fee is real!!😂
I purchased a large towel that I dampen and place over my mixer and it works way better than a dry towel.
I do use a wet towel now (that was an older video that I used in this video). It does help, but it’s still messy! Do you still get sugar everywhere?
@@KarolynsKakes
No, the towel catches it all…it’s a pretty thick towel I think that helps…it’s a oddly large towel that I found at Ollie’s so I can wrap the entire mixer with it…when I’m done I just toss it in the washer on rinse….
Do you have an epub bundle for all your ebooks?
Never heard of that, I'll have to look it up!
I don't even offer marble, that's how much I hate it
😂😂😂
Try having teenagers that decide they need to "make something to eat".......in the MIDDLE of you decorating a cake............WHEN YOU ALREADY TOLD THEM HOURS BEFORE.....EAT NOW....OR STARVE!!!!!!!!!!
They better call Uber Eats!! 😂😂
@@KarolynsKakes if people only can hear the expletives in my kitchen when I bake!
Yes to making marble cake! Ugh! I'm lucky (in a way) that I work out of a commercial kitchen which makes cleaning much faster (a commercial dishwasher is awesome). I completely agree about taking phone calls or consultations. I don't often remember everything I need to say so prefer email, as well. I don't take text orders or messaging. Don't get me wrong--I like people and enjoy meeting new people and talking with someone. I just don't like remembering everything I need to say and so rely on templates in email to make sure everyone is protected and on the same page. I have to say, Karolyn--enjoy your channel so much!
Yes! In an email, you can make sure all bases are covered.
What do you say when someone asks for white cake or yellow cake? Like......they aren't flavors 😆 Or am I missing something here 😂
lol I had the same issue. They are basically both vanilla. The white is a vanilla almond sour cream cake (traditionally) and the yellow is the same but without almond and with egg yolks. It took a lot of research to figure that out 😂😂
I’m still working on getting the flavor right on the white cake. I cheated and just used cake batter flavoring instead of mixing the vanilla and almond cuz I couldn’t get the ratio correct.
You can really add whatever flavoring to white or yellow. It's more of the color preferred. Here's how I make white cake using egg yolks! ua-cam.com/video/t4G7fd7tqVQ/v-deo.html
@@KarolynsKakes thank you!
One of the things that most annoys me is when a customer says “I need a small cake then they tell me they need a cake for 50 people” hello 50 people can’t eat from a small cake. I also hate when I tell a customer that I’m booked but they beg me and then they say I only need a small cake but then want cupcakes cookies treats and so on. 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Yes!! I've talked about that in another video. They say it's small to make us think we shouldn't charge a lot 😂
I will always JACK UP the price tremendously to dissuade any customers from potentially ordering a rainbow inside cake... I hate them withe a great passion..
And the cleaning part... Oh my god.... Don't even know where to begin. To make things easier for me, I clean and bake/make/frost/decorate simultaneously. I know it does take up more time, but it saves me from all the mental trauma from cleaning up tons of dishes or whatever there is to clean at one go.
I love how we can all find common ground here! Rainbow cakes aren't bad, so why do we all hate them so much?! 😂
I totally agree on everything you said about cake baking day wish I can keep my husband out of the kitchen😅 he's no help😢
Right?! Leave me alone, don’t talk to me and order Uber Eats for lunch cause I’m not sharing the kitchen 🤣
do you have a 2nd oven? wouldn't that help baking day?
Yes and no. What would really help is someone else baking for me 😂😂
@KarolynsKakes I love measuring ingredients, mixing them together and baking the cakes. If I were closer I'd bake your cakes and you could do the decorating bit :)
I don’t sell cakes anymore. Been retired for 10+ years. I was a psw, and did cakes on the side. I soooo remember baking in the evening or Sunday afternoons. Then I froze my cakes. I know a lot of decorators who poo pooed freezing cakes, but my Mom did it for years and taught me. They actually make cakes moist, of course if wrapped properly. Then there was make icing evening…always such a mess. Icing sugar everywhere, even when you were careful 🤪🤪 And I don’t know a decorator who doesn’t HATE cleanup….arrrrg. I put absolutely everything in my dishwasher that can go in. I have multiple bowls for my KA so I don’t have to continuously wash a bowl t9 use again. Of course ya still gotta do the dreaded hand washing, it’s inevitable.
I’m fortunate because I buy my fondant from a decorating warehouse not far from me in 🇨🇦 that makes there own with white chocolate. Doesn’t have all the nasty chemical additives. So good, and saves time. I hardly ever cover a cake with fondant anymore, because my family and friends don’t like it. Just gets pulled off and discarded. So I just use fondant for making accent pieces for cakes. I didn’t have all the platforms when I sold cakes. Fb was in it’s infancy, IG didn’t exist, so email was it. Thank goodness, cause I don’t think I could keep up with all the social media accounts today. I can just enjoy making cakes now for fun.
It's definitely way different now! Even I can't keep up with all of the platforms. I have TT, but I focus more on YT videos. It's exhausting trying to do a little of everything!
I agree with everything you said, except the making of fondant since I use store bought. I refuse to do my own fondant. Im more than fine with store bought (except the Hobby Lobby brand which is trash, sorryyy). Also haaaateeee weekday cakes, since they mess up my whole week. And also haaaateeee talking on the phone with clients, I need to have everything written down so I can go back to it. And honestly don't know why people are still ordering Unicorn cakes, I feel they all look the same with the horns and lashes. Another theme I hate with all my might is Frozen. Please, people pass the page, it's been like 12 years since the movie came out. Lastly, another thing I honestly hate with all my heart is when people leave me on read after giving them a quote. Like, you just made me lose my time, the least you could say is thank you. Smh. I have so many more things that annoy me, I wouldn't finish. It's a love/ hate relationship.
Totally with you on the Frozen cakes! It was cute for a while. Thankfully, I haven't gotten any requests lately, but I probably just jinxed myself 😂
BAKING DAY IS THE WORST DAY OF MY WEEK !!!! 💯
I KNOW!! 😂😩😩
I am so over unicorn and mermaid cakes!
Same!!
I love the unicorn cake trend! Hate the heart cake trend. At least unicorn cakes can be priced ok. Heart cakes are a money pit. Half and half cakes are essentially two cakes for the price of one sadly
Funny I really don’t mind heart cakes, I can get those done relatively quickly! And I find that people who want half and half designs usually want too much detail on a small cake so it just doesn’t work.
I hate baking!!! lol- I only want to decorate
Same!!
Heheh I took marble cake off my menu 😂
It's nice to know I'm not alone in my dislike for marble 😂
Oh the cleaning up! 😅 Once i was making my cousin's baby shower cake & her sister was helping. When it got to a point there was nothing for her to do, she started cleaning up while I kept decorating. I finished & turned around to clean kitchen & it was amazing! Once in a lifetime experience 😂
When I win the lottery, I'm hiring a full time cleaner so I never have to do it again 😂
This is completely off topic, but do you put any kind of warning with your cakes to say they are not smash cakes? I’ve recently seen pics of where someone smashed another person’s face into a cake that had dowels. The results were horrible! So just curious if you add any warning with your cakes.
I attach an info sheet to all emails, and in that info sheet, I have in bold writing to never smash someone's face into the cake because it has dowels and supports inside. People want to blame cake decorators for the danger, but they need to not smash people's faces into food!! 😂
WORD!!!!
Is there anyone else who absolutely hates cleaning their mixer after the powdered sugar bomb? All those cracks and crevices, ehhh!
OMG Yes!! It gets everywhere!!
It’s ok to complain
Thank you!! I love my job, but things can get annoying!😂
II quit after every cake😂❤
I understand! 😂😂
I haven’t been asked to do a half and half cake thank goodness!
You just jinxed yourself 🤣
I don’t think you ask for much at all.
Thank you!!😊