Rude, fondant loving bakers

Barbiiieee

I have a lot of time left to plan my wedding, but I've talked to a few bakers already. I'm pretty sure its because my fiance loves eating cake and they always offer up samples. Anyhow. Every single baker we have talked to cops an attitude when I inform them I hate fondant and I don't want it anywhere near a cake I purchase. I hate fondant because I think it tastes horrid and I also think it looks plasticky. I just want a cake slathered in a ton of buttercream that looks like my grandma baked it and just screams "EAT ME!!" you know? Every single one of these bakers has also insisted "well you haven't tried OUR fondant!"

Why are bakers so weird about this? 

My dad has also offered to bake the cake (he is a professionally trained pastry chef and has access to a commercial kitchen) but I honestly don't want to put the stress on him about the stupid cake. I also am starting to doubt any baker can make a cake as delicious as my dad though. 

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone had insight to why bakers act like I am insulting their mothers when I say I do not want fondant?

JaneAustensGhost

I'm the same way about fondant.  I have worked with it and they make gorgeous cakes, but to eat?  Um... no.

I'm having a cake slathered in buttercream - it just tastes better.  That said, I've never encountered a baker who feels so strongly about fondant vs buttercream.  Maybe they just want to show off their mad skills with fondant?

Also, have you noticed the new trend of unfrosted cakes?  I was tempted to try those just to get away from fondant, but I'm too much of a buttercream fiend to actually do it.

bunni727

My baker was able to make the buttercream look smooth and pretty, and wasn't at all sassy about it at all. She is a pastry chef, and very talented, but works out of her home instead of a bakery; maybe that had something to do with it?

TiffanyT816

I just wouldn't talk about it. Take pictures of what you like or have in mind for your cake and skip the conversation. Once you have tried their cake and love it, ensure they won't be using fondant.

Sue-n-Kevin

I did not encounter that at all. But then we made it clear from the start we wanted buttercream, and our caterer, who also had a bakery did it for us.

If your local wedding board is active, I'd just ask there who used a bakery that supplies delicious but lovely buttercream. It's not a "lost art", as other types of cakes for other occasions don't necessarily have fondant.

Good luck.

DaveandRoxy

Probably because it costs more. They're trying to upsell you. We're having a buttercream cake, too! Fondant just has too weird of a texture for a slice of cake. I mean, fondant makes the cake look pretty, but I prefer taste to looks.

sarabellam

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:7ef42411-8d2f-48e9-b636-01c7b64a52f7">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]Probably because it costs more. They're trying to upsell you. We're having a buttercream cake, too! Fondant just has too weird of a texture for a slice of cake. I mean, fondant makes the cake look pretty, but I prefer taste to looks.
Posted by DaveandRoxy[/QUOTE]

Yep, fondant adds to the overall retail cost of the cake, without adding significantly to the material costs of the cake. Coupled with the actual DECREASE in time involved (if the baker has a commercial sheeter), providing a fondant-covered cake is a win-win for them.

GoodLuckBear14

The very first thing I said to our baker was that DH and I HATE fondant.  She just smiled and said, that's good because I only work with buttercream (our venue said this was true).  Try asking your local board for recommendations of bakers who will work with buttercream.

Jchoi1584

I am a pastry chef and caterer.  Level of difficulty is about the same whether it's fondant or buttercream.  It's generally easier to "handle" a fondant cake once it's finished and decorated.  With buttercream, you have to be more careful when packing it up, transporting, and unpacking.  If you accidently swipe a finger on the side of the cake, the whole facade is ruined...and your mistakes will show.  Maybe your bakers don't want that added stress on the day-of.

Please don't go to Sam's Club, Costco, or grocery store as one member suggested on your post.  That is so gross.  They flash freeze their cakes in factories and then finish it off on site...with frosting that's overloaded with sugar and preservatives.   The cake could have been baked and assembled months ago.  I think your wedding guests deserve better than that.  

GoodLuckBear14

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:5bf5ffe3-9e49-4c53-b99a-2f59622606be">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]Please don't go to Sam's Club, Costco, or grocery store as one member suggested on your post.  That is so gross.  They flash freeze their cakes in factories and then finish it off on site...with frosting that's overloaded with sugar and preservatives.   The cake could have been baked and assembled months ago.  I think your wedding guests deserve better than that. :) 
Posted by Jchoi1584[/QUOTE]

So all of the brides who went with this option  picked a "gross" option?  That's a really snobbish thing to say. A lot of couples actually do this because of the cost.  The cake actually is one of the places where you can cut corners with the wedding.

thurmanpowell

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:b75072bf-b0cc-48b5-99ac-0885d9cd6043">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers : So all of the brides who went with this option  picked a "gross" option?  That's a really snobbish thing to say. A lot of couples actually do this because of the cost.  The cake actually is one of the places where you can cut corners with the wedding.
Posted by GoodLuckBear14[/QUOTE]


While I don't think there's anything wrong with a grocery store cake, I do think the PP is right as far as most grocery store cakes not tasting as good as most bakery cakes.

Honestly, I had no trouble finding bakers that would do butter cream, butter cream is the trendy thing right now (atleast in this area) as far as cakes.... I found some bakers who would not do fondant at all! I don't think wanting to avoid fondant is a good enough reason to go straight to the grocery store and order a cake.

Ask your local board for refernces.

cwaggoner07

I think buttercream is trending back around, thank god. We had no problem requesting buttercream, and I know for a FACT our guests would much prefer to eat buttercream than peel off fondant.

unchatenfrance

Ditto. I went through two snippy bakers ("but fondant will look so much better in your photos! And the buttercream will melt and your cake will be ruined! And honestly, buttercream is so passe.") before I found one for whom it wasn't a problem at all. Many bakers also insist on the problem of buttercream re: transportation and warm weather. But my friend had a semi-outdoor wedding in very hot and humid Southern Ontario in late August and her buttercream cake held up beautifully, as did my own indoor May one.

031107

I think that when someone walks into a business and immediately says:
"I HATE...." and the thing they hate is a big part of the business, a defensive wall is put up. Some bakeries make their own fondant, which you probably haven't tried specifically, and don't like the thought of it being considered awful right away.
 
That being said, I don't think fondant (or buttercream) should be pushed on someone.  Now, depending on the location of the reception (an outside reception in July in Florida, for example) a baker may say "fondant only" because they don't want the cake to melt.  The baker knows their recipes - what works, what doesn't - and that may play a part in what you have to pick.

Maggie0829

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:5bf5ffe3-9e49-4c53-b99a-2f59622606be">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]I am a pastry chef and caterer.  Level of difficulty is about the same whether it's fondant or buttercream.  It's generally easier to "handle" a fondant cake once it's finished and decorated.  With buttercream, you have to be more careful when packing it up, transporting, and unpacking.  If you accidently swipe a finger on the side of the cake, the whole facade is ruined...and your mistakes will show.  Maybe your bakers don't want that added stress on the day-of. Please don't go to Sam's Club, Costco, or grocery store as one member suggested on your post.  That is so gross.  They flash freeze their cakes in factories and then finish it off on site...with frosting that's overloaded with sugar and preservatives.   The cake could have been baked and assembled months ago.  I think your wedding guests deserve better than that. :) 
Posted by Jchoi1584[/QUOTE]



I think your comments about food store cakes were rather uncalled for. I understand you being a baker that you may be a bit biased but many brides go the food store route so you stating that it is gross is basically saying that all brides who went this route had discussing cakes and were dumb for doing so.

And in my opinion I would take a box Duncan Hines cake over a bakery cake any day, but I guess I am just not sophisticated like that

QueerFemme

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:5bf5ffe3-9e49-4c53-b99a-2f59622606be">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]I am a pastry chef and caterer.  Level of difficulty is about the same whether it's fondant or buttercream.  It's generally easier to "handle" a fondant cake once it's finished and decorated.  With buttercream, you have to be more careful when packing it up, transporting, and unpacking.  If you accidently swipe a finger on the side of the cake, the whole facade is ruined...and your mistakes will show.  Maybe your bakers don't want that added stress on the day-of. Please don't go to Sam's Club, Costco, or grocery store as one member suggested on your post.  That is so gross.  They flash freeze their cakes in factories and then finish it off on site...with frosting that's overloaded with sugar and preservatives.   The cake could have been baked and assembled months ago.  I think your wedding guests deserve better than that. :) 
Posted by Jchoi1584[/QUOTE]

This is horribly rude.  Hundreds and hundreds of brides go the grocery store route every year. I did a tasting at my local safeway, and their cake was delicious !!   I ended up getting a cake at another bakery, because I was ordering a bunch of other stuff also, and it ended up being a better deal, and they had a specific, unique flavor that I wanted, but there was absolutely NOTHING wrong with the grocery store cake. 

OP - I also didn't want fondant. It's gorgeous and you can make some really elaborate designs with it, but I wanted old fashioned buttercream also.  The bakery I ended up using had a sort of "whipped" buttercream. It was light and fluffy and amazingly delicious.

This was our cake. It was simple, and beautiful and the buttercream was smooth. 


<a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/3/15/33a29075-e79f-41c0-af3e-a26aee157cce.large.jpg" title="Click to view a larger photo" class="PhotoLink"><img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/3/15/33a29075-e79f-41c0-af3e-a26aee157cce.medium.jpg" alt="" /></a>

NOLAbridealmost

I just want to add that I really like the idea of using "Rude, fondant-loving __________" as an insult from now on. 

Lol. 

GoodLuckBear14

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:0b35e956-3697-42f6-9ba6-35c815f0acd1">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]I think that when someone walks into a business and immediately says: "I HATE...." and the thing they hate is a big part of the business, a defensive wall is put up.
Posted by 031107[/QUOTE]

Hmm....really?  Because I worked home design retail for a while and will tell you right now that my job was always made infinitely easier if customers started off by telling me what they absolutely did not want because they hate it.  If they told me that they wanted beautiful window treatments and absolutely hate curtains, yeah it made my job more difficult but I never let them know it and always did everything I could to find them exactly what they wanted.  That is just good business sense.  It isn't about you, it's about the person who is potentially paying you.  It's business and a good business person knows not to take anything personally.

icefog34

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:5bf5ffe3-9e49-4c53-b99a-2f59622606be">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]I am a pastry chef and caterer.  Level of difficulty is about the same whether it's fondant or buttercream.  It's generally easier to "handle" a fondant cake once it's finished and decorated.  With buttercream, you have to be more careful when packing it up, transporting, and unpacking.  If you accidently swipe a finger on the side of the cake, the whole facade is ruined...and your mistakes will show.  Maybe your bakers don't want that added stress on the day-of. Please don't go to Sam's Club, Costco, or grocery store as one member suggested on your post.  That is so gross.  They flash freeze their cakes in factories and then finish it off on site...with frosting that's overloaded with sugar and preservatives.   The cake could have been baked and assembled months ago.  I think your wedding guests deserve better than that. :) 
Posted by Jchoi1584[/QUOTE]


You're not rude or snobbish for voicing your opinion the way every other lady here feels justified in doing, and to call you names brcause of it? Who's being rude now? I think it's gross too that a lot of grocery store bake their cakes that far in advance and I also agree that their frosting can often times be overly sweet and filled with a lot of unpronounceable not so good for you stuff. But, like other posters have said, not everyone can afford overly inflated priced gourmet cakes. I think if a person does enough searching around, they'll find someone that fits and works for them. Heck, my FI and I are using a buttercream only bakery that has an excellent reputation and is affordable, we just did our research and kept our eyes open. OP, I hope you and your FI can find what you're looking for!

031107

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:c79d4721-1783-4170-83fc-8bd95c6303f0">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers : Hmm....really?  Because I worked home design retail for a while and will tell you right now that my job was always made infinitely easier if customers started off by telling me what they absolutely did not want because they hate it.  If they told me that they wanted beautiful window treatments and absolutely hate curtains, yeah it made my job more difficult but I never let them know it and always did everything I could to find them exactly what they wanted.  That is just good business sense.  It isn't about you, it's about the person who is potentially paying you.  It's business and a good business person knows not to take anything personally.
Posted by GoodLuckBear14[/QUOTE]


I can understand that it can be helpful when a customer tells you what they don't want or like - even hate.  But the way someone says it can either diffuse a situation or create one.  Just like how the baker responds to the statement made by the bride about fondant can either create a situation  - that is then posted on a site for all to read - or diffuse the situation and no one thinks twice about it. 
 
When you worked home design retail, how many of the designs did you hand make by trial an error onver a period of time then perfected to the point you were comfortable charging for it?  If you offered 2 types of window treatments (like most bakers offer two types of icing - buttercream/fondant) and someone came in and said:
"One time - and one time only - I saw a roman shade and hated it.  I know you offer roman shades and mini blinds, but I won't even consider roman shades."

What she doesn't know is that you custom make your roman shades and while she has seen 1 roman shade - it is totally different than yours.  You can't tell me you wouldn't be a little annoyed by this.

I am not saying the baker handled this correctly - but this is their business they build through blood, sweat and tears.  I can understand why they get defensive.

Barbiiieee

Seriously. I don't think I ever literally said to a baker "I hate fondant." I do though. I loathe it, even if it's insulting. I don't think saying I dislike it is even remotely rude, because although I hadn't tried theirs, I also said I don't like the way it looks. Their business is cakes, not fondant specifically, you know? It would be different if I said something like, "I hate cakes, and there is nothing you can do to change my mind."

Also, the best cake I have ever had (other than family made ones with love) came from a grocery store. Whole Foods. Amazing.

selisa91

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:9b803516-c8d3-4e17-b0b1-dcc4c37c1311">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]My baker was able to make the buttercream look smooth and pretty, and wasn't at all sassy about it at all. She is a pastry chef, and very talented, but works out of her home instead of a bakery; maybe that had something to do with it?
Posted by bunni727[/QUOTE]

<div>this has nothing to do with this thread, but where did you get that GORGEOUS wedding dress??</div>

Ella and Pedro

I understand how you feel about fondant. My fiance and I ended up selecting a REALLY high-end caterer who is including a 6 tier 6 flavored cake wth our catering package *(but we are paying about $140 pp for our catering, and this is in part because it includes linens, staff fee, pre-ceremony spritzer table, bar/drinks, service, place settings, food, cake...so it's not 'really' free.)

Our cake is (top to bottom tier, top tier listed first):
Old-Fashioned Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Buttercream,
Hazelnut Marzipan Filled Hazelnut-Chocolate Cake, with Hazelnut Buttercream & Chocolate Ganache,
Lemon Curd Filled Lemon Cake with French Lemon Buttercream Frosting (French, Swiss, or Italian Buttercream do not have shortening, lard, or other fillers....French is more whipped in texture),
Old-Fashioned Southern Style Caramel Cake, with Caramel Filling and Caramel French Buttercream,
White Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Preserve Filling and White Chocolate/Raspberry French Buttercream,
and
Coconut Cream Filling, Coconut Cake, with freshly shaved Coconut Flakes on Coconut French Buttercream

We're also paying about $250 to order chocolate seashells, lime-flavored sea glass, and chocolate starfish on Etsy to decorate this cake.  It's being frosted to resemble to beach at sunrise, with the bottom tier covered in gold metallic frosting and light brown sugar sand.  Check out AndiesCandies on Etsy to see their amazing designs.  Because our wedding is a beach theme, we wanted to have a cake with buttercream frosting (like Grandma makes) but to add sophistication and distinction with the design, including the colors of the buttercream.  We've also asked the pastry chef to use ombre coloration to replication the range of blues in the water and the sky.

It probably would be a $800-$1200 cake, if we were to go to a high-end local bakery.  Part of the cost is based on the location- the wedding is to be in Baltimore, and any big city of course charges more -- but because this catering company has a French-trained pastry chef, I am confident the quality will be as good as the images on their website look of all their food. (We have not done a tasting yet!)

I think that THIS kind of design is not possible with a Costco, BUT that a delicious cake (like Grandma makes) IS possible....if it is made on site for the couple not thawed.

I also think ANY vendor who disrespects what the client says or wants is not a good match. End of story.

Good luck, Fondant-haters

E

GoodLuckBear14

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_rude-fondant-loving-bakers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:23Discussion:ff995019-4668-4921-b9a0-18d2411a6b3aPost:d8bb2ab0-0ce5-446d-acd7-f38b4eda7600">Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Rude, fondant loving bakers : I can understand that it can be helpful when a customer tells you what they don't want or like - even hate.  But the way someone says it can either diffuse a situation or create one.  Just like how the baker responds to the statement made by the bride about fondant can either create a situation  - that is then posted on a site for all to read - or diffuse the situation and no one thinks twice about it.    When you worked home design retail, how many of the designs did you hand make by trial an error onver a period of time then perfected to the point you were comfortable charging for it?  If you offered 2 types of window treatments (like most bakers offer two types of icing - buttercream/fondant) and someone came in and said: "One time - and one time only - I saw a roman shade and hated it.  I know you offer roman shades and mini blinds, but I won't even consider roman shades." What she doesn't know is that you custom make your roman shades and while she has seen 1 roman shade - it is totally different than yours.  You can't tell me you wouldn't be a little annoyed by this. I am not saying the baker handled this correctly - but this is their business they build through blood, sweat and tears.  I can understand why they get defensive.
Posted by 031107[/QUOTE]

Everyone builds their business and/or career through blood sweat and tears.  Bakers aren't any different.  For the love of God, my brother is an artist/gallery curator and he lets it roll off his back whenever someone says they hate his style of art.

eta: specifically to fondant, there is not a thing on God's green earth that someone could do to make me like it.  It's not just the taste that I hate.  To me, it looks like the cake is covered in high end play-doh.

jess9802

I had a buttercream, grocery store cake (granted it's a fancy schmancy yuppie grocery store), and it was both delicious and beautiful:

aquari0216

Lol wow..the bakery I'm being made to use doesn't use fondant....and I love it...

Book Lover

I'm a pastry chef and I personally can't stand the taste of fondant!  They may be referring to the fact that fondant now is different than when it first came out - but either way I don't care for it.

Sorry you're getting such attitude problems from them; my opinion is that it's the couple's day - and not to be rude, anyway!!

Hope you get a delicious cake!