A very exciting cake job

[Tepee]

I just got this letter in my mail. I'm so excited!! This seems like a chance of a lifetime; this must be the only company in Malaysia doing this!

Dear Sir/Madam,

Having seen your website, I was wondering if you do special orders of cakes for events and so on. We are looking for a cake manufacturer to produce a unique cake, much like the ones used in launches.

The cake we are looking for should have a hollow round box in the centre of about 4 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height. Surrounding this box should be a layer of actual edible cake of about half a feet in height, as we need to feed approximately 2000 people. The box should be decorated as part of the cake. We are planning to hide a girl in the box, who will pop out of the cake and perform a bit during our event. A trolley should be provided, preferably, including delivery and handling. Budget is around RM1500.

Do you do such cakes? Please get back to us and do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything else necessary.

OK, so their quotation is way off. But assuming that they'll adjust to my price, I do know I'll need puhlenty of help in terms of conceptualizing the whole thing being such a newby. I can't imagine having real cake around the box. Getting into a dummy cake would be difficult enough but a real cake? Is it feasible? I'll suggest to them a dummy cake, but how would the cake box person step inside the box? Lots and lots of questions in my head right now. I'd sure appreciate help for this. TIA!!!

[Tepee]

OK, I'm going to reject the job offer, on account of:

1) I don't think they'll be willing to pay the RM9,500 (US$2,500) I would quote for the job; and

2) I can't imagine the massive mess my family is going to have to put up with in my kitchen, since I don't have a separate room at the moment.

But.............

This would be a good time to use this as a hypothetical girl-jump-out-of-cake cake.

So, I would still love to hear thoughts from all. Thanks.

[jackal10]

I've built one - non-edible - as a theatrical prop (don't ask).

Base was inch marine ply, with castors underneath.

On top was a cylinder made from a sheet of hardboard (fibreboard) and some wood.

On top of that was a pair of hinged D shaped flaps for the top. The actress got in from the top, and crouched down.

The whole, including the top, was finished in theatrical plaster resembling icing, but on a large scale. This was meant to be seen on stage from a distance, not close-up.

For the edible bit I'd cheat and build drawers or cupboards in and around the lower half, into which you can put cake portions. Cake for 2000 is going to be heavy - 500lbs maybe, so you need to figure that into the construction of the base and the castors.

The whole thing will weigh about 1000lbs, so not very manoeverable. Might be better to just have a token amount of cake in a hidden drawer, or maybe the girl can take out and present a beautiful real cake, and feed the other 1990 people with cake portions from the kitchen. That way the whole thing weighs only say 250lbs and can be pushed around by a couple of waiters.

[Wendy DeBord]

If I got an order like that I'd charge that amount at least. Then I'd farm out the structure to a handyman to build so all I had to do was place cake around each layer and frost.

I'd always be cautious of business contacts that are made with letters verses a personal phone call. My experiences dealing with large corporations is they don't work too much different then anyone else. Typically an executive assistant would call you and discuss what they wanted and you'd give them a qoute and work from there.

I just thought of something- you'd have to rent a cargo van with an electric ramp to move that thing. There's more costs involved here then meets the eye.......

[Tepee]

Thanks, Jackal and Wendy, for your insightful inputs.

Guess what? They just got back to me and said they actually found a bakery willing to do a slightly smaller version for US$380!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excuse me, I'm at a loss for words.

[phum]

The letter that you got was typical of what I have experienced in Malaysia. They want the world but don't want to pay for it. Chances are, the company that is charging RM1500 for a slightly smaller version doesn't have a clue as to what the customer is asking. I guarantee you that when this cake house actually goes and does the work, they'll realize that it can't be done at that price point. OR, if they do do it, it will be a shoddy job and the end customer will be disappointed. In my experience (and believe me, I've dealt with plenty of cake houses in KL), they don't know what quality is and they really skimp on raw materials. I'm glad you realized that this customer wasn't worth your while. Cheap customers such as these will always expect so much and will not be satisfied with your work even if you put your blood and sweat into it (and cut your price significantly just to win their business).

Regards,

Peter

[JustKay]

On the other side ... perhaps the bakery worked out a deal with the company ... making it for a lot less in return for their own exposure/marketing or as part sponsorship or whatever ... because methinks this event with a cake like that will surely be the feature of many newspapers and magazines, etc and the talk about town. The better bakeries in KL or Malaysia would be the hotel bakeries. Perhaps, one of them took up this job - just for challenge's sake? Hmmm ... I'm thinking the Malaysia Book of Records? Whatever ......

TP - sorry it didn't work out but it was rather exciting though. Perhaps, you could try something like this with a small jack-in-box thingamajig ... I bet kids will love it.

[andiesenji]

For a bicentennial party I helped construct a "surprize" cake which had a girl in a red, white and blue body suit and holding flags in both hands pop out of the top of the cake.

One section on the back side of the cake was actually a narrow stair-step to allow her to get in and out of the cake.

The rest of the structure was made of 1 inch foamcore which was strong enough to hold 1 layer of real cake on each of the two lower tiers, 3/4 of the way around the structure, the wood stairs were covered with plaster made to look like the cake and then draped with a red, white & blue banner.

The entire structure was built on a square stainless steel table with casters and had drapes hanging from the edges of the table to the floor.

We had it in an alcove off the ballroom, had a pipe frame over head for the girl to hold onto while she got into the cake. We had sparklers stuck all around the cake, quickly lit them and rolled it into the room as the orchestra played Stars & Stripes Forever.

Girl popped out, everybody applauded and cheered. Girl exited cake with help. We served the cake along with portions of a red, white and blue "ribbon" of ice cream.

If you have an art supply store nearby, get some sample pieces of foamcore. It is very useful for making bases for odd-shaped cakes and is structurally quite strong.

I helped make a cake shaped like a grand piano and we used foamcore for the base under the cake itself and the top which was propped up at an angle and was just foamcore decorated with rolled fondant.

[Tepee]

I'm glad you realized that this customer wasn't worth your while.  Cheap customers such as these will always expect so much and will not be satisfied with your work even if you put your blood and sweat into it (and cut your price significantly just to win their business.

Right you are, Peter! I was beginning to plan for a real grand cake, decorated with royal icing or spackle. Yes, I would have given them the whole works. Good thing I've my head screwed on properly and didn't bow down to their kind of pricing.). Anyway, the event lady was pretty nice and said she'll snap some pics for me if the cake happens.

Kew, I don't think hotel bakeries would be willing to charge this low even if this provides them with some publicity. It's the regular ones which can churn out 3-tier wedding cakes for RM150. Sadly, the majority of Malaysians know only of these kind of cakes which has zero creativity and tastes as much.

Andiesenji: That must have been some cake! Thanks for sharing. Oh, I do use foamcore for cakes which are irregularly-shaped. Very useful stuff.

Edited July 2, 2004 by TP(M'sia) (log)