That time I forgot the sugar in a wedding cake order 15 years ago

Back in 2009 I was working out of a shared kitchen in Portland. Had a bride order a 3-tier vanilla cake with raspberry filling. Baked all the layers the night before, stacked and crumb coated them. Got to the venue the next day and did the final frosting. Looked perfect. Bride cut into it at the reception and took one bite. Her face just went flat. I had left the sugar out of the batter. She was nice about it but I offered to refund the whole $450 and she took it. Still think about that sometimes when I'm measuring ingredients. Anyone else had a basic ingredient slip ruin a big order?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_dakota23d ago

Man this one really got me. That pit in your stomach feeling when you realize what happened is brutal. 450 bucks is a lot to eat but sounds like you handled it right. Takes guts to own up like that instead of making excuses. The fact that you still think about it 15 years later says everything about your work ethic. Bet you triple check every batch now.

loganburns23d ago

Wait, $450 for a wedding cake with no sugar? Seems like a fair deal for both sides honestly, the cake was basically inedible and you got off easy without a lawsuit or bad review. @the_dakota I get that it stings but 15 years of regret over one batch of sugarless batter feels like overkill, people mess up way worse in kitchens every day.