Warning: my friend's kid asked for a simple birthday cake and it took me 12 hours

I promised to bake a cake for my friend's son, who wanted a blue dinosaur. I thought it would be a quick afternoon thing. First, the food coloring made the frosting a weird gray, so I had to start over. Then, I messed up the shape three times trying to carve it. I ended up staying up past 2 AM to finish it. Is it wrong to charge for your time when a favor turns into a huge project?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamiegreen2mo ago

Honestly the real question is whether you'll ever agree to bake a cake again lol. Charging for a favor feels weird, but maybe just ask your friend to cover the extra supplies you had to buy? That way it's not about your time, but the fact their kid's request needed a whole second round of ingredients.

abby_carr571d ago

omg that sounds like a nightmare lol. a friend of mine tried to do a minecraft creeper cake for her nephew once and it took her like 8 hours because the green kept turning out like swamp water. she ended up just buying a plain cake from the store and putting a toy creeper on top of it, which the kid actually liked way more. i think charging for supplies is totally fair, especially when you had to buy extra food coloring and stuff. your time is valuable too, but i get how it feels awkward since it started as a favor. maybe next time just agree on a clear budget upfront like "hey if you want a custom dinosaur cake, it's gonna be $30 for supplies and my time.

the_beth2mo ago

Ever been so deep in a cake disaster you start questioning your life choices? Asking for the extra ingredient costs is totally fair, it's not like you planned on making that frosting twice. Maybe just tell your friend the blue dinosaur turned into a full on art project and the supplies added up. Next time someone asks, you'll know to clarify what "simple" really means to a six year old.