Cakes

[southerngirl]

Has anyone ordered a custom cake? We're staying on the club level at the Poly in July, and I asked the IPO to help me order a small cake to celebrate my DH's completion of his graduate degree. I asked for a vanilla cake with white chocolate mousse filling and buttercream frosting, which is my DH's favorite cake. IPO says they took care of it through the GF Bakery, and it'll be delivered to our dinner at the GFC on our arrival night. The cost is $21.00, plus tax. I'm leery, though, because I read on another site :secret: that unless you get really specific, you're likely to be given a commercial bakery frozen cake that Disney "jazzes up" by writing on it. I also read that the custom cakes start at $40, which was the original cost I was quoted when I asked about the cake (before they confirmed my order). Should I be concerned that there has been a miscommunication? I'll be so disappointed if this isn't a great cake!

[Georgesgirl1]

I have never ordered a custom cake through Disney, but if I were you I would call just to verify that what you wanted and what they are making are the same thing. Let us know how it goes.

[KylesMom]

Although this post is several months old, the information contained in it is quite detailed.
Ordering Disney Specialty Cakes (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=158176&highlight=Specialty+Cake+Ordering)

My guess? If you were quoted $21 plus tax, you aren't going to get what you are envisioning!

[DizneyRox]

I tend to agree... I've spent more on a Carvel Ice Cream Cake; you really want to see about that and make sure you know what you're getting. It's pretty easy to get disappointed these days by Disney.

[MinnieMommie]

I recently called the Cake Hot Line Number and found it to be a very helpful tool. You will get a prompt to press a different number based on which resort or restaurant you will be at (venues are clustered).

I will be at AKL for my birthday so I hit that option on the Cake Hot-Line (407) 827-2253 (press 8 for AKL) I spoke with the most helpful CM who offered me the following options with the caveat that they would work with me if I wanted something other than the following. The basic options with prices are:

1. Zebra dome cake (called something other but basically it is a giant zebra dome) $40 white cake with cho mouse filling, cho and vanilla frosting serves up to 10 people

2. Chocolate Mickey Head cake $48 serves 10 people

3. Cho or van cake with cho or van butter cream or cho mouse frosting with strawberry custard inside serves 8 + people $32

They said they would deliver to my room if I prefer to celebrate there rather than a Disney dining venue.

There is definitely a prompt for the Gran Flo and I find it hard to fathom they would not be able to make you exactly what you want for your husband and customize it according to your preference. They make amazing cakes out of that kitchen!!

Hope this is helpful and congratulations on your husband's graduation. :mickey:

[Pally]

Last September we ordered a custom cake from the GF Bakery and had it at our 18th anniversary dinner at GFC. I talked directly to Pat who does the orders for GFC. I would call and talk to her directly. You should have in mind what you would like, eg. what type of cake, what type of decoration, a scroll saying congrats, a graduation hat with something. From what you described of what is ordered I would not expect much.

We had ordered a 6" vanilla cake with vanilla custard with fresh strawberries with cream coloured fondant. The top was covered in various flowers. I asked for no roses. It was qutie lovely. The cost was around $50.00. We had also ordered for our two sons a white chocolate Mickey with tuxcedo strawberries. It was very nicely done.

I would call. That way you won't be disappointed. You can also look on the web for pictures of other cakes for some ideas.

Your cake only needs 48 hours lead way for them to make it.

Have fun planning. We had no trouble at all with our order and got exactly what we wanted. By the way, the cake was moist and delicious.:mickey:

[southerngirl]

Everyone is confirming what I suspected, which is actually a relief! The price just sounded too low to me to be correct, especially given how expensive everything is at Disney today. Although IPO told me that they did speak with Pat at the Grand Flo, what I suspect Pat quoted them was a Sara Lee cake that the bakery was just going to "jazz up." I actually decided to change the cake completely. I e-mailed IPO last night and asked for a white chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse and raspberry filling and buttercream frosting. I don't want any fancy decorations, especially since my husband despises fondant. That's almost identical to our wedding cake, which my husband STILL talks about (almost 8 yrs later). I'm thinking that Pat should be able to do that, even though it wasn't a Disney cake, and there is no way that they can pass off a Sara Lee/podium cake for it. I'm eager to see what IPO's response will be. I'll let you know!!! I don't mind paying a little bit for something really delicious, especially since we'll be able to enjoy the left-overs for several days.

[Pally]

Sounds Yummy!!:mickey:

[disneykid@hrt]

Yeah, there's no way you were getting anything but that Sara Lee for that low of a price!! We ordered a custom 8" cake and it was $100. It was a beautiful cake, but I'm not going to order one again. Good Luck! I've heard cake horror stories...

[southerngirl]

We'll see what Pat says. IPO sent an e-mail saying that they'd contacted the bakery to ask about it. I don't want any fancy decorations, so I'm hoping it'll be under $75. It's a special occassion, so I'm willing to pay a little bit more than I would normally, but I'm not going to go crazy. If it doesn't work, I'll just do something else.

Just as an aside, Disney custom cakes seem ridiculously overpriced. I have a very good friend who owns a high-end cake business (does all kinds of celebrity wedding cakes), and his simple one tier pound cakes with a fruit filling and buttercream frosting start at around $150, but they serve 20 people. I've heard a lot of people saying that they've paid $100-$150 for a cake at Disney that serves only 10 people. For $10-$15 a serving, that cake had better be incredible!

[TheRustyScupper]

what I suspect Pat quoted them was a Sara Lee cake that the bakery was just going to "jazz up."

Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee.

[Disney_Barbie]

We ordered a custom 8" cake and it was $100.
This always confuses me, I can't help but wonder if prices vary greatly resort to resort.
I just recently ordered a 6" custom "wedding-style" Almond flavored cake with Buttercream frosting & white chocolate mousse filling and my total was $45 (plus tax) I ordered this exact same thing last year & was only charged $45 as well. Both times I worked with Brian from the Contemporary Resort bakery & both times got our cake delivered to our anniversary dinner @ California Grill. And I can promise you, it was NOT a Sara Lee pre-fab cake.
However I've been told by many other guests on these boards that you will never get a custom cake for less than $$$ - so the only thing I can imagine is that it's the resort or the baker himself that causes the variation? (please note : I’m NOT insinuating that I’m doubting those people, I’m just confused)
PS – that was originally my “cake thread” that someone posted previously, after a run-around the first time around, eventually everything worked out amazingly! So well in fact, that (like I said) I just recently contacted Brian again & ordered this years cake!
I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder from the cast member at Contemporary Private Dinning that pretty much told me it was impossible, but once I got the more helpful Private dinning Cast member on the line, and then ANYONE that I ever spoke w/ from the Bakery all by far made up for the poor customer service I originally received.
My best advice is that if a cast member tries to push a Sara Lee cake on you, DON’T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER, spend the extra $ and customize your cake, it’s well worth it!

[southerngirl]

Thanks for all the advice. I still haven't heard from IPO as to whether Pat can do the white chocolate cake with raspberries and white chocolate mousse. Hopefully, we'll come up with something that will work. I have heard that Pat's custom cakes are about $66, unless they are really fancy with fondant, etc. Hopefully, that's in line with what I hear back.

It's really frustrating that they make you jump through so many hoops to get a custom cake. I realize that every day at Disney there are thousands of people celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc., and it's impossible to do custom cakes for each of those events. However, what would be so difficult about having a website/telephone number that clearly explains the process? For example, there could be a recorded message or website page that says something like "If you're celebrating a special event during your trip and are interested in purchasing a cake, we have several options available." Then, there could be a section that describes the Sara Lee/podium cakes, tells you the flavors and prices available, and gives basic instructions on how to order that. They could also mention that cupcakes and small cakes are available for purchase in the parks at the various bakeries (like Writers' Stop, Main Street Bakery, Sunshine Seasons, etc.). My guess is that many people would be more than satisfied with that type of cake. There should then be a section that says that if you'd like to order a special cake customized for your event by the Disney Bakeries, you need to call X number and have a list of telephone numbers for the bakeries/resorts. They could probably weed out a lot of callers by specifically saying that custom cakes start at $50 (or whatever), must be arranged two weeks in advance and are only available at select resort restaurants.

Why does Disney make it so difficult for a cake when they are so great about accommodating food allergies and special diets?

[Disney_Barbie]

Why does Disney make it so difficult for a cake when they are so great about accommodating food allergies and special diets?

Honestly, that was my EXACT same thought last year. Everytime I'm on the phone w/ the WDW dinning line or looking on the website I kept seeing/being told about the "CAKE HOTLINE". I honestly thought it was going to be something similar to what you just described. And I thought it was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. I was very disapointed that the "cake hotline" was essentially just a series of prompts to eventually route you to the resort's private dinning line, where all they did was discourage my attempts. I understand that a lot of people want the "podium cakes" but I literally had to twist arms to get something more (the first time I ordered, once I knew the Contemporary Baker's email address, reordering was easy as pie... haha, cake!)
But seriously, it perplexes me every time I think about it, I was willing to drop down $50-$75, you would think even though it's $ and effort to especially bake a specific flavor/ect for each guest, still you would imagine they're making a bigger profit off those than the $12 podium cakes, so why on earth are they literally trying to discourage me from spending more money ??? It blows my mind!

[southerngirl]

Just to update everyone, I still have not heard anything from IPO, since they sent me an e-mail on Wednesday morning, saying that they would contact Pat and see if she can make the cake I want. :unsure: I guess I just have to keep waiting....

If I were planning a really big event, like a family reunion, birthday party, etc., and wanted a special cake, this process would infuriate me. I'm a big-time planner, and not knowing for sure that one of my big party elements (and I consider a cake a big part of the party) was settled would be so upsetting. I would probably even consider just contacting a good local bakery and getting something made instead of relying on Disney. Maybe some industrious local bakery will come up with a delivery service to resorts. Bet that would make Disney wake up!!!

[southerngirl]

I just wanted to update everyone. I have decided that Pat at the Grand Floridian is about the most unprofessional professional baker. :mad: Apparently, it took four separate telephone calls and e-mails from the IPO at the Poly before she responded to their question about whether she could make the cake I wanted (a white chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse and raspberry filling). Her answer was no. IPO said she gave me two options: 1) a vanilla cake with strawberries and vanilla custard; or, 2) a vanilla cake with white chocolate mousse filling. I then asked IPO if Pat could add strawberries to the white chocolate mousse, since my husband can't stand custard, and she said no. They said she said to tell me to pick between the two options she gave me. Oh, and when I asked them to make SURE that this isn't a podium/Sara Lee cake, they said that Pat assured them that it wasn't and told them to tell me that she'd already told them that. Talk about poor customer service!

Just to make sure I wasn't being totally unreasonable, I asked my friend who owns the cake company how complicated my request to add fruit to the white chocolate mousse would have been to fulfill. He told me that it should have been very easy, especially with my original choice of raspberry filling. He said that raspberry filling is one of the simplest and most requested flavors in cakes (it's basically just raspberry jam that has been thinned out or a puree of strained raspberries combined with simple syrup and cooked a couple of minutes to thicken). He said that even grocery store bakeries offer it now, because it's so easy to make and so often requested. He said that it just sounded like Pat didn't want to be bothered. I think that's probably right.

I've now decided that I'm going to ask for a chocolate cake with the white chocolate mousse filling. We had that combination this weekend for Father's Day from a local bakery, and it was amazing. Surely that's not too much of a request for the "amazing" Pat.... (Sorry to sound snippy, but I really expected much more in the way of customer service from her, especially when I've seen some of her creations.)

[southerngirl]

Okay, now I'm REALLY annoyed. I contacted IPO again last night and asked them to ask Pat if she could just do a simple chocolate cake with the white chocolate mousse filling. That sounds pretty easy, right? Guess what: she said NO!

Actually, the nice people at IPO phrased it in a little bit more gentle language. They said "Unfortunately, Pat says that due to the size of the cake, we are limited in what we can do. The best bet would be to stick with your original order of vanilla with white chocolate mousse filling and buttercream." Just to clarify, I didn't order a miniature cake. I ordered one that would feed 4-6 people because I counted on us having left-overs that my DH could enjoy throughout the rest of our trip.

I guess I just need to get over it and realize that this cake isn't going to make or break my vacation. However, I really expected more from the Grand Floridian's chief baker, especially since the request came through IPO. (I figured that Disney employees might be able to have more "pull" with their fellow employees than a guest might have.)

Does anyone have any thoughts on anything else I could do or say? Am I being overly sensitive?

[Disney_Barbie]

I have no experience dealing w/ the GF bakery, but as previously mentioned (once I got over that one small hurtle of an un-educated cast member at CR Private dinning) beyond that, the CR bakery cast members have gone above & beyond to help me with our "small" order. The only recomendation I have, is perhaps to dine at the wave or California Grill one of the first few nights of your trip and have them do a cake for you. I know this sugestion probably doesnt' help, since I'm sure you don't want to coordinate all your dining around this cake. But I do know that Brian & the Contemporary staff will bend over backwards to help you!

[Simba 1]

Boy, it does sound like this Disney service is less than magical.

To put it in perspective, we celebrated my daughter's 6th birthday in December at the Princess lunch in MK and we ordered the standard celebration cake (which was $21, by the way). It comes in chocolate or vanilla and it was really tasty and very cute. It had Mickey on it, but did not have her name (that requires a custom cake). Anyway, that cake fed 10 of us (not huge pieces, but plenty after a big meal).

So if you are asking for a specialized cake to feed 4-6 people, when the standard cake feeds 10, I'm guessing that is where you are running into obstacles. It's still no excuse for poor service though. Don't let this incident spoil your trip.

[Camping Mom]

Southern Girl - be sure and let us know how the cake looked and tasted.

[tomatoe pie]

just do it! we did and the cake and service were fantastic. :party: the price is decided by the size and what you want to be on it.

we loved our cake. we put the extra in the frig at the hotel and ate on it for a few days and it was still good when my daughter and the children took it home with them.

it was beautiful.:tasty:

[buzznwoodysmom]

I ordered a custom cake for DH and I when we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary at Yatchsman's Steakhouse in Novemeber and it was $45 plus tax for the smallest custom cake available, then there were additional fees depending on how you wanted it decorated. I ended up speaking to a chef at the Boardwalk bakery about details. We got a white cake with a fresh strawberry and custard filling and buttercream icing. I asked that the decorations be in black and white and red and that it say Happy Anniversary somewhere on the cake. It tured out perfect. The cake was delish!!!!!! After my experience with ordering the cake and the price I don't think you are getting a custom cake at all. But if that's the flavor cake and icing you want then it should be fine. Good luck with everything.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Just wanted to add that I think you are running into problems because of the size cake you want. I remember when ordering I was told that to have a custom cake made with the cake, filling, and icing of my choice it had to be a cake that served 10 or more. Not sure why, but that's what I remember being told. Only DH and I were at the dinner that I ordered the cake for so we brought the rest back to the room where my mom and two sons each had a piece, then we ate on it a few times during the rest of the week. I definitely didn't need a cake that fed 10, but I knew what I wanted, was willing to pay for it and it came out wonderful. I think if you ordered a bigger cake you may have more luck in getting what you want. I feel for you tho, I know how important small details like a cake for a special celebration are to me and I'd be frustrated too. Good luck.