That Cake Design Is Blocked

I was working at my mom’s new bakery in my hometown when a young mom came in with her probably six-year-old son, shopping for a birthday cake.

My mom always hated requests for fondant/sculpted cakes because people never took into account how much time they actually took to decorate, but this one request blew my mind, and I’ll never forget it.

This young mom whips out her phone and pulls up images of an elaborate Minecraft village made out of cake. It literally had buildings, landscapes, characters, and everything, sculpted out of cake, fondant, and probably Rice Krispies treats. It likely took twelve to fifteen hours and a lot of talent to make. 

My mom begins suggesting:

My Mom: “That level of detail would take a long time and increase the price. Do you have any simpler ideas?”

She looks at her son and says:

Customer: “Well, he wanted a village, or I’d have made it myself.”

My mom realizes her heart is set on this elaborate cake, so she asks:

My Mom: “Okay, well, how much are you looking to spend?”

Customer: “Well, I’m not trying to spend more than $50 on a cake.”

FIFTY DOLLARS. FOR A F****** 3D REPLICA OF A DIGITAL VILLAGE MADE OF PIXELATED BUILDING BLOCKS.

Even if you’re paying minimum wage for something that requires skill and talent, $50 doesn’t even cover the cost of a cake that takes four hours (after ingredients), let alone twelve!

After my mom gave her a three-digit quote, they settled on a single grass cube with plastic characters on top.