Allow me to walk you through the process. I first contacted Will at Alaska Cake Studio via FB several months ago, asking about the preparation of Gluten Free cake. He assured me it could be done, done well, and delivered to our house. When all the Penguin family was in Anchorage in January, we stopped in at his place on 4th Street in Downtown Anchorage for a consult. Various e-mails and texts flowed back and forth over the intervening months, leading up to his dropping the cake off at the FedEx store for shipment on Thursday morning of this past week. The cake was to be overnighted, in our possession by Noon on Friday. This would allow plenty of time for thawing in a controlled environment. Will freezes the cakes he ships to a chilly -10 degrees in order to keep them from thawing during the overnight process.
Noon came and went, as well as 1:00 and 2:00, with no sign of the cake. Mrs. Penguin contacted Will, who tracked the cake down to the FedEx store where he had dropped it off. Nearly 45 minutes later, Will called back to let us know . . . It was STILL THERE! It finally made it on a plane more than 24 hours AFTER it was originally to have left Anchorage. FedEx graciously refunded the shipping, assuring us it would be delivered on Saturday between 10:00 and 12:00. We anxiously tracked the cake via the FedEx website all morning, only to find a note at 11:23 that delivery could not be completed due to security issues. Mrs. Penguin immediately got on the phone with FedEx, trying to locate the delivery truck, so that we could at least meet up with it and get the cake. We then spent 30+ minutes driving around base, trying to track down the truck, which was no longer at the gate we had been told it was at. Mrs. Penguin got back on the phone with FedEx, again trying to track down this wandering truck. We finally spotted it, then chased it for almost a mile, flashing the headlights, honking the horn and waving to attract the attention of the driver. I'm surprised we didn't get pulled over by security forces for the way I was driving.
The FedEx driver finally stopped. When I jumped out of the truck and ran up to him, he asked, "How long have you been following me?" Fortunately, he was the correct driver and we got our 33 pound cake. Unfortunately, because of the delays in shipping, the cake was a little worse for wear. Fortunately, it was still cold enough that it was completely edible.
And by edible, I mean insanely, awesomely, incredibly delicious! Will was kind enough to send us a couple of pictures of how the cake looked before it left the studio, which I am including here. If you ever need an event cake, please be sure and consider Alaska Cake Studio. Best Gluten Free Cake ever!!! Better than any regular cake I have ever had! The fondant is not only edible, but actually tastes good, too. Be sure and check them out.Oh, and if you are in my neighborhood in the next few days, be sure to stop by and get some cake. We still have over 20 pounds worth left!
i am curious to see a picture of what it did look like when you guys got it. please tell me it did not send your bride into early labor due to the stress... Will
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't tooo bad. The top layer had slid, it was leaning somewhat, and the top fondant (the ice) had been spun around on top of the cake somehow. Almost all the elephants' ear were smashed. Once we cut into it and tasted it, we forgot all about the minor blemishes! Mrs. Penguin says, "No, she did not go into earlier labor, but she was very relieved when it was finally over and we had it."
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't tooo bad. The top layer had slid, it was leaning somewhat, and the top fondant (the ice) had been spun around on top of the cake somehow. Almost all the elephants' ear were smashed. Once we cut into it and tasted it, we forgot all about the minor blemishes! Mrs. Penguin says, "No, she did not go into earlier labor, but she was very relieved when it was finally over and we had it."
ReplyDelete