Confessions of a Cake Wrecker
October 15, 2008 Cake decorators are an interesting lot.
For example, some of them find this site absolutely hilarious...until they see their cake on it.* Others find the very concept of Cake Wrecks repugnant. Still others - and these are the ones I love - realize that Wrecks are a part of life and therefore nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, some of this rare, wonderful breed even submit their own cakes. Huzzah! That's the spirit! Why get cranky over a Wrecky creation when you can share it with us, generate some laughs, and be a proud Wrecker for the day?
With all of that said, today's Wreck comes from Alison, owner of Alison's Cakery in NC. Like most Wreck creators, she usually makes gorgeous cakes. She writes:
"I was asked to make a baby shower cake for a very non-traditional mother, [but] she had her baby 3 months premature. In a moment of brilliance (or insanity, or sleeplessness) I decided to make a 'surprise baby' just exited the mommy early, kind of like a new year's baby coming out of the cake. After a bit of time modeling I was pretty satisfied with my finished product."
And here it is:
[nodding] Very nice, very... er...hey...wait a second....can we zoom in?
AAAAAUUUGGGHH!!!
I've heard of losing your head over a pregnancy before, but your arms and legs, too?
Fortunately, Alison has more to say:
"I showed the cake to one of my associates, who said it looked like an alien bursting out of a decapitated mother's funereal body. Needless to say, this topper did not stay."
No, really, it's not that bad...
[checking photo again] Er, ok, yes it is.
Not to say that the alien-bursting-forth concept wasn't a good one, though. I mean, at least the mother's decapitated and dismembered torso has clothes on.
Alison, you just keep wrecking on with your bad self, girl. And bakers, I hope you've all learned a valuable lesson here today: submitting your own cakes to Cake Wrecks could get you free advertising. Oh, and always have an associate double-check your work. ;)
* My idea for an apron: "It's all fun and games 'til it ends up on Cake Wrecks!"
Reader Comments (147)
ZOOM OUT!!
The truth about Caesareans, coming to a cake near you.
That is pretty frightening.
I think that's the least preferred method of delivery.
(By headless, armless mothers everywhere.)
umm, Allison? I'd stick with the insanity plea...LOL. Wow. Ok. Take that baby off, though, and that's one awesome cake.
I guess the first step to recovery is admitting your cake is a wreck.
That's actually a really nice cake, until you hit the topper. I am 7.5 months pregnant, and that may just give me a nightmare or two.
I think your idea for the apro is awesome!
I think Athena sprang out fully formed from the head of Zeus, so maybe this baby has some mythological antecedents.
Yikes! The baby is slightly deformed as well... Glad to have been removed.
I would totally buy an apron that said that!
Deanna
It doesn't seem nearly as bad when the person who made it owns up to it! Kudos to Alison for sharing this!
Okay, other than the dismembered and dressed body with the baby breaking out of the coccoon, it was a beautifully done cake!
Wow! I definitely see her point about the topper, but man that is one gorgeous cake! A lot of skill in the execution. Oops - maybe that isn't the word I was looking for - oh well. Lol.
Anyway, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the color scheme.
take off the scary alien child and the dismembered mom - and it's an otherwise beautiful cake.... I think there's a compliment in there somewhere.
I love your blog. I read and laugh everyday!!
I had to look at this quite a few times to make sure I was really seeing a decapitated torso there. And the baby looks almost evil. LOL
Good for the baker for having a wonderful sense of humour.
~Amy B.
I agree....a true decorator should be able to laugh at herself! My biggest wreck was my first wedding cake and the first attempt literally hit the wall and landed on the floor!! Sorry, no picture....too mad at the time but I hope to find one for you!
Up until the horror film topping, it looks really good. Love your blog, keep up the good fun!
Um, wow... that is just disturbing, but highly entertaining!!! LOL
~Talley
Ok, no head arms and legs is pretty darn creepy, but when you look past that, it really is a very pretty cake.
beautiful, yet kinda creepy!
At least it didn't come out tap dancing (you know, Space Balls)
Oh my gosh! I can't decide if I should laugh or hide in fear from it! :P
Oh my! Well, I think its very good-natured of the baker to submit her cake. I will say it is very skillfully made and I like the colors.
However, I too was reminded of the Alien movies when I saw that baby coming out of that stomach.
It would be cute with just the baby she made on top, perhaps in a little crib or something. I hope it wasn't too much work to fix.
We like cake wreckers who can poke fun at themselves!
Angie (from over at www.HalfAssedKitchen.com)
I wish I had wrecks to submit! Every decorator eventually gets a few but I never photographed them myself.
Real decorators have the balls to show off their wrecks!
*dies* The first thing I thought when I saw this cake was Spaceballs. "Water my *** get this guy some Pepto Bismol!"
It doesn't help that the cake shares the color. But regardless, in my head that baby just danced away singing "Ragtime Gal".
I can see where the decorator's idea came from but the whole Alien undertone of the thing just blows me away.
Oh and cheers to the decorator for being such a good sport! :)
ooooh,what bravery to submit your own cake wreck! That deserves an order or two, huh?
What a great sport Alison is! I appreciate an artist who takes risks--but also has the good nature to laugh when one doesn't work out as planned.
It feels better to be laughing with her than at her. And this does make me laugh!
ya know, cake decorators could save everyone a lot of time and misery by simply looking at their creations and asking themselves, "will this end up on Cake Wrecks?" If the answer is Yes or even Maybe...start over!
til then, wreck on!
Wow, that is truly disturbing, and I am glad the decorator *saw it* too!
Call me crazy, but I LOVE this cake. The awfulness that is the baby bursting from the appendage-lacking mother just cracks me up!
But then I'm not a mother. So I may be looking at this differently than a new mom would.
Let me say this, however. I've never seen a nicer set of fondant boobs in my life. Maybe when were done filling ourselves with silicone implants, we could just have some rolled fondant and gumpaste boobs. All natural, edible and they come in a variety of colors!
The rest of the cake is beautiful. But the topper is a little, uh, odd. Hope the new mom liked the next version!
You know- aside from the topper- the cake is really quite stunning.
Can we talk about using black on cakes? It's so depressing.
Jen! I want that apron! Put it up on Cafe Press. I'm in need of a new apron, something I've been telling my husband. My b-day is next month. Something tells me I'm getting an apron.
btw, loved today's wreck, and I was thoroughly grossed out.
Okay, let's just ignore the fact that she has no appendages, and that the baby is bursting out of her belly alien style...is that not the creepiest baby ever? Talk about adding insult to injury. Why not just put horns on it?
Actually, I have yet to see a "cake baby" that doesn't creep me out. Maybe it's just me...
Reminds me of that 80's tv series "V." There was an episode where the lady gave birth to an alien baby.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085106/
That's no wreck! It just needs to be in zombie colors and for a Halloween party. I think I will totally steal the idea for my baby shower coming up. Yeah, I'm weird.
That's great. LOL.
OH, I'm wiping the tears from my eyes. "Alien baby emerges from headless torso" sounds like a tabloid newspaper headline! Kudos to Allison to realize this was a wreck!
And then there are those of us that are Queens/Kings of Denial -- why, nothing I've ever made could ever end up on Cake Wrecks. (ha!)
The only reason I'm safe is because I'm no longer decorating. Thanks for starting this site after I left the building.
I think of it as a culinary version of 'What Not To Wear'.
;)
That is a gorgeous cake! Other than the alien topping...
I'm curious what she did instead?
Even without the closeup, I looked at that and was like "oooh, It's Aliens. Or more like The Thing." Good Lord, what was she thinking.
I'd LOVE to see the e-mails you get from the decorators who AREN'T happy about their cakes being on here. Heh. I almost sent you one of mine, but I saved it from actually being a wreck. But I assure you, it was in the back of my mind!
Definitely alien-esque. I'm glad she had the good sense to change it.
oh what a great apron idea!!!! i had a request for a pregnant belly cake a few months ago and it turned out fine, but it's just weird to think of them cutting into the boobs. i dunno, maybe it's just me. :)
I know Alison and I remember this cake!!!! She does make awesome cakes.
Thank you, Allison. Your honest and sense of humor (and awesome talent) is fantastic.
Awesome, Jen!! I'm making aprons for my church's craft bazaar! That really *would* be good on an apron!!
I love a cake decorator with a sense of humor! Kudos, Alison, for understanding that wrecks still have something to offer.
(Also, the free advertising works! I browsed your website, and am now dying to try pistachio cake with chai tea filling. Sounds like heaven!)
This reminds me of one story in the Japanese comic Pet Shop of Horrors where the rabbit this couple bought was pregnant and its fetuses ate its way out of the mother. They kept multiplying and all the fetuses kept eating their way out when they got born. Awesome stuff, huh?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Shop_of_Horrors