Five Years, Baby!!
May 20, 2013 Remember this?
;)
And these?
;)
How about this one?
;)
Or this story?
;)
Five years ago today I started a goofy little cake blog, just for fun. I never intended for anyone other than a few close friends to read it, and I was terrified the first time a stranger found it and commented.
Within two months, though, my goofy little cake blog went viral, garnering about 50,000 visitors in a single day.
;)
It's been a wild ride since then. I realized my life-long dream of becoming a published author not once, but twice, and Cake Wrecks even landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List. John and I got to travel across the U.S. and Canada meeting thousands of you readers, sampling dozens of your bakeries, and only almost-dying that one time.
;)
I was invited on more TV shows than I can remember, including David Letterman, Rachael Ray, and I think even Martha Stewart - and one of my proudest achievements in life is that I turned them all down. I've also turned away TV producers, web content "gurus," and website conglomerates offering a pretty penny to purchase Cake Wrecks and turn it into something else - something less personal, something not ours.
;)
Cake Wrecks has been a labor of love from the beginning, and I've fought - and will fight - to always keep it that way. It's not a vehicle to make me famous, or a stepping stone to get me to where I *really* want to be in my career, because I'm already here. True, it has become my job - John's, too - and like every job it causes heartache and frustration and burnout sometimes. But at the end of the day, I get to check my e-mail, find a cake that makes me giggle, and share it with all of you. That's pretty frickin' awesome.
;)
Five years ago I never would have dreamed my goofy little cake blog would last this long, or that it would amass such a devoted readership. I mean, this blog was supposed to fizzle out four and a half years ago, and yet here you all are! I always told John I'd quit when the readers left, but it turns out you guys are more stubbornly loyal than I anticipated. Curse you.
;)
So here's to us, my dear wreckies, five years, 1,800+ posts, and roughly 8,000 cakes later.
;)
And if all that doesn't deserve cake, then I don't know what does.
So here's Brent Spiner trying on a Carrot Jockey necklace:
;)
Let's be honest: it was all downhill from here. :D
Oh, and I have to give a million thanks to John for getting me through these past five years - and also for not dying that one time - as well as to Lindsey, who writes more than half of our Sweets posts these days, and to Sharyn, who helps me write to the wrecks. You guys are awesome, and get a lifetime pass for extra sprinkles.
Reader Comments (278)
Hapy 5st Birday underneat that We apreshiayt you in pink. I want sprinkles.
May you Wreck long & prosper! I love both your blogs. Thanks for doing them.
Congratulations Jen and the whole Cakewrecks crew! I will always love Cakewrecks, and will continue to! Here's to another 5 years, and hopefully more books. Maybe if you do another book, you can come out to Sacramento, CA for a book signing!
Ha! I discovered CakeWrecks through Epbot.) Love both sites dearly! Epbot is in my morning must read feeder though ;) Great work Jen (and John).
Congratulations on 5 years of hilarity, and here's to 5 more! And more! Seriously, I don't know what I would do without my daily Cake Wrecks laugh. If this blog hasn't stopped cakes from being wrecked after 5 years of calling them out, I'm sure you'll have PLENTY of cakes to share with us for as long as you can handle it! Your sense of humor fits perfectly with mine, and you and I even share a birthday (same age, even!), so I feel like we're twins separated at birth who should be next-door neighbors and best friends. Too bad I live about as far away from you as is possible while still remaining in the continental US :( Come to Portland again, and I'll cook dinner for you, mmmkay?
Congrats on five years of funny, silly, dumb, questionable, and sweet cake posts! Here's to another five--at least! You keep writing, we'll keep reading!
Happy 5th Anniversary!
I will join in the chorus in thanking Jen, John, Lindsey, and Sharyn for keeping this sit going.
I also want to thank Number 1 (the other Jen) and Anne-Marie (John's sister?) for their contribution in Cake Wrecks' earlier days. By the way, how are Number 1 and Anne-Marie doing these days?
Congratulations! Or condolences, whichever you prefer...
I am blissfully unaware of all the incredibly hard work that goes into this blog every day...I just get to read it and enjoy the cakes, your writing, and the incredible comments.
I appreciate all of you who contribute and make this blog my favorite part of the day!
Hoping for many more years of wrecks and fun!
I think I've been reading for almost 4 years! Love the daily giggle and the chance to "ooh" and "aaahh" over Sunday Sweets!! Thanks :D
As a fairly new reader, I'm so glad you're still going strong! Your blog has been a daily-ish highlight for the past few months.
You make my day. Thanks for being you and staying that way!
So glad it's been going strong for a whole five years! I'm quite proud to say that I have read every single page that this website contains, it's called having no life ( But I couldn't care less! ).
8,000 cakes, seriously! That's incredible. Congratulations!
Happy anniversary! I love your blog & check it daily. Long may your cakes wreck!
I discovered your first book in a bookstore when I dropped my daughter off at college four year ago. I found the CW site and then Epbot and I've been following you ever since. Thank you for making me laugh, cry, cheer, burn with righteous indignation, soar and dream. Thank you for being brutally honest on occasion and letting us know that we and our friends and families are not alone. You have made life more beautiful for so many people. Not bad for a goofy little cake blog. :)
Carrie
Jen, John, Sharyn, and Lindsay -
I don't comment very often, but I read every post and have since I first discovered Cake Wrecks a couple of years ago. At least once a week (and often more than once), I share one of your posts. Through Cake Wrecks I also discovered Epbot, which has been a continuing source of ideas and inspiration. Thank you so much for making this site what it is! Someday I hope my dream will come true: I will see one of my submissions show up on the blog! (I am constantly scrutinizing cakes every chance I get, much to my wife's consternation.) Love you heaps!
Jen, I have followed you for over 4 years (I remember because I was pregnant with my daughter (who turns 4 soon) when I first spent hours combing the Cake Wrecks archives with hysterical laughter). Thank you so much for sharing your humor with the rest of us, and thanks to Cake Wrecks, I discovered Epbot and another blog to spend hours on. :) thanks also to John thoj for sharing your wife with us and for sharing your own humor as well. My daughter's 4th birthday cake will be picked up in 2 days, and am I terrible parent if I kind of hope it is wrecktastic? ;-) keep up the good work!
I'm glad you didn't know what you were doing or what you were getting into.
This blog brings so much joy to so many people.
Happy Anniversary! So thankful for your blog and the laughs.
Congrats guys! Love ya!
Congrats on staying strong for five big years! Keep on keepin' on.
Awesome! My favorite blog and I share a birthday! Of course I've got a few (well, closer to 30) years on the blog, but I have to say I get so many laughs from this place! Thanks for each and every funny! Keep em coming pretty please!
You guys are awesome, I love reading your posts. thank you for the laughs..you guys rock!!!
Wreck on! I'm so proud that I recognized all the cakes :)
When I read 20-30 of your posts in one go (I'm much better at following every day now), I would start to think like you write.
Does that make sense?
Love,
Mini-Jen
Happy Blogiversary! Here's to many more! *clink*
Congratulations on 5 Years. I have been a Ninja reader/fan for about that long. As a Grocery Store Cake Decorator myself I find it Amuseing at what horrible Decorators (guess you can call them that) that are out there. Not all of us retail cake peeps are bad, Some like me are just there cause we can't afford to have our own shops. And we try to give our best with every cake we do. here's a link to my fb page that has pics of work that I have done over the years https://www.facebook.com/Kardius . Once again Congrats and keep on posting the Wrecks and I'll keep on enjoying the page in the shadows. -
So that's why I like you soooo much! You understand what I (we) want and you keep giving it to me (us) without letting interlopers interfere. Thanks!
Congradsululations
Congrtulitions
Congratulatons
Glad you're still here! Happy 5 years anniv... oh you know what I mean;)
I can remember lots of times struggling with one thing or another... this has been a consistent place I could come and find a smile. You have no idea how much that means! thank you guys for pushing through the stress and burnout to keep it going, we love you!
Happy 5th Wreckaversary! May there be many more to come!
Happy Anniversary! And thank you for keeping this going. :)
Happy anniversary! Love this site!
Congratulations on 5 years of an awesome blog!
i love you guys!! and I have for years and years (er, four point seven, to be exact)
here's to you!
Happy 5th anniversary!! I love coming on here and seeing who wrecked what lol. It helps me get through some tough times. We all need a good laugh and you guys give me that. Thank you :)
Happy 5th Anniversary!!! (resisting urge to misspell...) Cake Wrecks is truly a very bright spot in my day!
Happy anniversary! Cake Wrecks always make me laugh until I cry! Thanks you so much for the Sundays that are sweeter and the rest of the week being wreckier than they'd be without you guys!
Congratulations!
I'll never forget that November afternoon in 2009 that my best friend and I wandered into a little bookstore in downtown Abilene, TX and found your first book, Cake Wrecks--we laughed so hard we feared getting kicked out!! Neither of us had any money, but luckily we found the blog URL listed in the back of the book. We went straight back to the dorm, fired up my laptop, and spent the rest of the night giggling till we cried.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderous gem with all of us and for staying true to your vision! :)
I'm one of those who found the book before the blog. My mom had a copy, which I borrowed and took to work. We had to make a rule that the book had to stay in the breakroom, because for some reason customers got annoyed when an idle sales associate would snort loudly on the other side of the showroom. Not to mention the coffee spills on our front desk.
You're all brilliant. Nothing makes a rough day better than sitting down to this blog and celebrating cakes, crazies, and commenters alike. Thank you, Jen and co. for bringing us all together.
*sniff* I love you guys! Thank you so much for making this most brilliant (and, dare I say, important) of sites. Happy 5nd/rd/st!
AND OH MY GOD DATA LIKES CAKE WRECKS. Yessssssssss!
Thank you for all the laughs. (and for Epbot too)
Congrdualations!!
Thank goodness for your humor!
Congrituoltians on your Anniversaray!
Here's hoping to many more years.
Long time lurker but never actually commented! Love this website - it makes me laugh every single day and even on crappy days it makes me feel better. My workmates always say 'is it another cake?' when I'm guffawing at the computer. Thanks for doing what you do here and on Epbot x
Congrats guys! And thanks for the daily dose of sanity.
Yay for Cake Wrecks!! Thanks you guys, for making me laugh so loud that my hub always knows when I'm looking at Cake Wrecks from wherever he is in the house! He always yells "Cake Wrecks?" & I yell back a still laughing, "Of course!" Love you guys & Sharyn too!!
Happy Anniversary to the Cake Wrecks crew! I have spread the joy of bad cakes to many of my friends because I couldn't bear to keep that much hilarity to myself. I don't think I had any idea that you and I started our blogs at the same time. Mine DID go by the wayside, but look where yours went! WOW!
P.S. Was in my local beach bookstore one day when I saw the Cake Wrecks book and smiled like a proud grandma. :)
Thank you for many hours of guffawing and chuckling, with my Austrian husband looking at me as if I've lost it! I'm happy to report that our 8 year-old son likes looking at some of the photos, and actually memorized the "12 Wrecks of Christmas" song. He insisted on us singing ot together last Xmas. I'm sorry to say that here in Austria "true" cake wrecks are thin on the ground as they take the cake decorating thing very seriously. But when we visit the US my son and I enjoy scouring the grocery store bakeries for wrecks - and we are NEVER disappointed.
Thank you for making me laugh every day. You may never know how you affect someone's life. And I absolutely love Sunday Sweets! It's like opening a present every week.
There's not many sites I religiously visit each day, and there's only one that is guaranteed to get a laugh. The line: 'you're looking at cakes again, aren't you?' is regularly heard from my fella as I spit coffee up on my ipad screen, again.