CakeWrecks: Exposing Horrible and Hilarious Baked Goods

From television to movies, bookstores to the state fair, the Foodie craze is everywhere. But you don’t have to go watch a screen or attend Bobby Flay’s book signing to get your Foodie fix–you can check blogs.

There’s Serious Eats, a community for those who love food and want to talk about it, and Lick My Spoon, a blog that archives good recipes and reviews restaurants in NYC and San Francisco. These blogs are focused on those who love food: they love to eat it, cook it, talk about it, and learn more about it. But, what about those who want to, I don’t know, laugh at it? Not to worry, there’s a blog for you too!

Cakewrecks, founded in 2008 by Jen Yates, is a blog that shamelessly critiques professionally designed cakes that go “horribly, hilariously wrong.” Because of shows like The Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes” and TLC’s “Cake Boss,” audiences are used to watching pastry chefs create beautiful and, sometimes, wacky cakes. Although there are small issues with each cake, a cake is never ugly or tacky or just bad. There have been times when I’ve thought ‘How can this be? How is it possible that every cake is always just right?’ And surely they’re not–the magic of TV just makes it seem that way. But wouldn’t it be nice if the TV editors let us see an instance when a cake is just bad and the decorators throw it away and start from stratch?

Well, thanks to Jen at Cakewrecks, those of us that enjoy the real world of cake decorating are able to see the blunders, misspellings, and little (or big) errors that sometimes happen. In one of my favorite posts, Jen, whose sense of humor is both derisive and outrageous, weaves a tale of three girls named Amber, Cassie, and Lisa. While telling their story, there are cakes with tacky, albeit hysterical, messages (ie. “Amber, Good Luck with your Porn Career”) written on them that act as punch lines for her little story.

Jen also calls out those “Wreckerators” who use airbrushes to decorate their cakes because, in her mind, airbrushes are a cheat tool for cake decorators who are “artistically challenged or color-blind.” She also hates the newly popular Cupcake Cakes, known as CCCs in Cakewreck jargon, simply because she thinks they are “fugly.”

Outside of the sheer hilarity found in the photos of the cakes, Jen’s sharp wit and well placed pop culture references make this blog a must read for anyone who likes to laugh. And for those of you who think that she shouldn’t be making fun of the poor, over-worked cake decorators, do yourself a favor and check out her blog. She’ll make you change your mind.