cakelava Interviews: Jen from Cake Wrecks, Pt. 2

All images courtesy of Cake Wrecks

Jen waxes wreck-tastically. Part 2 of our interview.

Sasha Reichart: Often, what can turn a perfectly good cake into a catastrophe is the writing, whether it is misspellings, grammatical errors, or poor penmanship. In our opinion, the writing on a cake is one of the most difficult things to master. After seeing so many writing-related mistakes, do you feel more sympathy for these decorators?

Jen: Hmm. You know, since most writing errors tend to come from grocery store bakeries, I guess I do feel more sympathy for those decorators. I’ve heard about the high demands and lack of training those jobs often entail, which makes the errors more understandable. Still funny, mind you, but more understandable.

Sasha Reichart: Let’s talk about the “Creepy Cakes” category. People are impressed by realistic cakes but at some point they can become too realistic and turn creepy. What is the creepiest cake you have seen and why do you think so?

Jen: At this point I think the creepy baby cake still gets the prize. It’s the half-open eye; that still gives me the shivers.

SR: One of your photo submission requirements is that the cake wreck must come from a professional bakery, grocery store, etc., to have been paid for with money. How do you verify a submission?

JEN: Most submitters send me the link where they found the cake or tell me where they purchased it, which helps. If it’s just a photo sent in, though, sometimes I’ll e-mail and request more info. There’s still no guarantee that a non-pro cake will never make it on the site, but I do try to err on the side of caution these days.

SR: What do you do when you aren’t writing about wrecks?

JEN; Lately I’ve been trying to keep up with the flood of e-mails! That, and taking a crash course in blog management – I’m learning a lot more about CSS and Google Analytics then I ever thought possible.

SR: Are the submissions primarily coming from the designers themselves or people who find them online and send them in?

JEN: Mostly people are sending in their own photos of cakes they’ve ordered in the past. I also get a lot that people have just found online, and a few bakers have even sent me a link to their site and told me to have at it - the brave, brave souls.

SR: Why do you think the Cake Wrecks site resonates with so many people?

JEN: Because laughter transcends our differences, and everyone needs to laugh more. I think Wrecks also reminds us that we all mess up sometimes, but that’s ok; it’s only when we stop laughing at our mistakes and start taking ourselves too seriously that we need to worry.

SR: Based on the submissions you receive, have you noticed any geographical trends? Are there cities or towns with more violations than others?

JEN: Hah – good question! I’m afraid I don’t keep track of where all the e-mails are coming from, though, so I couldn’t say. It has been interesting to see all the different styles of cakes from around the world, though.

SR: If you happen to know your readership, are they mostly cake designers or outside the profession?

JEN: Certainly the baking community was among the first to embrace Wrecks, but now the appeal seems to be almost universal. I get e-mails from corporate cubicle-dwellers, stay-at-home moms, students, doctors, and folks from every walk of life in-between.

SR: Your blog is a favorite of many people, including us. What are some of your favorite blogs?

JEN: Cute Overload is my go-to place when I need to smile and/or get a refresher course in baby-talk for my “kittehs”. I also recently discovered ThreadBared - which unfortunately is no longer updated - and my inner geek enjoys the Great White Snark.




(SR: we're in touch with our inner geek as well and are big fans of the Great White Snark!)

SR: Do you like to eat cake and what is your favorite flavor?

JEN: I don’t like cake; I ADORE cake. My personal drug of choice is a cupcake still warm from the oven, with gooey icing melting down the sides. Just thinking about it can make me go into a sugar-deprived stupor…

mmmm…caaake….

SR: Do you purchase your cakes from grocery stores or from cake companies, and when was the last time you ordered a cake?

JEN: I’ve always preferred making my own cakes and cookies, although I’m too lazy to bake from scratch. So, I use box mixes. I honestly can’t remember the last time I ordered a cake from anywhere: if it’s for a friend, I usually bake and decorate it myself.

SR: What are the future plans for Cake Wrecks?

JEN: I’ve been contacted about doing a Cake Wrecks book, although that’s still in the very early planning stages, and I’d love to get some t-shirts or aprons designed for the site. I’m also gradually tweaking the site design, adding features, and I’m working on setting up a better e-mail system for submissions. Mostly, though, I’m just trying to take everything one day at a time – and, of course, to keep the cakey wreckitude coming!

END.

Once again, thanks to Jen for allowing me to pick her brain. We can't wait to see what Cake Wrecks does next! Thank you to everyone who commented on yesterday's interview. Jen was fun to interview and we're glad y'all, or is it ya'll ;-) enjoyed reading it.

**Next week Wednesday we have a FABULOUS interview lined up with Beryl Ann Byrd of Just Fabulous Pastries, which we are very excited about! Beryl, a highly respected cake designer opened Just Fabulous Pastries in 1987 and is based in San Diego, CA. Check out the Just Fabulous website and blog and prepare to be amazed!**

cakelava Interviews: Jen from Cake Wrecks, Pt. 1

From the first time Rick and I saw the Cake Wrecks site, we were instantly hooked. Finally, a site that speaks to not only us cakesters, but cubicle-dwellers, stay-at-home moms, students, anybody with a pulse with a sense of humor. The concept of Cake Wrecks is to showcase cakes that have gone awry in some manner, deviating from what was originally intended, with hilarious results.

During the past week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jen, the creator of the Cake Wrecks site. Jen is interesting, intelligent, and has a great sense of humor as to expected from someone who’s site has been nominated for “Best Humor Blog” in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. Big thanks to Jen for letting us in to her wrecktastic cake world. We’re even bigger fans of hers now than before!

Sasha Reichart: Let’s start with the simple stuff. When did you develop the idea of Cake Wrecks and what was your inspiration for creating the site?

Jen: The idea hit me quite suddenly on the day I was e-mailed the now infamous Wal-Mart cake. I already had a few other cake pictures saved that I thought were funny, and I thought, hey, I should put these on a blog! A few hours later, Cake Wrecks was born.

Sasha Reichart: What is your definition of a cake wreck, or as you say, a “wrecktastic design”?

Jen: A Wreck is any cake that is odd, inappropriate, goofy, quirky, tragic – you name it. It’s not necessarily an ugly cake, or even a poorly-made cake. It’s just something that I think is funny, for any of a number of reasons.

Sometimes I have readers complain that I’m posting cakes that are too nice to be called Wrecks, but it just comes down to what I think is entertaining, not what the worst-looking cake is.

SR: Do you have any previous cake decorating experience, and if so, can you tell us about it?

JEN: Does taking all of the Wilton classes count? [wink] Because that’s about it.

SR: Rick and I have noticed that many of the cakes are beautifully done, and wouldn’t necessarily constitute in our minds, a wreck, if they were evaluated on the craftsmanship of the work. Some of the baby shower cakes come to mind. Is it the realism of the subject that you feel is in bad taste, like maybe it is too self-referential, or are there subjects that are taboo in your mind and what would those be?

JEN: Again, this goes back to how you define a “Wreck”. I feel like anyone could find and post pictures of poorly-done cakes, so I like the challenge of taking a relatively nice-looking cake that has an odd quirk to it – Drew’s Birthday Wish comes to mind – and writing commentary that makes it funny. On their own, sure, these cakes aren’t Wrecks at all: but make up a story about a spoiled kid saying he wished his parents were dead on his birthday, and suddenly it’s downright wrecktacular. (Hopefully, anyway!)

The only taboo cake subjects on Wrecks are gory and naughty/porno cakes. That’s just personal preference on my part: I’m kind of squeamish and more of a Cute Overload kind of girl, so I stick to posting what I like.

SR: The Cake Wrecks site has been widely circulated and the photo submissions are pouring in, but in its humble beginnings, where did you obtain your photos before people started sending them?

JEN: My first dozen or so I found while looking for inspirational cake designs online. Once I started the blog, I got a little more intentional with my searches, but I really thought I’d only have enough material to last maybe a few months. Now, of course, I don’t have those worries!

SR: So level with us, how many of those Wal-Mart “under neat that…” cakes have you received from readers, despite having it at the very top of your Submission “Guidelines”?

JEN: LOL – well, not as often now as I get the giant toilet cake, but still at least 3 or 4 times a week.

SR: Have you ever offended the creator of a cake wreck by posting their photo and how was it resolved?

JEN: Aw, you’re killing me here. Can’t you stick to my favorite color? Favorite movie quote, that kind of thing? No?

[sigh]

Ok, since you asked, yes - though thankfully only 2 bakers have been offended that I know of. The first one was actually really sweet about it, considering it was my fault for posting her cake when she’s not a pro baker. (This was early on, before I was as strict with my posting standards.) The second baker was, shall we say, less than amused. I was extremely apologetic to both, and I immediately removed the offending photos. I’m not out to hurt feelings, so if any baker wants something they made removed, I’ll remove it.

Thabo's Belly Cake, by Kate E.

I’d like to mention, though, that the creator of the original pregnant torso cake (“It’s Rude to Stare”) thought it was hilarious that her cake was posted on Wrecks. It’s always my hope and intention to write in such a way that everyone – even the people who make the cakes – can laugh about it. After all, anyone who’s ever attempted cake decorating has made a Wreck or two, myself included! It’s part of what makes us human, so why can’t we all laugh about it?

SR: Is there a category of a wreck that you prefer over others?

JEN: As a writer, I like the challenge of making people laugh with my commentary when the cake on its own isn’t funny. But for just the initial laugh factor? I like the literal-minded mistakes, like the Wal-Mart cake or the “Olympic Rings” cake.

SR: What about your readers, is there a category of a wreck that seems to be most popular?

JEN: Two hands-down favorites are the fireman cake (which isn’t even mine: Scott of Basic Instructions posted it on his site) and the Naked Mohawk-Baby Carrot Jockeys. I think the readers either like a great story (ala the fireman cake) or something so completely bizarre that you have no choice but to laugh (Carrot Jockeys).


SR: What is your favorite cake wreck photo you have received, and why?

JEN: Ooh, that’s a tough one; I get so many crazy-good cakes submitted. I guess due to reader responses, though, I’d have to pick the Carrot Jockeys. Those little guys are going to take over the world someday, you know.


SR: That’s our favorite too!

END, pt. 1

And tomorrow, Jen wrecks on! Part 2 of our interview. In the meantime, check out her fantastic blog, Cake Wrecks!

Graduation cake for Dr. Chantel ... and a BIG announcement!

Boy, what an insane weekend this was! On top of having cake orders nearing the double digits, we took yesterday off in observance of Rick's birthday (which is actually today ... and he's working) so now emails are piled up in the inbox and there plenty of phone calls to return. It's gonna be a long day. Where is the aspirin when we need it? I thought it most appropriate to include a cake we made a little over a week ago, in honor of Dr. Chantel's graduation from Pharmacy school.

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We are extremely excited to announce that starting *tomorrow* for 2-days, we will run a 2-part interview with the one and only Wreck-tasticly Amusing Jen of Cake Wrecks. I had the great pleasure to interview Jen this past week for our blog, which will kick off our series of Interviews with fascinating people in the cake and wedding industry.

If you want to learn more about our first Interview "victim", and her fantastic site, Cake Wrecks, check it out, we have it linked on our site, and prepare to laugh HARD! Jen has been previously profiled on our blog in a post called "Fun on the 4th". Here are just a few of the many hilarious cakes you'll find on her site.

All photos courtesy of Cake Wrecks

Not my birthday cake... not my birthday cake, (and NOT made by Rick ;-) but I couldn't resist posting this one!