“That’s It, I’m Cake Shaming”: 50 Baking Fails That Were Too Funny To Keep Hidden
The average U.S. wedding cake costs around $350, according to Thumbtack. What does it tell us? Well, apparently not much.
Because no matter how much we adore those beautiful pieces of confectionary art we see in Instagram pics, family photos, and window displays, the reality is sometimes different. Not all cakes are worthy of compliments. Some look barely edible. Others send the wrong message. And the rest… are something you wouldn't feed your dog.
This hilarious Facebook group is a safe place to share these sweet food monstrosities and it’s called “Cake Shaming.” Below we wrapped up some of the funniest examples people shared there, so enjoy!
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No matter what the occasion, cakes have always been a staple of celebrations. From birthday cakes to wedding cakes, cakes have been enjoyed by people of all ages and cultures for centuries. From traditional favorites like chocolate cake and vanilla cake to modern creations like red velvet cake and rainbow cake, there’s something for everyone’s palate.
Cakes can be made from a variety of ingredients, from classic white, yellow, and devil’s food cake to fruit-flavored cake and gluten-free cake. Decorations for cakes range from simple frosting and sprinkles to more intricate fondant designs.
Bored Panda reached out to Lily Jones, the owner of Lily Vanilli, the creative East London bakery creating customizable dream cakes and bespoke wedding cakes, who shared some insights into the current cake trends, as well as shared the most unusual cake she created.
“We're seeing a huge trend for more artistic, asymmetrical, imperfect cakes, often with deliberately messy piping, misshapen and with fresh flowers artfully positioned/stuck into the cake,” Lily told us.
“This has been cool and strange to see in equal measure as they're very reminiscent of the cakes I was making for the first 5 years of Lily Vanilli (scroll right back on my Instagram to see). I had my first commission for one the other day and it was a really nostalgic experience."
Hmmm
Lily also said that it's been interesting seeing this go full circle: “In 2008 I was making messy cakes in response to the perfectly piped cakes that were around forever, it was all fresh flowers and rough around the edges, then since 2018, we got hugely into retro piping, and now we're seeing the response to that again!”
When it comes to ordering cakes for a special occasion, Lily said that the cake is such a statement that it's important to people that it reflects their unique tastes. “So they will consider the style and colors, all the way down to the tiny details that make it bespoke.”
“Beyond that, the flavor is hugely important, and multiple tiers allow people to cater to all their guests' tastes,” she added.
Found In The Wild... Someone Even Commented, "Nice...but Please Don't Quit Your Day Job"
It took me way too long to figure out this was supposed to be a car.
Posted In A Book Group Not Sure If They Made It Or Found It As Well
This Feels Like The Fake Things Mortuary Students Practice On
It's also important to consider how the cake will look in photos, Lily explained. “So positioning in the venue can be really crucial - it's always sad to see a spectacular cake with loads of story and thought behind it get placed in front of a speaker or worse, or somewhere it won't photograph well. Lighting is important too!”
When asked what was the most unusual cake Lily has ever created, she recounted her first book. “It was a zombie-themed, B-movie inspired, a comic book illustrated guide to cake decorating, so as you can imagine, for a while I was getting a lot of fabulously weird commissions. I've made a life-sized replica of someone's boyfriend's head, multiple heart and brain cakes, a cow heart cake for a music video, a dead pigeon... it's a long list!”
Found In A Marketplace Listing
In My Local Sell Group. She Owns Her Own Company And Does Custom Designer Cakes For All Occasions
I Wanna Cry
Op Said They Were Going For The “Cartoony” Look What Do Y’all Think?
My Wedding Cake. 🫠 2016
Aww. This happened to us. It was a super hot day, and the venue's refrigerator stopped working. The cake melted into itself and looked awful. It still tasted great. The poor caterer was more upset then my wife or I (she was a guest and baked the cake as our wedding gift).
A Friend Of A Friend Paid For This
Am I Trippin? Cuz It’s Horrible To Me But She’s Very Proud Of It & Only Getting “Amazing Work” Type Comments In A Cake Decorating Group I’m In Lmao. Reminds Me Of Open Wounds, Like Gashes & Why Are The Roses So Thick & Wet
The Caption Read ‘We Could Not Get Green Grapes So We Used Olives’ They Were Supposed To Be Tiny Yodas Surrounding The Border
Can Anyone Guess What The Strawberries Are Meant To Be?! Hint: It’s Related To The Most Successful Fantasy Series!
Might Be The "Rope" That Does It For Me Lol
I'm Feeling So Bad For The Wedding Couple... That's Is So Fkn Ugly!
Stitch Or Glitch?
![What The [frick] Is Going On Here](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/funny-cake-shaming-63d3d124e7500__700.jpg "What The [frick] Is Going On Here")
My Mum Got This Cake For My Brothers Birthday. £150 For This Monstrosity 😂🤦♀️why Does Micky Look So Angry?
Bakery Posted This
These Are All Cakes Advertised By The Same Baker On Facebook Marketplace, Yes They Are Charging For These Sad Creations
A Lady Was Looking For A LEGO Cake And Another Lady Chimed In To Recommend Where She Got This LEGO Cake For Her Son's Birthday
Note: this post originally had 108 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Lots of decent cakes made by people who have other jobs but did well. Are we now shaming people for not being experts in everything they do?
Exactly my thoughts too!
Yes! Okay, so some of the "professional" ones weren't so good, and overpriced. But some of these were made by parents and family members who just wanted to show the love.
Right? Most of them were pretty good efforts for amateur bakers. But if they were made to be sold, that's another story.
I think a lot of them are good for a beginner but if someone is going to a bakery and paying for it...nope.
Most of these are not fails! Yes they may not be professional level cakes, but for home decorators they're great! I'd rather have a home made cake that some I love has taken their time and energy to make for me than a cake that's cost £100's! You should be celebrating that so many people want to try and make cakes for people. When I was a teacher, I had a rule that I would make a birthday cake for each child in my form group (same group of kids I saw each morning before lessons started). Lots of kids (11-16) would tell me they'd never had a cake home made for them before ever and some kids would cry as they'd never had any birthday cake before- home made it shop bought! Having 16 year old kids crying happy tears because they had blown out candles on a birthday cake if their own for the first time in their life was both upsetting and rewarding. Thank your self lucky you have any cake and even more so that someone you love made it instead of laughing because it's not cake boss level
It looks like a lot of these were made by people who are not professional, or maybe even great at it, but they were made with love for someone. Cakes are expensive, and sometimes it is fun to try and make a special cake for your loved ones celebration. I would much rather have a far from perfect cake that my mom put the time and effort into making over a perfect store bought cake anyway. I refuse to shame 98% of the cakes in this list because even though they may look silly or weird or whatever, someone worked hard to try and make someone else's day special.
My friend was across the country and alone for his birthday during covid. I baked him a birthday cake and sent him a picture. My right arm was in a sling due to a dislocated shoulder. The cake looked awful but he loved it because of my efforts.
Lots of decent cakes made by people who have other jobs but did well. Are we now shaming people for not being experts in everything they do?
Exactly my thoughts too!
Yes! Okay, so some of the "professional" ones weren't so good, and overpriced. But some of these were made by parents and family members who just wanted to show the love.
Right? Most of them were pretty good efforts for amateur bakers. But if they were made to be sold, that's another story.
I think a lot of them are good for a beginner but if someone is going to a bakery and paying for it...nope.
Most of these are not fails! Yes they may not be professional level cakes, but for home decorators they're great! I'd rather have a home made cake that some I love has taken their time and energy to make for me than a cake that's cost £100's! You should be celebrating that so many people want to try and make cakes for people. When I was a teacher, I had a rule that I would make a birthday cake for each child in my form group (same group of kids I saw each morning before lessons started). Lots of kids (11-16) would tell me they'd never had a cake home made for them before ever and some kids would cry as they'd never had any birthday cake before- home made it shop bought! Having 16 year old kids crying happy tears because they had blown out candles on a birthday cake if their own for the first time in their life was both upsetting and rewarding. Thank your self lucky you have any cake and even more so that someone you love made it instead of laughing because it's not cake boss level