professional cakes - cakes wrecks

Over the past few weeks we've seen plenty of ways to do it wrong, so here are some sweet ways to do a shower cake right.

Basket weave is a tricky technique, so to see this much of it (and done that consistently!) is super impressive. I also love the flowers, and the fact that the baker didn't feel the need to put a creepy baby doll in or on it. Heh. (Yep, that's a little foreshadowing for my next shower post.)


Here's another mostly fondant-free beauty:



I pretty much love everything there is to love about this next one:

And this one:

Step #1: Take a perfectly decent-looking cake

Step #2: Add random poo piles - just for giggles.


Eh? What's that? You think those are simply palm tree poos? Ok, I guess I could see that. But, can you explain...[dramatic pause]...THIS?


Actually, this isn't too much of a leap if you figure the customer asked for a "Princess and the Pea" cake. [wicked grin]


Then there are the stock designs with poo built right in:



And to think: this is what "passes" for "cake decorating." But hey, maybe the designer was wiped out after a hard day logging too many hours, and got a little lax? If so, let that be a lesson to us all: don't push too hard; you'll only strain yourself producing crappy results.

:D


And finally, a classic for the ages:




Many thanks to my #2 wreckporters Kelli N., Wendi P., Stacey B., Jenny, & Sara B.

- Related Wreckage: Who Ordered the Poo Poo Platter?

Oh, and speaking of suicide missions:



Sure, it's nice to know that "Kaun" and Jerry are happy, but I imagine this kind of word omission could lead to some rather, shall we say, misleading, inscriptions:

As the news continues to pour in about the shocking loss of life (estimated in the tens of thousands now) and wide-spread destruction following the quake in Haiti this week, I hope you Wreckies will consider donating to one of the many relief organizations providing aid there.

Unfortunately there are a lot of scammers popping up, though, so do be careful where you give. Charity Navigator has a great list of trustworthy organizations here, which includes our previously featured Doctors Without Borders.

For an easy way to donate to the Red Cross, you can text “Haiti” to 90999 and $10 will be added to your next phone bill. (Over $1 million raised this way as of this writing.)

I know a lot of you can't afford to give much. That's Ok! As we saw from the Charity Countdown, it only takes each of us giving a little to accomplish a lot together. So let's give what we can, spread the word, and say a prayer for this poor country and the heroes working there on the ground.

(Our Doctors Without Borders First Giving page is still up, and there's no minimum donation required. Only have a buck to give? Then please, give it here.)

Sure, you could go with rubber duckies and baby blocks, but that's sooo last decade. Today's shower cakes are all about the biology of baby-making: tasty and educational!


And while you're at it, why not congratulate dad, too?



Of course, mom also did her part:

You could even illustrate the whole process with the aid of disturbing plant analogies:





Casey D., Heidi D., Hillary M., Kristin J., Jess, Shari W., & Tiffany D., when you're ready to have "the talk" with your kids, feel free to come back here for visual aids.

- Related Wreckage: First Impressions

NOTE: No, I'm not I'm trying to tell you something with this recent rash of baby shower posts. Are you forgetting this post? And this one? I just figured baby cakes in January made sense: new year, new babies? Yes? No?

Sometimes the things bakeries put in their display windows make you wonder: they do want people to buy their cakes, right?





If you're not afraid of clowns or robots, though, then this next specimen has you covered.



Everybody knows nothing draws in the crowds quite like big-time Hollywood celebrities, though. So hey, why not feature Patrick Swayze, Michael Jackson, and Heath Ledger all in the same cake?


Oh, and if you're wondering what all those brown pellets are, there's a nice big rubber rat on hand to point your thoughts in the right direction. Yummm.


Bakers, just remember: the important thing with display cakes is to show potential customers what you're made of. Show them your raw talent, your years of experience, your impeccable sense of form and style, your...uh...


Eric D., Monique R., Amy N., Vic., & Jill B., with time and effort you, too, might one day master the pipe cleaner arch.

UPDATE: Hey, would you believe that today is actually HAL 9000's birthday? Finally, my knack for unintentionally posting news-relevant entries results in something good!

- Related Wreckage: Bakery PSA