Extra Terrible
August 8, 2008
What the customer said:
“So we’re throwing a going-away party for our friend, and we’d like you to write “Good luck at U.C.”, since that’s the college she’s going to. Also, she’s a big E.T. fan – you know, from the movie? – so we want to incorporate that somehow. I’ll leave it up to you; we just want something E.T.- related on it. Can you do that? Yeah? Cool! Thanks!”
What the decorator heard:
“Blah blah blah, write blah E.T. blah blah on it. Blah.”
What the decorator was thinking:
“Okey doke, easy peasy, now I’ll just write 'Good Luck'... oh, wait: does 'good' have two 'o's or two 'd's? Dang. Oh well, I’ll just make this letter look a little like both. There! No one will notice anyway. Ok, and then: 'at…U.C…'...thank goodness that doesn’t need any periods; those are so hard to do with this icing! Ok, let’s see here…you know, I think I'm going to go the extra mile for these folks and write E.T. on it THREE times. And I’m pretty sure just the 'E' has a period… yeah, that looks right. Dum dee dum…. There! All done! Aw, they are just going to love me.”
Reader Comments (51)
80
And let's not forget the completely at-odds icing colors - the flowers and border do NOT go with the word color....EEEEK!
Yeah, this one is all sorts of wrong...
That's a mighty fierce-looking cake knife over there. I am also distressed that the whole going to college and "phone home" thing was passed over in favor of having godd luck...
hilarious. Who would pay for that?
Actully, I prob. would cause it's so ridiculous.
If I used those silly emoticons I’d post one blinking and scratching its head.
Are people actually expected to pay for these cakes when they turn out like this? I would be so mad!
I thought ET may have been the person's initials until I saw the movie character on the napkin.
So painfully sad, it's hilarious.
Dea - I think the icing is a nice shade of E.T. grey. That was part of the incorporation! Yeah... We'll go with that.
Is E.T. flipping the bird on that napkin?
I LOVE YOUR BLOG!! I can always rely on you to lift my spirits and give me something to giggle about!!
Thanks!!!
It would extra satisfying to cut it up with the knife, you have to admit...
Love this. Moving on from the hideous WRONG cake.. *this could be because I am a photographer* but who decided.. to get a rose for the photo and lay it at the top (very cheesy) and then.. add the knife (which they could STAB you with if you refused to eat the cake).. and then.. put it on the table join/captured it off centre AND included someone's hands!
no doubt the person couldn't be moved.. they were desperate for the delicious looking cake. Mmm..
Maybe the one who made the cake thought "I can't draw E.T., that's too difficult." ...
But I suppose it wasn't so hard to draw the outline of the flying bike.
*facepalm*
This is just...oh dear.
Well, at least it wasn't a cake shaped like E.T.'s head, right? I can imagine that a cake shaped like E.T.'s head would be fun to cut, but imagine having to actually eat it. Eww.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. The cake, the rose, the knife (!) and the note (We love you) all seem to be at odds with one another. This is a majorily subliminal message...
Let's not go there!
Hilarious, as usual!
I hope they didn't have to pay for that cake. I would've been all shades of mad!
"I’ll leave it up to you"
famous last words
I recently stumbled on your blog and just love it. This cake had be falling out of my seat I was laughing so hard.
I just want to say that it is all to easy to just start making fun of everyone when you see one thing that is poorly done, but you shouldn't make fun of the picture. It's a home photo of what was supposed to be a fun night. Give them a break. At no point did they profess to being professional or even charge for that photo...unlike the cake.
This is too funny! I can 100% see the blah, blah E.T. conversation. I've been there and wondered if my cake would come out right.
Cool idea for a blog - I'll keep checking back for more funnies!
The decorator WAS joking... isn´t it?
LOL!
I'm betting the people picked the cake from a case of blank ones and had a decorator (or other bakery worker) scrawl something on it.
That, of course, doesn't excuse the bad color (unless the customer chose it), poor grammar, and spelling. But it may explain why there are roses on an E.T. cake (if you can call it that).
love-love-love your blog.
i'm laughing so hard the baby just bounced off my boobie...er...wachunga. i learned a new word today!!
sorry no caps, typing one armed
I'm starting to think I'd make good money as a pro cake decorator.
1) I can spell hard words like "good" correctly.
2) I am able to tell what colors go w/ what other colors.
3) I have common sense.
I can't actually *bake* but ya know, somehow I still feel miles ahead of the "pros" featured here!
Bonus points for spelling "good" as "godd"!
how bout a burger cake?
I especially like how the "cheese" resembles a large tounge.
http://www.mcqn.net/mcfilter/images/cake/Burger/BurgerCakeFinal.jpg
Oh that's just horrible.
Just wanted to let you know a friend directed me here about a week ago, and you've never failed to crack me up yet. Love this.
@walkon:
I used to work in a bakery myself. Most bakeries (Grocery Stores at least) don't actually bake their cakes. They come pre-baked in a big box and you just let them sit overnight & defrost and then you... well... frost them the next morning.
The frosting comes in either a pail or if you get the fluffy butter creme, it comes in a big milk carton and you have to run thru the big mixer.
I left for another department after the assistant cake decorator got mad at me. Apparently it's bad form to tell her that if she wants to airbrush on a super dark blue, she should use the bottle labeled "Dark Blue" and not just add layer after layer of light blue until it looks dark. I'm sure that cake tasted fantastic.
it also could because I put a big strip of masking tape on the wall over the decorating station that said "Congratulations!" and "Anniversary" so they'd remember how to spell.
A friend sent me a link to your blog, and this E.T (no final period, right?) posting was the first I read. Hilarious! I can't wait to catch up on what I've missed!
The grocery store bakery I work at makes their own cakes. And buttercream.
So the flower is there for what...in memorial to the dearly departed for greener collegiate pastures?
It's clear that this decorator went to Purdue.
E.T godd yuck at E.T UC!! E.T
Every time you post a new cake I find myself thinking, 'yep, that's the WORST one so far'. And then each new cake takes the ... cake, as it were.
But really - this one is the WORST!
"Godd" comments "everyone" I'm wondering if there's another "ET" under those "Flower" thingies in the corner. And oh by the way: Thx for "sending" me to Kollege "Dad".
HA! 10/10! Gold medal!
I just laughed my face off.
I was literally crying after reading this (and your whole site, which I just found via seriouseats.com). My face hurts.
That is hil.ar.ious!
Funny pics
Oh, my goodness...your blog is hilarious!
I am trying really really hard not to comment on every photo. But this is so special, and you in that cake decorators head.. you nailed it!!!
Ali :)
Wow!! I love the extra exclamation points---it just makes me so much more excited to eat that cake!!
Sorry, we middle school Comm. Arts teachers get a little irritated with the over-use of !! The only thing better is a smile under them or hearts instead of dots.
many of these cakes, esp. the Literal LOLs, make me wonder why ALL cake decorators, even the grocery stores, don't make the customer fill out a *written* form with spelling, words you want, etc.
these are too funny, though. thanks for the laughs, Jen!
As a student at Utica College, I was immediately reminded of the "interesting" mix of people I attend school with.
(I hope that this cake can be attributed to my UC...I would hope to be able to hold the University of California in higher regard.)
(I LOVE YOUR BLOG!)
I know I'm a little late - but maybe the cake decorator was not familiar with E.T. (gasp) and thought it was a sorority.
They, of course, were also unfamiliar with greek lettering.
Maybe the college was E.T E.T E.T UC.
What? Don't you remember the part where he turns on the "heart light" and it's all red and those are RED roses I see on that cake. Picky much?
I laughed until it hurt!!
I am wiping tears away from my eyes. I can't even read this because I am laughing so hard. Oh, this website is my favorite. Thanks for the laugh.