A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.
Now, don't you have a photo you want to send me? ;)
November 6, 2008 
"Of course I don't treat him any differently. Look, I even ordered him a graduation cake today!"
Natalie B., knowing they just spelled Stetson's name wrong takes all the fun out of it for me. Can we stick with my version? No one has to know. ;)
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Reader Comments (62)
Is it just me or is that cake leaning dangerously to the left?
Jen, the two versions don't have to be mutually exclusive. Maybe Stetson learned some surprising news about his parentage when he received the cake.
Awww. Drat! I liked it better thinking they called him "step son". Wow, that's cold.
As a stepmom I think this is one of my new favorites just because of your commentary. When I got married everyone kept telling me, "Love the kids like they're your own" and lots of other well intentioned advice that is of course, easier to give than it is to follow. Especially when you're hearing the refrain of "You're not my mother!" for the 50th time. :-D
Too bad they just spelled Stetson's name wrong. Lots of times your commentary far outshines the wreck itself and I think this is one of those times.
You completely let slide the fact that the 2008 looks kind of oddly shoved in there, like it was an after thought or something. Are you slipping? :)
I was concerned about you Jen. I came on the site this morning and there was no posting. Thank God when I checked back a half hour later your Thursday posting was up and running. I was about to send out an APB. What would we all do with out you to start our mornings with a chuckle :-D
Did they trade him in the next year for the 2007 version???
Whew! What an appreciated relief and recovery day after yesterday's post. Having a blended family of my own, the step insignia on anything is simply unnecessary and a little obvious in its quarantining - but ESPECIALLY on a cake!
I just have to add that I love and look forward to Cake Wreck Jen's consistenly laugh-out-loud-funny photos and commentary, but I also get a huge kick out of all the reader comments! Gosh, there sure are a lot of witty cyber folk out there! Wreck on wit you bad selves, y'all.
Alixandra Hice
http://casahice.blogspot.com
That's actually pretty nice as this wicked stepmom usually serves cornbread with toothpaste frosting for my stepson's birthday. I'll have to kick it up a notch this year with an inscription.
I wonder who they upgraded to in 2007 and in 2008.
My bad. You totally punked me. Next time, I'll read all the way down before commenting.
PS: My random verification code is "unhis" - is it just me or is that funny?)
I don't know, I think there could be a bigger story behind the mispell...
Turns out he actually is the stepson and this is how Stetson found out. A tragic graduation day for any teen.
That's something my step-mom would do... and it wouldn't be a mistake.
She once got me one of those HUGE, neon pink barbie dress cakes... for my 17th birthday.
Natalie's caveat made this a lot more understandable, but I did stare at that cake for a long time trying to figure out what in the world they were trying to do there.
Hilarious.
You made my morning.
:)
Also, is this an old picture or is this cake two years late?
Glad for the explanation, but the misspelling definitely qualifies for the "horribly, hilariously wrong" definition.
word verification: WAGRA. Now, is that a new Japanese monster demolishing Tokyo, or something to make your puppy, erm, happy(er)?
Gee, nothing like feeling like you're truly part of the family!
Reminds me of the time I heard one woman refer to her stepkids as "products of a divorce". Geez. How freaking sweet.
I can kinda-sorta see how a decorator would look at "Stetson" and think it's supposed to be "Stepson"... but can't they at least call and verify first?
I like your version better anyway, Jen. ;)
Keep on wreckin', and I hope to someday have a pic to send in. (Keep forgetting my camera at the grocery store...)
Obviously, she has many stepsons. She is congratulating the 2006 version.
Ok, in reality, this must be for graduating in 2006. So... my question is, are we looking at a picture 2 years old? Or is stepmom just celebrating a little late?
"Oh, that's right, you graduated 2 years ago, didn't you? I'm sorry I missed the ceremony. I was doing my nails. Well... here's a cake to show how much I care."
Yeah, yeah, I know, it's supposed to be "Stetson." But still... a little late, isn't it???
Again, another laugh out loud wreck! Although, in my opinion anyone who names a kid after a type of cowboy hat is just asking for trouble - lol
I'm just as disturbed by the kid being named after an accessory, as by the thought that his name was spelled incorrectly. Is their daughter named "Cloche"?
Who talks like that- I mean really?
LMAO hysterical... poor STETSON!
People at work are going to start to think I'm crazy. Every morning around 9 or 10 I am snickering in my cube. I giggled at the initial thought, but then I burst out laughing when I read that is was supposed to say!
Maybe it was to congratulate the maker of Stetson Cologne...
Or it was supposed to say, "Surprise! You're adopted!"
And since we're talking about it, my word verification: "obare"
I'm not sure what to think of that. Seems to go better with yesterday's wreck!
(http://meshealle.blogspot.com)
Just got my "Mothering" magazine today. Wouldn't you know they had a cake of breasts for breastfeeding awareness. I need to get a picture, but it was basically a set of white breasts with fleshy nipples and a wierd little baby sitting in the middle. Crazy but perfect for this site!
And honestly, who says, "Congratulations Son!" on a cake, either?? I hate those kinds of cards - "To my husband" or "For my mother" as if the person didn't know who the heck they were....
LMAO!!! Gotta wonder what the decorator was muttering about the cold-hearted people who ordered the cake s/he was decorating....teehee!
I'm totally surprised you didn't post the Obama cupcake portrait this morning that's been all over the news! (But I guess it's not really a wreck, 'cause it doesn't look that bad. I mean, if you have no problem with a president-elect being immortalized in frosting. Or it being a cupcake cake. Because you love cupcake cakes, right?!)
I'm just curious about the flowers. Wouldn't Stetson be a male? (And stepson surely is). Big blue flowers?
I'm with you... the cake has a bit of a leftward lean.
This one gave me a fit of the giggles. Your commentary is pure genius!
I love that it looks like he's this year's Stepson. As in, way to go 2006 Stepson, you were almost as good as 2005 Stepson! Same if it were spelled right - what, is he Stetson of the year?
Was he the stepson for only one year?
I like the idea of thinking it's 'stepson' and not a misspelling too. It's like - I got you this cake because I was supposed to, but I really don't like you so congrats, I hope you feel like crap.
Just found your site recently and LOVE it! Always good for a laugh!
hahahahaha.....
ok, winston and leslie's comments were awesome. And, you must know that I subscribe to this blog primarily for the commentary...leslie had it right, this one was stellar.
So when the decorater realised [assuming they realised] that they'd just written "Way to Go Stepson" on someone's cake, did anyone think "Hmmmm...maybe that ain't right..."?
Am I being too hopeful?
I would have been happy to get a cake from my stepfather . I was basicly non existant for him
Wow! How many times do you think she was married. You know it's bad when you have to start numbering your stepkids. Congrats "Stepson #2006"
As a Brit, it's can often be a sort of amusement to hear the names that people name their children in the US. So when I saw this cake and read that it was a spelling error on the name rather than a cold step-parent rubbing their step-kid's nose into their own status, my first thought was Sarah Palin. I mean, come on! The names of her kids! It's almost like they popped out and were named after the first thing that she clapped eyes on at that very moment.
(and for added 'fnar fnar' value, as well as being a city in the UK, Bristol (one of Palin's daughters name) is also used as slang for . . . um . . . a nice pair of breasts. As in "cor, get a look at those bristols!". I must stress this isn't in common parlance . . . .
So no mention that the 2006 was just shoved in there? Or that it's 2008? Unless of course this is a two year old submission.
Sombody said the 2008 was put in as an afterthought....it's 2006 not 2008!
This wreck has been around for awhile.
I vote for the stepson interpretation too!
What a delicious wreck.
I have to admit, I first thought that this cake was just one of those stock cakes, you know, the ones that already have a generic phrase like happy birthday, and the grocery store bakeries have now paired up with the greeting card industry to make state-the-obvious cakes for people's relatives. I like to think the decorator saw the order and thought, "perfect! all I have to do is cram 2006 onto that stepson stock cake! and my manager thought I was wasting icing- this'll show him!"
At least there were no quotations. Way to go step 'son' (when Stetson finds out he's not only step, he's a she.)
Whenever I hear English people talk about funny US names, all I can think of is Tiggy Legg-Bourke!
Ha ha, I must be weird, I actually hate it when my stepfather calls me his "daughter". But that probably has to do with the fact that he married my mom when I was a senior in HS. I'd done (most) of my growing up by then. (And he's still a cool guy, just that one thing drives me up the wall.)
"mesibu" - the shortlived knock of of "Desilu Productions"
The cakes are hilarious, but I agree, the commentary is worthy of honor, even without the pictures. Poor Stetson the Stepson....or whatever.
I still nearly died laughing at the explanation as well. Very brilliantly funny!