If you're a lover of the Internet (and hey, that's probably what brought you here), chances are you've heard of Cake Wrecks; if not, you're in for a treat. Every day, the blog features new pictures of cakes that probably should never have been. Gross grammar mistakes, monumental misunderstandings, and just plain freakish creations are featured alongside snarky commentary from the blog's creator, Jen Yates.In just over a year's time, the blog has transformed from an inside joke into a global web phenomenon – all sparked by the hilarious error of one very confused cake decorator. Now, Jen and her husband John have a book version of their beloved website, complete with tons of never-before seen cakes that have been massacred by professional decorators. The couple is currently on a tour to promote the book (one which was temporarily interrupted by some serious health issues, all faithfully documented on the blog), and have just added new dates. I recently got the opportunity to ask Jen some questions about Cake Wrecks – both the site and the book – and shed some light on the backstory of a blogging success story.What inspired you to start CakeWrecks.com? Did you ever imagine it would be so popular with the general public? How long did it take for the blog to take off?The first cake I ever posted on CW was actually the inspiration for the whole site. It's that famous cake with the words "Best Wishes Suzanne Under Neat That We Will Miss You" iced on it. My friend Abby forwarded the e-mail to me, and I found it funny enough to go looking for other goofed-up cakes online. When I found a few, I thought, hey, this would be fun to put on a blog! I only did it for my own amusement, though; I never in a million years imagined anyone other than a few close friends reading it. Within just a few months, though, folks starting finding it and telling their friends. A few cake decorators posted the link on some popular cake site boards, and then it *really* hit the big time when Digg and Reddit picked it up. I was shocked, to say the least. Still am, for that matter.Do you or your husband have any background at all in baking, decorating, or the culinary arts?Uh, not exactly. :) We own and operate a small specialty-painting company, and that's been our gig for nearly ten years now. For Christmas a few years ago John signed us up for cake classes together at the local crafts store, though. We took all four courses from January to April of '08, which is why my friend sent me that e-mail; she knew it was a new hobby. I started Cake Wrecks in May, so the timing really all fell into place. These days John and I still make cakes once in a while for friends.Your daily posts are like clockwork. How do you come up with all those wrecks? It's not me, it's the readers! We get a lot of submissions, probably because cake is so hugely popular these days. There's a cake for everything: divorce, successful potty-training, you-name-it! And where there is much cake, there is the potential for much Wreckage. [rubbing hands together gleefully] Mwuhahaha! Do you have a "day job?" If so, do you plan on keeping it now that your book's been published?Before I started Wrecks I was handling the at-home aspects of our company: the website, finances, etc, which only took about as much time as a part-time job would. Once I started Cake Wrecks, it began absorbing more and more of my time, "free" and otherwise. Today, thanks to our dismal economy, we haven't had a painting job in many months - so now John works for me! It's fantastic, really, and I'm quite spoiled having his help. We're also extremely grateful that CW has filled in the gap, so that neither of us has had to go out and get "real" jobs. Hah!I often find that the cakes get more hilarious the more time I spend looking at old posts. Do these wrecks still crack you up? Do you have a favorite?I feel egotistical admitting this, but yes, sometimes I *do* crack up over old posts. I'll be looking for a photo in the archives and get distracted, because I won't remember having written something. It's kind of fun looking back, too; like reading over an old diary. I have lots of favorites, but usually for different reasons than the readers. Sometimes I'm just really happy with the way my writing turned out, like in Drew's Birthday Wish, or others I remember some crazy circumstance (like the Epcot/Spaceship Earth debacle) that was frustrating at the time but makes me laugh now. My favorite kind of Wreck, though, is the misunderstanding/literal kind, where there was some break-down in the communication process that resulted in something hilarious – like the Flash Drive cake, or the famous "Under Neat That" Wreck. Those just never seem to get old.
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