BEHIND THE SCENES: MY MOST CRINGE CAKE PICS
- Cake No Mistake
- Jul 10
- 6 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
In this post, you’ll see the photos I swore would never see the light of day. These are my earliest, most cringe-worthy attempts from when I first started caking.
Why share them now? Two reasons...
First — and least important — I'm over it.
Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s perspective, but honestly, my dodgy cake pics really don’t matter when compared to the very big, very real problems in the world. If they give someone a laugh (including me), brilliant. I’ve actually found it very freeing to look back and chuckle at myself.
The second reason matters more.
When I’m teaching or chatting with students, I often see how hard they are on themselves when something doesn’t go right first time. I get it—I’ve been there. We all have. But beating yourself up is never going to help. I'm hoping that by showing you my failures, you will see that nothing is perfect first time... and that's perfectly ok.
Creativity thrives in a free mind. I'm always aware that if I’m feeling a bit stressed, my ideas don’t flow as easily. Creativity needs breathing room. So don't give yourself a hard time about the learning process, it won't help.
Being totally honest, I wasn’t a good "learner". I struggled with pre-recorded tutorials — if the tutor rambled or took too long to get to the point, my brain would wander off. I’ve only ever finished one full cake tutorial from start to finish. (And yes, you’ll find that very cake a little further down.)
Because I lacked patience and didn’t feel I had enough skills to attend online classes (yeah, I know — how are you supposed to get the skills if you don’t go somewhere to learn?), I mostly muddled through on my own. I’m not saying that to get sympathy — I’m saying it because it wasn’t the smartest approach.
Your own inner voice is helpful — until it isn’t. Sometimes you need a second pair of eyes, a bit of encouragement, or someone to say, “Here’s where it went wrong — and here’s how to fix it.”
If I could go back and change one thing about my cake journey, it would be that: I’d seek out more guidance and community. When I’m teaching, I see firsthand how valuable it is. Just being able to ask questions or share something you’re struggling with. Learning with others doesn't just make things easier — it’s more fun too. It’s the reason I built this site.
So, if you’re having a moment of doubt over a cake that didn’t turn out:
Take a breath. Have a cookie and a cuppa. Keep practising. Be kind to yourself.
Now… ready for some disasters? Enjoy xx
April 2011: The Pink Poo Cupcakes
So, sometime in April 2011, I decided to make cupcakes… no idea why, but I did. It was an unusual thing for me — I hadn’t baked anything since leaving college in 1999.
I was aiming for that flawless buttercream swirl that every cupcake dreams of... Well, that didn’t exactly happen, and pink poo cupcakes were born.
I figured I might have more luck with mini cupcakes and maybe try a sugar flower or two. The result was a sweaty, sad mess. Still, I wasn’t ready to give up... yet.
By now, I was fully committed to my cupcake adventure. Not one to let total failure hold me back, I dove right back in the following weekend to make these. They’re a bit neater, but rather uninspiring.
Budding Ideas… Doomed Execution
Next, I thought I’d get adventurous and make something special for my mum’s birthday. She loves gardening, so naturally, I thought garden-themed cupcakes would be a brilliant idea.
Brace yourselves…
From a (generous) distance, you might be charitable — but up close? It wasn’t pretty.
The icing was thick, cracked, and dry. I didn’t even know gel colours existed at that point, so I used cheap liquid food colours from the supermarket. When I tried to paint with them, they just ran everywhere.
So, my ‘cute’ caterpillars looked like they were bleeding from numerous wounds, and the flowers came straight out of an oozing hellscape.
But my mum loved them, and to this day, still says they’re one of the best things I’ve made…
Thanks Mum… I think 😊
What came after this?
Nothing.
I didn’t bake again for six years.
January 2017: The Great Cupcake Comeback
Fast forward to January 2017. I stumbled across the baking stuff I’d collected six years earlier and, ever the optimist, decided to try cupcakes again.
I must have been feeling a little giddy with it all, as judging by the first pic, I appeared to have invested in some basic plunger cutters.
Spoiler alert: More equipment didn’t result in better cakes.
Not sure what's worse here... lack of cake skills or lack of photography skills?
I can feel myself cringing whilst writing this… I didn’t know that sugar paste softens when left on buttercream for too long, so the little shapes I carefully cut out the day before just melted into mush.
My next big milestone was learning how to cover a cake with sugar paste. Here’s my first attempt:
Rather underwhelming, isn’t it?
Oh, and fun fact: I didn’t have any food colours at this point, so I decided to use cocoa powder to colour the sugar paste. Guess how that turned out…
My sugar paste turned into concrete. I could hardly roll it out. #Fail
February 2017: Petal Problems & Tape Trauma
I think after that, I attempted to make ‘sugar flowers’ (please note sarcastic air quotes).
Clearly, I was being very thorough with the floral tape here… I mean, that is A. Lot. Of. Tape. And for the record, I’ve never seen any rose grow quite like that.
A very ragged lilac rose. Possibly carnivorous.
My next attempt, at a carnation this time, wasn’t much better. Still way too much tape… but I somehow managed to randomly skip areas that definitely should have been taped. And FYI: carnation leaves don’t look like that... not even close.
I had another go at roses… I don’t think any commentary is needed here. But if you ever want a cake adorned with cracked, weird-looking pink cabbages - I’m your girl.
When you want flowers - but end up with vegetables
I also tried to make a gerbera — one of my favourite flowers. I was absolutely convinced it was going to look just like the real thing…
I remember being so disappointed with how this turned out.
(Thankfully, my sugar flower skills improved over time, and I was able to recover from gerbera-gate).
April 2017: The Terror of a “Real” Cake
Nearly four months into my cake journey, I decided to tackle a two-tier floral cake for my mum’s birthday. My skills were improving (slowly) - but this design wasn't good at all.
My memory of the terror I felt when dowelling and stacking a cake for the very first time is still vivid. Sounds ridiculous now, but at the time it felt like the most nerve-wracking experience of my life. I had so many issues making this - including the awful gold paint... how was I to know it would never totally dry?
I also made the rookie error of using gum paste for the ruffles, which of course, set up like granite. As a result, it required the combined strength of three family members to cut the cake.
But I pushed through. I had my dad’s birthday coming up, and it was time for another challenge.
May 2017: Beyond the Sea
As mentioned in the intro, this was the one and only time I managed to sit through an entire tutorial before getting started.
This might have been the one that really got me hooked on modelling - and creating larger, more detailed cakes.
Since those first crazy months in 2017, there’s barely been a day that goes by without me thinking about, writing about, or making something cake-related.
Of course, I do stop for the only thing that’s more important…
I hope this made you smile.
Feel free to share your funniest cake fails or most scary cake moments in the comments.
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