Thursday, September 11, 2008

Is This a Wreck? You Decide.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Today we Americans and our friends around the world should pause and remember those lost in the attacks on 9/11/01. We each do this in our own way, and some people commemorate the day a little differently. Some people, for example, make a cake:


I've received several different pictures of this cake - each taken from a different angle - so it's obviously getting a lot of attention from passers-by. Some believe this is just the baker's way of using his unique skills to make a tribute. Others think it's disrespectful: halfway through serving those towers the cake is going to look pretty darn macabre. Personally, I'm on the fence. I see the skill involved, and I think the baker's motives are pure, but in execution I can see why so many are offended.

Your thoughts?



Thanks to Anna B., Patrick C., Dubi K., and Marc Felion, who took the original photo.
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Anonymous said...

BEYOND tacky and insensitive. Horrible, horrible cake. Anything to make a buck makes me sick.

Anonymous said...

It is a bit tastless. It would be like honoring a miscarriage with one of those belly cakes...

Anonymous said...

A large sheet cake with plastic towers would have been more appropriate. That way you're not eating through the towers in a way reminiscent of that terrible day.
-Julie

Anonymous said...

as long as they would never actually SELL that cake to be eaten, then I don't see much of a problem with it, honestly. It's the baker's way of showing they care. But to serve it and eat it would be very disrespectful.

Just a Marine wife's opinion.

Sandi said...

Maybe the intention was never to cut into the cake? And if it was meant to be cut into, then you just carefully remove the "towers" and slice. I think that would make it less macabre.

I see it as a tribute. Cake is a form of art.

Anonymous said...

Total wreck. You're right, there's no doubt that the creators of this cake had good intentions...but like so many of the other items in this blog, they completely forgot that this thing is cut up and served to people. -Alex B

Anonymous said...

Hmm, could go either way.
Maybe it will only be a cake if it is served. But at the same, simply throwing it away would also make it a wreck... Dilemma.

Katie said...

I see it as a tribute. A tribute that shouldn't be eaten.

Janet said...

I think you're right. If left unserved it's a nice tribute. Once you cut it, it's just bad form.

Anonymous said...

I don't think it's offensive. I mean, plenty of people plumb forgot about it this year; at least this person remembered and tried to do something in respect to it using their job skills.

Craig said...

Oh dear. I'm sure the intention was good, but that is a really bad idea.

But hey, at least it's in better taste than the limited edition coins that claim to use "real silver found in the wreckage of the WTC".

Funky Kim said...

Let them eat cake!

It's a beautiful cake and a yummy tribute.

Anonymous said...

How can eating a cake be disrespectful? We're all sorry for those involved in 9/11. So, let's be trusting that the baker meant his or her very best, did a fine job, and let it go at that. I'd eat a piece of this cake, no problem.

Deven
Nashville

Anonymous said...

Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Unknown said...

At least there was no plastic plane on it.

Ms. Iman said...

I'm hoping it's only one of those "Decorative" cakes, that are only designed to look good, not be consumed. Or at least that the towers aren't meant to be eaten, because, short of being really REALLY morbid, I can't imagine people willingly hacking into the towers to eat them.

Kelli said...

At best, I would suggest the cutting take place off-site, out of view of anyone, or simply do not serve the towers, serve the base only. I think the intentions are simply to commemorate and not to offend, but in light of the situation, and what occurred, maybe the baker lacked a little foresight as to what the cake would look like in the process.
Wreck, no. Slightly misguided, probably.

Ronnica said...

I guess it just depends if the baker was trying to sell the cake, or simply providing an appropriate tribute to put in a bakery window. I wouldn't really want to buy the cake and start cutting it up.

Ruth said...

I am sure the baker had good intentions, however... I think your use of the word "macabre" is appropriate.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure if I'd go so far as to say "disrespectful" (though it depends on where it's being served. What town was it taken in?), but I do know that I would feel very, very uncomfortable cutting into one of those towers.

On the lighter side, it reminds me of this article from The Onion.

Life in the Crazy Lane said...

I think it's a nice and well-meaning thought, but a bad idea. I don't think I'd really want to commemorate the day with a cake ...

Jen said...

I don't find this offensive, but I guess I can see where someone might. I think we honor those who died by remembering the day and marking what happened with moments of silence, prayers, candle-light vigils, etc. This cake is a personal expression of the memory and I think they had every intention of honoring the memory, not dessicrating it. Perhaps its not even meant to be eaten.

Unknown said...

That is incredibly, massively, horribly tasteless.

sophanne said...

As art, maybe.
As food, no.

Amanda said...

I think that the baker did a good job and had good intentions. Everyone is different, different things offend different people, and my suggestion would be if a tribute like this is something a person feels is in poor taste, they shouldn't buy it. But just because they think it's in poor taste doesn't mean others out there might not think of it in good taste, and want to buy it because of that.

(How's that for convoluted?)

MommaSuds said...

Wow am I going to be first.I might have to dance if I am so I will type fast.LOL

I am sure a lot of emotion and thought went in to creating this cake.I do not think it is disrespectful but I deffinately would not be able to eat any of it.

I like it.Good job to the baker.May we NEVER FORGET.No matter how we deal with it as long as we don't forget!

Anonymous said...

I don't really think the baker was thinking this through. I understand that they were trying to make a tribute to those lost, but my God! Did no one tell them that maybe cake was the wrong medium. As you said those towers are going to look a mess once they are cut into. To me, a lifelong NYC resident, this is incredibly disrespectful. Cake is supposed to be happy, this cake makes me want to cry.

Unknown said...

It is delicious cake.

Anonymous said...

I don't think the cake is a wreck...and I get your point. In my opinion cake is normally used for celebration. (At funerals you usually see pie) It seems weird to me that you would have cake and ice cream today to remember 9/11.

Anonymous said...

I agree that the talent is there, but it is a little crude to make a cake out of a symbol of such sorrow, especially since slicing the pieces will make it resemble the fall of the buildings as the cake-fest progresses. How is that honoring the lives taken? You can't honor a tragedy by eating cake.

Thanks for posting a cake of such a topical nature, I love this blog.

Anonymous said...

Why be offended? Too much work. Someone put alot of thought into that cake with the best of intentions.

Amy said...

I would not be comfortable eating any part of the World Trade Center. At all.

Donna said...

Do you ... eat the towers?

The cake in itself is bizarre. The fact that it's intended to be demolished by gnashing teeth is ... um ... dude.

~me said...

The baker should have left the towers off. It would have been a nice cake then

Micki said...

This is a wreck! Can you imagine what will happen when you start cutting into those towers? They will fall. Too much like the real thing-it would be awful. Who needs/wants to relive those moments again? If they had put the towers flat on the cake like a picture, I could deal with it much better.

Matt said...

It seems that with this cake, as with the face-in-a-helmet-so-have-a-slice-of-brains red velvet cake, cake and icing have become more an artistic medium, and less a tasty treat.

Is this wrong? I say that's a no-no. Delicious confections are meant to be eaten and enjoyed; they are not meant to make political statements.

So, if the flour/egg/sugar combination known as cake is used strictly as a sculptural medium, I have a suggested name: "cake". Its not cake.

Thank you for allowing me to use too much punctuation!

Jenni said...

I can understand the hesitancy see, but like you, I see the skill and tribute as well. It's not like it's showing the actual attack. We all make tributes to this day in our own way: through our blogs, photographs, music, so why not in a cake?

Anonymous said...

I don't think there is anything wrong with a Sept 11th cake, but this one in particular is a little over-done. For me, the towers on the cake make it too literal. Way, WAY too literal.

Monica said...

Huh. That's interesting. How much worse is that cake than rewatching all the footage on tv, over, and over, and over again.

ipa said...

Oh dear! It's awful.

Michelle said...

It does look nice, and I can understand the spirit in which it was made, but you're right about how it's going to look when it is served. It will look like the twin towers are coming down again. Kind of twisted if you think about it...

Gina said...

We could always pray that the towers themselves are not edible and thusly not going to be dessimated...
Gina

Winona said...

When something dramatic happens, we pay tribute in the best way we know how, utilizing our individual talents. Some do it through music, or writing, or painting, or just by simple, quiet personal reflection. This cake is a tribute made in the way the person knows best, which is beautiful in its own way.

How it will look when eaten, however, is a little macabre, you're right.

sbergus said...

The first question that popped into my mind (well the second actually, the first was WTF?) was, "how do you serve the towers?" I see two equally tasteless options. The first is you simply slice pieces out of the towers as you serve, creating a slow motion replay of the real life events. The second would be to take one of the towers off the base, lay it horizontal, slice and serve.

Could a group of people not feel uncomfortable during either option?

Anonymous said...

Nice Work. I think it is a tribute, not an item for sale.

prairieknitter01 said...

Well, here's another item to consider in the same vein: Top Design on Bravo tv last night (the night before the anniversary of 9/11) had its competing interior designers decorate bomb-shelter bunkers - part of the winning criteria was "cheerfulness" and whether one would want to spend fifty years in them....Ugh...

Anonymous said...

I think it would be way more offensive if the buildings were crumbling.

Christina said...

Some cakes seem to be just for looking at... I can't see anyone actually serving it.... Or at least remove the towers before cutting into it.... just my 2 cents...

Anonymous said...

Well intentioned, well executed, but kind of a wreck nevertheless, in my personal opinion.

Edible memorials are just rarely ever a good idea, as half way through, it is going to look fairly awful.

Anonymous said...

I think it's a pretty nice tribute, but like so many of the wrecks on this site, people don't have the foresight to consider what will happen once it's served.
- Cynthia

Bathtub Mary said...

Oh, I was just coming here to send you this one!

I'm on the fence too. I love love love the bakery this came from, so I give them a little leeway based on that. Also, I can further give them benefit of the doubt and say perhaps this was ordered by a customer and not something they made up of their own volition? If so, not a wreck, because it's well-executed.

Still, I can't get past the fact that it's tackier than ten tons of shit.

mMm said...

I'm going with wreck. But then, i'd just feel weird eating a national tragedy.

Christin said...

Definitely a wreck, unless those towers are styrofoam covered in frosting and won't be disassembled when the cake is served.

The tipping point between "marginally tasteless" and "true wreck" might lie in the fact that the only windows drawn on it are positioned where the planes struck.

Miss Kolleen said...

people are so damned odd. its a cake. it's a tribute. get over it. they could cut it into pieces before serving it to save form any discomfort.

Anonymous said...

Not sure. There is the old adage: "pain + time = humor." Don't know if it is too soon to make with the 9/11 commentary. Then again, no one thought that eating the towers was in poor taste? At least there weren't tiny plastic people on it...

Anonymous said...

At least they didn't put candles on top!

Or mix pop rocks into the icing.

What I don't understand is why people get so bent out of shape when someone burns a flag, yet nobody bats an eye when someone suggests you EAT the flag.

Maybe I'd understand if I was an American, but I know for sure that wearing the US flag as clothing and using it in advertisements is a federal offense in the US that nobody enforces. Not sure about rendering it in icing but surely cutting it up into bite size chunks and serving it to people is worse than burning it. Unless it's some sort of patriotic version of Communion.

There you go, hopefully I covered off anybody who wasn't offended by the actual cake.

Mama Skates said...

i'm not offended - i also wouldn't serve the towers themselves - they could be removed & just the base cake b served....but i think the baker's intentions were purely in tribute

Megan said...

You pose an interesting question...the cake is rather well done, and looks good BEFORE being cut. However, I think the cutting up of the towers and consuming them might be a little much. I'd say not a wreck in theory, but definitely a wreck in execution. Much like the famous realistic baby cake. Looks nice...would feel weird eating it.

Kelly O said...

WOW. Total wreck. It would be like a eating a piece of cake in the shape of a dead family member.

Jessie said...

I find it disturbing. I mean, you have to disassemble and eat the towers. Yikes.

Anonymous said...

Disturbing. Don't like it at ALL.

Anonymous said...

I think that the intentions were pure... but aren't so many for the cakes here? I agree that when the cake is cut.. it's a little too much of a reminder of what it's commemorating!

Momof4 said...

I agree that the baker was well-intentioned. I'm sure that no disrespect was meant at all. IMHO, this well-executed cake misses the mark with class for just the reasons you mentioned. Who wants to look at the towers become a mess of crumbs and think of that association, let alone *eat* it?

The cake would have been a nice commemorative without the towers, with just the flag and banners. I could eat the American flag without feeling sad.

wildrosepony said...

Without knowing the creator it's hard to make a judgement either way.
I'd like to think that this person wanted to make a tribute and thier best skill was decorating...is that any different than a singer composing a song, or a film-maker creating a movie?

Karen said...

Hmmm. I guess I'm wondering why 9-11 is a cake-worthy event. Seems a moment of silence would be more suitable, or a patriotic hymn-sing. Perhaps if the cake were left un-cut???

Love your blog!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps I shouldn't be offended, but I am. I understand the need to make a tribute but hang a poster for goodness sake. My parents were both military and I have always been told that it is disrespectful to use the American flag for anything other than its intended purpose (ie. wearing it, having an american flag towel, etc.) so I can't imagine that eating it is any better.

Anonymous said...

Are you sure the towers are meant to be eaten? Decorators sometimes build structures out of cardboard and then ice those. Maybe the towers are supposed to be removed from the cake before serving.

It's still a little weird though. I love me some cake and I don't feel like this is a cake memorial occasion.

Anonymous said...

By the way, this website is hysterical. I have to suppress my laughter at work.

estinger said...

They should have just left it without the towers, then it would be really nice!

Unknown said...

I quite like it, regardless of what the cake might look like once you start eating the towers, it is quite a lovely cake.

On the morbid side... I'd love to be the one to eat it!

Anonymous said...

I find this cake to be on the right blog:

Cake WRECK!

Anonymous said...

Those that are offended really need to just settle down. Whoever did this meant well. It's obviously meant as a tribute. Everyone expresses themselves in different ways, so get off your soap box.

Jen said...

@kevinsky - "a patriotic version of Communion"? Ok, that made me chuckle. You present an interesting point, though. I guess cake flags are Ok because they are usually served during times of national celebration, whereas flag burnings are always a form of protest. Huh.

Color me introspective, not offended.

Shorty said...

I think an American Flag would suffice as a memorable tribute. How could you eat that cake and not feel guilty? The baker probably had the best of intentions, and may not even intend to eat it, but then how could you just throw it away?

Leah Brianne said...

I, personally, see it as a tribute, and I think it's kind of sweet,(they even included a dedication off to the side). Sure, maybe they would have been better using something else as the towers, but they didn't, so why can't we just take it as it is: a tribute to the fallen men and women of a terrible tragedy.

Little Fish said...

I truly don't believe the baker had anything but the best of intentions, but it is disturbing.

hollywog said...

My inital reaction was disbelief. But the more and more I look at it, the more impressed I am by that ballsy baker who took a chance. Bravo, baker. We all remember today differently, and this is just another way to commemorate. What's the difference if she'd cast a bronze statue or made this cake?

The difference is that we wouldn't be having this discussion if it had been a bronze cast. Let's all be a little more open to expression, eh?

Anonymous said...

What's that saying?? The road to hell is paved with 9/11 cakes? I think the baker probably meant well but strategically it was not a good move. Seriously. I don't ever remember seeing Pearl Harbor Day cake or a Holocaust cake, but perhaps I have been running in the wrong (or should I say right) circles.

webbie said...

I am a self-proclaimed Pollyanna and insist on seeing only the good. I see a beautifully executed cake expressing a sweet sentiment.

Jennifer Good said...

Oh. My. God. This is in such poor taste! When you cut it!? How it will LOOK when it is cut!!? You know, I'm not a "deeply" patriotic person, but this is just offensive to the core.

Jennifer Good said...

PS. A flag cake would have sufficed just fine, if they HAD to do it. Towers just make me feel offended. But this isn't the Fourth of July, it isn't supposed to be a cake "holiday".

Unknown said...

I'm sure I have a dark sense of humor, but this post cracks me up. "when cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong"

Anonymous said...

I don't understand wha tthe big deal is. I see the cake a a lovely tribute by an artist who used his/her skills and preferred medium to relay that tribute. I'd have no problem eating the cake (base OR towers) either. It's cake, it's meant to be eaten. As long as it was disassembled off-site and sliced and served (much like they do wedding cakes) instead of being hacked into, I just don't see the problem.

I think society as a whole is too quick to cry "I'm offended".

The Barnes Crew said...

I see it as a tribute! I hardly doubt that anyone would intentionally make something that they thought would offend...Hey at least they tried!

The way I see it, it's a celebration of those that were lost and when there's a celebration we must have cake!

Many thoughts & blessings to those that lost loved ones on this day 7 years ago!

Wendy W. said...

Interesting. Good skills, used in poor taste, in my opinion. It is a beautiful memorial, but gee, paint a picture rather than bake something that will either be eaten or decay.

Feast of Fools said...

Yeah! My picture made it onto Cakewrecks. I'm thrilled!

I have to say the bakery that made this cake is my favorite bakery. They have a strange aesthetic but their cakes taste wonderful.

jaxx79 said...

I really do not think it is offensive at all. Perhaps it was never intended to be eaten. A baker was using his medium as a form of expression. If this was any other type of artist there woud be no issue. I think that just having the cake in the window and not actually serving it is a very nice tribute.

Eddie said...

I'm coming to this post a bit late, but I'm sure that if someone took the care and time to make a cake like this, they didn't do so with the intention of selling it. And depending on their views on wasting food, they probably wouldn't eat it, either.

I don't see any problem with an artist creating a tribute like this with their preferred medium. The fact that the medium in question is cake is immaterial.

Michelle M. said...

I sincerely hope it's not a cake to be eaten...just one made as a tribute.

Kirstan said...

Looking at it---it's more of a tribute in its artistic form.

I seriously doubt it will be cut up and eaten.

It is on display and just wonderful way to honor the memory.

Nick said...

Cutting into this would be like cutting into a Joan River's Face Cake, a Lance Armstrong Nut Roll cake or a John McCain Face Tumor cake.

Taking a knife to it would be wrong.

knittinglane said...

Nowadays it's almost impossible to do anything without offending someone. However, that said, I think that this cake is totally tasteless (pun intended). Obviously the creator of this cake wasn't using his or her head...

Anonymous said...

Ok, looks like no one commented on this: someone mentioned that it is good there was no little plastic plane on the cake... but I wondered about the white bands around each of the towers. Are those meant to represent the particular floors that were hit or something!? Egads!!!

Mosher said...

I honestly think some people just *want* to be offended. It's a cake. It's on public display in the window of a business. If the baker thought it would be offensive then he's no businessman. Take it in the way it was obviously intended.

If you want offence, check out the lighters for sale in Asia that are shaped like the twin towers. When you flick them, little LEDs flicker on the upper storeys and it plays a tune.

JSlayerUK said...

Even if it is offensive, we live in a part of the world where we have freedom - we can bake cakes in whatever form we choose. And really, that's one of the most important things we should remember and celebrate - our freedoms. We start stopping originality like this and the terrorists win.

So I think wreck yes - but at least we can make political cake wrecks without losing our liberty. And that's worth a slice in celebration in my books.

Shelli said...

bad, bad, bad.

I actually just posted a blog post about how bitter I feel that people try to capitalize on tragedy.

www.hydrangeasarepretty.wordpress.com

clueuin said...

Think of it as comfort food.
I know I ate alot of food on the day it happened. (I also drank alot and smoked [cigs] alot and cried alot. You get the picture.)
So, I'm kind like our blogger patron Jen here,kind of on the fence about the whole thing.
I guess someone is going to have to confence me to either one side or the other.
((((Le sigh!))))
I can just see it now.

In Memoriam,
Peace,
Clueuin

Unknown said...

I don't think it's offensive. People commemorate and honor what happened on 9/11 in different ways... how else would you expect a cake decorator to do so? There is nothing offensive about it. Putting the towers on a cake is no different than showing a picture of them on television.

Now, at first I thought the cake said "Merry 9/11 2001!" which would have been pretty offensive =P. But I just misread it.

Carisita said...

My general impression of this cake as inappropriate have already been repeated several times in the comments, so let me just add this: If you could get past the fact that they were the WTC towers, would you want to eat something with that much black frosting in the first place? I didn't think so.

Anonymous said...

The towers could be "dummies", too, covered in fondant; you see that a lot in display cakes (since they need to last longer than actual cake). I choose to see this as a tribute rather than a wreck, because I think that the intention was an honourable one, and that the odds are low anyone had planned to serve it up.

Anonymous said...

OMIGOSH! After seeing the cake posted here,:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elswatchoboracho/2848364872/in/pool-gothamist

the one on this list is DEFINITELY in good taste!!!!!! Seriously, people, check it out!

Tasha said...

No doubt, they meant well, but it's still a wreck. Without the towers, it would have been much more palatable, both to look at, and to eat!

Anonymous said...

I can see that the baker meant it as a tribute - it's quite lovingly made- but I think it's a poorly thought out concept that wouldve been far more appropriate without the towers. Im sure everyone would be able to tell what it was a tribute to without displaying the actually towers anywhere, we all know what this date means - all over the world we remember. I dont think any malice was intended, this person is simply using their talents to memorialize the day the best the way they know but it's a bit insensitive.

Anonymous said...

on one level it looks good, but on another level I think it's not well thought out. Sincere emotions behind it, but little thought as to reactions at the thought of cutting up and eating the symbolic towers.
I thought Americans weren;t allowed to subject their flag to mistreatment. So how about cutting up the cake with the flag on it and eating it?
Not a wreck. The cake and decoration are very well done with a lot of attention to detail. Looks like an honest attempt at commemoration that backfired.
I too am glad there are no plastic planes involved.

Lauren C. said...

Honestly people, it's not meant to be eaten. DUH. I cannot believe some of you would say this is "tacky and insensitive" when it's QUITE obvious that the baker had only the best of intentions. You should never, EVER insult someone's way of paying tribute when you don't know the motives behind it. So get off your high-horses and show a little respect towards the baker. Geez.

Anonymous said...

I'm not utterly offended, but in my opinion, cake in our culture signifies celebration. We don't make fancy decorated cakes for funerals or other sad occasions. I think that's what freaks people out about this.

Lyz said...

I'm not offended and don't think it's particulary offensive in general. But I do wonder how anyone could eat a piece of that cake (much less the towers themselves) with that huge knot in their stomach already.

Maybe that is something the baker should take into consideration - much like the other wrecks of head and apparently dead animals...does the cake itself destroy your appetite?

Anonymous said...

Strangely, Reid, it reminded me of this Onion article... I'm going to have to call the whole thing tasteless. I won't call it disrespectful because the intention was obviously the opposite... but even if the towers are meant to be "decorative", tragedy should not be rendered in icing.

Anonymous said...

I think if it had the planes it would be tacky, but it seems to me someone is just trying to honor the day in the one way they know how

Christina said...

your posters confuse me. they seemed more than willing to eat a baby shower cake that was pretty down right graphic and said that it was funny, but they can not appreciate a cake that shows people NO i have not forgotten this day? i rather eat party of a building then a piece of cake with nipple on it. i find nothing wrong with this cake and i do not know why everyone has to say EVERYTHING is politically incorrect nowadays. hope everyone who finds this tasteless also throws a fit when eating pieces of baby at a shower.

sues2u2 said...

If it's in a window my guess would be that it's not meant to be served but rather to stand as a tribute in the way best way a cake decorator knows how.

From a AF retiree's wife.

Anonymous said...

I don't find it particularly offensive or tasteless. Lots of people remember things in different ways and this person's talent happens to be cake. Now if there'd been a little marzipan plane in the side of one of the towers it might be a bit more tasteless.
I was just trying to figure out the toasted coconut or maybe crushed nuts on top of the buildings...odd touch. I guess for a change of color?

Persnickety Ticker said...

I think it is a great tribute. I highly doubt anyone would want to cut into it. Not a wreck.

Tarot By Arwen said...

I see it as an unfortunate attempt at self-promotion. Reminds me of Marie Antoinette in a way. "Let them eat cake" takes on a whole new meaning, eh?

Anonymous said...

I can see where the baker was coming from here, but the towers were really not the best design to use.

Well, could have been worse. I once saw a (non-professional, I hope) cake that had the towers on fire. Now THAT'S bad taste.

Anonymous said...

My guess is it wasn't made with the idea that it'd be sold, or eaten. It was a memorial that she could do, to put in her window on this one day, and then that's it.

Anonymous said...

REALLY tasteless would be if a stripper jumped out of it. A stripper wearing a camouflage outfit and posing with a prop machine gun.

clueuin said...

((((Sigh))))
What did I say?
Still not convenience either way.
But hey you asked people's opinion Jen, soooo....
((((Sigh)))

Peace,
Clueuin

OneCheekyHobbit said...

I would never eat or buy that cake, but I agree that the person who made it really felt that they were doing a great thing. They didn't put enough thought into it, or they would never have made it, but I really think it was someone who felt they were showing their spirit.

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Who wants cake when thinking of that day? Pass.

Richard said...

Tacky, yes. Offensive, no. Like you said, their heart was in the right place. I myself would have chosen to commemorate the date and show my respect in a different way, but as you said, everybody chooses to commemorate the day in their own way.
-r-

*Michelle said...

Holy Comments Batman!
Just to toss a thought in... The cake is in a window... how often are the display cakes actually ever eaten? And in what other way can a cake baker show support? Its unlikely that the baker has a flag to fly at half mast. I believe that this is the bakers way of showing support.

Anonymous said...

at least a plane isn't flying into a tower...

Anonymous said...

I think it's tacky in execution but the motive was probably good-- the baker had good intentions, and I doubt it's a cake to be sold for eating.

I do think they would have gotten the point across just fine without the towers, whether cake or plastic. It's 9/11; I think people would understand the tribute even if the cake were simply an American flag with no writing.

Still, I do think the baker had good intentions with this. Admittedly it reminds me of 'The Onion' when the 9/11 events occurred-- one of the satires featured being about a housewife who, feeling helpless and unknowing about what she could do, baked an American flag pie.

Anonymous said...

PS. Cannongirl found the very cake I was referring to.

Anonymous said...

We all serve with our own talents, right? I think the cake is fine. I'm not quite sure what memorial service would be appropriate to serve cake at, but if they took it out back to cut it, no one would even see the towers being cut apart.

I'm also willing to entertain the idea that the towers aren't really cake. I see that a lot on Ace of Cakes where they frost a styrofoam block to look like a cake so they don't have to cut apart everyone's favorite elephant or whatever. Maybe this works the same way?

M K Glass said...

I see this as a tribute, done in the way the artist knows best. It's just a piece of art.

In all honesty, I don't see eating the cake as disrespectful. It's a cake. It's not the real towers... It's no more disrespectful to eat the pastry towers than it is to use the materials from the WTC to make a ship. Cake is for eating. Get over the symbolism.

Anonymous said...

No, not necessarily a wreck, but certainly in poor taste. Insensitive and tacky. Mean.

Anonymous said...

people LOVE to be affended these days! if it were made out of clay and then rolled up into a ball afterwards would everybody go crazy for that too? it's a tribute done in the artist's medium-cake. the end.

Anonymous said...

It's a tribute! A painstakingly made cake to sit in a window to show that they care. It's touching that they went to the effort. I really don't think it was made to be cut into at all. Some of you people need to chill out.

Anonymous said...

Just thought of something else.

I don't know anything about cakes, but wouldn't cakes that small stacked as high as the towers be really heavy? Like might topple over since they're so heavy? So wouldn't they have to be something else or unservable because they have a rod sticking through them?

Anonymous said...

What is on top of the left tower? If that is a candle then this cake is really over the top.

The Creeper said...

Are they eating the towers? It's going to be pretty darn upsetting when they start cutting into the towers and/or put them on their sides to cut them. Uh. Nice way to bring up a bad memory.

Hyla said...

I dont think it will be eaten. It could be Styrofoam under there.
It is a nice thought, though I could see how it could be taken the wrong way. But everything can be taken the wrong way.
~Hyla
http://earthyfinds.blogspot.com

mskimmi said...

i get the impression that it's a decorative cake. one that is going to sit in the window of the shop. with that in mind, it's perfectly acceptable. it's art. like the movies, paintings, and other tributes done about 9-11.

Rachel said...

well, I get what they meant to do, but I'm with you, it will look pretty bad once people start to eat it. Maybe they could take off the towers before they start cutting the cake? That might make it worse...

Anonymous said...

You asked "your thoughts" just to see all the crazy uber-patriots come out, didn't you? The first comment provided enough enjoyment for me for the whole day.

Anonymous said...

It seems to me to be for display only. It's a tribute folks-- I see nothing wrong with it-- the person is not selling the cake--it's for display.

Michele said...

I think that the cake is an amazing tribute to what happened 7 years ago. Mad props to the baker on this!! Now if it was meant to be eaten or not... Who cares... I agree with the "Let them Eat Cake!!!"

carondelet said...

If the towers are edible, then it is macabre and not very well thought...

Anonymous said...

This is going to sound wishy washy but here's my humble opinion:

Look at it as an art form rather than a cake and you'll see that it's an artistic tribute to the tragedy.

Other side of the coin:
I hope the towers weren't meant to be eaten because yeah, that just doesn't seem right. I'm with the people here when they say take the towers off before cutting.

I just can't go as far as saying that this is disrespectful because it's someone's own personal way of remembering the tragedy.

Prof. Michele said...

This is a work of art by an artist. I personally wouldn't eat it- but I don't think that is the point. I think it is the person's way of saying that even while they continue in their trade (which is what we were told to do in the days following 9/11/01) they are thinking about those lives that were lost.
~Michele

Dobby's Roommate said...

I'm assuming that the towers are styrofoam and meant to be kept rather than eaten. After all, today part of what we should remember is to be tolerant, and in that vein I choose not to assume the artist was trying to be tacky.

Anonymous said...

LOL. You ninnies. Get it down your gullet.

To EAT or Not to Eat is NOT a DAM Question Mang, EAt, Scoff and SHOVELL ALL FOOD

Anonymous said...

Horrifying. I sincerely doubt that this is meant to be eaten. I must believe that it's a one day display. That said, I think it would be fine to make a sheet cake with tribute words on it since that is the medium in which a baker would express their tribute...but the towers? Nooooo. Baaaaad.

Etiquette Bitch said...

yeah, i'm with the posters who don't like it. i was in disbelief when i saw the photo. you're right, jen: it took skill, but 1/2 way through, well, hate to say it, but then it *will* really resemble that horrid day...uck.

I can only hope the cake-cutter slices both buildings at the base, and perhaps cuts them elsewhere?

Anonymous said...

Who cares...I seems people are too sensitive about everything. So, do you guys hate those posters that say never forget that show the towers? No...Does anyone ban a movie because it has the towers in it? No...I think the designer was trying to use the imaeg because it means a lot to people. Just because it is cake, doesn't make it 'tastless'. frankly, I didn't even notice that today was 9/11. I think people just need to move on. It was a terrible day, so stop trying to relive it.

About Me said...

I doubt the baker had an evil scheme with this cake. It's beautifully done.

But! I don't like the idea of breaking down the towers to eat them. And eating a flag seems disrespectful also.

Can there be a new category for this cake? Sad Wreck? Weepy Wreck? Nothing Funny About It Wreck?

Eric said...

I think it was a baker using his art to provide a tribute. I can appreciate the feelings that some express about it feeling macbre if eaten. I say if it was supposed to be eaten, then either cut it away from the public or just eat the sheet cake


www.goinggreenaccidently.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one who thinks that it would be inappropriate if it was eaten with this sterling silver airplane spoon?

noricum said...

Depends... did they use cherry pie filling to glue together the tower layers? That would be *really* bad when the cake was cut!

Anonymous said...

I think the bakers intentions were totally respectful. I agree that so many of us see today as just another day. This person took time to show he or she still cares deeply.

Thomas said...

holy crap that is scary. would you ask for a piece of the tower in which your friend burned to death? yay!

Anonymous said...

The moment the cake is cut, it is wrong. Cakes are meant to be part of a celebration, not part of a memorial. I don't believe the baker meant to be insensitive, but a cake as a tribute to something so terrifying is inappropriate.

kateypie35 said...

That is so tacky...truly awful. The incredible pain, devastation and horror that was September 11th does not belong on a sugar confection. I don't care how well meaning the baker was...this is just stupid.

Anonymous said...

I don't think any harm was meant. However, eating the towers would be completely lacking in respect. And I would certainly like to think that it was meant only for display and never to be sold.

Leigh Ayn said...

I'm with you, I think the bakers intentions were sincere... it would be creepy to eat it, but hopefully it is just for show!

Anonymous said...

I bet it tastes good!

Nicky said...

A cake in a window is an advertisement, and this event shouldn't be used to advertise or attain financial gain.

Additionally, a cake is a celebratory, frivolous luxury, and has no place in a so-called "tribute" to what occurred 7 years ago.

Way, way, wayyy out of line.

Anonymous said...

why on earth would somebody cut a cake to celebrate such a tragedy?
and why would somebody make a cake like this? it really is tasteless.

Anonymous said...

You might call that one a recipe for disaster. < My dad said it, not me. I think it's ok. Kinda cool, actually. IDK if you do eat thwe towers, though.

Hereward said...

It's not a wreck and I won't be too censorious wrt the baker but whoever commissioned that is daft at the very best.

Daisy Church said...

hmm, I have to agree with the sentiment that it's a tribute, not meant to be eaten (just a window piece), because yes, the moment it gets served/ cut up, it's really just ... awkward.

That's the thing with a lot of very realistic cakes as well- people don't really think through the end point of cake as having to be served (i.e. the puppy /baby/ football player head cakes)..

although in this point, I think the baker was just trying to do a tribute/ window display...

Anonymous said...

To the posters that say cakes are for celebration, pies are for funerals, has obviously never been to a Southern funeral or a wake.


The large gathering after the funeral service IS a celebration of the person who passed, where you exchange happy memories, eat lots of good food, comfort each other, and enjoy wonderful cake. It's FOOD. It's COMFORT. No one feels guilty for smiling or laughing. You're brought together in your respect and love for the people that passed.


I see nothing wrong with this cake, even if the towers are made to be edible. I feel, however, that it is a cake made only for display, and it was beautifully done.

Anonymous said...

My brother died in the towers, and I find this incredibly tacky, tasteless, insensitive, and crass. Cakes are usually meant to celebrate a happy occasion; and this is a day of sorrow for me, my family, and our friends, as well as the families and friends of all of the other victims in all of the 9/11 tragedies.

Arlene C. Harris said...

I don't think it's offensive if taken care of appropriately. In short, you present the cake as is. THen when it is to be cut, you remove it to the kitchen, cut the ENTIRE cake into squares, and present the cut pieces. This is what my local bingo hall did when presented with a sheet cake shaped like the US flag and some objected to cutting into it and leaving squares and vacancies visible.

The intention was to honor those who gave their lives and the buildings that were destroyed, not the ones who did the destroying.

Making a 9-11 cake in the shape of an airplane. Now that would be offensive.

My only concern is the gray icing. I can't even imagine what flavor that could be.

Just my opinions.

Anonymous said...

If the real WTC had been made of chocolate fudge and topped with crumbled graham crackers I would have eaten it too. ;)

Stephanie said...

I would say skip the towers all together...the flag is fine with the sash detail...but skip the towers....especially if it's going to be served.

Anonymous said...

I agree with sandi (5th comment). I see the cake as a tribute by the baker. I don't believe he/she was just "trying to make a buck."

However, I think actually putting the WTC on the cake as a lapse in judgement.

Myself, I completely forgot about 9/11 until I saw this post. Call me callous, but I really think it is time we moved on.

Tori said...

If there were candles on top of he towers, it would be offensive. As it is now, it's just kind of tacky.

Anonymous said...

It's tasteless, as many have already said, for exactly the same reason the baby/dog/photorealistic-severed-head cakes are tasteless. It's one thing for an artist to make a tribute the only way he knows how, but some media just aren't appropriate.

Miranda said...

I just think it's tacky and maudlin.

Anonymous said...

The assumptions are this is a bakery window and it has icing so it HAS to be a cake. Could be styrofoam or cardboard or plastic under there. It's very square and my guess is the deisgner wouldn't feel right eating a real cake either. I think it is a beautiful piece of tribute art done for display only and accurate in design.
And for those that mentioned them...the stick on top is one of the antennae that was on top of one of the towers and the "windows" are actually bands of metal that were part of the tower design. If you look at any picture of the original towers those things are quite prominent. Take it as a memorial and not a dessert people!

Anonymous said...

I think the baker used his/her art to make a tribute and I can't get too worked up over it as it appears to me to be a window display only. Debris from the real WTC ended up in dumps so even if the cake is thrown away, it's hardly disrespectful.

And the last 7 funerals I have gone to (yeah, been a rough couple of years for the family), there have been bakery-decorated cakes afterwards. I've seen "We Love You", "We will miss you" and like tributes on them. Perhaps it's becoming a more accepted thing.

Anonymous said...

Looking at the picture again has me wondering - is it even a real cake? Or is it all foam or cardboard, decorated? If it wasn't meant to be sold (and it would be pretty impossible to transport like that), I can't imagine a baker going to the trouble of actually making a cake.

I think it's just a decorated form, no different than any other statue or painting. I'd bet anything it's not even cake.

Anonymous said...

Not offended in the least. It's not as though the baker stuck a plane in the side. Honestly I feel like people are so rigidly opposed to mentioning 9/11 in any original context. How is this cake any more tacky then a commemorative plate with a giant eagle and flag silhouetted against the towers like you always see in ads? America has this "Always remember...but don't ever actually think deeply about 9/11" attitude that gets us so up in arms about things like this. Its a cake. Not the actual towers. Relax and have a slice

Anonymous said...

Fresh from the Soylent Green Bakery.

"PEOPLE! It's made from PEOPLE!!"

Anonymous said...

It is one person's tribute to something important to them. I do not think it is in bad taste. I think if there were poeple jumping out the building or the planes flying into them, or even if maybe the towers were smoking it would be bad judgement.

I think there are too many uptight people concerning this cake.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the people who've already said they think it's okay as long as it isn't actually supposed to be eaten (at least, the tower part...although eating any of it seems almost celebratory so it's kind of strange). At any rate, I think the baker probably meant well.

JeepLee said...

Really? I don't think it is bad... then again I doubt the towers are cake. I don't think that is was intended to be offensive or disrespectful at all.

Truly... $5 says that the towers are not even made of cake.

Abbie said...

Reminds me of my favorite joke:

Knock knock!

Who's there?

9/11

9/11 who?

YOU SAID YOU'D NEVER FORGET?


Personally, I like the cake. No disaster.

Moominmama said...

jingoism. using a tragedy to generate profit.

although, being a nation of soulless capitalists, it is about the most patriotic thing one could do.

Anonymous said...

Ditto the Onion reference, which I remember well (that was one of the greatest issues ever because it just captured what reasonable people were all feeling that week).

Let's hope it was for decoration only, which would be bizarre.

On the other hand, maybe the baker was making an ironic statement about people who "feed" on others' catastrophe and all the surrounding melodrama. I've always hated this anniversary, partly because it forces me to relive it all over again in my head, and partly because I just can't stand the ghoulishness of the "Never Forget" crowd, the vast majority of whom did not have family members or even acquaintances who died that day.

Sorry, didn't mean to get carried away...

Anonymous said...

Be cool if they could figure out a way to make raisins pop out of the windows!

Anonymous said...

I don't care about intentions, and I agree with the Pearl Harbor/Holocaust post. Whether or not the cake is meant to be eaten or for decoration - it's just in bad taste, period. You don't go and make a sugary treat out of a structure where thousands burned alive and many jumped to their deaths.

Anonymous said...

Yep, about as inhumane as presenting a breast cancer survivor a booby cake to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Although, in the baker's favor, perhaps this is another case of bad news being good news, gaining attention for winding everyone up?

Morgan said...

The towers are what make it weird. Without the towers, it's just flag cake with a nice little banner on it. With them... well, yeah. Serving it is an issue. "WHO WANTS 9/11 CAKE? JESSIE? MARK?"

"Ooh, I do! Can I have the 35th floor? That's where my uncle died."

That said: I laughed when I saw this. I laughed in an "oh. my. god. they can't be serious." kind of way, but it was still a chuckle.

Anonymous said...

This cake looks delicious. I'd demolish both towers and then ask for a five-tier Freedom Tower to follow.

Jenelle said...

Shellac that thing and call it art. But knife into it and serve it up with a cold glass of milk? Horrifying and atrocious.

Sarah said...

I'm on the fence. I really dont think its that bad.

bianca2311 said...

Do the bakers of these cakes ever show up to comment? A couple of people have said they know where it is from.
I think it is a lovely tribute to the memory of the people lost. Cake is a valid medium in my mind. What I find offensive is people trying to remember the deaths of these people and not their lives. I hate roadside tributes commemorating the site of someone's demise for months or even years later. Remember the good they have done in their lives and save the flowers for people who are still with us and need the human contact. Of course the day is a sad one but the time has come for us to stop letting the shock tactic of the attack rule us. Sorry my rant wasnt all cakey.

heels said...

I think it just needs a "For Display Only" sign in front of it or something. It would be way tacky if it was meant to be eaten.

Anonymous said...

I see nothing wrong with this -- as many have said, it could very well be decorative and not for consumption. Even if it is, there are several ways to go about it that wouldn't be offensive.

And hey, keep in mind the cake could have been much, much worse.

Anonymous said...

oNicely made, but rather morbid.

I must say I'm far more offended by the idea of making cakes for the sole purpose of throwing them away than I am by making a cake shaped like anything. Wasting perfectly good food like that is just disgusting in a world where people are dying of starvation. It's a cake, it's edible whatever the hell is stuck on the top! Don't waste it!

sumatra22 said...

WOW! Sure, the woman is talented, she knows her stuff. I'm sure that she baked and decorated this cake as an homage to our fallen heroes, with the most appropriate and patriotic respect in mind. Unfortunately, it was a gross error in judgment. I'm thinking of many historical events that our country honors that are too horrific to idolize on a cake. Let's keep 9/11 in our hearts and minds, not our tummies!

Anonymous said...

Umm, yeah, I actually work there and I am pretty embarrassed by that cake. Like, as in, I hope it goes away soon. The good news is that it's not a real cake, it's a dummy cake. The bad news is that it's on display because I'm pretty sure somebody commissioned this cake and our (fairly misguidedly) patriotic employers decided to put it on display as a testimony to our decorators' skill and to their own Americanism. So, yes. Pretty much on par with those folksy, old 18th century crocheted samplers prophesying doom. Definitely a fail.

Anonymous said...

I don't think it was meant to be eaten. It was the baker's tribute to the day.

SL said...

Is that CHOCOLATE icing? The towers look like the most delicious part of the cake!

R J Keefe said...

When did cakes stop being frivolous, ephemeral treats and start being "memorials"?

When did Americans (at least) start making cakes that weren't meant to be eaten?

I'm not sure that any cake is appropriate in connection with the commemoration of 9/11. This one isn't the most inappropriate imaginable, but it's close.

Anonymous said...

I think it was a store window tribute...not a cake that everyone would buy. Who would buy it anyway?

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