Baker's First Attempt at Theme Cake Hilariously Backfires: 'Grotesque'

A themed birthday cake turned into a nightmarish creation for one baker after her Phantom of the Opera cake went hilariously awry.

Nina, from South Carolina, was hosting a Phantom of the Opera-themed 25th-birthday party for her best friend when she embarked on the ambitious task of creating a cake inspired by Gerard Butler's Phantom.

But her journey into fondant work quickly transformed the cake into what one person online described as "a nightmare."

"I made the cake earlier this year for my best friend's Phantom of the Opera-themed 25th-birthday party we threw at our house. It was supposed to be inspired by Gerard Butler's Phantom[...]but things quickly took a turn for the grotesque," Nina told Newsweek.

The process was no easy feat for Nina, who decided to make everything from scratch, including the cake, filling, and most importantly the icing—something she had never worked with before.

"I feel like it took so much longer than it should have. I was probably working on it for five to six hours in total," she said.

But the outcome wasn't what she had hoped, with bulging fondant, oversized pink lips and a make-shift mask. After the unexpected result, she decided to share it on Reddit.

"I wasn't aware of the subreddit r/cakefails until the day that I made the post. After checking out some of the other 'fails' on that page, I thought the followers might get a kick out of my abhorrent creation, so I went ahead and posted it hoping that it might entertain a few people," Nina explained.

Alongside several pictures of the cake, Nina wrote: "My horrifying first attempt at using fondant for a "Phantom of the Opera" birthday cake."

The internet's reaction exceeded her expectations as thousands of people upvoted and commented on the pictures of the cake.

This isn't the first time a cake has caused a stir online either, like the barbeque themed Dairy Queen cake that divided opinion. Or the unconventional wedding cake that baffled the internet after going viral on Reddit.

"This actually makes me laugh so f****** hard, it's absolutely iconic," said one commenter, while another Reddit user wrote: "This is amazing! You should start a specialty in creepy face cakes, produce a variety!" said Nina.

The polarizing cake certainly split opinions, and Nina was thrilled that people were amused by the baking accident. "I'm really glad that it gave so many people something fun to engage with," she said.