Yesterday the internet exploded with mockery against what looked like a bakery cake gone completely wrong. But the real story behind this much-abused creation is a sweeter tale.

At left, a Queen Elsa cake created by McGreevy Cakes; at right, the much-mocked cake by Icing Smiles. (Credit: Reddit)

The Cake the Internet Scorned

In case you missed it (and where were you?!) the cake hate started when a Reddit user uploaded two side-by-side cakes of Queen Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen” on Monday. One, a spot-on sugary rendition of the blond, porcelain-skin ice Queen, the other, well, a spray-tanned, blobby-haired monster. The photo was simply labeled “the cake that was ordered and the cake that arrived.”

Derisive comments quickly rolled in. “Does the purchase price include 3 free counseling visits for the kids at the party?” one commenter posted. Another chimed in, “The sad thing is, as horrific as it looks, someone put serious time into making that cake…There are hours and hours of terrible craftsmanship here.”

The Real Story Behind That ‘Terrible’ Elsa Cake

But, in a classic case of the internet jumping ahead of itself, it turns out the cake was actually a good deed. That “terrible” and “horrific” treat was made by a volunteer for Icing Smiles, a Maryland nonprofit charity that creates custom cakes for families impacted by the critical illness of a child, free of charge.

Um, oops.

Bakery founder, Tracy Quisenberry, posted a somber response on Icing Smiles’ Facebook page which quickly put things into perspective.

“My heart broke for the baker because I know how much of herself she puts into her donations. My heart broke for the family should they come across the posts because it may take from their joy of receiving the gift. It broke for our team whose extraordinary efforts were used in this way. Our Sugar Angel…was asked for a Frozen cake for a sick child and she did just that.”

The volunteer baker herself, Lisa Randolph-Gant, told her story too – and pretty much made the entire world love her:

Story continues

“The cake was made for Icing smiles,for a really sick little girl. Yes I know the cake looks a HOT MESS …… BUT here is the back story …I had just lost my grandmother I had been with my Mom all day comforting her ,I came back to work on the cake I HAD 2 hours to get it done and delivered… At the end of the day ,I DIDN’T let that sick baby down l gave it all I had to give.”

The best part? The cute patient who received the Elsa cake reportedly “loved it.”

Now, wipe away that stray tear and resolve to be a better person.

All smiles on delivery of the custom Elsa cake. (Credit: Icing Smiles)

Icing Smiles has just started to see donations received in volunteer baker Lisa’s name (out of guilt, perhaps?) The charity says, “If you chose to make a donation today because of all of the attention, make it an ‘Honor Donation.’ We will be sure to let her know you are supporting [Lisa] by supporting our mission.”

If you’d like to donate to Icing Smiles, do so here.

The lesson, internet? Don’t be so quick to judge. Let’s all be a little nicer, okay?



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