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Judges reviewed a few dozen hideous masterpieces at the Iowa State Fair yesterday.
The Ugliest Cake Contest entries from bakers between the ages of seven and 17 ranged from a dissected frog to dentures that needed a brushing.
Twelve-year-old Ashlin Williams of Pleasant Hill won second place for her recreation of a stubbed toe, complete with a Band-Aid, hairs, and a bloody wound.
“It’s all cake and then…licorice is for the hairs and the Band-Aid is fondant, Williams said, “and like food coloring.”
And, of course, red is the color of the blood.
Bret Doerring, one of the sponsors and judges of the competition, shared what he’s looking for when choosing the ugliest cake.
“In the ugliest cake we’re not only looking for ugly, but unique and gross, originality,” Doerring said. “It’s that thing that you can’t unsee.”
Fair warning — here’s the description of the winner: the cake was a puss-filled pimple. It was baked and decorated by 13-year-old Taylor Weese of West Des Moines.
(Story and photos by Olive Gardner)
