Apocalypse Cakes Interview

If the world is gonna end – we might as well eat cake and have some fun. And if you need some inspiration then check out Apocalypse Cakes. There you will find great recipes to help you go out in style like Raining Blood Red Velvet Cake, Jonestown Kool-Aid Cake, Bird Flu Feather Cake, and Agent Orange Carrot Cake. Based on the popularity of the blog and just because it’s an awesome idea they created Recipe Cards. They make cool art pieces and are also good for those people that are old school and might be scared of the internet cause it could spark the end of the world. The cards come in a pack of 10 devastatingly delicious recipes and can be purchased on their Etsy store and at various independent bookstores throughout the U.S. and Canada. They were even awarded as the “2009 Best Cookbook” by Domy Books in Austin, Texas.

I had to know where the inspiration for this doomsday site came from so I contacted Shannon at Apocalypse Cakes to chat about the blog and see if they had their bomb shelter ready for the end of the world.

–Where did you get the idea for Apocalypse Cakes and the recipes featured?

The idea came from a gift I made for my girlfriend on her birthday. I thought, “What do you get an apocalypse enthusiast who says “I want cake” twice a day?” I wanted to make her something related to her special interests, so I don’t know, it just came to me: I stayed up the night before her birthday making her a ‘zine-like, 8-page “cookbook” called “Apocalypse Cakes.” The first recipes were Raining Blood Red Velvet Cake, Locust Punishment Cake, and a few others. But at that time, I wasn’t thinking that I would make any of the cakes and take photos of them — I just ripped images from the internet and let the concept do the work. There was no original photography but the idea was there.

The next day, after finishing the full-color cookbook-zine, I was exhausted. But I thought, “Why did I stay up doing this? Why did I like it so much?” So then some people saw it and said, “I can see this as an actual book.” But because I am not a publisher, I did a blog instead. Then I kept thinking of the project and had this recipe idea for “Branch Davidian Texas Pecan Pie,” and imagined an edible, burning cross, so I decided I to make it and take a photo of it. At this point, I asked Keith Wilson to get involved — he’s a filmmaker mostly but likes to take pictures — so then we started making a bunch of them and putting them on the blog. The recipes started out more as mockeries of traditional apocalyptic myths but then we started getting into man-made catastrophes and later, political jabs at what some people might think of as catastrophic, such as homosexuality/queer culture (this was the idea for “Sodom and Gomorrah Fruitcake“) or China’s economic rise (i.e, “China World Domination Red Bean Cake.”) After a while, we had enough to print a set of recipe cards that I sell on Etsy.
 
–Do you take submissions ideas from fans or do you think some ideas might just be too crazy for the site?

Yes, but I’ve only solicited a submission once, and that was for our “Name the Swine Flu Cake Contest.” That was a cool way to get people involved because at the time everyone was going whole hog with the Swine Flu craze. The winner of the contest came up with a great pie name, “Leviticus’ ‘I Told You So’ Aporkalypse Pie,” so we made the pie and photographed it with the winner’s written description. I would be open to taking submissions from more people but haven’t promoted this yet because it already take a lot of time to do the blog and I’m not ready yet to dedicate more time to it. I think in the future we might, though, because it’s really interesting to see how people interpret the concept in their own ways. 

–I guess some people have been offended by your site/recipes – how do you respond to the criticism?

Yes, some people have been offended by some of the recipes. People are particularly pissed about the “Global Jihad Date Cake” because they think it negatively misrepresents “jihad” and is thus anti-Muslim. I think it’s a good thing that some people don’t like the content — as long as others do like it. If no one appreciated it, that would mean it had very little value — but a lot of people do. It’s all about taste: if you have a solid, defined perspective or sensibility, you’re going to have people who identify with your ideas and those that don’t. If you’re doing something mediocre, status quo, dated, or otherwise uninteresting, no one is going to care to form an opinion about what you’re saying. And, not to be a snob, but some people who are offended by the blog don’t seem to “get it” and fail to interpret a lot of the writing as cultural commentary; they just see semi-abrasive images and cheeky titles and don’t take the time to comb through what they’re reading. 

–Do you plan on creating more recipes as more disasters happen? How about the earthquake in Haiti or is it a bit too soon for that one?

Yes. We plan to continue making recipes with photos. I can’t say whether or not the new ones will relate to natural disasters — I’m sure some will. We actually just finished the Seismic Haitian Mud Cake post — which is and isn’t about the earthquake — and are in production for a new one. But like I said, the concept doesn’t hinge on natural disasters. We like to cull from traditional apocalyptic myth and political discourse.

–How do you think the world will end and do you expect in anytime soon, say 2012?

Oh, the world will definitely end during The Rapture, which is just like Project Runway: you’re either in or you’re out!

Thanks again to Shannon from Apocalypse Cakes!! Please check out the site as well as their Facebook and Twitter page. And go figure out what’s for dessert before it’s too late. I think since it’s still cold as shit here in Chicago that a Global Warming Hot Apple Pie would hit the spot.

P.S. Shannon – Coolest gift idea ever!!!