20 Funny Apology Cakes from Students for Teachers

There’s a new trend in middle and high school classrooms, and no, it’s not the dreaded six-seven or the latest TikTok dance. Students are now giving their teachers apology cakes. Yes, cakes. Remember a time when a student would give you a handwritten “I’m sorry” note or awkward hallway apology? Today’s kids are slapping frosting on a slab of sugar with the hopes that you might bring up their grade or excuse their many absences. Because nothing says “I totally respect you and your time” like a lopsided Funfetti cake with “SORRY 4 TALKING TOO MUCH” scrawled in icing that looks like it’s been applied during an earthquake.

These sugary peace offerings don’t always hit the mark, mostly because they are homemade, and veteran teachers know never to ingest anything from students that is homemade. Teachers are left holding the cakes for everything from “being late” to “failing your class” because, apparently, sugar and adolescent logic read something like, “I disrupted your lesson, but here’s a three-layer chocolate cake and I may or may not have licked the spoon while making it” Still, the trendy buttercream is now an acceptable replacement for accountability. It’s an odd blend of equal parts hilarious and tragic, and if the confection is from a store and fully sealed, it just might work. If we’re truthful with ourselves, we know they aren’t really sorry; they just want a picture or video clip for TikTok.

1. Professional artistry.

The quality of this cake suggests it may have been made at a professional bakery, not a kid’s kitchen, making it safe to eat. Hooray!

2. Horror frosting.

Not only did this student fail all of your tests, their icing skills are quite awful as well. Would you eat this cake? 9/10 teachers say no way!

3. This cake screams homemade.

And that means it goes directly into the trash after the chronically late student leaves the room.

4. And I still don’t capitalize my “I”s.

Mr. Shern must have been thrilled when he received this blue confectionery concoction. It would totally make up for how annoying it was to have to sign the kid in late every day after you’ve already done attendance.

5. Cake 4 ur mouth.

While this sign encourages students to make apology cakes for their teachers, they should probably spend that extra time actually paying attention in class. Substituting for with 4 and your with ur is even more painful than your lack of effort.

6. A confusing message.

I’m not sure if this cake is accusing the teacher of carelessly kicking their students off a cliff (real or metaphoric) or if the message is that the teacher kicked them off the cliff so they could find their wings or some kind of inspirational crap like that. The student’s expression and lack of wings suggest the first.

7. Portrait of the teacher as a middle-aged man.

If you can’t think of a message, you can always make a weird portrait of the teacher out of frosting. They won’t be weirded out by the idea of eating themselves at all!

8. Self-awareness is essential.

And this kid seems to know that their very presence in class is off-putting. Bonus points for it being an actual bakery cake.

9. A shoddy group apology.

The use of “us” suggests that more than one student worked on this horrendous concoction, and my teacher self feels absolutely no inspiration to prevent these kids from failing. Try harder in class and at cakes.

10. Pride and apologies.

These students purchased their teacher a gigantic cookie to acknowledge that their performance as students just didn’t cut it. They present the cookie with pride, and the teacher is so happy to have received a gift that she is genuinely smiling as well.

11. One for two.

This student actually kept track of how many times she fell asleep in class, and hopefully, she will make the connection between sleeping and not finishing her assignments. That homemade thing is going directly in the trash, though.

12. Less is more.

This student acknowledges that they are so problematic in so many ways that they won’t even try to put it into words. A bakery cake that merely says “sorry” might be enough for a little redemption.

13. A bit personal.

While the teacher might appreciate the sentiment of this cake, having to look at their students’ faces at home on the last day of school might negate the happiness the cake may bring.

14. So you knew?

This slightly inappropriate cake acknowledges the plethora of crap the students gave the teacher all year, which can be cathartic for the teacher. Self-reflection is important, but I’m not eating that oddly frosted thing.

15. Irritating yet truthful.

This student sat in your class all year and put in zero effort, but he’s a giant cookie with some lovely buttercream roses. We good?

16. Sorry, not sorry.

The quality of this homemade cake suggests the giver doesn’t actually feel sorry for their chronic tardiness at all. Take it home and feed it to your dog.