Ugly confections take the cake at Iowa State Fair ugliest cakes contest

Yes, despite all appearances otherwise, it's cake, and whether it would taste good or bad, it mainly just mattered that it's ugly.

The Bret & Amy Doerring Ugliest Cake judging on Friday at the Iowa State Fair featured a clogged and overflowing toilet, horse manure, a rotting jack-o'-lantern, spilled trash cans, Frankenstein's monster's severed hand, a human heart, a cast that's just been removed, and some roadkill.

The contest featured 40 entries between two age categories for children — ages 7 to 11 and 12 to 17.

Keifer Bedwell, 13, of New Virginia, won first place in his category with "My Sister's Dorm Couch" — a vanilla cake covered in brown frosting and decorated to reflect food and fingernail clippings that had fallen under and in the couch.

Bedwell said he's actually won the contest three times, but his latest creation was his favorite.

Bret Doerring said, "Every year, the competition gets tougher and tougher."

There are a few rules: while there's no taste test involved, every element of the cake has to be edible and, "It has to be tasteful," not raunchy.

First place in each of the two categories earned contestants $500. The prize for second place was $300 and $150 for third.

"Just save it," Bedwell said of his plan for his prize.

The winning cakes are on display during the fair at the Elwell Family Food Center.

Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X at @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ugly confections take the cake at Iowa State Fair ugliest cakes contest