Cake Works of Art - Miniature to Grand Designs

Midweek distraction No. 14 - Miniature and Grand Designs in Cake Art.  The two artists I have featured this week have produced works of art, in cake form, where the attention to detail grabs the eye.



Attention to Detail ?

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first artist from the UK, produces tiny, tiny cakes and other delicacies which although they are not edible, produce a longing in me that they should be so.

I have enlarged the picture so you can see the detail on this Kiwi Gateau. (NB The gateau is filled with 'kiwi buttercream, smothered in coconut dusted kiwi icing & decorated with kiwi slices & fresh cherries'.) I love the detail of the icing on the knife. Catalogue @ Linsminis



Linda Cumming's work first attracted my attention while I was searching cake images and, I was amazed to find that they were not real but clay miniatures. In fact, Linda produces a whole cornucopia of delights on her web site; from game birds, to fruit, to your commissions. Based in Durham in the North East of England, Linda is a fellow member of IGMA (International Guild Of Miniature Artisans), the highest honour that can be achieved in the field of handmade miniatures.

Cake baking on a tiny table. Lots of different products available on Ebay and Etsy too.

Linda aims to supply the discerning collector with highly detailed, unique, handmade 12th scale miniature foods all individually handcrafted to the highest standard. I thought of one of my fellow bloggers and casually asked Linda about macaroons. Well, here they are for you Jill aka Mad About Macaroons;

You can also follow Linda on her blog: http://linsminis.blogspot.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second artist is from the USA; Margaret Braun produces elegant tiers of celebration cakes adorned with icing sculpture and painted artwork. In contrast, I have the desire to see the cake uncut so I could enjoy gazing at the outside for longer. Of course, there would be a strong possibility that it would only be a passing whim, so get out the camera and pass the knife!

Detail of Cakewalk Through Barcelona - picture courtesy of Margaret Braun

Picture courtesy
of Margaret Braun

From the title of the photograph, you may guess correctly that I found Margaret via research on the Cakewalk, for an earlier blog. Margaret's book is called Cakewalk:  Adventures In Sugar With Margaret Braun which gives lots of detail into her creations and the inspiration behind them.

Large tiered cakes are not new but I still love the 'Wow Factor' that sugarcraft can provide. Icings become more like sugar sculpture and with paint effects, take on new dimensions. I love the detail on Akbar's Cake; the colour and the pearls make for an exotic fabric of icing. 

 

Elaborate detail on Akbar Cake - Picture courtesy of Margaret Braun



The other reassuring thing I noted about Margaret's cakes was the fact that the inside sounded just as good;  this article for an autumn wedding cake called 'Whimsical Art by Margaret Braun': 'This cake is a chocolate buttermilk blackout cake filled with vanilla/toffee crunch buttercream and an October velvet (cinnamon cake) layered with vanilla butter creamcheese icing and preserved cherry.' I could definitely go there, sounds wonderful. For more inspiration I found this YouTube clip from PlumTV, titled a Master Class ; Art and the Cake with Margaret Braun. Lots of tantalising shots of her cakes and some ideas on her techniques make this interesting viewing;

PS. I once titled one of my cakes 'elaborate' but after viewing Margaret's masterpieces decided that 'fairly standard' would be nearer the mark... Lots of enjoyable inspiration here again from both artists , thank you to Linda and Margaret for allowing me to publish your material here too and showcasing what you love to do. Please click on the links for their details or for further information.