A SLICE OF GENIUS

A British bulldog crowned with edible gems, a cow that weighs a whopping 13 stone, and a Mini that really moves. These magnificent bakes, from the new series of Extreme Cake Makers, are simply...

There have been some unforgettable sugary showstoppers on The Great British Bake Off. But even Nadiya’s Fizzy Pop cheesecake and Flo’s Watermelon Illusion Cake look like child’s play compared to these crazy creations.

Feast your eyes on a 13-stone cow, a regal-looking bulldog, and a Mini that buzzes around at 10mph – yes, it really moves – all made from cake. These are among the edible works of art seen under construction in the new series of Extreme Cake Makers on Channel 4, which begins on Monday. The 30-part series tours the country to watch professional bakers at work on their latest productions, and then follows them as they hand them over to stunned, and often tearful, customers.

‘ The Mini is our foray into the world of fast food,’ jokes Phil Jenson, who with his wife Christine also designed the replica of Prince Charles’s Highgrove House featured here. A former architect, he joined his wife’s cake design business three years ago. ‘It turned out I was quite good at sculpting cakes,’ he says. ‘My first one was a 5ft-long turtle!’

The other creators of these elaborate masterpieces include Rosie Drummer, the first female helicopter pilot with the British Army who swapped flying for a life of baking, having learned by making birthday cakes for her four children, as well as Molly Robbins, a special effects make-up artist, and Ben Cullen, a former trainee tattooist.

The work isn’t over once the creations are complete, there’s still the challenge of delivering them to customers safely and in one piece, easier said than done with a 4ft-long, 3ft-high cow made of chocolate cake and sugar paste. On top of that they have to taste good too. There’s no denying though that for these artists, the most important ingredient is the wow factor.

‘A cake is the centrepiece of every function,’ says Rosie, ‘it’s the bit when everyone comes together to share it, the bit when the photographs are taken. We’re big fat show-offs really!’

Extreme Cake Makers, weekdays, 5.30pm, Channel 4.