MAY THE CAKE BE WITH YOU
But is it art?
FANCY a bite of Marie Antoinette? Perhaps the galactic Jedi master Yoda is more your cup of tea — that would be the sponge cake type . . . with apple strudel filling.
The cake incarnation of the famed Star Wars character, standing 70cm tall, made several public appearances in the country before next week’s release of the movie in South Africa.
Creator Dot Klerck was among a group of 30 international artists roped in to craft a range of cakes in celebration of the film’s 38th year. The theme? “Star Wars Cakes — The Fondant Awakens”.
Klerck, owner of Eat Cake Party, said Yoda took about 15 hours to make and “travelled” around the country for about five months for a series of talks and demonstrations.
Sadly, there was little chance of a taste, because Yoda “got a bit vrot” by the end of the journey, she joked.
But a few hundred streetkids did get to tuck into one of her other creations — a 300kg lifesize cake of Marie Antoinette lazing in a bathtub plastered in fondant.
This cake, a display during the Food and Wine Show in Cape Town earlier this year, took three weeks to craft.
South Africa’s cake artists appear to have no fear — from designer shoes to replicas of art works such as The Kiss by Klimt, little seems to faze them.
Take the 1m-high chandelier wedding cake by Deon Swart of The Cake Genie, for example.
Swart was also commissioned to do a replica of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding cake.
“The cake had to be transported in a refrigerated truck, which took three days to arrive at the destination,” said Swart.
This 200kg cake was created for the wedding of Fabiola Sata, the niece of late Zambian president Michael Sata.
Swart would not say how much the cake cost, but admitted it was more than R30 000 and there was enough to feed 600 people.
Klerck, renowned for her creations, said cake artists always work to a client’s brief — it was rare that they could create something spectacular for themselves. But last week her 17-year-old son gave her the creative freedom to put together his birthday cake.
“I’ve always wanted to do a giraffe, my favourite animal.”
A real labour of love, it took 15 hours to make.
The cake cost more than R30 000 and there was enough to feed 600 people