the Art of cake design
The dream title would be ‘cake designer’ I’d say!
I’ve come to realise that I very much apply my learnings from my design degree to what/how I bake.
I love to research, develop concepts, explore visual execution... It’s definitely come to be a continuation of my study I think. Art history is a huge influence on my style and my practice — my design portfolio saw me seek inspiration from medieval illuminated manuscripts, while now I really draw from moments in history - art, figures, movements, recipes - hopefully, to bring around something a bit new and a bit familiar.
Upon finishing my degree I finally found a ‘style’ that felt pretty natural to me - it was great to be able to explore and experiment with new styles throughout my studies (even if it made for a pretty mismatched portfolio). Now I feel I’ve taken all my favourite parts of the degree and my interests and reached a place where they all collide pretty seamlessly I think!
One of my uni teachers used to comment on my ‘self-reflexive design process’ which I do feel really drives my bakes as well. I’d say I’m a pretty contemplative person and place a lot of thought and meaning into most things (for better or for worse).
History plays a huge part in this - art history at uni, food history in my spare time - I’m a sucker for contemporary revivals. The Victorian Era is particularly intriguing - they placed a lot of importance on the presentation of food and desserts in a pretty over-the-top way. I like that desserts are more than just a sweet thing to eat - not everyone ‘likes’ cake or wants a slice, so it’s great to woo these types with something slightly unexpected - not only flavourful but concept-based, visually striking, and a little showy.
I’m naturally pretty drawn to ancestry - I’m of Austrian descent so I love this Linzer latticed cake (pictured right) - it features cherries and cream cheese which is a traditional strudel/ dessert flavour combo, and a nod to my Eastern European heritage.
I also love these black-forest boobs (pictured above). I was inspired by Agnès Sorel, official mistress of King Charles VII of France. She had great boobs and knew it, so walked around the court with her bodice unlaced from the front. There are also a couple of portraits of her with her favourite one exposed.
I love thinking about baking with mum. I can remember as a child making a banana cake together, and she taught me to top it with a super tart lemon glaze and a good sprinkle of nutmeg. Thinking back to it, I think this kind of sparked my interest in creating desserts - learning about flavours, thinking up my own combinations... I think kids typically eat things in separate elements, so I thought it was special to eat three very different flavours at once and have them all compliment one another.
Throughout my studies I was always encouraged to experiment with various materials - I was really drawn to the interest you could add to your work by using more than the computer for graphics - combining techniques and materials, playing around - it sets your work apart. I think it really made me value the design discipline as something which very much benefits from broad knowledge and total eclecticism, which definitely inspires my cake making process. It taught me to seek inspiration from things other than what you’re doing - for example, don’t look at existing logos for your logo ideas. I totally carry this advice with me and find it instantly creates a story behind each work. Certainly, I love looking to bakeries like Lily Vanilli for inspiration, but I often go straight to the history books and podcasts, or I look to people like Vivienne Westwood, David Bowie, Christine McConnell, Grimes... they’ve all got strong senses of their own styles and all draw from other personal interests like history, art, fantasy... I think their experimental and slightly whimsical attitudes to art-making (and to life in general) are what inspire me most. I’d say we’re all pretty postmodern in a way.
I really enjoy the multifaceted nature of making cakes- I love to think (and overthink), so having to consider a number of elements like the concept, the visual, the flavours, et cetera really appeals to me and my brain. It’s also pretty comforting to move through the steps and stages - it is such a transformative process! Flour, eggs, butter, sugar - same old (ancient) ingredients, and so many beautiful outcomes each depending on the treatment of these, and on the method followed. With this, I think often baking is viewed as highly technical, precise and methodical... while savoury cooking is regarded more ‘free’. This is true to an extent, but I think once you learn the basics about how ingredients react and what the purpose of each element is in a bake, you can kind of go nuts - it’s pretty liberating actually! But that’s not to say I don’t get stressed in the kitchen and that cakes always work out - I do... and they don’t.
Another big thing I love is that yes, baking is an age-old practice and I love that feeling of connection to the past, but it’s also here to stay. Like, cakes aren’t going anywhere - they’re culturally significant and they’re also a marker of events - often happy, always notable. Signalling happiness and moments of importance is a big thing for me, so cakes are always more than a dessert in my view. I also think there is a slight disconnect worth exploring, regarding the woman’s role (historically) in the kitchen. The female relationship with baking/cooking has long been associated with labour, domesticity, providing. Meanwhile, the most recognised and celebrated pastry chefs have been men… professionals allowed the creative freedom to be involved in baking as a fine art. They were able to experiment with their flour, eggs, butter and sugar - whereas these were household items for a woman. Essentially, I’m really inspired by the treatment of humble ingredients as artistic materials, and I’m excited by the fact that we can all be involved in the creative/playful/ experimental treatment and presentation of food today.
The rise of Instagram as a platform for bakers is great! It opens people’s eyes to baking as an art form I think. Cakes are starting to get a lot more credit for the artistry behind them... who made it, the flavours, the design - it’s kind of reminiscent of like, the court of Elizabeth I, where sugar and marchpane were sculpted into intricate works of art to display at events. They were actually a status symbol - more sugar equalled more money (more sugar also equalled worse teeth so blackened, rotting teeth were IN).
I also think social media allows people to gain access to the process - which I find super important in baking because it’s difficult to know just how much time and effort goes into a single cake if you don’t bake yourself! I love hearing people’s surprise when I tell them how long it takes - without hearing that perspective it’s so easy to overwork yourself and not appreciate the effort you’re putting in, which ultimately damages your chances of feeling proud of your work or placing value on it.
As I mentioned, my capstone portfolio really saw me recognise myself as someone with an interest in contemporary revivals - I think this is at the heart of everything I do really. It’s also why I love this ‘rise of the vintage icing’ on social media at the moment. It’s a total success story of a past style in modern times. I think an historical object is totally transformed simply by existing in a contemporary context. Seeing these cakes in the modern media is really interesting when you think about it like that!
It’s definitely evolved, though - there are often instances where we can see this kind of weirdly great combination of a traditionally-styled cake with the sort of tongue-in-cheek culture on social media with memes and whatnot. It’s contrast! Adds interest and balance you know. I could probably write an essay about it.
