r/Baking • u/megpi • Jun 03 '23
I Made a Cake Inspired by Wayne Thiebaud's Cakes Paintings
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u/ledfox Jun 03 '23
I can't even visually process this cake.
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u/BlackLocke Jun 04 '23
According to my brain, that’s a painting. I’d need to see a video to be convinced it’s real.
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u/megpi Jun 03 '23 edited Jun 03 '23
This was for my mom's birthday, so I made her favorite, coconut cake, but had some fun recreating one if the cakes in Wayne Thiebaud paintings.
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u/eleaanne Jun 03 '23
This is lovely! You just inspired me to bake a coconut cake for my mothers upcoming birthday ✨doubt I can recreate this but very inspiring (:
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u/Easy-Concentrate2636 Jun 04 '23
Just remarkable. I love Thiebaud’s paintings and this is such a wonderful homage.
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u/CharlesRiverMutant Jun 04 '23
This photo is so much easier to see than the first pic--it's not breaking my brain the same way.
Also, it looks delicious!
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u/savvyblackbird Jun 04 '23
I love it! My mom makes a coconut cake with white or yellow cake with a coconut sour cream frosting. To fill a 2 layer cake with the layers sliced into 4 layers the frosting is 2 cups granulated sugar mixed with 2 cups of sour cream (I do 3/4 cup instead). Mix together until the sugar is dissolved and add shredded coconut. I also add a little salt and some coconut extract. Get the frozen grated kind if you can, but dry unsweetened shredded coconut works great too. Top the layers with the filling and let them sit in the refrigerator for a couple days if possible.
Sometimes I make an individual cake in the microwave (French vanilla cake mix with water and a little oil) and top it with the sour cream coconut filling. It’s sooo good. The sour cream is so delicious with the coconut.
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u/Reddit_Hitchhiker Jun 04 '23
You made the pic of the cake look like an old magazine picture of your cake. Perhaps you should have taken a normal counter picture.
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u/krazykatzzy Jun 04 '23
The picture of the cake is just a photo of the painting. That’s just how the painting looks.
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u/mxjd Jun 04 '23
It looks amazing! I think you would be perfect for The Great Blanton Bake-Off! It is a competition from the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin that asks bakers to recreate a piece of art from their collection.
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u/MainCustard4391 Jun 03 '23
This is genuinely so good that I spent a really long time wondering whether you had just forgot to post the cake picture. Brilliant.
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u/seafoamjellyfish Jun 03 '23
This is fucking cool.
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u/ramobara Jun 04 '23
Remarkably wonderful. Probably one of the most creative things I’ve seen in a while.
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u/LemonsSaltyPie Jun 03 '23
Honestly thought it was a painting, that’s how good it is! Had to play spot the difference with both cakes.
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u/EmmCeeB Jun 03 '23
Holy shit. I still am not quite able to make my eyes see this is real. Only the cake plate edge
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u/HolmeonSpaulding Jun 03 '23
That is fucking fantastic!
This should be a thing. Pair with an art museum !
Please make this a series. There's has to be more paintings and photos of cakes out there.
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u/megpi Jun 04 '23
I've done quite a few other art pieces, but they were for work and we don't post our guest's cakes in public.
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u/51-Percent-Corn Jun 04 '23
OP- That is gorgeous and inspiring!
There was a cookbook put out a few years back where the bakers re-created famous artworks as desserts. I believe there was even a Thiebauld item.
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Art-Desserts-Recipes-Confections-ebook/dp/B009UAQQ4K
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u/AnaEatsEverything Jun 04 '23
You are the only other person I've ever heard mention Wayne Thiebaud! I love his work, and I feel like he's not as well known as he deserves to be. I have a tattoo of a dessert I created professionally that I'm very proud of, and it's in the style of his work. Your cake is stunning!
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u/thenisaidbitch Jun 03 '23
Now this is the kind of cake decorating I adore!! Clever, unique, skillful, and no fondant! Very impressive
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u/driedcranberrysnack Jun 03 '23
putting all those other "drawing" cakes to shame. this is beautiful!
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u/littlest_lab_rat Jun 03 '23
Wow, such an impeccable duplication of the original. You must have mixed a dozen colors, they're incredibly accurate
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u/megpi Jun 04 '23
Surprisingly, I think I only made 8 or 9 colors, I just blended on the cake as well.
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u/Katy-Moon Jun 03 '23
Spectacular! I'm a big fan of Thiebaut - I did a 1000-piece puzzle of this painting. Fun but difficult. I can't imagine the skill that went into doing a 3-D version!
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u/JemimaQuackers Jun 03 '23
Someone give the masterpiece award 🥹
Meanwhile here’s my poor man’s gold 🥇
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u/yokayla Jun 03 '23
Oh wow, I'm on rising and I thought the first slide was one of his paintings from one of my art subs. You killed it. Looks perfect.
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u/phloxpetal Jun 03 '23
Such a creative idea and the result is spot on! Definitely make some more inspired by other artists!
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u/inspiredtotaste Jun 03 '23
What a cool concept! I thought I was in an art sub at first, so I’d say the execution is absolutely spot-on too! 😃
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u/catscatscatscats007 Jun 03 '23
How did you do the cherry? This is amazing, fantastic job. Hope your mom enjoyed it and had a great birthday!
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u/megpi Jun 04 '23
I piped a ball of white as the base and added the red on the front, leaving the white "shine" spot, then I added dark brown around the back.
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u/JustAnotherAviatrix Jun 03 '23
Incredible work! Thought it was a painting at first too. XD What flavor and icing did you make it with?
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u/megpi Jun 04 '23
The inside and crumb coat are toasted coconut buttercream. The final coat in vanilla buttercream.
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u/youngerdemons Jun 03 '23
I can't tell you how excited I got when I saw this. Instantly recognizable to me, great job.
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u/citybearwander Jun 03 '23
Whoa all the time my university (where thiebaud taught) spent hyping him up hasn't gone to waste! I can now appreciate your cake haha. Excellent job!
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u/TrueCryptographer982 Jun 03 '23
This looks amazing !
Did you paint some of the colours on ? I assume from the shaded blue on the sides and the streaky black outlines on the top.
I’m interested what recipe you use for your SMBC? I have a fave which I use but am always open to hearing others and learning.
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u/megpi Jun 04 '23
I added all the color with a few different pallet knives. and the raised portions were piped on.
I actually use an American buttercream! I tweaked it over time to work well for decorating.
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u/discob00b Jun 04 '23
If you didn't post the pic of the innards, I wouldn't have believed you! This is insanely good.
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u/stuffedtherapy Jun 04 '23
this is possibly the best cake that’s meant to resemble a painting. Spot on. I thought it was an oil painting at first and I was going to compliment the artistry, but being a painter who also bakes, this is real talent. I’m incredibly impressed. Bravo.
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u/amzay Jun 04 '23
That's insane! I want to eat it to prove it's real and also prevent anyone from eating it ever because it's too beautiful.
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u/PNG_Shadow Jun 03 '23
Nice I found the cake that inspired it. Pretty impressive.
First picture, in article.
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u/Sickle_and_hamburger Jun 04 '23
how did you... what on earth
you should offer this to museums or his gallery as a ridiculously high price point
I know SF moma has some cake paintings and the cafe does weird projects
what an impressive piece of art you made
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u/MoreMetaFeta Jun 04 '23
The highest compliments among these comments are the ones that are convinced this isn't a real cake.
This is really something special. TFS!🧡🧡🧡
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u/jdehjdeh Jun 04 '23
That is scary good, I had to look for a good few minutes to convince myself it was a real cake.
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u/stayinSwiss Jun 04 '23
Are you kidding me? That is crazy good. I thought it WAS a painting. I thought the cake was going to come in the next pic. How can you be this talented and not on TV somewhere?
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u/nameisfame Jun 04 '23
Now the only thing left to do is recreate the rest and take a pic of the finished work
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u/Dlatywya Jun 05 '23
I used to live near his gallery and your cake is amazing! I kept thinking it was a painting and not an actual cake.
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u/tgrbby Jun 03 '23
Omg I thought it was a painting at first and was wondering where the picture of the cake was. Amazing work!!