I've only been a lurker here, but now I'm asking for help. Does anyone have a couple of good ideas for two "fool the eye" type cakes for a "Let Them Eat Cake" benefit cake auction?

I've been considering several routes:

-- a bath-tub scene (? a "calgon, take me away" theme? Would having a man's head, knees, toes sticking out of the bubbles be too strange?)

-- a sleeping fisherman in a rowboat on a pond --

-- a disappointed ice-skater by the thawed pond that has a duck swimming around in it (we're having an etremely weird winter here in Vermont)

-- and to get away from the "water" medium, maybe a food theme: bag of chips and bowls of salsa and guacamole, or a kitchen counter with cake ingredients lying about, a sort of "cake-in-progress" idea.

I'm not afraid of cake-carving or using fondant, gumpaste, etc, and I've had experience in making such tromp l'oeil cakes in the past (newspaper, fish, cellphone, purse, tea party, grad cap, giant cake slice with gumpaste candle, dishes utensils, furniture, fearies, books, etc.). I think I'm addicted to these super realistic-looking cakes.

Any help -- with any of these ideas or any others! -- would be greatly appreciated! (How do I make realistic-looking water and bubbles, by the way?)

Hi Meems! Congratulations on your first post

I don't have alot of experience with the realistic looking cakes or sculpting, but maybe for the water you could use piping gel and for the bubbles fondant or gumpaste rolled into little balls brushed will a little bit of pearl luster dust?

I like the idea of the chips & salsa cake...& how about a big cup of coffee or latte & a giant muffin? Just throwing ideas..good luck on whatever you do & I can't wait to see pictures!!

'fools the eye' - how about the hamburger or taco cake, or a can of soda, bottle of wine, or a basket of fruit. you want something that people are going to say, 'is that really a cake?!!' so anything that doesn;t look like a typical cake should fit the bill.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-photos-by-cjf.html

cjf- member on cake central has some really awesome carved cakes.

The Madhatter/Whimsy/Topsy-Turvy cakes are really "trompe l'oeil"!


I saw this cake (here on CC??) once and thought it was just awesome!

Apologies for not being able to credit this fanatstic designer/baker!

wow that is cool.. Hmmm. you think the top and bottom are dummies??

Colette Peter's earlier cake book "Colette Cakes" has wonderful ideas: a handbag, a cactus, popcorn in a container etc.

How about a loaf or a slice of bread? That's what they're supposed to be eating cake instead of, after all!

Thank you all for your replies.

I'm receiving my order of much needed supplies in the next couple of days, and I'll be starting to work on different items to throw into the settings for these two cakes soon.

At this point, I think I'll be making a bathtub cake, with fondant bubbles out of my bead formers, a little gumpaste bench or stool holding a draped fondant towel, etc. If it's an adult bath, I'll have a little gumpaste radio nearby with notes suspended over it on fine wire, some slippers on the foor, and the head and arms above the bubbles (arms stretched on the tub edge) and toes sticking out at the other end. If it's a child's bath, I'll have some bubbles and "wet" gelatine footprints on the floor (gumpaste tiles) and some bath-time toys about. (I don't know why I want to do a bath scene, other than the fact that baths have always been either so much fun for my kids or so relaxing for me. As a cake idea, it must sound weird though. My apologies...)

The second cake was going to be a gardening shed with assorted gumpaste implements, buckets, etc lying about. OR a cake titled "Your move" formed as an upside down moving crate with a fondant/gumpaste game board and game pieces on top: "Scrabble," "Monopoly," "Life" or something like that.

However, now that moshiachnow mentions the very good idea of a loaf of bread.....my mind races with the possibilities!! Good thinking, moshia! I'll let you know what I come up with.

Thank you all again! If anyone has any more ideas or suggestions, please, please....let me know!