After seeing what fun, circus inspired cakes were being made on Ace of Cakes and Food Network Challenge, I couldn't help but wonder what other circus cakes were out there.
I would love to say there are many gorgeous, mature, elegant circus cakes with a healthy dose of fun, but I can't. The vast majority are geared toward children and are based on a handful of cheesy stereotypes. If it's a circus cake, it probably has some combination of animals, a striped tent, a clown, some foil sparklers or stars.
I knew I should have majored in shiny crap!
Don't get me wrong, when circus themed cakes for kids aren't covered in flotsam*, they can be absolutely adorable. The thing is, these cutesy kid's cakes aren't so much about circus as they are about the idea of something childish that kids should like.
The world of circus I know is about creating art, expressing emotion and executing death defying feats! It's about poetry, magic, and maybe a little sex appeal thrown in for good measure. There's more to the circus than clowns and elephants.
Elephant, tent, clown, stars... yup. All there.
The world of circus I know is about creating art, expressing emotion and executing death defying feats! It's about poetry, magic, and maybe a little sex appeal thrown in for good measure. There's more to the circus than clowns and elephants.
"I didn't even try to try."
Maybe you think that I'm overreacting. But the world of circus as I have come to know it is a really beautiful place. Ask anyone in my profession and they'll tell you it's just as much about art as it is spectacle. So it's a good thing there are a few pastry chefs out there who understand that not only is circus about art, but so is cake.
This first cake was created by Fatma Özmen. As far as specialty cakes go, it isn't terribly exciting. In fact, it's not so much about the cake as it is the molded characters. They really are quite fun and very well executed. I actually recognize characters from La Nouba and O.
This first cake was created by Fatma Özmen. As far as specialty cakes go, it isn't terribly exciting. In fact, it's not so much about the cake as it is the molded characters. They really are quite fun and very well executed. I actually recognize characters from La Nouba and O.
Fatima's Flickr stream can be found here.
Here is yet another Cirque du Soleil inspired cake, this time celebrating the show Ovo. It was made by Michelle Lanza of Sweet Sugar. Never having seen Ovo, I can't really say if this cake represents the show well or not. To my knowledge, the show is about bugs, and there is nary an insect to be found. And can that really be considered a bad thing?
I find this cake to be very elegant and it definitely conveys a feeling of dreams and magic. I love the figures and find they have a wonderful and unique style to them, and the lettering for Cirque du Soleil cascading down the cake is absolutely marvelous. Not only does this cake give a sense of height, but it also suggests ascending toward something more. Love it.
I find this cake to be very elegant and it definitely conveys a feeling of dreams and magic. I love the figures and find they have a wonderful and unique style to them, and the lettering for Cirque du Soleil cascading down the cake is absolutely marvelous. Not only does this cake give a sense of height, but it also suggests ascending toward something more. Love it.
Visit Michel's Flickr stream here.
This next cake makes me think of San Fransico. Many of the artists I know from there have a very particular style. When they came to Montreal to study, they brought that style with them. Edgy, gritty, maybe even a little dirty. For me this cake is a cross between that gritty style of circus that you see more and more of, and vaudeville. I've got to say though, it really amazes me that the fire breather and burlesque dancer keep company with a birthday clown. Sigh...
And lastly, my favourite cake of all...
Image found on Cakelove.
I know what you must be thinking... this cake has nothing to do with contemporary circus and there's an elephant! So what gives? Why the blind eye?
It all comes back conveying emotion.
The circus cakes meant for the kids, with their bright primary colours and cartoonish characters, make me go "awww!". But that 'aw' has no connection to me. The cakes are cute and bring to mind cute little children doing cute little children things. But if I stop for a moment, I realize that whatever reactions I may be having to the cake, none of them are related to the circus or my experience with the circus. It's a cute cake that represents what I feel is an adult's view of what a childlike innocence and relation to the circus should be.
But the above cake? It's all about nostalgia and romance... It's retro form and colours make me think of the golden era of American circus. Who hasn't dreamed of running away with the circus, with its bright lights and the beautiful costumes? Women covered in sequins and feathers one minute, and flying through the air the next, every bit as powerful and as skilled as their male counterparts. The men, dashing and daring, showing just the right mix of bravado and vulnerability to make the ladies in the audience want them, and the men want to be them. The adventure! The applause! The dream!
Was it actually like that? Probably not. But that cake sure makes me think so.
My quest for the perfect circus cake will continue! Even if it means I have to (attempt) to make it myself!
* Fun fact: This cake can be yours for the low, low price of $125!
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