Smooth Move

It was the worst build up yet. We were in a field masquerading as a mud pit, it was pouring rain, there was snow on the ground, and it was freezing cold. This circus puts down sawdust when it's wet, and I think we may be responsible for some serious deforestation considering the amount that was put down on this build. For reasons that I do not understand, the build up took five hours instead of the hour and a half I hear it should take (we've never even come close to this).

When it was finally time to break for lunch, we were all pretty miserable. But that's when this circus showed us just how classy they are.

The circus director missed the beginning of the morning's build up. You know know why? He went to a local bakery and bought everyone beautiful and delicious pastries.

Delicious cake may not be the way to your heart, but it sure as hell is to mine. Well played, circus. Well played!

C is for Circus

I'm sorry. Did I write "C is for Circus"? Any one who grew up watching Sesame Street knows that it's cookie, cookie, cookie that starts with C. It's been a while since I've had a post about circus themed baked goods, and seeing as I'm catering a bridal shower this weekend, I'm definitely in a sweet mood. So without further ado, cookies!

First we have some beautiful cookies from Whipped Bakeshop:

Clearly the images on the cookies have been printed on some kind of edible paper, but that doesn't change how awesome they are.

A while ago I posted some iced sugar cookies. I found the circus menagerie, I found the caravans. But I never did seem to find any cookies depicting the artists. While this batch of cookies may have quite a few furry performers in it, that's more than made up for with the awesome trapezist and ringmaster.

And while this post is about cookies, there's another pastry treat that starts with C. And that is why I'm going to share this incredible cake by Elizabeth Hodes Custom Cakes and Sugar Art.

That elephant? All sculpted sugar.

Back to the Bakery

Ok. I promise this is going to be my final cake related post... for a while anyway.

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.

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.

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.

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...

By Magnolia Bake and Cake

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!

Backstage Cakes!

In my quest for more circus themed treats, I stumbled upon this blog entry.

I'm not sure if it's the circus artist in me or the wanna-be pastry chef in me that would have liked to learn a little more about the creative process involved in the design and construction of the cake, but I must say the photos detailing the evolution of the decorations are absolutely wonderful.

For more detailed pictures, check out the Dessert Works blog!

For my money, I think the Charm City Cakes Kooza confection was more impressive overall. But I must say the ladies over at Dessert Works really did a great job with their modeling chocolate replicas of the various artists in the show. My favourites are the the foot jugglers, the black and white hand-balancer, and the antipodists.

Stay tuned for more circus goodies, both baked and performed!

Circus Takes the Cake!

Without question, circus is my number one passion. But those who know me, and especially those who have been on tour with me, know that cake making comes in at a close second. At my circus I have become the official pastry chef and birthday-cake-maker-extraordinaire. There's nothing I love more than a tall, elaborate cake. Except a delicious, tall, elaborate cake. And that's just the kind I make.

Putting my money where my mouth is.

So imagine my delight when I discovered that Food Network Challenge had a Cirque du Soleil themed episode! So far, I have been unsuccessful in finding the episode online (season 8, episode 10). I have, however, managed to locate a photo of the cake that came in second:

Lauren Bozich and Marianne Carroll of White Flower Cake Shoppe

For this challenge, the cakes were all inspired by the show La Nouba. While the judges may have awarded the above ladies second place, any cake that has freakin' German wheel cake toppers is a win in my book! Not that I'm biased or anything...

Of course once my two passions met, they began to conspire. The search for the Food Network Challenge episode led to the discovery of a Cirque du Soleil episode of Cupcake Wars. Personally, I don't really care for this show as I find the final result tends to leave a lot to be desired...

 Is that seriously the best you could do? Yikes...

And that led to the discovery of an episode of Ace of Cakes where the main cake featured was for Kooza.

Oh, Duff... you wonderful, wonderful man.

Now I'm trapped in a quest to find all the very best circus confections the internet has to offer. And let me tell you, I'm not the only one who likes both circus and cake.

If you'd like to watch the Cupcake Wars episode featuring Cirque du Soleil, go here.

If you'd like to watch the Ace of Cakes episode featuring a cake celebrating Kooza, go here.

And if you find the episode of Food Network Challenge featuring La Nouba, please let me know!

The quest for circus cakes continues...