Latest news with #cake
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Can you tell what's real and what's cake? Test yourself against the Bake King
The French theorist Jean Baudrillard argued that modern society had replaced reality with signs. 'The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth – it is the truth which conceals that there is none,' he wrote. 'The simulacrum is true.' As images proliferate they become distorted, first so they bear increasingly little relation to reality, and eventually to a point where nothing bears any relation to the real world. All we have are images of things. Baudrillard would have been entertained by the things being done to cakes recently. If you watched The Great British Bake-Off in 2022 and 2023, you may recall a series of advertisements for Sainsbury's Taste the Difference range. At the start of the ad break, viewers were shown a delicious-looking plate of food. A rib of beef, a banana, a bottle of orange juice, a baked camembert. A kitchen knife would hover over them. At the end of the break, the knife would cut into the dish revealing whether it was what it appeared to be or, as was often the case, a cake ingeniously decorated to look like something else. 'The internet seems to fetishise the genre of hyper-realistic things being made of cake,' says Freddy Taylor, from the advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy, who came up with the idea for the ads. 'So bringing this strange fake-cake cultural phenomenon to Tuesday evenings seemed to really tickle people.' Just months later, Netflix launched a gameshow, Is It Cake?, based on this premise, in which contestants guess by sight whether objects are what they seem, or cakey simulacra. It became the second most-watched show on Netflix in the UK the month it was released. The cake decoration genius behind the Sainsbury's ads was Ben Cullen, known as The Bake King, who has amassed 493,000 followers on Instagram and some 368,000 on TikTok since he began making hyper-realistic cakes more than a decade ago. He's made cakes for private and celebrity clients, including Rita Ora, and for film and TV launches (for HBO's The Last of Us he made a terrifying 'clicker', one of the varieties of mushroom-infected zombie), as well as countless TV appearances, including Channel 4's Extreme Cake Makers. Now, Cullen has written a book, Cake or Fake?, in which he offers step-by-step instructions for people wanting to make their own illusion cakes at home. To prove it was possible, Cullen, 35, invited me to his studio just outside Chester to make one myself. 'One of the first things people say to me is, 'Ben, you could hold my hand, but I would never be able to do what you do,'' he says. 'I want people to know that anyone can do it. It was important to me that the cakes in the book were accessible. I don't want people to be deflated. I want them to think, 'This is class, I could do this again for my kid's birthday.'' For my tutorial, Cullen has chosen a pizza, one of his classic illusions. The recipe has a rigorous 23 steps, and begins: 'Start with a round cake.' Cullen is an artist, not a baker. (He dabbled in tattoos – his skin is almost completely covered in them – and fine art, before he found his talent for making cakes look like other things.) For most cakes, the act of cutting is merely the end of the beginning; with Cullen's it is the beginning of the end. What he looks for in the sponge is consistency, structural integrity, colour – the contrast of the interior with the outside is a key part of the reveal. 'I very rarely make them myself any more,' he says. 'I order them in big sheets. With a lot of my work being for social media predominantly, then moved on elsewhere, I need to guarantee that consistency with the texture. They always need to suffice for being eaten, too, but the priority is the look.' He uses a company called Sweet Success, from which he orders large slabs of Genoese sponge. It's two discs of this sponge that I begin with as I set about making my pizza. Using a knife to score a circle around the top of one, I scrape out a layer with a spoon. Then it's a matter of chiselling around the edges, on the ridge that will become the crust and on the underside, until they're rounded. 'A main thing with illusions,' says Cullen, 'is people always notice if the cake hits the surface flat, so you want some shadowing underneath.' I make dark and white chocolate ganaches with chocolate melted in the microwave and cream, vigorously stirred. We apply the dark chocolate ganache to the top of the base cake as adhesive, add some sugar syrup to keep it moist, then spread the white chocolate all over to form a base level. It goes in the fridge to set. While we press out discs of red sugar paste to craft into pepperoni, Cullen tells me about how he ended up with this curious gig. He grew up in Birmingham, where his dad worked at the bus garage but did magic at the weekends. His mum was a learning mentor at a primary school: illusion and education in the blood. He has an older sister, a performing arts teacher, who was into dance, but Cullen's priority was art. He drew on anything. Graffiti got him into trouble at school. 'I couldn't stop,' he says. 'I always wanted to be a painter, an artist, have work in the Tate galleries. But it's so competitive, that world.' Instead, he was working as a tattoo artist when he fell into conversation with a customer's mother about sugarcraft and started making cakes on the side. He had a day job as a graphic designer when he decided to go full-time into cakes in 2016. One of the first cakes he was proud of, still a favourite today, was of horror character Annabelle. 'My mum was obsessed with horror films,' he says. 'And she was my number-one cheerleader. Anything I would have done, she'd have said I was the best at it. Unfortunately, she passed away two years ago. It's one of the reasons I'm so excited about the book. For her, a book had more substance than TV or any of the other things I was doing. When she died, I thought, 'I have to do the book now.'' With the ganache chilled, it's time to decorate our pizza cake, which means sugar paste and food colouring. True to his technique of building the objects as they are in real life, Cullen has pre-coloured some paste to look like raw pizza dough. I roll it out thin and drape it over the base, tucking it in to create the rounded edges that are so important. Using a wire brush and some kitchen foil we roughen the edges of the dough: shiny surface textures are a giveaway. At last, it's time to paint, when Cullen's artistic prowess really starts to show. Using browns and yellows we darken the edges of the dough to replicate the deeper brown of the edges of a pizza. Red colouring, textured with cake crumbs, makes the tomato sauce. For the cheese, more ganache, browned with a real blowtorch. Dark crumbs for black pepper. More dark brown where the edges of the pepperoni would have burned in the oven. 'What separates the really good illusions is going to that extra level,' Cullen says. 'Different colours, different textures.' All of a sudden, my cake looks distinctly pizza-ish. It's only taken four hours and help from the world's leading practitioner. Contrary to usual advice about spoiling the magic, it's satisfying to see the illusion take shape. 'I do it myself,' he says. 'I'll step away and I'll be giddy. You'll be heading down the road and wondering if you're going the right way. Then there's a switch point where you think, 'Yes, it did work!'' After the book, Cullen has his eye on a TV programme. This time, his own creation. 'I think the thing I offer is that I'm in touch with normal people,' he says. 'I want to be the best in the world, but I also don't want to be out of touch. It's art at the end of the day – we're supposed to be enjoying it. There's a lot going on in the world, and we're making cakes. Any time I see someone crying on TV because their cake hasn't risen, I think 'calm down'. Don't let a hobby get ruined.' Decoration complete, Cullen fashions a pizza box so I can take my creation home. 'A pizza?' my five-year-old daughter asks when I show it to her back in London. We cut into it. 'Cake!' she says, with delight.
CNET
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for June 3
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today's Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles. How well do you know your standard cake-recipe ingredients? Today's NYT Mini Crossword could be tricky if you don't, but the three ingredients called for are pretty standard for baking, so you should be able to wing it. Need some help with today's Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips. The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times' games collection. If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET's NYT puzzle hints page. Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword Let's get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers. The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for June 3, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET Mini across clues and answers 1A clue: One of three primary ingredients in sponge cake Answer: EGGS 5A clue: Sponge cake ingredient #2 Answer: FLOUR 7A clue: Lower body exercise with one foot stretched forward and one back Answer: LUNGE 8A clue: First-stringers Answer: ATEAM 9A clue: Towel cloth material Answer: TERRY Mini down clues and answers 1D clue: Key just above D Answer: EFLAT 2D clue: Butt muscle, informally Answer: GLUTE 3D clue: One who's completely toast Answer: GONER 4D clue: Sponge cake ingredient #3 Answer: SUGAR 6D clue: ___ Martin (brand of cognac) Answer: REMY How to play more Mini Crosswords The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day's Mini Crossword for free, but you'll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
One wedding cake costs £10 from Sainsbury's… the other is from a top bakery - so can YOU tell which is which?
They're both three-tiers, covered in delicious buttercream icing, and decorated beautifully. However one of these show-stopping cakes is £27 from a luxury bakery, while the other is a homemade creation with a price tag of just £10 - but can you spot the difference? The more expensive, but equally beautiful creation, is from UK-based bakery chain loved by influencers and foodies alike, Patisserie Valerie. Meanwhile the other is home made, using three Sainsbury's sponge cakes for a tenner, which is similar to what you could find at a premium vendor. UK content creator Lyre took to her TikTok account, @theleggofamily, to showcase how she created the stunning delicacy using just Victoria Sponge Cakes from the supermarket. The mother-of-one who often shares creative money saving hacks on her platform, revealed the cake can be used for any celebration and it's simple to do. For the thrifty creation, which is decorated with gold cake toppers, Lyre explained that she bought three boxes of Taste the Difference Victoria Sponge Cakes for £2 each from the supermarket using Nectar prices. She also bought vanilla cream icing, which cost £3, and gold cake toppers from Temu. The influencer also revealed she previously purchased a cake decorating kit from TikTik shop which helped her with the process, but this wasn't essential. She described her hack as: 'Budget-friendly and perfect for birthdays or any special occasion.' In the clip, which racked up more than 280,000 views, Lyre began by getting a cake stand and removing the cakes from their packaging. She sliced the curved top off each of the cakes so they could neatly be stacked on top of each other. The savvy mother then put a layer of Vanilla Buttercream-style icing in between each cake to keep them in place and to add extra filling. She then spread the icing around all of them, creating one large three-tierd structure. Next, she used an icing scraper to smooth out the icing and a piping tool to decorate the edges. Many were really impressed with the professional looking creation and rushed to the comments. One person wrote: 'Does it stay upright without any support? l can't bake at all so might give this a go!' To which Lyre replied: 'Yes!! Make sure you put it on the fridge after 1st coat of icing for one hour then do 2nd coat of icing then fridge it.' Another asked: 'So how much were the decorations ? And how long did it take you from start to finish including washing up cleaning after you ,also actually going to buy it all too, people don't think about all that.' 'To make it didn't take me long as well prolly 15-20 mins max!' Lyre said. 'But I put it in the fridge for one hour after first icing then did another icing again.' Another added: 'Only seeing this now after we paid our deposit for our wedding cake in August.' A fourth penned: 'Perfect for when you don't have time to bake, also saves time on the washing up.' Many were really impressed with the professional looking creation and rushed to the comments One also expressed: 'I think this is great if you can't cook but wanna still do a cake you have the knowledge in crumb coating get the betty Crocker cake mix so easy.' However for nearly three times the price, but less of the hassle, you could opt for the Ultimate Raspberry Ripple Cake, which is three layers of sponge, raspberry cream and raspberry jam filling with white and pink buttercream from the popular bakery. It comes after another woman revealed how she transformed four chocolate mud cakes from the supermarket into a spectacular 30-something birthday cake. The mother-of-two, from Australia, bought the chocolate cakes from Woolworths before decorating them with stunning pink buttercream flowers and hearts. The incredible tip has been described as 'the best supermarket hack yet' with hundreds of home cooks commenting on the design. The mother posted photos of the cake transformation on Facebook and said the cake was much larger than she expected once it had been completed. She bought a 30-something cake topper for the dessert which she paired with a golden palm frond as the key decorations. The cake was coloured in rose pink, lavender and gold tones, which impressed the others in the group. 'Your cake has left me speechless, just how? What an excellent cake designer,' one woman applauded on the post. The woman posted a series of pictures, including recipe screenshots, to explain exactly how she managed to decorate the cakes so well. 'Thank you for giving such good instructions, so people like me can attempt a hack like this,' one woman marveled. Other pretended to be upset with the amazing effort. 'This group has no room for actual talent, go away,' one mum laughed. The mother used some of the cake in heart-shaped molds and said the cake was 'so moist' she just rolled it up inside without needing to use icing to stick it together. She also used silicon molds to make tiny chocolate blocks and used different sized chocolate balls covered in pink and purple chocolate to add to the the effect of the tower.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Floral fancies
The prettiest of cakes for a spring or summer tea. There are places to buy both fresh and dried edible flowers online. Try for fresh ones and for dried pressed flowers, and crystallised ones as well. Overview Prep time 35 mins Cook time 10 mins Serves 16 Ingredients For the sponge 3 large eggs 75g caster sugar 50g plain flour butter, for greasing For the filling 100g butter, at room temperature 175g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting 3 tbsp full-fat milk For the glacé icing 185g icing sugar lemon juice, as needed edible flowers, to decorate food colouring of your choice (optional) Method Step Butter a 32 x 23cm Swiss roll tin, line it with baking parchment and butter the parchment too. Heat the oven to 190C/180C fan/ gas mark 5. Step Beat the eggs with the sugar for 10 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick and increased in volume. Sift in the flour in 2 batches, using a large metal spoon to fold it in completely after each addition. Try not to knock the air out. Pour the mixture into the Swiss roll tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a palette knife. Step Give the tin a little tap on the kitchen surface to knock out any small bubbles. Bake the sponge for 8-10 minutes. It should be golden and coming away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin and cover with cling film. Step To make the buttercream filling, beat the butter until it's pale and smooth. Add the icing sugar a little at a time. If you add it all at once the sugar billows. The mixture should become smooth – you also need it to be light, so add the milk a bit at a time. It should be spreadable. Step Lay a piece of baking parchment – larger than the sponge – on the counter. Sift a light dusting of icing sugar on top. Remove the cling film from the Swiss roll tin and invert the sponge on to the parchment. Step Remove the parchment on top of the sponge. Halve it widthways. Spread the filling on one of the sponge halves, working right to the edges. Put the other half on top. Slide the parchment on to a baking sheet, cover the top with cling film, and put it in the fridge for 2 hours. Step Make the glacé icing by sifting the icing sugar and adding 1 tbsp of water. Stir this together and add lemon juice a little at a time until you have the right consistency. It has to be thick enough to pour on the squares and run down the sides. You can make different colours by dividing the icing into 2 or 3 different bowls. Put a tiny dot of whatever colours you want on the end of a cocktail stick then mix it in. I do really mean a tiny dot as you want the colours to be pale. Step Use a serrated knife to cut the sponge into 16 squares. Put these on a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet so the icing can drip off there. Ice the squares, letting it run down the sides.
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Helen Goh's recipe for coconut, vanilla and almond cake with strawberries
This cake is inspired by the scent of the gorse bushes along the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, where my family and I go walking on summer holidays. The scent can be elusive, but occasionally, on a warm, sunny day, the breeze catches those golden flowers and diffuses their distinct, sweet scent – a mingling of coconut, vanilla and almond. I've added lime to freshen things up, should those flavours prove a little heady or rich. When strawberries aren't in season, chopped pineapple also works beautifully here. Once baked, the cake will keep, wrapped, for up to two days, but don't top it with the coconut icing until just before you want to serve. Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr 15 min Serves 6-8 For the cake200g plain flour 1¾ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) ¼ tsp fine sea salt 50g ground almonds 200g room-temperature unsalted butter180g caster sugar Finely grated zest and juice (30ml) of 1 lime3 large room-temperature eggs100ml coconut cream – I like the Kara one1 tsp vanilla extract ¼ tsp almond extract For the icing100ml coconut cream 100ml double cream 30g icing sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract To finish200g strawberries, washed and halved10g flaked coconut, lightly toasted1 lime Line the base and sides of a round 20cm cake tin with baking paper, and heat the oven to 195C (175C fan)/380F/gas 5½. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl, then stir in the ground almonds. Put the butter, sugar and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high for about two minutes, until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in well after each addition; use a flexible spatula to scrape the base and sides of the bowl, to ensure even mixing. Mix the coconut cream, lime juice and both extracts in a jug. Turn the mixer speed to low, then, working in three batches, add the sifted dry ingredients to the egg and butter mix alternately with the coconut cream, beating for a few seconds between each addition and scraping down the bowl as required. Scrape the batter into the lined tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer the cake in its tin to a rack, leave to cool completely, then unmould. When you're almost ready to serve, make the coconut icing. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high until the mix thickens to soft waves. Spread the icing on top of the cooled cake, then arrange the strawberries on top. Scatter over the toasted coconut, grate the zest of the lime all over the top, then slice and serve.
