50 Extraordinary Cake Designs That Took Baking To New Heights

Much like any other visual art form, cake decorating requires planning, especially at the professional level. Orlando Soto-Caceres, a former pastry student of the Institute of Culinary Education, provided details about how the process works. 

“A simple scheme for the tiers, colors, and the placement or distribution of ornaments is essential,” he wrote, noting that the plan is both a guide to keep the decorator on point and provide a preview for the client.

If you’re a budding pastry chef, there are specific cake decorating techniques you must keep in mind. The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts wrote an extensive article on this topic, covering a lot of ground.

Spatula icing is described as the “first step” to a cake that is a feast for the eyes. According to the article, the spatula is the easiest way to apply icing, regardless of what look you’re going for. 

Piping is another essential step in making a cake that can turn heads. The process itself is complicated, involving different designs such as stars, dots, rosettes, shells, and zigzags.

Decorated cakes are certainly eye candies, but they were also used as a marketing tool to sell boxed cake mix. This happened in the 1950s, when sales of cake mix began to plummet. 

As a way to fix the problem, companies provided people with the chance to decorate their own cake, which also led to a boost in sales of store-bought icing.

Now, we’d like to hear from you, our readers. Which of these caught your eye, and why did it grab your attention? Would you dare cut into a cake if it were this visually striking? Share your thoughts in the comments!