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Foods are both necessity and something we indulge in—from proper morning meals to snacks during lunch to an occasional bowl of popcorn during a movie night—it's a fundamental part of our lives. Everyone understands it, which is why there are a variety of flavors, shapes, and colors, some of them designed in part to catch the eye. And with the increasing digital presence in our lives, it's no surprise that those same foods made it into emojis (no less colorful or tasty-looking than the real thing).

Granted, the emojis vary depending on the operating system, platform, and even phone model, but largely, they are easily recognizable—a birthday cake is just as enticing, and a cup of digital coffee might smell of freshness to come. Such is their true intention, to convey the feeling without going into elaborate details. But what happens when you take something that was transferred from the real world to digital space... and then turn it around again? Well, this TikTok user wasn't afraid of a challenge.

#1

Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake

ash_baber , emojipedia Report

Cameron Alford
Community Member
4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

im not a big raspberry fan but that makes me want raspberries

Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I adore raspberries; they snuck past strawberries a few years ago, and perfectly ripe blueberries are to die for, but my all-time favorite is 🥑🥑🥑!

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Animal Lover
Community Member
4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Right down to the amount of raspberries!

Kat Kirkpatrick
Community Member
4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I always thought those red things were pointy enough to be strawberries. I guess if you have big enough raspberries, it could go either way.

Alexis Davar
Community Member
4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now I want raspberry cake with fat candles.

Daphne Williams
Community Member
4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cake needs to be larger or broader, raspberries should be strawberries, candles should be pillar- style. Yes, I'm a killjoy.

Vaida Kuodytė
Community Member
4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's a really lame emoji for a cake.

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Ash Baber is a 20-year-old chef and he went viral on TikTok for his baking skills. However, he doesn't simply share a new take on Caesar salads. Ash actually dedicated his time recreating the food emojis you might find on your phone, but aiming for exact replication instead of a generalized version.

RELATED:
    #2

    Cupcake

    Cupcake

    ash_baber , emojipedia Report

    Alexis Davar
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Love that the sprinkles are only on one side! cuz the emoji is 2D

    Sharon Kapon
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wowwww i would like one of those emojis

    Cameron Alford
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i say the the one i the bottom left corner is the best

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    He's a student in Greater Manchester, and while cooking was his passion, he had to split time between schoolwork and his account, so the uploads could boast having great quality, but they weren't too frequent. And when the UK announced the nation-wide lockdown, it was Ash's time to fully shine (he posts his creations on Instagram as well).

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    #3

    Doughnut

    Doughnut

    ash_baber , emojipedia Report

    Kinga Złotkowska
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A doughnut inspired by emoji doughnut inspired by the real doughnut. What's next?

    H Edwards
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm just picturing him putting the sprinkles on one by one with tweezers

    Piper McLean
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don’t like donuts but these look delicious

    Alexis Davar
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    MMMMMMmmmmm now i want Boston cream donuts

    kjorn
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    omg! the sprinkle are at the same spot!!!!!

    ᑭIᗰᑭᒪE ᖴᗩᑕE
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ugh I absolutely love donuts. I need to eat those!

    DogLady
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How dare you make me crave donuts at 2 am??!

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    He started his emoji food series because he thought the cake emoji was a bit strange—all white and strangely shaped. He wanted to see if he could recreate it exactly how it looks in the picture, and shared the process (and subsequent success) in the video.

    #4

    Bubble-Tea

    Bubble-Tea

    ash_baber , emojipedia Report

    Cameron Alford
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    mmm i have never had bubble tea but it looks good

    Nathan Jones
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've tried it twice. Not for me.

    Willows
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Here in Asia we have lots of bubble tea....so good I get it everyday

    Armstrong mcKay
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    YAAAAAASH 🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋

    Alexis Davar
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh! I literally LOVE boba! I love it! Now I want some.

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    "They're emojis, so they're not the most realistic." Ash stated the time to make the emoji-based foods varies. Sometimes it can be only a few hours, other attempts require significantly more time. It all depends on how far-off the emoji is from the actual food and how much detail it has.

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    #5

    Custard

    Custard

    ash_baber , emojipedia Report

    Eva Schmutz
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that's not custard it looks like flan

    로희
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Purin! I love eating this and it's quite easy to make at home.

    Chloe Drury
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is called Flan its a french dish

    Shazz Winchester
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    We call this Creme Caramel pudding in South Africa

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    The donut and cupcake emojis were among those that took up a lot of time. However, it's not because they required a lot when it came to the baking process—Ash wanted to replicate the exact way the sprinkles were placed on the foods, so he had to manually add each sprinkle with a zoomed-in version of the emoji as a guide.

    The young chef said he didn't expect the series to take off as it did. People were so amazed by his skill and creativity that they want to see his unique take on other foods. Usually the comment section of his videos chimes in with suggestions.

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    #7

    Dango

    Dango

    ash_baber , emojipedia Report

    Auggie LaBonte
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh Poo now got the song stuck in my head for the day :(

    JinxBox
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What are these anyway? Totally unknown in scandinavia.

    DogLady
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can someone pls tell me what dango is?

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    Out of all the emoji foods, Ash revealed it was the pancakes that gave him the most trouble. These seemingly innocuous golden circles were actually the hardest, especially since Ash wanted to recreate them as close to the source as possible.

    #8

    Croissant

    Croissant

    ash_baber , emojipedia Report

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    Dango took him about an hour, standing as one of the easier foods he recreated. This further proves that the food's looks reveal next to nothing about its creation process. And while Ash said he's not planning to recreate the entire food emoji library, he's willing to bake until there's a demand.

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    #9

    Pretzel

    Pretzel

    ash_baber , emojipedia Report

    Winnie
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I expected better for someone from Bavaria

    Ragnhild Nilsen
    Community Member
    4 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He could try "vannkringler". Norwegian recipe ;) Normally not sprinkled with salt or sesame seeds, but that could be done. https://aasewiig.no/farmor/2018/08/05/vannkringle/

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    The croissant emoji took entire three days to make, likely because of all the layers (and let's not forget it was to be slightly round). French cuisine, it appears, demands perfection even in its digital form. Luckily, Ash is sufficiently dedicated to his craft to carry on with the task.