There are no limits when it comes to one’s imagination and a good example of that is Lauren Wodnicki, a confectioner from Southington, Connecticut, USA, who creates cakes that look like piles of hand-embroidered pillows or shag rugs. Her cakes are fun to look at and might have you doing a double take because the decor pieces are so realistic!
Bored Panda reached out to Lauren to find out a little bit more about how she started baking.
“I have been baking cakes (and other desserts) for a long time, but didn't know anything about decorating... I would do very basic frosted cakes, for example. I was really just focused on taste and refining my recipes. When we were planning our wedding (8-9 years ago), I decided I would make our wedding cake... because I wanted to make sure it tasted good :) So, our wedding cake was my first attempt at a decorated cake.. and a tiered cake. It was 4 tiers and, in hindsight, very simply decorated. But, it was a big accomplishment at the time!”
More info: Instagram | laurenlovescake.com
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We also asked why she chose to imitate the embroidery design on her cakes.
“Over time, I refined my decorating skills and found some styles that I am really passionate about. I just love the texture and dimension of knit/woven/macrame designs on a cake. I am definitely not the first decorator to put some sort of "fiber art" decoration on a cake, but I think I have a particular style and color palettes that make my designs unique. All my designs are piped (using bags and piping tips) in buttercream.”
Since Lauren is such a good baker, we were also curious whether or not she took any courses or classes.
“No! All trial and error by me. I also have some (real) weavings and macrame pieces at our house that serve as amazing inspiration. I also follow many talented fiber artists on IG.”
We also asked the baker about how people have reacted to her work.
“It's amazing, overwhelming, and humbling. Cake orders and Instagram are my side hobby/business. I work full time in healthcare and have two little kids... so let's just say that my cake/creative time usually happens between the hours of 11 pm and 2 am at night. When I started posting cakes on IG a few years ago, I had no idea I would have the following I have today. I wish I could devote more time to it... content creation, teaching classes, orders, partnerships, all of it! Maybe one day I will be able to.”
Is it weirder to want to cuddle this if you think it's a pumpkin or know it's a cake?
Lauren also shared some advice for those who might be seeking a similar career path.
“Well... since I only do this in my spare time and haven't figured out how to do it full-time/run a full-scale business... I don't have great advice from a business perspective. From a creative perspective... I have a simple rule of thumb—do what you like. Don't do what other bakers are doing or what's popular at the moment... if you aren't passionate about those techniques. Do what you like and over time that likely means you will develop your own style. I understand that I can do this because my cake orders are not my primary income source... but I will turn down cake order requests or brand partnerships that don't fit my style.
That said, I know full-time bakers/bakeries that are also selective with their work. There is a way to do it! (I'll figure it out one day :)).”
Lastly, we wanted to know if there was anything else Lauren would like to share with our audience of Pandas!
“Try new things and don't worry if you fail... that's part of the process. I have had many cake recipe and cake design fails... it's annoying and time-consuming... but without those learnings, I would not have the recipes or designs that I use today.”
I would be impressed if this had been done in wool... it's a real tour de force done in butter cream. .
A friend used to recycle wool from thrifted sweaters, and she had skeins of yarn that looked like this.
I am mystified... how does she get icing inside icing? How does one weave butter cream?
I can't imagine the level of patience and concentration this would take to pull off... and it looks like there's not one irregularity in the whole thing. I don't even see how this is possible. I would watch videos of this happening all day.
absolutely gorgeous, and again, it would be hard to pull this off in wool.
Spooky! How cool would it be if she'd added little striped stocking witchy feet at the bottom.
I used to macrame years ago... this would have taken a while using cotton twine... I wonder how long icing macrame takes.
I have yet to see a single cake I would be willing to slice into... no way could I make the first cut.
I want to know what kind of cake is inside this... it would work for my birthday too. I wonder if she ships these
I am curious how she keeps the fringes from breaking... especially the green/yellow ones, that aren't directly on the cake
I might be able to make a fringe one time around... after that I would give up and just ice it normally!
This one looks so simple compared to the others, and yet this one is so beautiful. I want to know how to braid butter cream
She spent years getting good; spend some time working on what you love and you might find that you do have the talent! It's just hiding behind practice. 👍😀
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These are AMAZING! I think of the time and effort I put into my 'ordinary' cakes and they pale in comparison to these works of art!
I'm so jealous every time i see these skills!!! I love baking and making pastry but i have no talent in any decoration!
Practice, practice, practice! I used to say the same and now I'm quite proud of my baking ability and it's only because of having many failures. Haha
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You think you're talented.... Then you look at something like this......
These are beautiful. Too beautiful. I couldn't eat it! They're too pretty! I'd just wanna shellac it and keep it as a decoration. (Yes I know that's not what you do with cake or how you use shellac.)
My blood sugar has risen alarmingly while looking looking at these wonderful cakes.
Gorgeous creations! I wish they had a show where we could watch them work and see how this is done!
These are a m a z i n g and they look delicious to the max but they look like they have SOOOO much fondant and icing! I wouldn't be able to get through a piece! Lol then again i never really eat a lot of cake. Im more of a brownie girl. Id totally have a piece of these though. Cake mood or nah
These cakes are beautiful but I hate to say all that piping will cause her killer carpel tunnel someday....
She spent years getting good; spend some time working on what you love and you might find that you do have the talent! It's just hiding behind practice. 👍😀
Load More Replies... These are AMAZING! I think of the time and effort I put into my 'ordinary' cakes and they pale in comparison to these works of art!
I'm so jealous every time i see these skills!!! I love baking and making pastry but i have no talent in any decoration!
Practice, practice, practice! I used to say the same and now I'm quite proud of my baking ability and it's only because of having many failures. Haha
Load More Replies... You think you're talented.... Then you look at something like this......
These are beautiful. Too beautiful. I couldn't eat it! They're too pretty! I'd just wanna shellac it and keep it as a decoration. (Yes I know that's not what you do with cake or how you use shellac.)
My blood sugar has risen alarmingly while looking looking at these wonderful cakes.
Gorgeous creations! I wish they had a show where we could watch them work and see how this is done!
These are a m a z i n g and they look delicious to the max but they look like they have SOOOO much fondant and icing! I wouldn't be able to get through a piece! Lol then again i never really eat a lot of cake. Im more of a brownie girl. Id totally have a piece of these though. Cake mood or nah
These cakes are beautiful but I hate to say all that piping will cause her killer carpel tunnel someday....
