Classic cakes or show-off bakes?

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Posted at 10:45AM, 23 March 2011 by Dulcima Mansell - Food writer

As the plethora of cookery shows on the television constantly remind us: presentation is key. You take your first taste with your eyes. Indeed if food was only about the taste, cookery shows would be struggling for an audience.

Presentation is about telling your brain to get ready for something tasty

I have no issue in accepting that food needs to look appetising to engage the eater (or indeed, the viewer). Presentation is about exciting the taste buds and telling your brain to get ready for something tasty. It should showcase the food at its best. But, and this is the clincher, it should still look like food.

I walked past a bakery recently and sitting proudly in the window were a selection of cupcakes (the world's most overrated food if you ask me, but that's a rant for another day). I want to tell you about one cupcake in particular, this cupcake was green. I can handle a green cupcake; it just makes me think 'hmm... expect something lime flavoured'. But on top of the green icing were little edible pearls, and diamonds and glitter. Diamonds, on a cake, seriously? I like it when my jewellery sparkles, diamonds are a girl's best friend and all that, but no, not on my food.

Take a trip to your local cookery shop or supermarket baking aisle and you will see pots of 'delights' waiting to adorn your culinary creations. You can cover your cakes in gold leaf, spray them with a glitter spray and cover them in some bizarre product called 'lustre dust', should the mood take you.

I remember when I was a little girl, making cakes and biscuits with my mother and then pressing little coloured jellies and silver balls that you could crack a tooth on, into the still setting icing. Looking back I'm sure they looked pretty ghastly, but it was fun at the time. But we have gone too far. A cake, which still looks like a cake, but has a delicate sprinkling of hundreds and thousands on top? Fine. However, a cake that you barely recognise as being a cake because it has the contents of a jewellery box on top? Too much.

As I am sure you have gathered I did not buy the bizarre green cupcake. There was nothing appetising about those cupcakes at all. Offer me a scone with a dollop of clotted cream and some beautifully coloured jelly and I will happily gobble it up. Or a toasted teacake that is just the right colour of golden with a healthy smearing of butter melting in to it. Simple, beautiful and seriously appetising.

Do you prefer the natural look or a bit of sparkle?

Comments

1-20 of 24 comments

sarymclary

23 March 2011, 11:08AM
sarymclary

I'm getting really rather tired of this sneering attitude towards the new trend for beautiful cakes. As a person who strives to make very beautiful, and intricate cake designs, I think it would be nice to receive a little more recognition for our talents, which take a great deal of time and skill to perfect. Might I suggest the writer of this piece tries to tell the likes of Eric Lanlard, Peggy Porschen or Jane Asher the same thing? Their cakes not only look decadent, and bejeweled, but have delicious recipes underneath. It's hard enough making a living as a baker sometimes, without being told we should all make scones and teacakes forevermore.

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crazycakes

23 March 2011, 11:23AM
crazycakes

I agree with sarymclary... 'Womens hour' put down the cupcake last week, Is there no end to this negativity? It takes hours to produce beautiful looking cupcakes and many people enjoy the beauty. It is so sad that people waste their time writing and talking about how bad cupcakes are.... No - War, Earthquakes, Tsunami, Child poverty... shall I go on? These are areas of concern and worth writing about. To dislike a humble cupcake so much to write such a piece, It is very sad. If only you knew the hours behind creating cakes and cupcakes, you owe all bakers an apology.

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Claudia83

23 March 2011, 11:24AM
Claudia83

It takes all sorts and there's room for all sorts. I can't begrudge someone who wants a bejewelled cupcake anymore than I can someone who wants a old fashioned teacake. Its exciting that baking has come back into the limelight; and the heaps of creativity that has come along with it. Any art form needs those who push the boundaries in order to keep things interesting, as well.

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Bex

23 March 2011, 11:39AM
Bex

Although I think perhaps this article is a little harsh in ignoring the efforts people go to make food products look so attractive, I would love to hear Mansell's rant about how overrated cupcakes are. I just cannot comprehend what is so amazing about a piece of sponge that usually consists of an icing squirted on through a pipe bag. Admittedly they look pretty, but when it comes to taste cupcakes are nearly always boring.

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kimwareham

23 March 2011, 11:42AM
kimwareham

Have you bakers gone barkers? If you want to read about wars and tidal waves, what are you doing here? Read the Economist.com, if you like blingin' cupcakes, fabulous - it's just an opinion. Mine is: I don't care what the cupcake looks like as long as it's chocolate inside and tastes yum!

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Danni @ olive mag

23 March 2011, 11:44AM
Danni @ olive mag

I love cupcakes, but agree that the global obsession (is that too strong? sorry) has probably ruined their appeal a little. However, they can be just as tasty as bigger cakes and puds - it's just an issue of creativity. I make them regularly and they always go down a storm. Favourite flavours include choc mint, limoncello, pistachio or chocolate and salted caramel. A pretty swirl of icing and a pinch of edible glitter never goes amiss, but this shouldn't be the main draw. I wouldnt have bought the green one either! :)

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Dee Russell

23 March 2011, 12:23PM
Dee Russell

I love this article, and all of the comments thus far. I can't help but think that, much like the trend for 'vintage' clothing, once something becomes a trend, it begins to polarize people. For me, getting people in a kitchen baking or cooking is an important thing, if it is edible diamonds or a red hot chilli pepper that gets them in there I don't care. I just want to see more people passionate about home cooked foods.

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Ellie Reade

23 March 2011, 1:10PM
Ellie Reade

When did fairy cakes become Cupcakes? Is there a difference?

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MZ

23 March 2011, 1:34PM
MZ

Hear hear kimwearham, if people want a blog about wars, earthquakes and poverty ect why read a food blog. I have to say many of these fancy cakes weather cupcakes or other look very pretty and definatly require skill, but for me if someone offered me an attractive cupcake or a messy looking bowl of treacle pudding and custard the latter would win every time, as well as tasting amazing the classics just have such a comforting appeal to them. Ellie Reade- fairy cakes tend to be either plain on top or have a comparitively thin layer of icing more often set. cupcakes seem to have a slightly deeper base and a larger amount of topping which is very soft and creamy.

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VickyD

23 March 2011, 1:49PM
VickyD

I think these cupcakes are fabulous to look at and make me marvel at the skills of some people. Human nature appears to have a tendancy to knock anything good. I say just enjoy with your eyes and your taste buds and that'll be enough.

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Sherrie

23 March 2011, 3:27PM
Sherrie

I appreciate both, I gawp in amazement at some of the intricately designed cakes. The imagination and skill is clearly an art to be desired. However when it comes to eating a cake, I much prefer eating the traditional variety, including the basic fruit scone with clotted cream!

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kitchengardener

23 March 2011, 3:41PM
kitchengardener

A case for "each to their own" isn't it, if people want to buy these things then bakeries will keep on making them. Personally I'm not a fan of cupcakes, they'll always be a glorified fairy cake and I'd never serve them to guests but one can't deny the work that some people put into them and if that's how they like to spend their time then fine, who's to say they shouldn't? Right, I'm off to supervise a small child with 2 trays of gingerbread shapes, an icing bag and every tooth-cracking sprinkle and sparkle you can imagine!

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Myla

23 March 2011, 7:07PM
Myla

Wow what a storm in the cupcake mould! Personally I don't have the patience to do particularly beautiful baking or to put a lot of effort into decoration. However ,those who enjoy it - feel free to go for it. Where i do take offence is when those who put a lot of effort into that kind of thing then forget that it's still edible. I visited a friend recently who offered her very fancy, very complicated looking and actually very yummy cupcakes to my children, who devoured them, and was then told that they did not show enough appreciation for the effort she had put into making them look beautiful?! They are 2 and 4, so what did she expect? So one thing I would ask those who like to make stylish cakes is to consider if you are really sure you can live with your artwork being eaten. Because if not then maybe you should take up a hobby that's more about making things that will keep and are just for looking at them.

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John S

24 March 2011, 10:35AM
John S

Myla: exactly! When the look of the topping becomes more important than the taste, that's when things have gone too far. It's the equivalent of covering your car in go-faster stripes and flashing neon lights: it might look fancy but if the top speed is 30mph and the brakes don't work than it's pointless bling. A great cupcake should be about soft sponge and tasty toppings - not so many diamonds it wouldn't look out of place on Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.

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Katy

24 March 2011, 1:26PM
Katy

I have to say, when it comes to cupcakes, and in fact, any iced, decorated cake, I'm not a huge fan of style over substance. I would rather have a plain sponge with a dollop of icing on top that tasted amazing, than a gorgeous, intricately delicated work of art that tasted like a bit of teddy stuffing. No-one is denying the hard work being put in by bakers to create such a beautiful bit of food, but I think the author's point was that there is a line where food is "overdone" and stops looking like food. And at that point, what's the point?

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sophia101

25 March 2011, 4:56PM
sophia101

I love pretty little cupcakes and also experimenting! There's nothing wrong with decorating with your own style. No matter how flamboyant! I love looking at other bakers creations!!!

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fairystoryteller

28 March 2011, 12:49PM
fairystoryteller

There is a lot to be said for a simple sponge cupcake with a dollop of snowy whte icing topped off with a glace cherry. On the other hand - how spoilt did my two (teenage!) daughters feel this weekend when my husband bought them each a gloriously over the top chocolate cupcake from our lovely local bakery? Very spoilt - that's how!

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ZeTallGerman

29 March 2011, 9:13AM
ZeTallGerman

I've never really understood the difference between fairy cakes, cup cakes and muffins... all pretty much the same to me! Although I respect the skill that goes into decorating desserts, I myself am more from the "rustic baking school" which is all about taste and texture, no matter if the cake is slightly wonky or the icing has been added with a shaky hand. I love baking and although I do make sure my creations look good, I wouldn't spend ages creating sugar roses or fancy squirts of melted caramel or sauce. Life is too short :-)

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Belinda

3 April 2011, 4:16PM
Belinda

Suggest we all do what we like when it comes to cakes and make an effort to duly admire the efforts of the baker. But I must admit that the Choccywoccydoodah cake in April's Good Food (page 155) bowled me over, now THAT would be a pity to eat ...

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chvallen

4 April 2011, 7:55PM
chvallen

As Belinda said, Choccywoccydoodah look amazing, taste amazing, and contain huge amounts of chocolate. Those cakes really are masterpieces. Perfect compromise?

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