Sunday, October 26, 2008

Sunday Sweets: Autumn Awesomeness in Atlanta

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Today's Sweets are brought to you by Highland Bakery in Atlanta, Georgia. The folks over at Highland routinely churn out the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous creations the South has ever seen, and I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite. So instead, I just chose some season-appropriate lovelies.

Doesn't this look like a giant Hallmark figurine? (I mean that in a good way.)

The cobblestones, the twisty vines, the gnarled posts! There's so much more to this cake than the cutesy mice. (Although the mice are pretty darn adorable, I must admit.)


I don't think I've ever seen sugar art looks so much like porcelain - just look at those leaves!

Mmm, sugary mushrooms...


Next up: a perfect pumpkin:

I just love the simple design and creamy colors. I think cakes overall should use more orange, too, don't you? Year-round, I mean: orange is just underused.

Many thanks to Karen and the gang over at Highland Bakery for the lovely work, and for not hanging up on John when he said he was calling from Cake Wrecks. ;)
Unknown said...

What a beauty of a cake! How would you ever cut into it??

I went on their site and looked at some of their other cakes...

Ummm, there were scary looking cakes there. They had a "punk baby" cake...with the face of a baby with piercings. You could do a month of entries just on some of their cakes :P.

I loved their cookies! Too cute

Sam said...

awesome, yay for things relatively close to my house. I now need to go over there and taste some of their wares.

Marian Perera said...

That's too cute to eat. :)

Anonymous said...

I would not eat that....I wold get it sprayed with those food preservative sprays...and keep it for a center piece every year.

Diana said...

AMAZING!!!! I LOVE FALL!

color, technique! WOW!

Word Ninja said...

Those cakes are definitely made of awesome. Just like this blog! (it's my fave!)

Courtney said...

Beautiful cakes and greta inspiration for a newbie cake maker like myself.

Anonymous said...

These are absolutely lovely. I want that pumpkin cake!

Anonymous said...

These cakes are amazing! I was looking at the gallery on their site - simply fantastic cakes. Their turkey cupcakes are adorable! :)

Michelle said...

I don't think I could cut into any of this cakes you've been showing on Sundays. They are all too beautiful and should be in curio cabnets not tummies.

Anonymous said...

The only word perfectly appropriate for such a beautiful pumpkin cake as this:
Gourd-geous!!!
:)
Wendy

Sara B said...

That is the prettiest cake I think I have ever seen!

Anonymous said...

See, these demonstrate how pumpkins and mice can come together in a *good* way!

Mongoose said...

Yeah, these are awesome. And I think when you know you're doing good work, you don't need to hang up when you get a call from Cake Wrecks.

Katie said...

Beautiful artwork. Too lovely to eat.

A Paperback Writer said...

Wow.
I could never, ever eat something like this. The guilt at destroying art would just be too much to handle.
thanks for sharing it.

word verification: rocker

wow. I've never had an actual WORD show up before.

Dana (*danavee*) said...

Those are WAY too pretty to eat! I wouldn't want to cut into them!

Kateri said...

Oh my gosh, that is so beautiful. I love those toadstools. I love the pumpkin vines. Actually, I love the whole cake!

skinny minny said...

Gorgeous! but how does one cut something the beautiful? Though it does look absolutely yummy too!

Anonymous said...

I love the leaves, a long-overdue change from flowers and, on this cake, tinted perfectly. (And---leaf awnings---sooooo cuuuuute.) Particularly lovely are the leaves at the base, which the bakers have beaded into the finish without just sticking them on. A masterpiece!


And yes: MORE ORANGE.

Anna said...

Oh, so *that's* what a pumpkin is supposed to look like. Friday's post made me forget.

Anonymous said...

The loveliest cakes I've ever seen. Some people are truly artists, with fabulous imaginations and perfect follow-through...

Emily said...

I would love to know more details...how much time it took and how much something like this would sell for? That is simply amazing!

Anonymous said...

Breathtaking!

Unknown said...

Wow.

This cake takes my breath away.

What talent!

Anonymous said...

Whoa! Those are absolutely stunning. Almost would be a shame to cut them.
~Amy B.

Heather said...

TOTALLY AWESOME!! Who cannot appreciate a cake that doesn't look like a cake but more like a piece of art?? It truly is art!

Deborah Godin said...

Ho-lee, that's amazing! Somebody should be (or have they?) opening up a Cake Museum and putting some of these materpieces on permanent (climate controlled for longevity, of course) display!

Anonymous said...

Highland makes the tastiest cakes...second only to my mother!

Sherice

Angie McCullagh said...

Dreamy. Dreamy! Though I have an evil urge to smash my face into them.

Angie (from over at www.HalfAssedKitchen.com)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic! Love this blog. Thanks for putting up some wonderful cakes on Sundays; it's a nice break from the horrors on the weekdays.

Hyla said...

Those are gorgeous! Do those cakes ever get eaten, I just don;t think I could bear to take a bite out of one of those!

~Hyla
http://greenearthjourney.blogspot.com

Stephanie said...

AMAZING...I agree with Mandy...I'd figure out how to save it.

Stacey said...

YAY Atlanta!!! Beautiful cake. I'd be afraid to cut into it too.

Anonymous said...

My sis and I send each other cake pics, she sent this one to me a day ago.

I have been looking for autumn ever since I moved; I finally found it online. In a cake.

Anonymous said...

I agree with everyone. This cake is a beautiful work of art. However, if I'm buying a cake, I want it to taste good! I have to wonder with the use of all that fondant--how is the mouthfeel and taste? Maybe I prefer other icings to fondant and some people enjoy the fondant. Thanks for such a great blog. A perfect mix of laughter and awe!

S

Keemster said...

Freakin' awesome!!! Almost makes up for those fugly goofball cakes you've been posting.

Sydney said...

I love this new Sunday Sweets feature! I think it's a wonderful sign of where the world is headed, that smart, funny people can be snarky and ironic, but also genuinely appreciative of something done well. I got so tired of the "I'm Capable of Ironic Observation So I Can't Like Anything '90s".

I completely agree with you about this cake looking like a Hallmark figurine (in a good way). And weirdly, though I'd never even consider purchasing such a figurine, you make it 10 times larger and out of cake, and suddenly I'd be honored to host a party specifically to display it. And eat it. (I'm sure that while I couldn't figure out how to cut into it, my nieces and nephews could.) Maybe that's what makes figurines so hard to appreciate. They only do two things: look cute and gather dust. But cake! That looks cute, tastes delicious and brings people together for fun times.

Anonymous said...

So absolutely beautiful!! The pumpkin was just gorgeous!!

Although I'm surprised you admire them though! I mean stunning yes.. but isn't it too much frosting for you ;)

Kimberly said...

While I miss the giggle on Sundays - I LOVE the gorgeousness you spotlight. This is by far my favorite to date - WOW!

The Courteous Chihuahua said...

I love this cake!!! My mom and I frequently buy the cute woodland animal cards for each other. Seriously, I love this cake.

amyd said...

I can't imagine how long that took to make. It's beautiful, and there's no way I could actually bring myself to cut into it!

Mare said...

That 'Hallmark Lookalike' cake is amazing. It must have taken a very long time and require tedious effort-even if done in stages. WoW!
And yes, more orange. Orange should be more that Halloween, fall leaves, and Syracuse University[My son graduated from there,so I have more orange than the average person!].
Caryn was right about sending us to your blog. Not my first visit, just my first comment.

Anonymous said...

I want one, I want one, I want one...

Lavanah said...

oh my, I don't think I could eat these cakes-they are beautiful!

templework said...

Like you said: right out of Hallmark!!!

Unbelievable!

WOW!

Unknown said...

That's the first cake with mice crawling all over it that I'd want to eat! Except that it's so cute and beautiful, it would be hard to...

I'll just pluck off the paving stones and pop the mushrooms in my mouth.

The pumpkin below, I might eat. But only because it would slice so perfectly along the ribs into lovely pieces! Carving this pumpkin would be a piece of cake, har har I'm so clever.

Anonymous said...

These cakes do look really nice, but I have a feeling they probably taste overly sweet...That looks like a lot of frosting...

Anonymous said...

OMG, I think that is the most beautiful cake I've ever seen!! I wouldn't want to touch it let alone eat it.

Who was it designed for?

The mices are adorable!!

sparkly jules

http://allthatsparkles.typepad.com/

Reginia @NotSoModern said...

What a Fabulous Post!!
Thank you soooo much as I have been looking for a Bakery such as this in my area!!

ksaldria said...

It's so beautiful I don't know if I could bring myself to eat it. I love every bit of it and the mice are just too cute ^.^

Anonymous said...

I have just spent a sick sunday in bed, looking at each photo and entry of your blog. I must say, thank you for making a sick sunday a little more bearable! I will now be on the lookout for cake wrecks.

Thank you!!

Anonymous said...

This is my local bakery! I am so excited to see it on Cake Wrecks! My husband and I go to breakfast at Highland Bakery at least a couple of days a week. Their bagels are just divine. I've seen these cakes in person and they are so pretty!

Jumper said...

I remember my mom and dad told me that there wedding cake was a wreck! They asked to have the cake made to look like the place they were getting married, with layers built up to make a hill. Well the people made the layers out of icing! So there was like 4 inches of bright green icing that all melted and sagged down making something so far away from what they wanted! It is sad that they didnt take a picture then!

thenakedhorseblog.blogspot.com

Mad Izatie said...

How can you want to eat that? It looks so purdy! The mice so cute!!!

I have a feeling these cakes are the kind of cakes that peopl take tons of photos before even making a dent in the icing/fondant/cake.

Elliott said...

Please. The comment about orange being under used is going to be taken out of context. Think woman! You have to use you (super) powers for good and not evil.

Renee said...

these are gorgeous! I have to say I love your blog and even got my husband hooked. we were in the grocery store today and as we passed some particularly sad looking halloween cakes in the bakery--he remarked--"you should take a picture of those and send it to Cake Wrtecks"!

Unknown said...

Wow, that is an absolutely gorgeous cake!

Angie said...

OMG Jaw dropping beautiful!! ITA about orange being under used.

Starry Eyed Designs said...

Gorgeous picks for today! I love when you post your wrecks, but Sundays are great too to show off the cakes that ARE good! :)

Unknown said...

Ar bloody mazin

corilee said...

Wow! Those are amazing! I've never seen anything like that. They're too pretty to eat.

Anonymous said...

hahaha to anna (above poster)
thanks for the laugh on this otherwise very sweet sunday ;)
much appreciated!

Wendyburd1 said...

gorgeous! This is why when I pass Pood Network and they have a cake challenge...I stop and am entranced!

Eric said...

If I hadn't seen this on your site, I would have thought it was a figurine. It is amazing!

www.goinggreenaccidently.blogspot..com

Anonymous said...

they are so beautiful!!!

greetz Tanja

Leo said...

I wouldn't have a fridge big enough for that one! Huge and very ornate - a shame to eat.

Sleepwalker said...

Yes, that is what pumpkin stems and tendrils are supposed to look like: graceful curves and spirals, not flat, icky wormlike squiggles!

And those 'shrooms look exactly like the crispy cocoa-dusted meringue creations my grandmother used to make. I'd be swooping down on those first if I was presented with this cake.

Anonymous said...

Thank you all for the kind comments! And thank you John, for featuring my stuff! Can't wait to send links telling everyone I made it to Cake Wrecks (but in a good way!)
I have loved this site since the first time I saw it. People have walked in to my office to see what I'm laughing so loudly at.
Cheers!
Karen Portaleo
Highland Bakery

Anonymous said...

I love highland bakery. Their cakes are beautiful and their food and sweets are yummy. If you are ever in downtown Atlanta, hit them up. Be prepared for a long wait during brunch hours though. oh and the jalepeno foccacia is the best bread ever!!!!

The Hatter said...

They have a bustier cake.... xD

Anonymous said...

It IS gorgeous, but how much of it is actually cake?

Ghost Rider said...

These look absolutely delicious! I honest to heaven do not understand "not being able to eat the art". If Monet/Dega's works were as tasty as these cakes look we'd have no museums because of people like me. I mean, cake...

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous!! The only wrecktastic part of a cake like this is something my sister once said about fondant: I can only imagine how much this was TOUCHED by other people. Yum

Unknown said...

I don't have to eat it. The cuteness is enough to give you a sugar rush. How adorable are those mice!?

:D

Anonymous said...

that is fantastic!! I wonder what they do with cakes like this when they're done, surely thy don't eat them?

Unknown said...

Aw, I would buy that sad looking ghostie cake just because I felt sorry for it! :-)

MaryO said...

ZOWIE! These are lovely, just spectacular! What is it about pumpkins/gourds that are so cheery? Call me weird, but fields of pumpkins or pumpkins/gourds and harvest corn in festive displays always bring a smile to my face.

These cakes are works of art! I am speechless! Wonderful stuff!

heartafire said...

This bakery is fantastic. My sister lives in Atlanta and knows it well

Anonymous said...

Dear Lord - THAT is one BEAUTIFUL cake!

Anonymous said...

Went to the website to see some more beauty and found a groom's head cake mixed up within the mounds of gorgeous - check it out.

Anonymous said...

I live in Atlanta but have never visted this bakery. When in the Highlands, I typically go to Alon's but I will definitely check it out!

They are gorgeous! Almost too lovely to eat...but who am I kidding? I'd eat them anyway! The mice are so cute....

Constance Plank said...

What a charming cake! I particularly like the mice, and the red shawl on what I assume is the mama mouse.

There is a wonderful kids' film, "The Secret of Nihm" with the most beautiful animation! The mother mouse wore a red shawl, and the cake falls into the same style as the movie.

So, there might be an influence, which is a Good Thing. ;-)

Mellykat said...

Holy 987598746 pounds of fondant, Batman!

What a gorgeous creation!

Anonymous said...

This is absolutely amazing! I would never cut it! I'd just preserve it!

Tanya said...

Those are just AWESOME. So cool.

Caroline said...

OMG...that is not a cake, but a work of art!

Anonymous said...

Such beautiful detail! OwO

I love insanely (and tasteful) detailed cakes~

Carmen @ Life with Sprinkles on Top said...

Oh I absolutely adore this cake. :)

Anonymous said...

Amazing!! I have never seen anything edible like it. Just beautiful!!

kyooty said...

This post was just pretty! what a lot of work and detail for a cake!

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous cake!

I've been to the Highland Bakery, and it is FABOO!

Becky

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

I'm not eating mice no matter what they're made of!

Anonymous said...

my boyfriend works at this bakery! this cake was amazing in person and so was watching the staff keep kids from poking their fingers in it :)

travesti said...

Thank you very much for this useful article and the comments.

web tasarım said...

I would not eat that....I wold get it sprayed with those food preservative sprays...and keep it for a center piece every year.

Medyum said...

I would not eat that....I wold get it sprayed with those food preservative sprays...and keep it for a center piece every year.

Spacegeek Nat said...

This is quite possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! I'm obsessed with mushrooms, punkins & all things fall. In fact, the only things on this cake NOT tattooed somewhere on my body are the mice. And that's only cos I didn't see this before...

(That's right, I said "punkins.")

web tasarım said...

love this cake!!! My mom and I frequently buy the cute woodland animal cards for each other. Seriously, I love this cake

Cupcakes Lady said...

Wow! Those are absolutely stunning. Almost would be a shame to eat. xx

web tasarım said...

I want that pumpkin cake :)

SEO Analyst said...

That's too cute to eat. :)

web tasarım said...

Too cute :)