Sunday, November 7, 2010

Sunday Sweets Steams It Up

Sunday, November 7, 2010

If you read my other blog, Epbot, then you know I have this eensy teensy tiny obsession with steampunk. This past week I featured some the most amazing steampunk weddings I could find, which of course set me off hunting the most amazing steampunk wedding cakes I could find.

You know, like this:


Submitted by Ellie G. & made by Christopher Garren's Let Them Eat Cake

You'd have to stare at this cake for a looong time to notice all of the details, but don't miss the goggles, keyboard, tiny top hat, and gramophone. Wow.

(Oh, and this was featured on WE tv's Amazing Wedding Cakes a while back, so if you want to see more, check out their season 3 premier.)

Steampunk style often involves dirigibles and hot air balloons (which I love), so this next design gave me a big geeky grin:



Made by Crystal of Candied Apple Pastry Company


There's even a dapper little robot couple in the balloon's basket:

Cute! And I like the bright teal paired with all the brass and gold; so bright and cheerful.


Of course, you don't have to go overboard with detail: a few well-placed gears and a quirky robot topper can bring steampunk style beautifully:

Submitted by Miri R., made by New Renaissance Cakes.
So pretty!

The topper is by Builder's Studio, which seems to be THE source for steampunk robot wedding toppers; three of today's Sweets have them.


How about some cupcakes?

Goggles and pocket watches and gears, oh my!


Here's one of my all-time favorite architectural designs:

Made by Spense

This support structure is genius: it looks more like a miniature vignette than a cake. Also, check out the piping (as in copper piping, I mean. Heh.) on the dome, and the tiny rivets in the portholes around the base. Such great detail!

And really, when it comes down to it, steampunk is all about the details. It's about looking closer, and really appreciating handcrafted artistry.

Like this:

Made by the Artisan Cake Company

And this:

Submitted by Danica K. and made by Wild Cakes


And this:
Sub'd by Chelsea K. & made by The KupKake Tree


Here's a funky industrial design:

Submitted by Samantha J. and made by Sucré

And a fun top hat:

Sub'd by Ingred C. & made by Molly H.

Try as I might, I can't quite make out what the top is supposed to say. Can any of you?

[Update: It apparently says 'Oscar.' Or possibly 'Epcot.' Thanks, guys!]

And finally, another wedding cake made for TV:

By Amanda of Venus Cakes

Is your jaw on the floor? Yeah. Mine, too.

This was featured on The Great Cake Bake by Wedding TV earlier this year. Once again, I'm awe-struck by all these details:

A corset-inspired back:


And gorgeous gears, flowers, and gems galore!

Oh, and tassels. C'mon, just look at all that! Amazing!

(More detail shots on Amanda's blog here.)


So, did I miss one? Or do you have another Sweets genre or cake that I simply *must* feature? Then e-mail it to me at Sunday Sweets [at] Cake Wrecks [dot] com!

Unknown said...

I think the top hat might say Oscar.

--Melissa

Anonymous said...

It looks like "Oscar" to me...?

Ashley said...

I believe the top hat cake says "Oscar"

Hannah said...

Judging by the blog post from baker Molly H., the gears at the top of the hat spell out the name of the birthday boy, 'Oscar'.

Anonymous said...

Re the Top Hat: I went to Molly H.'s link and found that it was a birthday cake for her nephew, "Oscar," so I'm guessing that's what the top is saying. And if you look with the notion of "Oscar" in your head, you can totally see it.

Anonymous said...

Oscar on the hat.

unmitigated me said...

Oscar? It looks like Oscar to me.

Jadzia said...

The top hat says "Happy Birthday" :)

Dragon-girl said...

THESE ARE CAKE?!

WOW!

ev said...

it looks like it is the birthday boy's name, Oscar, on the top hat.

What gorgeous cakes!

Unknown said...

Beautiful!

I think the top hat birthday cake says "Oscar" across the top?

Heather said...

hey there! :) LOVE this post... because i LURV steampunk. :D anyhoo... the top hat says "happy birthday"... :)

Melinda said...

Yep, I was going to say that it says "Oscar" as well. I have to say that I've really come to appreciate steampunk, and have some ideas for decorating my house in the event it's ever actually decorated, rather than just full of stuff. :-)

Heather said...

I believe the top hat says "Happy Birthday"

Anonymous said...

Wow, what amazingly fabulous cakes! Awesome Sunday Sweets edition!!!

Dani said...

Sweet the sweet I nominated got picked! I like some of the others even better though.

I wish I could pull of the steampunk look.

Anonymous said...

I'm going out on a limb here, but I THINK the top hat might say Epcot! Wait! I mean Oscar!

JenniferK said...

I will NOT post that I believe the top hat says Oscar, in the fear of looking like a goofball after all the other posts already let you know that. So I'll simply say that today's cakes are GORGEOUS. I'm only just becoming aware of the growing steampunk movement..but I'm slightly fascinated.

Marie said...

I LOVE steampunk. Here in England, they have a Steampunk Ball. Can't wait to go.

Sharon said...

Uh oh...another Epcot with the Oscar on the top hat. LOVE the steampunk designs.

Sharon's Edible Art

Jules AF said...

The one with the wings makes me think of the Golden Snitch.

Jabby said...

I think the top hat says Epcot!

I looove steampunk!! Though I like it better if the gears are actually "functional" in the design rather than just strewn about. It's still pretty, just not as exciting as maybe the first and fifth cakes which look like they could be working machines with functions. I keep staring at them, waiting for the gears to turn and something to happen!

/geekiness

Jenny said...

As usual, I have no idea what the Sunday Sweet topic is about this week. I'm assuming it's some more sci-fi stuff, which I'm not a big fan of. The link you provided to the tophat answers your question about what it says on top. There are probably 900 comments already telling you it's Oscar.

Ramona said...

The Top Hat cake says Happy Birthday

Anonymous said...

Top hat looks like "happy birthday" to me...

Caspar said...

The hat says 'Oscar'. And I think he went to Disneyworld for his birthday.

Shannon said...

Actually, the top hat says "EPCOT."

kimberj said...

Okay... maybe I'm nuts but I thought it said Scott on the top of the hat???

*--Davonna Juroe--* said...

Okay, these cakes are the STEAM of the crop! So awesome!

Anonymous said...

That Montgolfier balloon is excellent!

Brooke said...

OK, so the guy on the awesome cake by Spense is called Professor Gearheart. I Googled it and found this on Youtube. Dude! Go to about 40 seconds... Also, I don't speak Japanese, so if someone out there does and it is full of cursing or something, I'm sorry in advance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70dKZjP4NOo

A Paperback Writer said...

Hooray for steampunk!!
I love the top cake and the top hat cake!!

Anonymous said...

OMG The stitching on the corset! I can't believe all of the tiny details on this. Incredible!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Oscar, can I have a cake like yours, only in copper? Pleeeeeease???

(that didn't take much looking at to see it - but then artistic license abounds)

Love steampunk, works for scrapbooking (esp if you know Tim Holtz), and I love the fashions.

Great collection of cakes, awesome in their close-up details!! Sweet, sweet, Sunday - I'd say best ever!

The actual working, with a purpose, detailed cakes are the most fab, for creativity AND a realistic view.

Thanks for making my Sunday so sweet.

~~Di

Anonymous said...

You are going to turn me into a Steampunk fan!

Anonymous said...

Well, there's always Douglas Adams geekdom: http://www.geekmom.com/2010/11/hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-magrathea-cake/
but you may have covered that already.

LivingInSong said...

I've always loved the Steampunk style(I depended on you fro the pics of Dragon Con.). So this was wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing!

Melanie said...

The band Sugarland has done a lot of Steampunk stuff this year. I love their album cover. Check out their site too. www.sugarlandmusic.com

Anonymous said...

OMG those are beautiful

Valerie said...

Okay, so I obviously have been living under a rock or something, because I have NEVER even heard the term 'steampunk' before this post. Still don't really get what it is. Definition please??

Angela Wignall said...

It says "Happy Birthday". The "B" is quite clear on the second word.

Aliza said...

@Jenny-- what does it matter if you know what Steampunk is (I'm only vaguely aware of it, due to this blog and an episode of Castle), or aren't a fan of sci fi? All you have to do is look at the cakes and admire the artistry involved. Lots and lots of incredible details, beautifully done. The reason someone chose that design, as opposed to a flower garden-- who cares? The meaning of the details doesn't really matter, either. It's an attractive design, spectacularly executed. And I'm always open to beauty and talent, so love this Sunday Sweets!

My only quibble is that a couple of these look more like sculpture than cake. Yes, the talent involved is impressive, but... I have no desire at all to eat it. I looks beautiful, rather than appetizing (in fact, I worry about how stale the cake must be, given how long it must have taken to create those masterpieces). And isn't eating a cake the whole point of cake??? So, I'm going to be a Grinch and suggest that perhaps some of these designs are better formed in clay, for years of display and enjoyment. And cakes should be cakier looking

archersangel said...

wow! those are wonderful.

love the cupcakes.

WV: cones
i got a normal-looking WV for once.

Keeley said...

Love the balloon and the silver wedding cake! What gorgeous work on all these cakes.

Keeley said...

Oh, and I thought that the corset one was a lampshade until you showed us the lacing on the back. Oops.

Craig said...

Having read all the comments, here is my theory:

The cake in question isn't a top hat, it is an early model of Spaceship Earth. The design was rejected when survey subjects (the bloggers of the pre-Internet age) said, "A giant top hat that says 'Oscar' on top? You need something rounder, like a huge spore. People will look at that and immediately think, 'EPCOT!'"

wv: palback. As in, "Spring forward, palback."

Shannon said...

We are having a Steampunk Wedding. My grooms cake is going to be a top hat... working on the wedding cake!

Haru said...

Oh... my... GOD...
how could anyone eat these cakes...?
they're just... too beautifully awesomely awesomazing...
STEAMPUNK STUFF RULES ^^
i love you, Jen >.<

Lindsay said...

Those are cool and crazy! Tweeted ya. It'd take some pretty accepting women to allow cakes with cogs and such at their weddings. ;)

MissRon said...

My jaw had dropped to the floor for that awesome balloon/corset cake. Then I read you saying I bet my jaw dropped and I laughed. Out loud. And got stared at.

I am pretty much decided to chuck classical and go steam punk when I marry coz its just so darn awesome!

I heart you for introducing me to it.

FarmWife said...

I think I'm in love! Now I must go read Epbot....steampunk makes me warm & fuzzy.

James' Rants said...

I am just in awe to these amazing cakes. I think they need to have a reality tv show for non-cable watchers for making the best cake. Forget Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. Cake wreckers introduce the new Reality series. Top Decorator.

StephanieC said...

Wowsers...

and I burn Betty Crocker.

Michelle said...

Jen, I think you and your husband should take a little vacation to Missouri. My husband and I live less than an hour from Branson and there is a fantastic theme park there called Silver Dollar City and we are season pass holders. It originally started off as a hillbilly/homestead type crafts village, but now there are tons of rides and machinery applications. Over half of the park is decorated in Steampunk, those are my favorite sections, I'm sure you would love it! I have no affiliation, but I'm also a geek and steampunk lover so I know you would love it too!

kayk said...

The pocket watches on the cupcakes are hinged in the wrong places. The winding stem is nearly universally at 12 o'clock, with the hinge on the bottom or at 9 o'clock. (Since I'm married to a collector, I've seen a few of these in my lifetime.)

ana lisette said...

Sweet Jesus, I'm in steamy cake heaven. THESE ARE AMAAAAAZING-UH!!! Which you already knew, but I just had to say it. EAST TO WEST...STEAMPUNK'S THE BEST!

andreicom said...

The top seems to say "Oscar" - NO??

Anonymous said...

Love, love, love that top hat!!! and anything steampunk of course.

Crystal Crosby said...

Thanks for including my Steampunk Balloon Cake! For those interested in FLAVOR, We had two cakes going on: vanilla chiffon, custard & raspberry preserves, and chocolate chiffon with custard and strawberry preserves. Top half of the 8" round balloon was vanilla, bottom half chocolate. It weighed a ton! We filled and assembled the cake the day of the wedding, so it was fresh as fresh can be!

Who do you want to BE? said...

I want to get married again just so I can have one of these cakes. WOW!

Anonymous said...

I saw the episode of Amazing Wedding Cakes when Christopher Garron made the Steampunk Cake! Omg the details are amazing!!

Allyson said...

The steampunk cake with a few gears and the topper found on Sarah Rhoad's blog was my wedding cake. I'd seen a lot of the fancier ones, but I wanted something that didn't just look good because it was covered in fondant, I wanted it to taste good as well.

The cake was made by Bonnie at New Renaissance Cakes.

simplecookingwithdoris said...

These are too cute, especially the beer cake.

Tsunami-umi said...

Since Jen likes steampunk so much, I really really hope she has seen the anime movie Steamboy... If not, then Jen go watch it!

Beautiful cakes, btw.

Anonymous said...

I saw Christpher Garren making the first cake on Amazing Wedding Cakes on WE. Very cool cake with alot of different parts!!!

Jenny said...

Aliza, I said I didn't know what Steampunk is, as did some other people. I never said it was a stupid idea for a cake. I don't know why you thought that.

And if anyone took so long to decorate a cake that it was stale by the time they were done, they'd need to find another line of work.

Anonymous said...

Well crafted, yes. But they all make me feel like I'm chewing on a piece of tin foil!

Unknown said...

Hi, this is Amanda from Venus Cakes.
Thanks for posting pics of my steampunk wedding cake, I am very proud of it. The original drawing has an octopus curled around the cake which would have added another dimension but unfortunately time got the better of me. Hopefully I will get another chance to make a steampunk cake as I really enjoyed this one

Anonymous said...

Oh yay, you've got Allyson's wedding cake in there! (The the permalink to the entry with all the other amazing pictures: http://www.sarahrhoads.com/blog/2010/07/allyson-bjorn.html -- such a beautiful wedding!)

I like the trend in favor of edibility as well as beauty. If I ever get married, I have my heart set on the same kind of cake a childhood family friend had. Mama made it -- lovely white cake with cranberries, very similar to cranberry bread, with cream cheese frosting.

Anonymous said...

It says,"o soap!"