Complex apparatuses covered with purring cogs, whirring chains and piping hot valves are perhaps the most enticing aspect of steampunk; all the more so if they’re made edible through some skilfull sleight of hand by a cake-making genius.
Lori Evans from Clever Cake Studio came up with this Steampunk Contraption Cake over the course of an entire weekend. The behind-the-scenes story of this striking confection involves long-running webcomic Penny Arcade.
Penny Arcade centers around the somewhat bizarre adventures of two friends who are obsessed with videogames and pop culture in general. In 2008, an actual roleyplaying videogame based on the webcomic was issued. Named “On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness”, it immerses most of the webcomic characters in a different, darker setting: A 1920s steampunk universe with a hearty injection of H.P. Lovecraft.
Lori made the cake for the Penny Arcade office in Seattle as a way of congratulating them on the release of the game. It’s vanilla, layered with dark chocolate for a classic yet sultry combination. The exterior -delightful details included- is mostly fondant.
Several features give Lori’s cake a well-deserved place in the realm of amazing steampunk cakes. For starters it has a vintage, rugged feeling to it. The fondant used for the wood planks has been worked on so that its texture reproduces natural wood’s. The coloring is also dead on, especially when it comes to the distinctive brass-looking dome.
Furthermore, it has all the bits and pieces proper steampunk machines ought to have. We can see pipes, measuring meters, an antenna, an instruction panel and gears galore. The gears are the exception to the fondant rule seeing as they were made with gumpaste.
It could be argued the top surface looks a little too uneven and some of the parts could’ve been made to look smoother. Other than that, this cake is by all means a certified sugary steampunk wonder.
Once in the Penny Arcade office, the cake was given its finishing touch: The addition of a Fruit “Friend” figurine. In the videogame, Fruit “Friends” are robotic, evil juicers built in a seedy underground factory and the player must aim to destroy them. It seems the one perched on Lori’s spongy creation should be stopped as well before it tears off a good chunk of it.
If you’re interested in yet another Penny Arcade cakey tribute, see this Penny Arcade Cake for Sweet Gamers. In need of another steampunk cake? Check Metallic Steampunk Delight.
Via: Clever Cake Studio
