OBSESSED!

I've become a great deal obsessed lately. No surprise there but no worries: my new interest involves my next acquisition coming soon to an Apple store near me on the 24th June. In the meantime, here are two of my favorite edible Natalie Phillips cakes (she considers the barrel cactus one of her best cake decorations and I would have to agree - viva the Sonoran desert!):






Tired of styrofoam and caulk? Try this recipe. [Unfortunately a photograph did not exist of this appalling, I mean appealing creation.]

"Fake cakes are often used for display purposes in restaurants and bakeries, and fake cakes can be used to create an everlasting decorative display at home. A fake cake displayed on a kitchen counter or dining room table is especially appealing when a home is for sale and on display for potential buyers. The appearance of a freshly baked cake, fake or otherwise, provides an inviting feeling of warmth and comfort.

Ingredients:

To make a fake cake for display purposes you will need black and white newspaper, a paper shredder, water, a blender, table salt, white craft glue, a rubber spatula, cooking spray, a bundt pan, scissors, acrylic craft paint, talcum powder, and a pretty cake plate to display your finished fake display cake. You might also consider buying a cake scented candle to add realism to your fake cake display. The scent of cake wafting through the air will confirm the authenticity of the fake cake on display in your home or place of business.

Procedure

Begin making your fake cake by pouring two cups of warm water in an electric blender. Add about three cups of shredded black and white newspaper, and blend the mixture on high speed. Stir the mixture and push it down as necessary. Blend in additional shredded newspaper until the paper pulp is the consistency of thick batter. Pour or spoon the newspaper pulp into a bowl, and mix in three tablespoons of white craft glue, and three tablespoons of table salt. The salt will keep the paper mixture from becoming moldy.

After making the fake cake batter, spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press the fake cake batter onto the sides and bottom of the bundt pan. Make the edges as neat and as even as possible. Keep in mind this fake display cake will be hollow inside, and the fake cake batter should completely cover the sides.

Allow the fake display cake to dry and harden in a warm location such as outside in the sun. After the fake cake is completely dry, turn the bundt pan over, and the fake display cake should fall out. If the fake cake requires a little help, simply loosen the edges with a rubber spatula. If the base of the fake display cake is jagged or makes the cake lopsided, trim it accordingly with scissors.

Paint the fake display cake a realistic shade of golden brown so it looks like it just came out of the oven. Allow the paint to dry completely, and finish making the fake display cake by placing it on a cake plate, and powder the top with a light dusting of talcum powder."