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Under the Big Top

Here come the clowns, dancing animals and crazy cake stands– it’s time for challenge! (NOTE: Scroll right to see the full photos)

I think most of America is familiar with the cake challenge since there are about a zillion on TV right now. It is even more fun to see live!!! In 6-hours (a blink!) these circus cakes sprang into being at the hands of some quick thinking and talented sugar artists.

Cake #1 was made for us by Pat Jacoby from Patty Cakes. [ Sidenote: Pat's team made my all-time favorite cake to date on the TLC challenge a few weeks ago. A romantic New York evening with crystal trees that sparkled like Central Park. Watch for it in reruns. :-)]

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How cute are these clowns? And the little seal holding up the clown shoe? Let’s look up close. Now you can see those tents sparkle! (When this contest ended it looked like a drag queen exploded back-stage. SO MUCH GLITTER everywhere.) 

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 How does this cake stand up? The angle of that shoe defies gravity.

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As long as we are defying natural laws, lets move on to Cake #2. Alice in Circus-land by Courtney Clark. It looks a tiny bit unfinished in this picture because the smaller satellite cakes were being removed and cut for serving. All slices are sold at $1 per slice and the proceeds go to our show’s annual charity.

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Wanna see it close up? Let me introduce you to the White Rabbit. Do you like him even more if I tell you he made of modelling chocolate?

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Next up, meet the Mad Hatter. See his little “eat me” cake?! Proceed with caution. Look what happened to Alice.

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There she is. Behind the mushroom. See her? (You can see her tiny size in the lower left corner of the mad hatter picture.)

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Is that enough sweetness for you? Honestly, I am a little afraid of the circus and cake #3 from Wayne Steinkopf of Swank Cakes made a cake so wrong it’s right.

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My camera did not capture the glamorous Cirque D’Horreur’s sparkle and light, so you will have to trust me. Look at the blue lights under the tent eaves, the sparkling black sugar behind the elephant parade, the posters for creepy sideshows, and of course…

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the freaky clowns. Brrrr. Can someone please hold my hand?

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The WINNER of the challenge was Cake #4 by Anne Heap from Pink Cake Box.

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It’s a mouse circus! That idea freaks me out a little after seeing he movie Coraline (anyone?). But there is nothing creepy about these guys. (The cat might disagree.) Feats of daring acrobatics, taming felines, and dancing about. I also enjoy the “cheesession” tent.

Want to see some details? How about giraffe eyelashes?

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And here is a close-up of the mouse performers. Fun!

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So next time the circus is in town. Pack something sweet and enjoy life under the big top.

Thanks for touring the cake show with me! Next year I hope you can attend and see it first hand. Information will be posted at www.cakeshow.org. You can also check out the Great American Cake Show in Maryland the first weekend in May.

Posted in Musings and Inspiration.

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