It is all happening at Riversdale this weekend, with three extreme cakes being unveiled at the gala opening of the Riversdale Arts 45th Mixed Media Exhibition.
Cake artists Tammie Mawhinney, of Tapanui, Brittany Thurston, of Wanaka, and Kathryn Wright, of Te Anau, spent months leading up to the event working on what can only be described as artistic masterpieces.
Exhibition administrator Jann Robertson said up to 13 hours some days were spent individually hand-cutting petals, thinning edges, and assembling flowers for Mrs Mawhinney’s creation ‘‘Bloom’’.
‘‘She has used about 7.5kg of fondant icing and endless amounts of sugar paste,’’ Mrs Robertson said.
Mrs Wright’s extreme cake is titled ‘‘Southern Man’’, and would appeal to many sectors of the community, comprising as it does a rugby ball, a Redband gumboot, and a meal of chips and two pies, topped off with a bottle of Speight’s.
The inedible cake has been made with several mediums: the board is fondant-covered and airbrushed silver; the rugby ball has a real foam rugby ball inside it, covered in chocolate fondant, and the gumboot is rice crispy treats (like rice bubble cake) covered in fondant — this is edible but will also last for years.
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‘‘The plate is a real plastic plate covered in fondant, the pie and chips and sauce are all solid gum paste which has been airbrushed; the bottle is a real bottle covered in fondant and the Speight’s and Redband logos are edible images,’’ Mrs Robertson said.
Miss Thurston’s, cake titled ‘‘Romancing the Stone’’, is a four-tiered, gravity-defying, geode cake.
‘‘It is hand-carved and structured to exemplify nature’s beautiful rock crystals.’’
As all the cakes have been created to last on display for the 10 days of the Riversdale exhibition, they have been made as display cakes and are inedible. However, with a coat of clear varnish, they could last indefinitely as a display item for a shop window, hotel foyer, or as a business promotion, Mrs Robertson said.
Three edible cakes with a link to the extreme cakes have also been made by the artists, and will be auctioned along with the display cakes at a wine and cheese event called ‘‘Have Your Cake and Eat it Too’’, which will be held at the Riversdale Community Centre at 5pm on Saturday.
The guest speaker at this event isDennis Kirkpatrick of Jimmy’s Pies of Roxburgh.
Mr Kirkpatrick is also known for his amazing baking skills, as anyone who has travelled through Roxburgh can attest.
★ Tickets for this event are available on www.ticket.co.nz.
★ The Riversdale Arts 45th Mixed Media Exhibition Gala opening will be held on Friday, starting at 7pm at the Riversdale Community Centre.
★ The exhibition runs daily from 10am to 5pm, July 21 to
29.
