Most of us appreciate the unusual. And some of the things we come across make us smile, some make us think, and some are truly astounding. For example, this past weekend, Stacy, one of the competitors at our Flyball Tournament in Lakeland, Florida, and not a professional decorator, baked this very cute tennis ball cake to celebrate her team's debut, the Barkaholics from Sarasota/Manatee. (It was also pretty darn yummy)!
We were reminded of Sue, another local cake decorating hobbyist, who did this cake as a wedding surprise for two of the people on her flyball team (the Barkaneers of St. Petersburg, FL). Complete with Border Collie, jumps, flyball box, and a basket of tennis balls - this was a true work of art.
These are two excellent examples of a creative outlet that many share: cake decorating. We've probably all tried our hand at it at one time or another in our lives. You buy a tube and some icing and try to write "Happy Anniversary" or "Happy Birthday" on someone's cake, and you may have found that it's not as easy as it looks like it would be (at least for me it isn't!).
Well, if you haven't heard of the Ultimate Cake Off (aired on TLC), prepare to be amazed. This video was brought to our attention recently, dealing with a reality TV show / competition wherein three teams of professional bakers / cake decorators competed to create agility-themed cakes over a nine-hour period. All three of the cakes produced were mind-blowing, involving rotating motors, sculpted dogs, illuminated logos, and more. They were as tall as eight feet and weighed upwards of 500 pounds each. The winning cake was displayed at the 2009 AKC Invitational in Long Beach, California, as the centerpiece of the competition. The winner took home a $10,000 prize, but we'd bet if they were selling these cakes, they'd likely command even more than that.
