Thursday, April 15, 2010

MAN BITES DOG - I have NEVER seen anything like this - REMARKABLE!

Mimi's note: When I first saw these I thought the article would be about some new artist that made ceramics or pottery - not CAKES! My gosh, who in the world would ever want to cut into one of these, especially when it looked like their precious pet! I'm still stunned! Enjoy!(PeeEss, I heard they wanted to make a Mango but they ran out of cake mix and frosting☺)

Desserts Disguised as Dogs

PeoplePets.com One might say that when artist and baker Debbie Goard sits down to design a custom-made cake, she uses her instincts—her animal instincts.


Inspired by her passion for the four-legged, furry, and feathered, since 2006, she's crafted hundreds of animal-inspired cakes through her Oakland, Calif.-based bakery, Debbie Does Cakes.

Once a handbag designer, Goard, 41, stumbled upon her talent for cake design 20 years ago in her native Raleigh, N.C., when she was asked to fill in as the house decorator.


"I was a starving artist looking for a job in fashion," she recalls, "and I had been thinking of going into fine art. To make ends meet, I started working part-time at a bakery. When they asked me to take over decorating, I started doing it, and I realized I was pretty good at it."

After moving to California and briefly working at an adult entertainment themed bake shop, the self-taught cake whiz decided to start her own business.


"I started experimenting," she says. "I love fashion and animals, so that's what I started designing."

Inspired by Pepino, her 12-year-old Chihuahua, she made her first cake. To see what people thought of her work, she and a friend brought it to a restaurant.


Sure enough, the edible pup turned heads.

"We put it on the table, and people thought it was real!" she says. "I thought, Wow. I may be onto something."


Today at Debbie Does Cakes, where she's the sole baker and designer, Goard specializes in ornate cakes modeled after ordinary real-life objects (like sneakers, or popcorn) and of course, animals.


To turn out six elaborate cakes a week, she works all seven days, beginning each morning by answering emails with requests, and then rendering designs on her computer. Around mid-week, she rolls up her sleeves, rips open the flour and sugar, and starts baking.


Ironically, "I still don't enjoy baking," says Goard with a chuckle. Without much of a sweet tooth, she says she rarely feels compelled to sample her work—"unless it's some special flavor."

To construct her cakes, which start at $200, she uses four varieties of a dense pound cake "to give me the texture I need," she says, as well as stiff fondant icing.


And to achieve the realistic detailing on her cakes, "I use my airbrush pretty extensively," she says.

Of all the animal cakes she's baked—which range from warthogs to scorpions, kittens to pugs—she says she's proudest of giraffe cake she made for a little boy's birthday. "It was a baby giraffe, and it was pretty awesome," she says. "It was almost two feet tall!"


While it hasn't always been smooth sailing—"I had a bunch of cake-mares in the beginning!" she says—she's become well-known in the Bay Area for her wow-worthy goodies.

"I love what I do," says Goard, who's currently working on a sea turtle. "It’s been pretty amazing."

Click here to see a gallery of Goard's dog cakes!

National Canine Cancer Foundation

29 comments:

♥I am Holly♥ said...

They are so adorable!! They look too beautiful to eat!! Lots of love, Debbie and Holly

Maxmom said...

This is absolutely fantastic and quite incredible. Having made a couple of theme cakes myself and then watched my daughter perfect them...this REALLY is amazing! WOW!
Absolutely magnificent! We're off to see her gallery.
GR(Golden Retriever)eat post!
MAXMOM IN SOUTH AFRICA

Emma Rose said...

That is amazing! I would feel a bit squeamish about eating one though. :) But she surely has a talent. My Duchess cannot bake (or cook) so I can really appreciate someone who can!

Kisses,
Emma Rose

Mrs. JP said...

First, I think that she's an amazing artist to accomplish all that with cake, fondant and an airbrush.
Second, I can't imagine eating one of my dogs as a cake. I know I'm being silly but here's what I envision. "Okay, do you want a leg or part of the nose?" LOL

houndstooth said...

Ooooooo! Mom's birthday is next month! Maybe they could make her a cake like me! That has to be the coolest cake idea we have ever seen!

Bunny

Salinger The Pug said...

OMG!!!!!!! Those are SO cool!!!

HOW could anyone stand to cut into one????

Thanks for sharing this!

Love,
S-Dog

Molly the Airedale said...

What incredible works of art! Who could cut into something so beautiful! Wow! She's incredible!

Sagira said...

Wow, those are really good!

JacksDad said...

I agree that I don't think I could be the one who cuts into the cake! Who eats the eyes? :)

Diana Chiew said...

Yeah, like JackDaddy and Mrs JP, I just don't think I could cut into such a cake!!

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

OMD!

Pawesome khreations!

Khount us amongst those not sure they khould khut into them!

Thanks fur sharing!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

^..^Corgidogmama said...

It would be just a darn shame to cut into one of those beautiful cakes. So realistic!

dArtagnan Rumblepurr/Diego Hamlet Moonfur said...

Those are SO incredible!

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Wos, just amazing - but too gorgeous to cut for sure.

Woos - Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Those are too beautiful to eat!
I could not do it- just coud not.
love
tweedles

Snowie Baby said...

her work is GREAT!!
too cute to eat!!
thansk for sharing with us!

Teddy Bear said...

Wow, those are pawesome!

Love,
Teddy Bear

Dexter said...

Those certainly are works of art, but I think it would be kind of creepy to actually eat them.

Slobbers,
Mango

Cloud the Wonder Dog said...

I agree, it would be kind of creepy to cut up those cakes. I feel the same way about shower cakes that look like babies, lol!

Luv,
Cloud

the booker man said...

wow, that is totally amazin'!
i don't know if i could cut into one of those cakes either.
*woof*
the booker man

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, those are so creative!! I don't think anyone could bear to eat them! :-)

Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane

Brandon - The dog with a blog said...

Those cakes are awesome!
I would love to cuddle with one :)

Ms. ~K said...

Each one a yummy masterpiece!
Licks and sniffs,
Zack, Sassy and Buddy

RILEY AND STAR MY MALTESEKIDS said...

Now that is amazing! I don't think I could bring myself to eat it! Incredible Artist!

Oskar said...

We just don't know what to say about these. They look great, but we couldn't eat them!

ocmist said...

We agree with so many others... These are fantastic works of art, but we don't think we could eat one!

Grammy and the Country Corgis

Chatty Crone said...

My friend Linda sent me here to see your cakes and I find two other friends here! Cool.

Your cakes are just awesome - guess you don't ship anywhere.

Of course my favorite is the pug. How do you do all this?

It is amazing!

sandie

ClassyChassy said...

Amazingly PAWSOME!

Angela said...

Your cakes are just Pawfert for all dog lovers!