A cake-maker has told how she created a cake which looked like a Christmas dinner for a BBC television show.
Niki Lowe, from Liskeard in Cornwall, was asked to bake a cake which looked like a roast turkey and trimmings to surprise Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer when they were filming the Gone Fishing Christmas Special in Mousehole in September.
Lowe crafted a platter which included a turkey cake, along with roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, stuffing balls, peas and carrots, which were all handcrafted from icing and cake.
A spokesperson for the show’s production company Owl Power Ltd said: “We couldn’t believe we were looking at a cake when we opened the box.”
Lowe said the cake had been used as a prank on the presenters and she had kept it secret from her friends and family until the show aired on Christmas Eve.
The baker said it had been wonderful to see the reactions of the crew, some of whom had asked “how on earth do you create the skin texture?” and told her “that looks so real”.
She said illusion cakes were one of her favourite cakes to create.
“I love adding detail to my cake designs,” she said. “For example, on this cake I wanted to create the little droplets of juice that appear on the turkey after roasting, these kinds of details on an illusion cake are what really make them stand out.
“Also, the texture on the surface of the stuffing and the hand-painted finish on each carrot slice to ensure they looked as real as possible.”
The production company spokesperson said: “Niki’s fabulous turkey cake exceeded all our expectations.
“Such clever and detailed work; it was very tasty too, and polished off by all in no time.”
