mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
Geek cakes seem to fall into four main categories: 1. cakes that resemble computers, game consoles, and other gadgets, 2. cakes that illustrate one’s geeky obsession, 3. cakes that are made by strange technological methods, and 4. cakes that incorporate technology into the finished product.
1. Cakes that look like gadgets. When Miles turned 15, he received a Mac Mini cake, and a Mac Mini, too!
Check out this iPhone cake Flickr user icruise received for his birthday.
There are more cakes made to resemble game consoles, computers, and iPods at YesButNoButYes. This gallery is a little heavy on Apple, but that’s OK, I like apple cakes. Other categories of geek cakes, after the jump.
2. Cakes that reflect a geek’s favorite pastime include this Star Wars cake recently featured on Boing Boing. It depicts Max Rebo, the keyboardist in Jabba’s palace band. With illustrated steps. Also see the Death Star cake and the Mustafar cake.
Dr. Who fans might prefer this chocolate Dalek cake, created by Flickr user Brainless Angel. Flickr has a collection of Dr. Who cakes.
Kassy made this awesome Super Mario cake. It was featured at Game Cakes, where you’ll find many more imaginative gaming-themed cakes.
Pimp That Snack! has step-by-step instructions for creating your own Rubik’s Cube Cake! Or you could have one made by a professional.
3. Highly intelligent, technologically-minded people (geeks) cook, too, but sometimes by specialized methods. Colin at Instructables made this cake with intricately-designed edges by using a laser cutter.
4. Then there are cakes that do things. Dave Spencer at Instructables made a volcano cake for his son’s birthday. This cake had vibration, smoke, sound effects, and a lava flow (strawberry flavored)! It required seven boxes of cake mix. Then he posted the process of building the cake, hardware and all, and a video of the cake in action at the birthday party.
Believe it or not, I’m hungry now.
Comments (26)
Comment
- Follow mental_floss
those are so cool! i wonder if the mario cake is real? that must have taken some time & skill
posted by trouble on 5-31-2007 at 10:59 am
I really think the cakes are very cool.I especially liked the elephant one.I saw one by a professional cakemaker once:it was in the shape of 2 swans necking and it looked quite nice.
posted by Tolu on 5-31-2007 at 1:02 pm
trouble, the cake is totally real. it’s made with fondant and the design and it takes way less time than doing it all in real icing. however, though it looks finished and stylish, fondant tastes horrible and the texture gets harder than marzipan.
i make vegan cakes that are crazy cool, my fave being a giant taco and a huge garden complete with veggies and a fence.
live to mix, mix to live.
posted by stephanie on 5-31-2007 at 1:40 pm
I want a Dalek cake!!
posted by Heather on 5-31-2007 at 8:09 pm
Oh mann, I want a Dalek cake somethin’ crazy!
(Or a Tardis cake.)
The Mini Mac cake is pretty awesome, too. Yay for Mini Macs!
posted by Emma on 5-31-2007 at 10:43 pm
Hi,
I really bugged my co-workers over at Instructables for my very own volcano cake when my birthday rolled around a couple of weeks ago, but they didn’t come through.
You missed my other favorite cake on the Instructables site, the 3D Dinosaur Cake.
Regards,
Randy
(on behalf of the Instructables team)
posted by Randy on 6-1-2007 at 1:40 pm
How sad is it that I know several people who would love these for their birthday?
And I thought the chess board cake I made for my chess-lovin’ wife was geeky…
posted by GreenEyedLilo on 6-6-2007 at 8:57 am
“Elephant one”?! You, Sir, are not a geek.
posted by Spicy McHaggis on 6-15-2007 at 2:40 pm
I’m really lovin’ these cakes. especialy the mario one, my husband would go nuts over it! and yes fondant doesn’t taste very well, though i have put vanilla extract in mine, it seems to help a little.
I think the most creative cake i’ve ever made could possibly fall under this category..it’s called the “kitty litter cake”. It comes complete in a (new/unused) cat-pan with a pooper scooper (also new/unused). make it just right and it looks just like kitty litter.
from your friendly cat lover.
Rebecca.
posted by Rebecca on 9-10-2007 at 4:05 pm
Tee hee hee… Have any of you ever seen Ace of Cakes on the Food Network?
One of my favorites that they put together — and undoubtedly a geek cake — is the “Sutton Hoo” helmet they made. Yes, they made a cake replica of an archeological artifact for a woman who was mad about that period of history. And they did a pretty good job, getting all the little minutae on it.
::G::
posted by ACute Angle on 1-9-2008 at 8:08 am
Or maybe that’s more of a nerd cake, but still it was wicked awesome.
posted by ACute Angle on 1-9-2008 at 8:09 am
My geekiest cake idea ever (still just an idea) was a Pi Cake. A cake pan shaped like Pi with indentions of the symbol and 3.14159.
Someday I shall make it.
posted by Kevin on 1-9-2008 at 9:49 am
these cakes r so awesome! I want the Rubik’s Cube one!
posted by dragonfan303 on 2-24-2008 at 5:01 pm
Very clever cakes! Check out my Mad Scientist Cake & all the goodies that went with it at http://www.sciencejunkies.com look at the Science Parties page. Science is sweeet!
posted by Linda on 3-2-2008 at 6:21 pm
verrry coooool!!!!!!!!!
posted by casey on 3-11-2008 at 3:12 pm
Kevin, I think you should make a Pi pie instead of a cake. Just a suggestion.
posted by catherine ann on 7-16-2008 at 1:56 pm
every single one of those cakes was originally posted on Instructables. does this count as stealing or does mental floss have permission to post them too?
posted by emily on 7-16-2008 at 6:51 pm
Every cake has a source link; it’s highlighted in yellow.
posted by Miss Cellania on 7-16-2008 at 7:29 pm
holy sweet tooth. ur cakes. the colors….. SICK!!!
posted by a Waldo on 8-23-2008 at 6:48 am
the cakes that are shown are truly beautiful! very unique!! i am only 16, but looking at these cakes makes me look forward to my dream more and more each day!!
thanks,
courtny
posted by courtny on 8-26-2008 at 7:57 am
YUM!!!! that elephant loooks awesome :O
bet it took like six months to make :P
wonder if thats a real disc in the computer cake :S that wouldnt taste like icing :(
posted by Joe on 11-19-2008 at 4:17 am
hey this is so betiful and so delyches
posted by laura on 1-28-2009 at 2:55 pm
yeah go the dalek cake i need it, i agree to whoever said they should make a TARDIS cake, or even a sonic screwdriver or an ood or the doctor himself
posted by me- the coolest anything ever on 2-2-2009 at 12:43 am
These cakes look delecious!!
Can I have some?
posted by Daisy on 3-7-2009 at 6:19 pm
Do you mind if I use a couple of pics for my blog? :)
posted by Grace on 5-3-2009 at 11:29 am
Do you mind if I use a couple pics for my blog? :)
posted by Grace on 5-3-2009 at 11:33 am