There was a time when the humble dessert, a crumbly cheesecake or a tantalising tart, was the perfect ending to an evening meal.

 

When the Victoria sandwich, with its dusted sugar, moist sponge and oozing raspberry jam, was marvelled at by members of the WI.

And the humble caterpillar cake, courtesy of a quick stop at the local supermarket, was a fail-safe way to mark junior’s birthday.

But things have changed.

From budding bakers who create desserts that look like dinners, to master chefs who incorporate famous art into their Battenbergs, these are no longer cakes in the traditional sense – they’re edible art. 

 

Sarah Hardy, who is based in Walthamstow, is one of  these new breed of cake artists.

Not only does she make incredibly beautiful wedding cakes from her Walthamstow shop, but she was behind the gory, suppurating chocolate heart that appeared at the Anatomical Heart Valentine’s day pop-up exhibition and the shell- shaped sponge at Tate and Lyle’s tasting house in Soho.

 

She’s also proving popular with celebrities – having created a zombie model birthday cake for Mick Jagger’s daughter Georgia, and one of her pieces appeared on the Jonathan Ross show, to promote the DVD release of horror film The Helpers.

“I’ve got a background as an artist, I studied sculpture at Norwich and Goldsmiths, and used to make waxworks for a museum,“ says Sarah who is busy baking when I catch up with her.

 

“When I started making cakes, it began with the regular flower designs for wedding cakes.

“Then I was invited to take part in a competition, The Cake Bake Show in 2012, and won the professional cake decorating category.

 

“In fact, the cake I created, I refer to it as the ugliest cake I have ever made. It was covered in crabs, barnacles and mussels and seaweed, things you wouldn’t normally put on a cake.

“But the fact it was so realistic, caught the eye of one of the judges, Miss Cakehead, and she invited me to take part in Eat Your Heart Out, a collective that tends to get commissions to create weird and wonderful stuff. I realised then there was a market for realistic cakes.

 

“The other day I was asked to create a broken spine covered in blood for an osteopath’s birthday party. And I do a line in erotic cupcakes, they’re very popular, even though I sell them under the counter. 

“There are plenty of people out there who want this stuff, they just don’t know they can have it until they see it.“

Now the 42-year-old has joined forces with Chris Verraes, of Cake for Breakfast, to form Boy Eats Bug, producing an array of treats and sweets inspired by nature.

The duo will showcase their work as part of Walthamstow’s Appetite Festival, with Darwin’s Parlour.

 

“We’re creating an installation for the gallery’s Victorian parlour,“ Sarah explains, keeping an eye on the oven, which is emitting a warm, sugary smell.

“It’ll become Darwin’s Parlour, with lots of sweet creepy-crawlies all over the place.

 

“We’re still designing what we’re doing, but the idea is that it’s Darwin’s dream, he’s fallen asleep and he’s dreaming of all these creatures coming out of his head.

“We’ll sculpt our creations out of clay and wood to create a mould and then liquid chocolate will be poured into this. We may well end up showing both the original mould and the chocolate creation.

 

“It’s really difficult working with icing and chocolate and everything, because you’ve got to be food safe, hygienic, the room has to be the right temperature, so things don’t melt or go too sticky and you’ve got to work in a short time frame, because it has to be baked on the day and eaten the next.

“But it’ll be interesting because visitors will be able to see just how we make our creations.

 

“It’ll be more natural history museum than macabre, it’ll be for children with imaginations, it’ll be for girls and boys with dirty knees.“

The oven buzzer lets out a shrill and Sarah turns to retrieve her dessert.

Although it’s merely sponge at present, it’ll be transformed into a spectacular wedding cake over the next few hours.

Sarah is in high demand, and with her creations selling like hot cakes, it’s no wonder Appetite festival wants a slice of the action.

 

Appetite Festival’s Darwin’s Parlour is at Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road, Walthamstow from June 1 until June 30. Details: 020 8496 4391 or www.sarahhardycakes.co.uk or www.boyeatsbug.co.uk