Anna Samuel creates hyper reality cakes, crafting edible art like kappa-meen curry and biryani

Anna Samuel
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Anna Samuel gifted her a father-in-law a potted succulent on his birthday. He kept it on a shelf with his collection of cacti.

“When it was time to cut the birthday cake, I brought it to the table. That is when he realised it was a cake!” says Anna.

The architect-turned-baker’s Anna Bakes had made a name for customised edible art. She began crafting hyper reality cakes during the lockdown when it became the rage all over social media. People went on overdrive, cutting it into dresses, tables, flowers, make-up articles and so on to reveal cakes in different flavours.

Welcome to the age of hyper reality cakes when anything really can be given a cake and cream makeover. In Thiruvananthapuram, Anna began baking these artisanal cakes during the lockdown when people were busy discovering different ways to keep themselves occupied. It was around that time when Anna received a request for a kappa-meen cake (tapioca and fish curry cake).

“It was a challenge and I enjoyed baking the cake and giving it the finish of kappa and meen curry. I found it more interesting than making cakes that resemble cartoon characters,” says Anna.

With the use of fondant, edible gum and food colouring, Anna tried to make it as real as possible and the customer loved this creamy and sweet kappa-meen curry concoction.

Orders came in from friends for cakes that resembled puttu-kadala and banana, Kerala porotta and meat roast and so on.

“I enjoyed crafting cakes that resembled food. The cake is made in the flavour that the customer wants. But the garnishing would be my choice. For the kadala (channa), I used hazelnuts with chocolate covering while the gravy was coloured strawberry preserve. Everything has to be handmade and it takes time to get the perfection I try to achieve in my cakes,” says Anna.

One of the cakes that stays fresh in her memory is a cake in the shape of a dragonfruit that she made for a friend’s mom, who was very fond of the fruit. When her daughter returned from school, she tried to take the dragonfruit. She was astonished when her hand went in and she found out it was a cake!

“That was really special! Such cakes consume time and has to done carefully. For instance, each grain of the biryani had to be shaped individually, given the right shade of colour and so on… The porotta, for instance, is made of rice paper covering. It is through trial and error that I make it. But, for me, it is a work that I enjoy,” says Anna.

Once, she accepts an order, she plans how to craft it, what materials to use and so on before going on to make the cake. Since hyper reality cakes need planning and patience, Anna only accepts orders that give her ample time to craft her edible wonders.

“Every item in the cakes I make are edible. That is why I have to plan everything in my head before the actual work starts,” says Anna.

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