Statue of Liberty, Jungle Book scene prime allures at annual cake show

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A 20-feet Statue of Liberty replica and a 24-foot-wide recreation of a Jungle Book scene will be prime attractions at the 47th annual cake show that starts on Friday.

Sculpted with 2.5 tonnes of chocolate, sugar paste and royal icing, the two models weigh 1,500 kilograms and are tried for the first time, head chef Samie Ramachandran said. “Structuring a Statue of Liberty with 400 kilograms of chocolate and royal icing was challenging,” he said, noting that the show will also feature other attractions like the Great Sphinx of Giza, the Cycle of Life Edible Hand painting, The Black Pearl and the Minions taking a selfie.

In all, the show, organised by the National Consumer Fair, will feature more than 20 cake sculptures crafted by chefs and students of Sugar Sculpt Academy.

Ramachandran and his team, including students, have worked since August to create the models. “Painting on sugar and gum paste was the most challenging aspect of the assignment,” said Chandani, a student who worked on one of the models.

Organisers said the number of stalls in the fair had come down from the usual 170-200 to about 75-80 this year. Entry is allowed only for those vaccinated, though kids have been exempted from the restriction.

“The usual crowd at the show used to be 1500 - 2000 on weekdays and up to 4,000 on weekends. This time we are expecting 800-900 on weekdays and 2000 on weekends”, said Gautam Agarwal, proprietor, National Consumer Fair.

While 21 cake models are already present at the venue, organisers said around three more would be added before the inauguration. When the show ends on January 2, all the models will be destroyed. The 21 cakes weigh 6.1 tonnes.

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