Food is fake, but art is real.

Peter Anton (born 1963 in New Haven, Connecticut) is an American artist and sculptor. His primary subject matter is food with an emphasis on chocolates and other sweets. He creates giant realistic sculptures and is best known for his "bigger than life" boxed chocolates.

Anton treats his food artworks very seriously.  His beginning process of creating his artworks is to eat, smell, feel, study and dissect a new food over and over again in order to hyper-familiarize himself with the new subject. He then begins the long and tedious process of sculpting, carving, sanding, painting, and construction of his mixed media works.

I am sure his artworks could certainly fool you when you first look at it.  Even just looking at the pictures, I really want to lick the box of donuts or touch the giant ice cream.  However, his artworks has bigger meanings than just being looking real. Anton emphasizes:

In my sculptures I like to alter and overstate foods to give them new meanings. I have an innate reverence for the things we eat. Food brings people together and there is no better way to celebrate life. Through the use of humor, scale, irony, and intensity in my forms, the foods we take for granted become aesthetically pleasing and seductive in atypical ways. I like to create art that can lure, charm, tease, disarm and surprise. My sculptures put viewers in a vulnerable state so that I can communicate with their inner selves in a more honest and direct way. I activate the hunger people have for the things that give them pleasure and force them to surrender. The sensual nature of the works stimulates basic human needs and desires that generate cravings and passion. 

Cupcake Soap Recipe

Couple weeks ago, I made some unbaked realistic fake cupcakes with plaster of Paris.  Few nights ago, I made some cupcake soaps.  It's actually harder than I had expected.  I am not a regular soap maker; therefore, I only bought very limited materials to make my cupcake soaps.  If you are interested to make some at home, here are the materials you need:

• A package/box of ready to microwave soap (I bought a 16 oz one from Michael's.  Original price was 9.99, but I got a 40% coupon from them.  It saved me few bucks.)
• Soap colors (I bought a package of red, yellow and blue).  You will need two different colors, one is for the "cake" and one is for the "frosting".  (from any craft store)
• Fragrance oil (I bought vanilla one because I want my soap to look and smell like a real cupcake.) (from any craft store)
• Silicon cupcake cups (from any craft store, Target, Walmart or baking supply store)

These are all the materials you need for making a cupcake soap.

First step, melting about 6 oz soap in the microwave for about 2 mins.

The soap will turn to be liquid, now add the fragrance and put color in and mix them well.

After mixing, pour the soap mix into a cup.  Let it cool down for about 25 mins in room temperature.
Or you could put it in the fridge to speed up the process (about 10-15 mins).

After 20-25 mins, you could pull the soap out from the mold.

Now it's time to make the "frosting".  Same process of first step, just add different color. 

It's the most complicated part - you need to put 4-5 pumps of gel soap and maybe half tablespoon of water.  Then whisk it with your hand mixer or stand mixer for about 3 mins.  

Using your mixer to whisk for 3 mins. 

After 3 mins, you start seeing a peak on your whisk attachment.  It means that it's ready to frost.

You could either use a Ziplock bag to frost
or using a frosting bag with tip to make your "cupcake" fancier.

I have some flowers and beads handy, I added some for decoration.

Done!  They make good decoration on my cake stand.
Also, they make great Christmas gift and party favors.

Tips:

1. Making the frosting is the hardest part.  When you whisk it, the temperature of the soap goes down very quickly.  You need to be fast to frost your cupcake once you see the peak on your whisk attachment.
2. One good thing about making the soap is if you messed up the frosting on your cake, you could just peel the frosting off from the cake, and re-do it again.
3. If the frosting dried up before you finish frosting, put it in the microwave to reheat it and whisk it again.
4. This is my first time, I am sure next time I will make it a little faster and better and less messy.  It's very hard to do the frosting.  I really need to get the technique and skill down.

Forever Fresh *Fake* Cupcake "Recipe"

I remember when I first saw fake food was at a Japanese restaurant when I was a little kid.  Most Japanese restaurants like to use plastic made food for showing their customers the menu.  I always want to own those fake food at home, just by looking at them made me hungry and happy.

Few years ago, I stopped by an antique store on a random weekend.  And I saw a realistic looking fake cupcake there, I was thinking how they made it.  Making a realistic fake cupcake popped up in my mind again recently.  I went online and see what I need to buy to make my very own first fake cupcake.  There are couple methods to make this sweet fake treat - 1) using expansion foam to make them (I will probably try this method later.) 2)  using plaster of Paris to make it (I found this "recipe" from the Cakespy website.

I chose the second method because it requires less materials, less time consuming and it's cheaper than the first method.  Also, the second method made a heavier "cupcake", so I could use it as a paper weight at work or in future, I could make some for holding my business cards.  You could also make them in a mini size (just use a mini size cupcake cups and a mini cupcake pan).  They will be a great party favors for your guests.

You will need:

• 1 can of plaster of Paris (you could find it from any hardware store or craft store).  I got a small can from Michael's.  The original price was $5.99, but since I have a 40% coupon, I paid less than the price on the tag.
• Cupcake cups (silicone or paper work just fine), I used paper ones.
• Tap water 
• Acrylic paint - be sure they are the water based one (from craft store) - you might need two different colors, one is for the "cake" (bottom) and one is for the "frosting" (top)
• Beads/cupcake toppers (optional)
• Ziploc bag (optional)
• Disposable spoons and bowls (optional) - you don't NEED them if you don't have them at home!  But they definitely make your life easier and less messy for cleaning up afterwards.

A small can of plaster of Paris and acrylic paints from Micahel's

Paper/silicone cupcake cup and a cupcake tin

Mix one cup of plaster of Paris with one cup of tap water and tint them with the paint.

I use cream color for my "cake" because I wanted to make a white cake with strawberry frosting cupcake.  You could choose whatever color you like.  But keep in mind that, choosing a darker color for both frosting and cake would be better.  After mixing together, the color are less noticeable.

You mix them and mix them well...then pour the "batter" into the cupcake cup

all the way to the top.  

I kind of smoothed the top a little bits.  

But you don't have to since the "frosting" will cover the top.

Let the "cake" air-dry for about 30 mins

Take them out from the pan and they are ready to be frosted.  

You don't need to wait for them dry out totally.  

As long as the top part is dry, you could frost them.

Mix the plaster of Paris with water, but this time you want to make the "frosting" 

a little thicker by using a little more plaster of Paris 

because you don't want the "frosting" dripping down from the top.

Also, I used a small Ziploc bag to frost my cupcakes (optional).  You could also use a spoon to put the frosting on top.

Dry for another hour.  If you want to put the "toppings" or "the "toppers", 

you should do it before they start hardening.  

These cupcakes will stay fresh forever!

I am sure I will make more when I got time in future.  That will be a great way to spread the cupcake love to strangers, who love cupcakes like us.  If you happened to see one at a gas station or at McDonald's in future, that's the love from us, C for Cupcake Cupcakery!