Artistry on a plate is a piece of cake

陈小将

One might have a difficult time cutting into one of Wang Fang's cakes, as they are practically works of art, almost too good to be spoiled. From natural wonders to cultural heritage, the baker from Taizhou in Zhejiang province has re-created 1,800 destinations from China and around the world out of butter and flour. They are miniature presentations of scenery full of detail.

One of her most popular works is of the "world's loneliest house" in Iceland. Wang, in her 30s, did a fair job of re-creating the scenery at the destination, a bright green island surrounded by the sea, on which a tiny house with white walls and a dark roof sits.

"Everything is made from scratch," says Wang, who is known by her customers as Fanghao, and who has named her bakery Fangland Cake.

"The natural texture of rocks is achieved with chocolate, and the green color is made with matcha powder, while the ocean is pulled off by buttercream, with waves made from whipped cream," she explains.

Other classic creations include West Lake in Zhejiang's provincial capital Hangzhou, which highlights its pagodas and islands, and Yueya (Crescent Moon) Spring, the crescent-shaped lake surrounded by the Gobi Desert in Dunhuang, Gansu province.