3.15.2010

Edible Art: Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Couch/Cake

Someone once told me that buying fancy, and expensive, chairs and couches by designers like Mies van der Roche was ridiculous, when, really, when it comes to sitting, a rock will do just as well as a store bought chair. I don't know if I completely agree with that statement, but I did stop and wonder what he'd think about this particular piece of furniture, which is an exact reproduction of Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona couch. It's a fancy designer couch that you can't even sit on, but you can, at least, eat it . . . because it's a cake! And believe it or not, it sounds like it was actually pretty tasty. ARTINFO described it as "a moist, buttery layer cake with hints of cream, coffee, and liquor buried inside. The pillow was even softer, fashioned from an airy angel food cake spiked with vanilla."

Right about now you may be saying to yourself, wow, that's pretty cool, but why even make a couch cake? Well, this yummy replica was created by artist Leandro Erlich and pastry chef Guido Mogni as part of "cake happening" in New York that was organized by Raphaël Castoriano’s cake-art group Kreemart, which encourages artists to "explore dessert as a medium."

Now, I love this cake and the idea of thinking creatively about food, but anything with the word "happening" attached to it is a little too pretentious for my taste. Personally, I was getting annoyed just reading about the event. I could barely get through the article! That said, if you don't mind the possibility of getting annoyed, and would like to learn more about the "cake happening," click here.

Oh, by the way, this is also not the first time that Mies van der Roche's work has been captured in edible form. Remember the edible version of the Farnsworth House that I posted in January of 2009?

10 comments:

Karen said...

You were right. I tried to make it through the article but didn't. Vom.

dessert girl said...

Ha ha! I'm glad I wasn't the only one! :-)

Personalized Chocolate Gifts said...

How long it took to finished this cake? When I saw the first picture I was really thinking that it's a real couch but suddenly at the second picture thats when I realize that it's a cake. The details from big to small are just like a real couch.
Thanks for posting...

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Wow, so real looking! Fantastic!

Cheers,

Rosa

Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella said...

hehe you find the coolest things DG! :) Do you spend much time researching them? I love seeing your latest finds!

Carolyn Jung said...

This is beyond amazing. I can't stop staring at his couch in awe. As a piece of furniture, it would be incredibly stylish. But the fact that it's an edible cake is just mind-boggling. Thanks for sharing it.

The Chocolate Lady said...

Ahhh....Im a psychotherapist and a chocolatier, I should get me that couch!

I have a fun chocolate give away today, you might like it :) thechocolateladyblog.blogspot

Joanne said...

That is insane! I could have sworn that was a real couch.

I'm with you on the pretention factor. When things get too trendy they just seem completely unappealing to me.

dessert girl said...

Lorraine: Thanks! Yeah, sometimes I think I'm just going to write a quick little post and then I end up spending a ton of time on it. Oh, well. At least it's something that I enjoy!

CL: Thanks for the link. I've heard of candle parties, but never chocolate parties. I would much prefer to hear about chocolate, instead of candles! :-)

Joann: agreed!

Unknown said...

That party sandwich loaf looks excellent, I am also an upcoming dessert blogger. Check me out sometime at www.keywestkeylimepiefactory.org

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