Wenckeschmid Creative Cake Art

Wencke Schmid has long since made a name for herself that extends well beyond her home base and production premises in Basel. And rightly so. So I met the cake artist for the first time in Globus delicatessa in Zurich, well known for its crème de la crème degustations.

I cannot say which shines more, her petit fours or Wencke herself. What I can say, as I immediately try a sweet one decorated with gold and flowers, is that this is one of the rare samples that not only looks incredibly artistic, but also tastes delightful.

I chatted with Wencke as she presented her selection of sweet temptations, from the petit fours to gold cake and the fantastic cake creations. This illustrates a true confectioner's art. Her Mini Fours, Petit Fours and big sister, the Gold cake, are elaborately decorated with real flowers and gold leaf, which at every social event are not just a visual highlight.

The seasonal range of flavours is reminiscent of a digestive beverage selection at its best, including Calvados with cinnamon, Mascaro brandy, Musella grappa, Kirschgold, and also Talisker, Glengone and Laproigh whiskies. The delectable classic assortment includes ginger, oriental, coconut, raspberry, orange, peppermint, coriander-honey, and cardamom-rum.

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I have a feeling that Wencke surpasses herself with every new cake creation. Recently, for an asian fan, she fashioned a spectacular three-dimensional snake birthday cake, which one could hardly believe was indeed something edible. And I'm certain it tasted exquisite.

The artistic expression that can be achieved with confection is sensational and is reflected in the numerous projects and courses that she offers. A recent event was a joint-project with students at HyperWerk in Basel, where they worked on completely crazy creations while addressing important issues such as how consumers so readily dispose of goods.

Wencke is also enthusiastic about less serious matters and offers cake presentations with fireworks and a fancy dressed entourage, and children’s birthday parties, where you are invited, for example, to "Ladies Tea Round". There the children are welcome to decorate the baked sweets and these are enjoyed whilst dressed in costume.

Her range seems limitless in every respect. Finally, it should be mentioned that there isn’t a store. Samples of her work can be seen and orders can be placed on the internet.