5 of the messiest maximalist cake accounts to follow on Instagram
Chaotic food content for your feed
Chaotic food content for your feed
It’s safe to say we’re all sick of cake that doesn’t look like cake. It’s impossible to escape the infuriating videos thrust upon us by Instagram. The algorithm spits out countless reels of someone cutting into a laptop made of cake, and then their hand, before the knife turns out to be – you guessed it – cake. Netflix even made a whole series on it. Is it Cake? was entertaining for all of two minutes (we’re embarrassed to say we still watched the whole thing).
Now is the time for cake that actually looks like cake. Not the minimalist, “clean girl” kind of cake, mind. We’re talking about the "feral girl" in baked good form: the extra, maximalist, completely unnecessary and over the top world of cake-scaping. Dripping with pink buttercream, cloaked in shimmering edible glitter, topped with sexy slogans and crafted with tiers wonkier than the leaning tower of Pisa – this is the delicious content we need.
The founder of prominent cake aesthetic Instagram account @hoe_cakes said in an interview with Vice that when it comes to submissions to her page, “the uglier, the better”. In a world of polished TikToks showing how-to make smoothie bowls, overnight oats and what influencers eat in a day (literally nobody asked), the internet needs more messy food content that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Look no further – here are the 5 best maximalist cake accounts to follow now.
Slutty cakes
Started by Sara Sarmiento in late 2019, photo submissions to @hoe_cakes are just as messy as the cakes themselves: low res, zoomed in, often half eaten with cans of beer in the background. Sarmiento explains, “They are ugly and messy and just like, slutty. I don't know why 'slutty' is the word that I would describe these cakes as, but that is one.” For whatever reason, it really does make sense…
No reason cakes
Perhaps the crème de la crème of maximalist cakes is the one and only @cakes_for_no_occasion. Outrageously extra, these tiered delights are packed to the brim with colour, piled high with flowers and thick slabs of buttercream, sharing an affinity with the playful work of abstract expressionists Willem de Kooning and Wassil Kandinsky. Collaborating with florists like the wonderful NY-based botanical artist Emily Scott, @cakes_for_no_occasion shows the power in typically feminine spheres like baking and floristry and their validity in the art world.
Kitsch cakes
Another fave is @cuteasscakes, which does exactly what it says on the tin. The submissions from vintage bakers across the US and UK are equally as elaborate but slightly less messy than the other accounts mentioned, with work featured looking very Wes Anderson or Sofia Coppola-esque. Cute and kitsch – what more do you want from baked goods?
Sweeter than sweet cakes
Malaysian based cake shop @linlin_cake crafts the cutest of cakes with Victorian inspired backdrops. Delectable looking bakes are decorated with Hello Kitty fondant, edible smiling frogs, and polar bears with little strawberry hats. From straight vintage cakes to modern twists adorned by your favourite cartoon characters, LinLin cakes can really do it all. If only their cakes could be shipped across the world…
Sporty cakes
@cakes4sport is the account that has you wishing PE at school looked this camp and was anywhere near as delicious. Speaking to the blog Cyber Fantasia, account creator and ceramic artist Alli Gelles expresses the power in the accessibility of baking in its affordability, “With cake, I can incorporate many of the sculptural and textural aspects that inform my ceramic work”. Her affinity for nature as a Californian shines through with her experimental creations, packed with dried flowers and juicy berries.
