Picture Perfect Pastries

Cakes for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and major celebrations; chocolates for Valentine’s Day; candies when you propose - confectionery feature prominently in many of the special moments in our lives. So, when an opportunity arises to personalise our confectionery and make the moment even more magical, most of us jump at it. Once, you can only print the picture of your choice on cakes. Now, the menu of customised confectionery has expanded. Inside checks out your options.

Have Your Photo Cake & Eat It

When computer and the accompanying printer technology improved, among the industries that benefited from the boom was the food industry. The advent of the edible image printer complete with edible ink and paper (rice paper and, later, frosting sheets) made it possible to print just about any image to be placed on top of pastries.

In Singapore, Prima Deli was one of the earliest cake shops to offer a picture of your choice atop your cake. At this local bakery, you can pick from their collection of available pictures which include children’s favourites like Barney, Strawberry Shortcake, Dora the Explorer, and Spongebob Squarepants (S$42 per kilogram).

For weddings and anniversaries, using a picture of your choice is another way to go. Most cake shops will tell you that they reserve the right to reject photographs that are unsavoury or offensive in any way. Those that infringe on copyrights are also no-nos. Apart from that, any picture with a reasonable resolution (usually 300dpi) will suffice. As a general rule, if the picture prints well on paper, it will come out well on the cake.

Another occasion where you might want a photo cake is for corporate events. Company logos, emblems, and crests on a cake make for very strong branding.

At Swee Heng Bakery, you can opt to have your picture sit within the design of the cake (S$$40 per kilogram, with some designs requiring at least two kilograms). This allows for greater decoration options. Since the edible photo itself is not particularly tasty, decorating your cake this way also allows for some measure of customisation without comprising on taste. You need not forgo those icing flowers, fruits, and even chocolate shavings that go to making your cake as much a treat for the stomach as it is for the eyes.

Say Freeze …

What you put on a cake can be put on ice-cream cakes as well. If you are want a cool alternative to the regular cake, Swensen’s has photo ice-cream cakes. There are two pluses to Swensen’s offerings. For one, it has the rights to quite a few pictures that children traditionally love – Disney characters and characters from Dreamworks movies (S$50 per kilogram, requiring at least 1.5 kilograms). For another, their ice-cream cakes allow you to pick any two flavours so you know you will be getting a cake that is not just pretty but pretty yummy. You can go local with Chendol and Salted Gula Melaka; select hot favourites like Chocolate Peanut Buttercup, Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Mocha Almond Fudge, and Frosted Chocolate Malt; or go a little crazy with unusual pairings like Lime and Butterscotch.

If you want your own picture, Swensen’s has two sets of designs for your photograph to sit within (S$55 per kilogram, requiring at least 2.5 kilograms). The 4R-sized picture can have a purple background framed with balloons or a cream-coloured background also with balloons. This limits the design choice somewhat.

Top This!

If you want smaller treats for your special occasion, Twelve Cupcakes can print customised toppers for your cupcakes. Company logos and personal pictures are all possible. The good thing about this is that you can have your customisation without affecting the very pretty frosting and design each cupcake boasts. So, there will be some uniformity by way of the toppers, and some variety to tempt your guests by way of the different flavours. A minimum of 24 toppers (50 cents each) is needed.

Choc It Up to Creativity

If you are thinking about favours for parties, corporate events, weddings, engagements, baby’s full-month celebrations, chocolates might make a good choice. Chocolate Graphics lets you print your pictures on their chocolates plus put in your personal message.

Choose from white, milk, and dark chocolate pieces that come in different sizes: three, five, and 10 centimetre pieces; or five-centimetre-lollipops. Each comes individually wrapped. The benefit of these chocolates is that the more you order, the cheaper it is. The disadvantage is that you need to order in bulk to make it worth your while (ranging from S$2.40 to S$4.80 for 50 pieces depending on the size you choose). Comparatively, buying just one specially-printed piece will set you back at least S$20.

With so many edible photo options to pick from, you can have picture perfect pastries for every special occasion.

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