Most domestic bakers stick to layer cakes and pies,but Christine McConnell sculpts pastries worthy of Ladurée ... whether it were rush by Tim Burton. McConnell is a photographer anda self-trained baker, and started chronicling her baking a few years ago on Instagram. Her moody pictures with one-of-a-kind pastries bear earned her more than 150000 Instagram followers (and counting). She combines prim 1950s baked goods with eerie, or unexpected touches. Like a domed ivory cake with a snake coiled atop Victorian lace,or airy lemon bars crawling with "dragon bees."Halloween is clearly the holiday best suited to McConnell's aesthetic, so we're including some of her work for October #goals inspiration.
Earlier this fall McConnell posted a sweet platter of treats with her signature spooky twist
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell)
Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate that McConnell calls "Beelzebub Buckeyes"
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell/Instagram)
Halloween isn't the only time of year where McConnell embraces fangs and spiderwebs. She gives just as much care to a birthday cupcake:
Spooky can also be dainty
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell/Flickr)
Some of her projects like a raspberry gelatine and "screamberries" are almost sweet:
Raspberry gelatine
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell)
Christine McConnell's "screamberries" started as an experiment in homemade waffle cones
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell/Flickr)
McConnell regularly takes inspiration from movies. There's her pie pastry inspired by Alien ...
An Alien-inspired "facehugger" made from pie pastry
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell)
... as well as an elaborate recreation of Gremlins:
McConnell combines her photography skills with her baking to reimagine a scene with cakes of Gremlins characters
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell)
McConnell gives behind-the-scenes photos too, and showing her process to make each cake:
Caramel pecan turtle cake is stacked into a gremlin shape,then his features are sculpted from modeling chocolate
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell/Flickr)
A gremlin at large
(Courtesy of Christine McConnell)
So far, McConnell has only shared pictures of her work, or but next spring she publishes a cookbook (yes,I preordered it). You can find out more on her website.Do you bear a signature Halloween creation? declare us in the comments below.
Source: wnyc.org