![Atop Empire State- in construction; Chrysler Bldg & [Daily] News in middle foreground. (1931)](http://www.retronaut.co/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Atop-Empire-State-in-construction-Chrysler-Bldg-Daily-News-in-middle-foreground.-1931--199x123.jpg "Balancing on the Empire State, 1920s")
“Once white as a symbol of purity, the ornate cake, complete with its floral display, has browned with age.
“Made in 1898, the confectionery was originally on display in the window of a family bakery, in Basingstoke, Hampshire, which closed in 1964.
“It had been moved to a loft, where it remained for almost a century, until the baker’s daughter donated it to the little known Willis Museum in Basingstoke.
“Museum curator Sue Tapliss said:
“It has been stored in unfavourable environmental conditions, leading to the cake heating and causing the sugars to seep through to the icing, giving it a darker colour.
“The baker’s daughter, who was unmarried, donated the cake towards the end of her life due to fears someone might discover it in her attic and think she had been jilted at the altar.’
“Pieces of Queen Victoria’s wedding cake were auctioned off but this is the world’s oldest complete wedding cake.”
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Thank you to Darian Zam
Wow.. you’d imagine a cake would just shrivel or crumble within a few months.
I always wonder about those showroom cakes.
I’ve made display cakes. They are made on styrofoam dummies using royal icing or fondant. They’re usually used for making the hard fake flowers or stiff decorations. I’ve heard that some people actually use plaster for the base coat. It can be sanded to get it perfectly smooth. I’m assuming that in the past a cardboard box or wooden cylinder was used. If you’ve ever been to a state fair and seen the displays, the real cakes fall apart after about 10 days, the fake cakes still look perfect.