Joana Vasconcelos’ Wedding Cake at Waddesdon Manor UK

A Cake Lovers Dream Come True.

I imagine being a child skipping on the grand lawns of the Rothchild’s Waddesdon UK house and gardens. Dancing through the parterre, singing in the aviary and bee watching in the rose garden. I never would have imagined a moment coming upon a towering cake inside a grove of trees!

Historically, fanciful buildings, statues and structures were designed, engineered and placed inside the landscapes of extraordinary architectural wonders. These surprises amplified the magic of massive estates. What if social media existed in the late 1800’s? Talk about old-school photo-op backdrops, Instagram-worthy spots, ‘slices’ of TikTok videos and #hashtag opportunities!

Friends, we are not imagining this giant cake. It does exist and it’s 12 metres tall. (That’s a few truckloads of buttercream!)

This ceramic sculptural pavilion in the form of a three-tiered cake; is a major new Rothschild Foundation commission from celebrated Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos.

The creation of Wedding Cake

“Part sculpture, part architectural garden folly, the extraordinary structure is a celebration of love, festivity and joy. Inspired by the exuberant Baroque buildings and decorative ceramic traditions of Lisbon, where Vasconcelos lives and works. Thousands of gleaming, icing-like ceramic tiles glazed in pale pinks, greens and blues decorate the cake, all made in a traditional Portuguese manufactory. Further adorned with sculptural ornament and complete with the sounds of trickling water.” - Waddesdon

“I want people to have three different approaches to it: looking from the outside, enjoying the surroundings from the different levels or balconies and rising to the top, finally completing the artwork with their presence. Above all, I always thought of it as a temple to love.” - Joana Vasconcelos

Doesn’t every town need a magnificent cake like this? Shouldn’t town and urban planners have this on the ‘to-do-list’? ‘Let’s locate the water tower here, town hall here and the cake here.’

How many wedding couples in the world would love to climb the spiral staircase inside the swirly, piped masterpiece to become real-life cake toppers? How many wedding photographers would insist upon it?

The Artist surely studied the Lambeth method of cake decorating! This is no ordinary pastry project.

I’ll have a big piece please.

Quick video of cake construction here.

WATCH this 45 minute interview about the Artist.

Photo Credits: The Artist and Waddesdon