When I posted the Earth cake, I did not expect it to get anywhere near the amount of attention it received. Getting featured on the Facebook pages Think Geek and I Fucking Love Science was a total highlight of my blogging life. I’m big fans of both pages so it was kind of surreal. A lot of my Zoology graduate mates are also fans of IFLS and you’d often hear conversations in the Masters office beginning with, “Did you see that post by IFLS today?” So I woke up to several of them messaging me about it and we all got super excited over it.
With the exposure those pages brought came a whole lot of people who wanted to know how to make it. I still get a couple of emails a week asking for a recipe. The cake was a total experiment on my part, and not one that went flawlessly. There were many imperfections within the cake and I never share recipes unless I know it’s absolutely tried and true. I’d hate to be responsible for a baking fail simply for giving a botched up recipe. But I also hate letting people down. So I decided to re-visit the concept so I could make a tutorial. That will come later in the week as I’m still editing it. But first, here’s the result of round 2.
One question I got asked a lot was if it was possible to make it a sphere. Absolutely it is. If you can make the hemisphere a sphere is easy. I didn’t want to make another Earth cake as I hate repeating bakes, so I opted to decorate it as something new. I threw around a few ideas ranging from something floral to a giant pokéball, but in the end I just wanted to make another planet.
Choosing a favourite planet was tough. As a kid I was fiercely passionate about two things: animals and the solar system. I ended up following the path of the former and never kept up to date with the latter, but the inner passion for astronomy has never died. Space is just so freaking cool. Our solar system alone is filled with so many fascinating planets, dwarf planets and all their satellites — choosing just one felt treacherous.
In the end I settled on Jupiter predominantly for one reason: its Great Red Spot. The giant anticyclonic storm has always been one of my favourite things and continues to be a subject of great fascination for me. At thrice the size of the Earth it’s bewildering to comprehend the actual magnitude of it. If I absolutely have to choose a favourite planet, it’s got to Jupiter for that storm alone. It’s also so iconic. It’s a characteristic feature almost everyone is familiar with, making it easier to create something that would be instantly recognisable.
The red spot is one of a number of storms you can see all over Jupiter. Some of them last hours, others last for centuries. The red spot had been around since the early 1800s, and it’s possible that it may remain as a permanent feature of the planet. It would be fascinating to see Jupiter if the storm did in fact die out, or if another large one were to appear. The smaller white storms are made up of cool clouds in the upper atmosphere, whereas the brown dots are composed of warmer clouds in the lower atmosphere.
I detailed the atmosphere of Jupiter by covering the cake with ivory marshmallow fondant, then dry brushing a combination of ivory, brown and maroon edible ink. The top ended up being a bit more saturated as I was largely experimenting with colours at that point and was throwing in a bit of yellow. I ended up sticking mostly with ivory and adding extra detail with the brown. Once all the base colours were down I started removing colour to create the storms or other distinguishing features and topping it off with highlights. The whole process took about 8 hours with teeny tiny brushes.
Here’s a 360 of the cake:
It was kind of difficult to get good reference shots of the non-red-spot sides of Jupiter, particularly to get consistent ones. They were all taken over many different years and influenced by many different weather events so there was lots of variation. But I got enough to get a rough guestimate of the more static features of Jupiter’s atmosphere. The rest I’ll just claim as artistic license.
Finally came time to cut the cake and see how there spheres lined up inside. It turned out better matched than I’d anticipated.
When my sister asked me what I was making and I said Jupiter, she said to me, “I didn’t even know Jupiter had layers.” It’s amazing how much we can forget after learning it in primary school. So here’s a rehashing for those of you who’ve also forgotten. Our knowledge is mostly theoretical of course, but the gas giants are thought to have a core comprised mostly of rock and ice. This is surrounded by a layer liquid metallic hydrogen, and the outer layer is composed of molecular hydrogen. *cake is totally not to scale
In cake speak, this translates to a core made of mudcake, surrounded by almond butter cake, surrounded by a tinted vanilla Madeira sponge. There’s a crumb coat of vanilla buttercream underneath the fondant.
This run went so much better than the first, informed by the mistakes and lessons learned in the mean time. So I feel much safer sharing the process with you guys now. Stay tuned for that later this week if all goes to plan.
ETA: Tutorial is now here.
Cakecrumbs 
I WOULD EAT THIS WITH MY BARE HANDS THIS IS MAGNIFICENT
I don’t think I could even touch it. It’s just too perfect. I couldn’t bear to mess up all that magnificently delicious detail.
Exactly. I would teach about Jupiter with that shit
I would LOVE to see that!
The detail on the outside it amazing, particularly the big storm. Nice work on getting the layers nice and neat on the inside too.
Thank you. :] The Great Red Spot is my favourite so I hoped to be able to do it justice!
Hat dies auf Auf dem Dao-Weg rebloggt und kommentierte:
Lekker
This would be a HUGE hit with the NASA project Juno team!!! You are super-talented! 🙂
Thank you!
Speaking of Juno… I was asked to create the jupiter cake complete with moons and Juno for a friends astro-mad dad… I have uploaded photos onto my old blog… http://coeliacsecrets.tumblr.com/
Thanks for the awesome tutorial!
That looks awesome! I love the red in it.
THANKS! cannot wait to see more of your cakes in future for us ‘crazy engineer bakers’ (as I like to call those of us that would rather make the Eiffel tower out of cake instead of an average victoria sponge) to try and recreate. 😀
Wirklich beeindruckend! Viele Grüße aus Berlin.
Pingback: Jupiter layer cake | Ediary Blog
Pingback: https://cakecrumbs.me/2013/07/24/jupiter- | somextra
Pingback: Jupiter Structural Layer Cake | nicola ginzler design
Pingback: Jupiter layer cake | Globe Law News
Wow, that cake is simply fabulous! 🙂
Thank you!
Would you mind if I posted one of the images and linked back to your blog from my facebook page?
Please feel free to! I would be honoured.
This is the coolest cake of all time. Of ALL TIME.
Thank you kindly!
Yum. Just think of me as Shoemaker-Levy 9…
Quite good!
I will gladly!
How many smurfs did you use for molecular hydrogen ?
I promise no smurfs were sacrificed in the creation of Jupiter!
Pingback: Nerdcore › Jupiter Structural Layer Cake
Pingback: Amazing Jupiter Cake « adafruit industries blog
Pingback: Bolo de Júpiter | Negão Internauta
Pingback: Yum, Jupiter! — Beyond The Kitchen Sink
Wonderful creation. And of course, no calories, the best part! I would really appreciate knowing how to achieve the shape and especially the turquoise coloured layer. I hope you will share the process and recipes for the components
With any luck it will be ready for tonight!
Pingback: The Amazing, Scientifically Accurate, Jupiter Cake on The Orange Co.
Pingback: Jupiter cake crafted from deliciously accurate layers | CNT
Pingback: Jupiter cake crafted from deliciously accurate layers | TNT
WOW you are awesome, it looks amazing!!
Thank you!
This is the most fantastic cake I have ever seen. Amazing!
Thanks so much!
Pingback: Celestial Sweets! | Sweet Sights
I just love this!!
So beautifully prepared 🙂
nice job!
Thank you!
OMG My bf is a space NUT. I can’t wait to see your tutorial, I would totally love to make him a planet cake for his bday coming up during the perseids meteror shower, or a moon cake would be awesome. 🙂
That would be awesome! Tute should be up soon I hope!
Out of this world!
Thank you. 😀
By jove, this is an amazing cake ! Are you going to bake to whole solar system ?
I would love the opportunity to! Though I’d only do it if either commissioned to or for an appropriate event, as the personal cost to do it just for fun would be enormous. But an entire solar system, with all dwarf planets and major satellites, is definitely something I have swirling around my brain.
THE best!
Thanks!
Have you used any non natural based food coloring?
Please inform if possible here, when the totorial is going to be posted and where.
Thank you so much for a nice vision of a cake I will never be able to cut with any knive I have…or put on one plate……maybe a round tray…??? : )
Don’t know how that taste and as for healthy….that is for us to say when the ingredient list and tutorial will be out there to read.
Yes, there are healthier cakes than other, please do not tell me NOT to consume cakes…
Keep up the creativity, will be looking for more.
You can use any type of colouring, ‘natural’ or not. All will work equally fine.
This is simply amazing! o.O
Thank you 😀
Rhiannon, your cake is the bomb! But now I’m afraid that every time I look through my telescope at Jupiter I’m going to get really hungry … oh well!
Haha, better have snacks on hand when star-gazing!
Pingback: Spherical Concentric Layer Cake Tutorial | Cakecrumbs
HOW did you MAKE that?? Please please please share!!! 🙂 The curiosity is killing me!
I’ve posted a tutorial for this cake now: https://cakecrumbs.me/2013/08/01/spherical-concentric-layer-cake-tutorial/
Where is a Rings of Jupiter?))
Faint and full of dust!
Pingback: Weblogsky: Culture, Media, and the Internet
My daughter is named Jupiter. When she saw your cake she said, “Can that be my cake for my next birthday?” She’ll turn ten in May. We’ll see if I can pull it off.
I wish you all the best of luck for it!
Just thought I would correct a factual error in this article. Jupiter is about 11 times the diameter of the earth, rather than three as indicated.
Indeed it is, however I only said the Great Red Spot was thrice the size of the Earth. As the size of the storm fluctuates how many Earths fit inside it will change, but it is thrice at largest,
Pingback: This Astronomically Correct Jupiter Cake Is a Gas | Techno Alchemy
I linked to this Jupiter cake from Gizmodo and having explored the rest of the site I just wanted to say you are awesome at cake making, thank you for the inspiration. I am favouriting (sic) this site for some ideas that I will definitely use!
Thank you for stopping by to check it out!
How many does it serve?
This one would comfortably serve about 16 people.
Are there internal supports in this cake? My sphere cakes get squishy if I don’t add doweling.
No, I’ve never used internal supports in a cake. I haven’t had any problems getting them to stand all on their own.
Unbelievable! I don’t think I’ve ever reposted from a food blog, but this was just so utterly cool I had to share it. Absolutely phenomenal.
Thanks so much. :]
I would LOVE to see a moon one!! Amazing.
Thanks! I nearly made the moon this time but I couldn’t resist Jupiter.
Pingback: Jupiter Structural Layer Cake | meerschweinchenreport
Pingback: Heel Holland Bakt straks Jupiter-taart | Astroblogs
Pingback: This Astronomically Correct Jupiter Cake Is A Gas | Gizmodo Australia
Reblogged this on La Virino Kiu Skribas and commented:
I’m not a cake person but I do think this an amazing cake! That’s what I like about making food, it’s an art form! Very beautiful and I’m sure it tastes good too!
Pingback: I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t open the pod bay doors now. I’m busy eating cake. | Kitchen Overlord