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As flour queens across the land settle in for a new season of 'Bake Off', the Art Fund is also gearing up to harness the seductive power of cake with the return of its Edible Masterpieces campaign. The fundraising initiative asks people to come up with confections representing artworks and it went down a storm when it was first introduced last year. We were so fired up here at Time Out we got three of London's best bakers involved for a piece in the mag. They really came up with the goods, producing Marc Quinn's Self '2006' (The Tattooed Bakers), 'The Rokeby Venus by Velaszquez (Kooky Bakes) and Julian Opie's 'Alex, bassist. Dave, drummer. Graham, guitarist. Damon, singer' (Crumbs & Dollies). It seemed almost wicked to eat the gorgeous creations but – while Time Outers appreciate art, they also march on their stomachs. When we were finally able to bring ourselves to stick the knife in, those cakes tasted just as good as they look.
The Art Fund has refined the recipe a bit this year and they are looking to crown one appetising artwork the Ultimate Edible Masterpiece. You can be as imaginative as you like when it comes to subject matter – think paintings, ceramics, sculpture, architecture – and your entry can be savoury or sweet. We'd love to see St Paul's rendered in cheese straws or a baked Alaska representation of Bacon. You get the picture!
The competition costs a tenner to enter (upload photographs here) and you'll be in with a chance of winning a great prize package that includes a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, a Konditor & Cook Premium Kitchen Experience Day, a copy of 'What to Bake and How to Bake It' by Jane Hornby and a year's National Art Pass, which will get you in free or at a reduced price to pretty much any gallery or exhibition worth visiting. There are goody bags for the ten runners up, too.
So lock yourself in the kitchen and bake up a secret storm or plan a 'Bake Off' style contest at work or at home to raise additional funds. There's lots of inspiration on the Art Fund's website (www.artfund.org/edible) and you can get out the mixing bowl as soon as you like, but entries close at 11pm on Sunday October 11, with the winner announced on October 14.
Share your genius at #ediblemasterpieces and check out the Art Fund’s channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.