How sophisticated is your pallete? In her new book, Modern Arts Desserts, pastry chef Caitlin Freeman turns iconic works of art into edible art that you, too, can bake right at home.
The desserts she includes celebrate art by Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Henri Matisse, Jeff Koons, Frida Kahlo, and Wayne Thiebaud, among others. Each recipe features the original artwork alongside a museum curator’s perspective on the original piece and easy-to-follow steps for ambitious bakers.
Choose from classics like Piet Mondrian’s Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow for making the popular “Mondrian Cake”, a vanilla and red velvet cake where chocolate ganache is reinvented as the “glue” that holds the layers together.
This isn’t the first time that Mondrian’s bold and geometric use of color has been expressed in other artistic avenues. The Dutch painter’s color blocking has been reimagined in designer fashion and even contemporary architecture, as seen in the group of 3-story residences in Playa Vista (currently on the market). Besides breathing new life into your culinary skills, the edible masterpieces will surely make an art connoisseur out of you and your dinner guests—even if only for the short time it takes you to devour them.
Her book is set to release on April 16th yet if you find yourself in San Francisco before then you can taste one of her creations at the Blue Bottle Coffee Shop Cafe located at the rooftop sculpture garden on top of the Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMa). Watch this behind-the-scenes video for a personal tour from the pastry chef-turned-author herself.
Photos: Top of Post: Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow” by Piet Mondrian (1930) x Mondrian Cake (vanilla and red velvet cake with chocolate ganache); Above Right: Thiebaud Cake (layers of chocolate cake, coffee ganache, and vanilla buttercream)
