The Kaketakumentary

Welcome readers to the new face of Kotaku, a site rededicated to the minute coverage of all things Game Cake. It was a long time coming, but over the years we've noticed that while sites like GameSpot, IGN and 1Up voluminously cover the video game industry, little time is spent on that sweetest of tangents, the artful Game Cake.

No more will we waste your time by detailing the movements of game company CEOs, revealing early the secrets of consoles and developers alike, instead we will work to push Game Caking to the frosty heights it so richly deserves.

Expect in the weeks, months, years to come detailed secrets on the people behind the cakes you know and love, tips on how to prepare your own Game Cakes and nuanced features on the inner machinations of some of bakings greatest.

As always we will strive to stay in front of the pack, covering the game cake industry as both an outsider. Some might argue that all Game Cakes need is a cold glass of milk, but we at Kaketaku knows it needs some hard-nosed journalism.... too.

Kaketaku

Cake Decorator's League Announces 2008 Pro-Icing Tournament Schedule

The Cake Decorator's League announced the locations and dates for 2008-2009 North American professional frosting league matches today, with the pro-cake icing qualifying competitions kicking off this June in Wisconsin. That will give the Milwaukee Frost the home field advantage against the Boston Creamers, the first official match to kick off the '08 pro cake decorating season. You may remember that the Creamers drafted Loren "P-Bag" Friberg—last year's Lambeth Cup winner—after he became a free agent at the close of last season. Should be a good match up.

The CDL's sixth season will commence with a record eight teams, including the LA Candlewaxers, New York Royal Icers, Miami Moist, Chicago Chocolatiers, Seattle Bundters and Dallas Meringue who will be joining Boston and Milwaukee. Teams will be competing in speed icing, wedding cake time trials and Super Mario World cake competitions that will require decorators to adhere to the CDL standards.

A community day is planned prior to the event, with a massive FLAN party for aspiring dessert makers. Details and rule changes for the '08 season at the official CDL site.

Some hardcore cakers (coughFaheycough) will tell you that Gingerbread cakes aren't in fact cakes. Well that's insane. Take for instance this amazing Companion Cube cake created by surprise birthday cake given to Game Cake's reader Fred Zeleny by his mom. Sure there's no frosting, really. Sure it lacks toppings. (Not even a whisp of fan-fave Ganache). But it's sweet, you eat it, and it's about a game. I think what Zeleny's mom has taught us all is that the audience for game cakes is much broader than what the big cake companies will have us believe. Sure the triple-A Mario cakes will always be top sellers, but that doesn't mean you can't have a success with something as simple and down-to-earth as gingerbread.

Gingerbread Companion Cube [GameCakes]

Cake? Check. Cross-Stitch? Check.

It's a wonderful day in the history of video game cakes! Back at GDC 07 when I first approached Crecente about my idea for an all video game cake website, he told me that it was a great concept, and that it was destined for great things. Now, a year and a month later, GameCakes.com proudly becomes a wholly-owned member of the loving Kotaku family. I'm so excited! I never thought when I first started the website that things would skyrocket like they did.

From here on out, GameCakes' unique coverage of all things interactively epicurious well be bolstered by Kotaku's in-depth, up to date coverage of the video game cake scene, backed by their industry clout and trademark wit and charm.

Rejoice, for a new age of gaming cakes is upon us!

Crap, Kotaku Purchases GameCakes.com [GameCakes.Com]

The pink and green frosting of this single-layer, fancy-top sheet cake hides a delicate yellow sponge filler that blends well with it's decoration.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of frosting, it actually makes my teeth hurt, but I couldn't get enough of the Kaketauke spread. While the base sheet cake was mediocre at best, the raised K was formed with delightful, Twinkie-like cakettes that melted in the mouth.

I suspect Kaketaku may be a work in progress, but if the bakers keep true to their vision, I suspect it could become a shining example of next-gen cake creation technology.

Atari 2600 Icing Tech Demo Proves "Normal Frosting" Textures Possible

What an elegant little game cake! We see a lot of cakes here at Kaketaku (naturally), ranging from the sublime to the bizarre, and this entry is one of the more elegant and understated I've seen. The little beauty not only looks pretty, but sounds delicious (chocolate buttercream under the sugarpaste icing and raspberry creme filing? Sign me up). The creator has even posted the recipe and a nice visual how-to for those of you who prefer not to set off into uncharted culinary territory without a little help.

1up Mushroom Cake [A cat in the kitchen]

Label this as mega rumor for now, but if a reliable Kotaku source is correct—and we think they are—this is the first leaked press shot of an upcoming game pie. Yes, you read that right, game pie, not cake. We realize it's like saying we have acquired a shot of the Loch Ness monster or McWhertor in Wal-Mart jeans, but trust us, we don't put our reputation on the line for every teenager that sends us some store-bought pie with Mario painted on with icing.

We have some emails out on the matter and will keep you updated as the story unfolds.

Wedding cakes, even the most elaborate ones, tend to be reasonably boring: tiers, white or off white, flowers, topper. Why not spice your wedding up with a celebration of just how geeky you are and buck the routine of 'same old, same old' wedding cakes?

Console Wedding Cake [Flickr]

Courtesy of an anonymous tipster, here's the first shots of a new cake in development. Yes, it's early days, and yes, I'm sure they'll add a bit more polish when it's done, but in 2008, I expect cake bakers to be bringing the next-gen shit, not this tired old spoons and frosting crap. Though, to be fair, I guess the multilayer shots look more promising, as it's been too long since we got our mouths on a good, old-fashioned lemon layer cake.

Sorry, Europe. While Japan and the US scoff down slice after delicious slice of cake, a European release date has yet to be announced, sparking fears that they'lll miss the summer cake-eating season all together. Most industry pundits now expect the cake to be baked sometime around Christmas. Bummer. Anyone who can't wait that long should know that a packet of FreeBaker mix (be sure to add 2 extra egg whites!) will let you import Japanese and/or American ingredients, but there's no guarantee of these working in future baking tray releases.

Topping Death Match Final: Fondant Versus Ganache

It's time for the final round of our cake coating death match! Only two confectionery contenders remain standing from our initial field of thirty cake toppings: fan-favorite fondant, which gives a cake that smooth, professional look, and the surprise challenger, ganache. Who'd have thought that plucky ganache, the chocolate cream creation from the mid 1800's would have toppled the more versatile butter cream? Well topple it did, and now it all comes down to this...the icing on the cake, as it were. Make your vote be heard, faithful Kaketaku readers!

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Confectionery Mods: Pac-Man Cookies

Surfing the forums for breaking news this morning, we came across this wicked cookie mod from MasterDarkXSugarZero39 in which he took one normal sugar cookie and, with two to three hours of sweat and toil, transformed it to very closely resemble one of gaming's most iconic characters. So close, in fact, we can't remember if that's the cookie picture above or the Pac-Man photo intended for the side-by-side comparison.

We won't lie. The instructions are for advanced modders only. But if you're up for the challenge, hit the jump for the full step-by-step instructions.

Most Exciting Cake Clip Today

Objection! THIS is the Greatest Cake Ever

Born of marzipan and frosting, this Phoenix Wright cake shows how game cakes don't have to be all about complex desert layers. Sometimes a baker can deliver without a lot of cake fanfare. Notice the smooth white backdrop supporting those stunning high-res figures. It's all about the character development people. All about the characters.

[Thanks Joe]