15 Of The Most Expensive Cakes Ever Sold
Mia Horton Quick Links
If you have ever gotten married, you know that just about every part of it is expensive; from the wedding gown right down to the centerpiece. Many people dream of getting married, but most people don’t think too much about how much it will cost for the wedding cake. According to many sources, the cake is the second largest item the bride wants to make sure is perfect, and it comes close to wanting that perfect dress. Could you imagine spending $20,000 on the cake of your choice? What about $20 million? Although the majority of the cakes listed here are wedding cakes, there are a few that were created for other events, as well.
It seems like more people seem to be spending a lot more on cake than was once thought, and there are so many choices that people are now adding “bling” to their cakes, making some parts of it inedible. This just creates more questions, though. If we are at a wedding with a diamond-encrusted cake, do we keep the diamonds? Should we give them back to the bride, or the host of the party? Is there a set of rules to follow for this type of thing? What exactly is the correct formality when it comes to really expensive cake? Are we even supposed to eat it, and who do we even ask about these kinds of things? Perhaps someone should write a book on the political correctness of cake-eating.
15. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ Wedding Cake- $20,000
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Just about everyone has heard about Kim Kardashian and her wedding with Kanye West from last year, but it was her marriage to Kris Humphries that was more similar to a fairy tale. Kim was rather fascinated with the royal family in 2011, and the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William was one that the young reality television star wanted to replicate. In October of the same year, Kim and Kris said their vows, among many celebrity guests, and a wedding cake that was meant to imitate the “royal wedding cake” from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s extravagant gala. The eight foot tall, 600 pound chocolate chip marble cake was created by Patrick Hanson, and probably lasted a lot longer than their marriage of only 72 days.
14. Swarovski Crystal Cake from Sex and the City 2- $32,000
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Remember the movie Sex and the City, when Carrie was infatuated with Mr. Big, and dreamed of her perfect wedding? Perhaps you might even recall the moment he asked her to marry him, or even the gown she wore in the second film of the same name. Even if you had not seen either of the movies, there was a series with the same name that was on for years that had the exact same characters. This must be familiar to everyone, since it ran for almost six years on HBO, and the reruns were seen on multiple channels shortly thereafter.
After the first movie was released, we all knew that Carrie’s wedding would have to be colossal to fit in with the style of the show. Ron Ben-Israel was asked to design the cake for Sex and the City 2, and he created a work of art. Even though the majority of the cake was edible, the six foot tall, five-tiered cake was adorned with 4000 Swarovski Crystals that were inspired from a gown worn by Mitzi Gaynor that she had worn in a Las Vegas show. It was created to look like a chandelier, but the movie cake was a tangible, (mostly) edible sculpture worth $32,000.
13. Faberge Egg Cake- $35,000
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The Faberge Egg was originally created for the Russian Imperial family. Tsar Alexander III started the tradition (as the story is told) by wanting to get something for his wife to celebrate their anniversary, which was close to the Easter holiday. He wanted a really nice egg, to be intricately decorated, and to have a surprise in the center. This started the tradition of the Faberge Egg, which the company (Faberge) had only created 50 in 32 years, and only the affluent could afford them.
Many bakers make cakes that look similar to Faberge eggs, but none as expensive as the Faberge Egg cake that was delivered to a diamond mogul, Carl Weininger, in Great Britain, for his 60th birthday. He bought the cake himself, since he had recently broken up with his girlfriend and thought that it would cheer him up. Even though the cake isn’t customarily made just like a Faberge Egg (it doesn’t open), it does have several layers, including champagne jelly, biscuit joconde and dark chocolate. It also includes gold leaves that can be eaten and the small surprise that is supposed to be in the center of the egg. It’s a two-carat diamond that is on top of a chocolate flower on the top of the cake. And they say money can’t buy happiness…
12. Princess Kate’s Royal Cake- $78,000
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The dessert that Kim Kardashian’s wedding cake was modeled after is none other than the official “royal cake” of Prince William and Kate Middleton; from their ceremony in 2011. Fiona Cairns and her team of 50 bakers and designers worked diligently on the confection for five weeks, and tried to incorporate everything into the cake that Kate had desired. Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd and Simply Red are a few previous (and some current) customers of Fiona; so she is highly reputable, and she takes her craft very seriously.
Fiona designed the cake just as Kate had asked, and it went along well with the room it was going to be placed in at Buckingham Palace. The cake wasn’t too tall (she didn’t want it to be overwhelming), and there were many flowers that each had a special meaning to the future Duchess. Everything was edible; including the ivy to symbolize love and marriage, bridal roses that promote happiness and adoration, as well as 900 floral pieces that were coded to represent different countries and distinct beliefs.
11. Liza Minnelli and David Gest’s Towering Wedding Cake- $40,000
via:nwdailyblog.com
In 2012, Liza Minnelli shocked the world when she married producer David Gest. It was a short-lived marriage (only lasting a little over a year and a half), but the wedding was a colossal extravaganza. For someone who had Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor in their wedding party, how could anyone expect anything less? Liza spared no expense; and the cake was no exception.
This was Liza’s fourth marriage; but it didn’t stop her from spending $40,000 on a wedding cake that was almost twelve feet high. Liza and newly married husband, David are barely seen in the photograph of the couple cutting the red, white and black cake that was almost as unusual as the newlyweds, themselves.
10. The Wedding Cake of Princess Diana- $40,000
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In 1981, Diana Frances Spencer (A.K.A. Lady Diana Spencer) married the Duke of Cornwall, also known as The Duke of Rothesay, who also went by the title, Prince Charles. This made Lady Diana Spencer Princess Diana of Wales, or Princess Di, as everyone had called her. She was the most photographed woman in the world, up until her death in 1997; and was loved around the world. The wedding was televised and watched by millions, as her 25-foot train followed her down the aisle. Her wedding cake was said to have cost $40,000 almost 35 years ago, and the few slices that were preserved are now being auctioned for nearly $2000 a piece.
9. A $130,000 Advertisement for Platinum
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What would you pay to advertise your jewelry? Most jewelers would simply buy a 30 second commercial, or perhaps a small advertisement in a newspaper, magazine or web page. Apparently, Nobue Ikara decided that more women should buy platinum jewelry, so he made a cake and decorated it with platinum necklaces, pins and pendants, in anticipation that more people would buy platinum. The cake is worth $130,000 including the chains; but you can’t eat the decorations. Oh, and did I mention that Nobue Ikara is a chef? He’s not a jeweler, but just someone who wanted to make an expensive cake.
8. $850,000 Diamond Chocolate Cake in a Store Window
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What appears to be a chocolate birthday cake is up for sale in the window at a department store in Osaka, Japan. Pastry chef, Masami Miyamoto designed the cake, and jeweler Sa-Birth offered the diamonds to appear along with the chocolate. It was made for the holiday season, in hopes to get shoppers into the store, but there has not been anyone interested in buying this $850,000 cake as of yet.
7. Luster Dust Cake- $1.3 Million
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Even though this is the only cake on the list that isn’t actually edible, it is still considered a cake. It was designed for the Dallas Bridal Fair in 2010 by Dallas’ Delicious Cakes, as they got together with Dallas Gold and Silver Exchange to help decorate the $1.3 million cake with their fine jewelry. The outside of the cake is made from “luster dust” frosting, and is adorned with over a million dollars worth of jewels. This foam-inserted cake had to be on 24-hour watch, as it was placed inside an armored car in order for it to be delivered to the bridal fair. If this had been a real, edible dessert, it would have weighed almost 200 pounds.
6. $5 Million Africa Cake
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Even though there isn’t much evidence to support this, it is rumored that a jewelry store owner in Tokyo created a chocolate cake in the shape of Africa and decided to line it with 2000 diamonds. Apparently this cake is worth $5 million, and there is one picture to show for it available on the internet. I guess if you have a jewelry store and know how to bake cakes, why not adorn it with your favorite jewels? Although, it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to try and eat it.
5. Luxury Bridal Show Cake- $20 Million
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Every year, the Luxury Bridal Show in Beverly Hills, California, gets more and more extravagant. In 2006, they decided to incorporate an extremely expensive cake to go along with the wedding-themed event. Nahid Parsa designed this piece of art, and it included gold flakes and many, many diamonds throughout the entire pastry. At the time of the gala, the cake was estimated to be worth 20 million dollars. Whether or not it was for sale, or if it had essentially sold during the show, is unknown.
4. Davorah Rose’s Diamond Gala Cake- $30 Million
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The editor-in-chief of Social Life Magazine, Devorah Rose, loves to throw expensive parties and the cake made for her “Diamond Gala” proves that idea. She sought out the creator of the reality show Cake Boss, and required that they design and create her a cake that was worth 30 million dollars. The cake was intended for her party, and they were able to put together exactly what Devorah was looking for; including many precious gems surrounding the stylish pastry.
3. Pirate’s Fantasy Cake- $35 Million
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How do you top the most expensive cake in the world? You add a bounty to it and then name it, of course! That is exactly what Chef Dimuthu Kumarasinghe did in 2012, when he broke the record for the “World’s Most Expensive Cake.” This cake is set to look just like a pirate’s ship, including the “booty,” which is an assortment of gemstones and jewelry pieces. These parts, of course, are not edible, but the parts that can be eaten are layers and layers of different flavors of chocolate, pumpkin and lemon; just to name a few. The cost of this cake; including its bounty, is 35 million dollars, and held the record for just a little while.
2. The National Gay Wedding Show’s Cake- $52 Million
via:livingproper.com
Not quite a year went by when Chef Dimuthu’s pirate cake’s world record was surpassed. In the month of March, 2013, the National Gay Wedding Show in Liverpool hired the bakery CAKE, to design a cake specifically for the event. The cake had eight layers, was almost five feet tall, and had over 2000 diamonds included in the cake, itself. The designers were highly interested in creating this for such a special event, and ended up breaking a record while they did it. The cake was estimated to be worth an incredible 52 million dollars, in U.S. currency.
1. The World’s Most Expensive Cake- $75 Million
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A person living in the United Arab Emirates didn’t have a world record in mind when buying the most expensive cake ever purchased, when they were looking for something unique for their daughter’s birthday. That is exactly what happened; however, when cake designer, Debbie Wingham received a phone call that would change her life forever. Debbie designed the cake to look like a fashion runway; and with it being six foot long, it appears that way, along with models (who you can eat), and wearing fashionable clothes and accessories, which are also edible. The majority of the cost came in when an abundance of gemstones were added, including $45 million worth of multi-colored diamonds. This 75 million dollar cake is now the record-holder for the most expensive cake in the world.
Sources: indiatoday.intoday.in, dailymail.co.uk, sky.com, telegraph.co.uk, usatoday.com, cnbc.com
