Vicious trolls have branded a baker ‘barbaric’ and ‘sick’ for posting videos of herself cutting into lifelike animal cakes.
The clips show Hannah Edwards, 36, from Hemel Hempstead, Herts, taking a knife to her very realistic sponge sculptures which are moulded into the shape of animals such as dogs and horses.
But online trolls have accused the mother-of-two, who runs The Cake Illusionist bakery, of promoting animal cruelty, and have even branded her a ‘closet serial killer’ in cruel comments on her Facebook posts.
Professional baker Hannah Edwards (left), 36, of Hemel Hempstead, is known as The Cake Illusionist for her stunning lifelike cakes. But for some, the sponges are too realistic-looking as they have started trolling her with vicious comments after she posted video clips of herself cutting into the sculptures with a large knife, such as this British bulldog creation (right)
Hannah has received more than 10,000 cruel comments and emails such as this one after she shared videos on Facebook of her cutting into realistic animal cakes made entirely from sponge and icing
Footage of self-confessed animal lover Hannah, who has a pet cat, two turtles and five free-range chickens, cutting into her realistic animal cakes sparked trolls to send a flurry of vicious emails to her business, leaving her shaken.
She has received more than 10,000 comments on her video clips, including one that reads: ‘THIS IS DISGUSTING!!!! What’s wrong with people – how can you cut and eat a cake that looks like a real animal, eyes, face, heart, ribs?!? Barbaric. STUPID.’
Another added: ‘That’s just sick! Making a realistic dog or any living creature and cut it with knife eating it [sic]! I find it gross and stupid!!’
Hannah said she found the messages unnerving and scary.
The bulldog cake may look very lifelike but it is made purely from icing, sugar, eggs and flour. The cake is a simple Victoria sandwich with buttercream and jam and covered in moulded royal icing (left). Hannah has also created a very realistic horse cake, but trolls object when she cuts into them in video clips (right)
Cruel trolls have inundated Hannah with messages branding her ‘gross’ and ‘stupid’ for cutting into lifelike animal cakes
One email reads: ‘Your pet animal cakes are sick, disgusting and offensive. Such a waste of ‘talent.”
Hannah said: ‘I find it surprising that so many people have such a negative reaction to a cake being cut up.
‘I’ve seen the odd one or two comments before over the last five years that have been awkward but this is something else. The level of aggression in these comments is madness.
‘It’s just an illusion, that’s all, it’s not a real animal, it’s not even meat; it’s eggs, butter, sugar and flour that’s all.
‘It’s no different to any other cake, it’s just a step up in realism. That’s a hard won skill that’s taken me years to perfect.
Hannah with one of her creations, a realistic cake that looks remarkably like a real Springer Spaniel. Each of her creations can take up to 80 hours to make
Hannah has made plenty of cakes that look like dogs in her time, including the famous wrinkly Shar Pei breed. She has incredible attention to detail, even ensuring she creates claws out of icing
‘I guess the bit I find most ironic is that most of these people outraged do eat real meat on a daily basis, and yet they cannot stomach the idea of a cake version of an animal being cut up.
‘I think their rage could be far better directed to true animal abuse causes, especially when there are so many out there that need championing.’
Hannah started baking as a way of making money after being made redundant whilst looking after her two young children and soon discovered her talent for realistic replicas.
She now takes orders from people who want their beloved pets recreated in cake form for special occasions. She also travels the world teaching cake sculpting.
She added: ‘The worst comments for me have been the one’s where people have taken their anger off social media and emailed me directly.
Hannah makes cakes bespoke for clients, such as this 12th birthday cake for a child called Jack, which features four puppies under a blanket. It may look lifelike but you can eat every element
‘They’ve also published my email address to their pages online encouraging others to attack me as well.
‘In a public space I get it, everyone has their voice. My email feels a bit more personal and closer to home and as as a mum of two young children I did find it a little unnerving and threatening.
‘It is literally just cake, ordered by people who love their dogs for a special day.
‘I don’t think it’s necessary to threaten me like that when each of my clients is over the moon with their cakes.
She added: ‘I have to bills to pay and I’ll carry on sitting there all night sculpting these crazy cakes and with any luck people will keep ordering them so I can carry on doing what I love.
‘I love pets and it’s only my husband who is preventing me from adopting everything in sight.
‘I promise I’m not a serial killer. I even rescue sleepy bees with sugar water.’