# Brisbane to host the International Cake Show Australia in May

Foodie – families, sugar chiefs, sweet lovers and cake bosses, prepare your palettes and get your best cake game on because the Top Gun of cake decorating – Australia’s only international standard cake show and arguably the greatest cake decorating competition there is – returns to Brisbane and everyone is welcome.

**International Cake Show Australia (ICSA)** will be held at **Brisbane Showgrounds Exhibition Building in Bowen Hills from Friday 17th May to Sunday 19th May**. **EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!**

Thousand of sugar voyeurs, edible artists, cake decorators, cakes bosses, professional pastry chefs, bakers, chocolatiers, home hobbyist decorators and food personalities from across the globe will converge on Brisbane to battle it out in **33 categories** across the three days, with the general public invited to enter, view and take part in a full program of masterclasses, activations, 90 free demonstrations, entertainment and more.

This year, the competition categories range from **Wedding Cake Wars** to **Pirates, Dragons, Mystery** and **Magic** , edible life–sized sculptures, sugar-crafting, celebration cakes, buttercream cakes and more. Extra adventurous artists and decorators can enter the Australia’s largest cake competition and participate in gravity defying creations while children are entertained by animated nursery rhymes and children’s stories brought to life from sugar.

In special tribute to one of the world’s Seven Wonders and our country’s most precious asset, the World’s best cake artists come together to build a **5m x 4.5m** **Great Barrier Reef Sugar Spectacular** set to include a huge coral cave, an abundance of marine life, plus a life-size shark and a diver made from cake.

A highlight will be a two-day televised, live international cake-off challenge on the main stage featuring six of the world’s most famous cake artists including **Paul Bradford (Scotland), Dorothy Klerck (South Africa), Ben Cullen (UK), Verusca Walker (Sydney), Margie Carter (Sydney) & Paul Delaney (Wollongong)**. One of the world’s most inspiring cake artists **Karen Portaleo (US)** plays ‘Challenge Creator’ while the **celebrity judging team** includes **Rosie Drummer (UK), Adriano Zumbo (Dubbo) and Monica Cavallaro (Sydney).**

This year, two new categories add to the success of the International Cake Show Australia – one for Australia’s best pastry chefs and chocolatiers where many of Brisbane’s iconic hotels and venues will be represented.

**International Cake Show Australia CEO, Joan McDermott** said the event, into its second year, has already become a new cultural tourism attraction for Australia offering a brilliant cross between food, design, family entertainment, colour and competition.

“The International Cake Show Australia is open to the public and is all about creating magic, testing the boundaries and defying the impossible.

“For the millions who watch Cake Boss, The Great Australian Bake Off and follow the hundreds of thousands of edible artists on social media, this event has already proven to be the penultimate experience and to have it staged here in Brisbane as a national showpiece is a coup for the city and its people.

“There’s a huge underworld of literally hundreds of thousands of mums and dads who are hobby decorators within Australia and this year ticket sales are going through the roof, especially for the classes, workshop and master classes,” she said.

According to McDermott, the show flies in the world’s most talented cake artists, pastry chefs and chocolatiers to share their skills at the show.

“The show is a huge milestone for Australia, showcasing the very best work of our Australian Pastry Chefs, Chocolatiers and Cakes Artists to the rest of the world and conversely many of the best in the world also come here to exhibit at the show,” she said.

Some competitors like Dorothy Klerck, from Wellington in South Africa are more serious than most, taking on projects of mammoth proportions. From creating an enormous 650kg Rhino Cake, the world’s largest (and life–sized) Elephant Cake and a massive, two–storey–tall Nelson Mandella cake, her craft is used to raise awareness for animal conservation and human rights.

Then there are the ‘extreme caker’ personalities, many of whom have left high power careers to build a career making cakes, such as ex–defence force pilot Rosie Drummer and then there is UK’s Channel 4 Extreme Caker, Ben Cullen (The Bake King) who was a Tattoo Artist before changing careers.

In addition to the spectacular competitions, general public programs, exhibitions and a dedicated Australasian Cake Oscars Night (yes, really!) there are pop–up shops where associated food and product manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, food and product service agents and retailers will display the very latest in decorating and all that is sweet.

International Cake Show Australia is hosted by the Australian Cake Artists and Decorators Association (ACADA).

**What’s happening at the show?**  
· Celebrity cake artists, chocolatiers, chefs and bakers appearing throughout the three days.  
· A two-day televised, live international cake-off on the main stage featuring six of the world’s most famous cake artists – Paul Bradford, Dorothy Klerck, Ben Cullen, Verusca Walker, Margie Carter plus judges Rosie Drummer, Adriano Zumbo and Monica Cavallaro  
· 90+ FREE  _“Live, Laugh & Learn”_ demonstrations on the hour every hour.  
· Nursery Rhymes and children’s stories all made from sugar and brought to life  
· Live Cake Sculpture stage – stage shows  
· 6m x 6m Wind in the Willows Sugar Feature (animated and lit)  
· 5m x 4.5m Great Barrier Reef Sugar Spectacular  
· A Haute Couture Wedding Marquee – Australia’s most awarded wedding cake designers.  
· Hands-on Workshops, masterclasses and mini classes  
· Australia’s ultimate cake decorating competition and display (largest in Australia)  
· The world’s best chocolate sculptures  
· Wedding Cake Wars, where two teams battle it out  
· Huge statement cakes in various locations throughout show.  
· Pop up shops – you’ll be able to shop till you drop

**The Competition Categories**  
Special Class 1: Teams of Professional Pastry Chefs – Statement Cake  
Special Class 2: Cake Artist Collaboration – Major Show Feature  
Special Class 3: Global On–Line ‘A Sweet Interpretation of Modern Art’  
Class 1: Beginners (Novice) – Special Occasion Cake  
Class 2: Wedding Cake Design – 3 or more Tiers  
Class 3: A Magical Winter Wonderland  
Class 4: An International Themed Cake  
Class 5: Denim & Lace Cake  
Class 6: Royal English Over–Piping  
Class 7: A Modern Cake Featuring Royal Icing  
Class 8: Out of the Box – No Boundaries  
Class 9: Pirates, Dragons, Mystery or Magic  
Class 10: Great Australian Outback  
Class 11: A Roman Inspired Sculpture  
Class 12: Motherly Love – Mother & Baby Sculpted Animals  
Class 13: Illusion or Special Effects  
Class 14: Hollywood or Music Inspired Realistic Bust  
Class 15: Carved or Sculpted Musical Instrument  
Class 16: Carnival or Carnivale  
Class 17: Contemporary Art in Buttercream  
Class 18: Modern cake with Spring Flowers  
Class 19: Sugar Flowers inspired by Brisbane’s River Fire Fireworks  
Class 20: Sugar Flowers – An English Cottage Garden Hanging Basket  
Class 21: Inspired by Wedgewood or Royal Doulton  
Class 22: Two or more Storey Gingerbread Home or Building  
Class 23: Cupcake Tea Party with Fake Sugar Food  
Class 24: Party Themed Desert Table  
Class 25: The 12 Days of Christmas – Decorated Cakes  
Class 26: Chocolate Showpiece  
Class 27: Inspired by Fashion and/or Jewellery  
Class 28: Showcase Chocolate in all its Glory  
Class 29: Six Cupcakes with Sugar Farm Yard Animals or Teddies (Students 6-12 years old)  
Class 30: Birthday Cake for Best Friend (Students 13-17 years old)