human brain cake

throughout most of middle school, i was set on pursuing a career in neurology. this was not because of a love for science or the medical field; rather, it was a result of reading ben carson’s autobiography, “gifted hands,” in sixth grade language arts.

i grew out of the neurosurgeon phase, but carson remained in the back of my mind as a role model. it wasn’t until this year, when he arose as a potential presidential candidate, that i found out about his stances on abortion, LGBT rights, immigration, and health care.

he’s suggested that transgender people should use segregated bathrooms. he’s said that Obamacare is “the worst thing to happen to this nation since slavery.” he’s thrown his full support behind donald trump, even though trump once compared him to a child molester.

though i think he’s great for separating a twins with a conjoined BRAIN, i definitely don’t consider him to be a role model anymore. how often does it happen that someone you look up to turns out to be a total idiot? how can you be a neurosurgeon and not have a brain?

this cake is actually really easy to make. i baked red velvet batter in a glass bowl, then frosted it and covered it in squiggles of white fondant. i painted it with seedless raspberry jam to “bring it to life.”

here’s the tutorial!

notes:

• the 8-inch bowl i used to bake it in was too wide and shallow. i think the brain looks like someone sat on it. you should use something deeper.
• make sure that there’s a clear distinction between the right and left sides of the brain. i achieved this by carving a divot down the cake’s center, and making sure that there wasn’t any fondant that went from one side to the other.
• i forgot to make the cerebellum, but she goes over that in the video. it gives the back of the brain some height, which makes it look more realistic.