We all know how pretty cakes, cupcakes, and cookies can be, especially when you add intricate icing details and fondant sculptures to the mix. But when it comes to eating those cakes — which can reach practically architectural heights — things can get a bit overwhelming. (And if there’s a ton of fondant involved, you’re pretty much eating straight sugar.)
But what if you could have a cake that was made from fresh ingredients and was still completely gorgeous? Well, you can. These vegan cakes are created by Stephen McCarty, who founded Sukhavati Raw Desserts. “Sukhavati” means “happy” in Hindi, and you’ll see why that makes sense when you take a look at these cakes.
Fruit, fruit and vegetable purees, and other natural foods help this baker create bright, cosmic designs. Nothing artificial here!
This is a strawberry, rose, and cacao cheesecake-style cake. Vegan substitutes replace the cheese and other animal ingredients.
This cake was made for a friend in honor of her new baby.
They don’t have to be bright to be beautiful, either. This banana and cacao cake is just as lovely in earth tones.
Ginger, goji berry, and cacao.
This was McCarty’s own birthday cake.
The purple XX symbols were created to celebrate his 20th anniversary of being a vegan.
And he’s not just limited to cakes. This is a smoothie bowl with a similar mandala pattern on the top.
It’s mango, banana, and hemp milk with maca and raw honey. The mandala was created using dragon fruit, spirulina, and turmeric.
Pureed pea tendrils, goji berries, and blueberries make up the design on this banana and green fig smoothie.
Your first thought might be, “No way, those are too pretty to eat!” But it’s okay, really! McCarty wants them to be eaten. For him, these cakes are a perfect representation of Buddhist philosophy. The concept of impermanence dictates that all things must change form at some point.
He compares them to Tibetan sand mandalas, which are large, colorful, and labor-intensive…and they’re destroyed upon completion. Each cake, with it’s colorful, symmetrical designs, is created to be eaten.
Thanks to Instagram, their images can live on forever.
Besides, they’re too tasty to resist!
(via My Modern Met, BoredPanda)
You can see more of McCarty’s delicious creations on his Instagram page. Just try not to drool all over your keyboard.
