A TikTok sensation has arisen through a ‘barmy’ cake replica of Traitors’ host Claudia Winkleman that is turning heads for its bold detailing, including Tic Tac teeth and black icing mimicking her iconic hairstyle. Keith Scovell, the 55 year old HR consultant from Kentish Town, is the genius behind this cake and other caricature-inspired confections of personalities like US President-elect Donald Trump and British rockers Oasis, as well as royalty.
He expressed his joy at eliciting laughter and appreciation for cakes with quirky “auras” that are delightfully “off-beat”. Crafting his distinctive baked goods since pre-COVID times, he only took to showcasing them on social media late last year, where they quickly became a hit among netizens.
The recent Winkleman cake alone amassed close to 200,000 views and over 30,000 likes on TikTok. Speaking to PA news agency, Scovell shared: “I love Claudia, by the way, and I love the Traitors; I can’t get enough of it.”
He also mused about recreating her distinctive look, saying, “I thought, actually, how characteristic her face is – the hair, the eyes, the smile – and then I just thought, actually, could I recreate that? ” And about his baking craft, he humbly admitted, “My cakes, to be honest with you, they’re just my imagination going a bit crazy.”
(Image: PA)
Emphasised in the creation is Winkleman’s exaggerated mouth spanning her entire face, contrasting white Tic Tac teeth, and hefty swaths of black icing for both her signature bangs and dramatic eye makeup.
“Personally, I love cakes with kind of auras to them or that are just a bit off-beat, so most of my cakes do have teeth,” said Mr Scovell. “The mouth is never, to the cake I create, true to form. It’s always the comedy part, I think.”
He believes his lip-reading skills, developed due to his significant hearing impairment, aid him in crafting his unique cake designs.
“I think because I’ve learned to lip read and learn people’s facial expressions and their faces I think that’s how you can pick up a point on somebody’s face, so that’s your reference.”
Despite not being a professional baker, Mr Scovell enjoys making cakes for friends and family, including a Taylor Swift-themed cake for his niece’s 18th birthday. His humorous Ant and Dec cakes even received praise when featured on ITV’s This Morning on January 2.
(Image: PA)
Although he has received offers from the US and Australia to purchase his cakes, he joked: “If I had my cakes in a shop window, they may scare small children”. The HR consultant revealed that each creation takes about two to three hours, plus standard baking time for a simple Victoria sponge, which serves as the base for all his creations.
He confesses that his baking skills are “very basic” and humorously remarked that his cakes “look weird but it’s edible”. He initially found the social media attention overwhelming, but soon realised “the joy I got from seeing people’s faces and reactions is probably worth a million of those cakes”.
“If you look at the comments, there’s not one negative comment, which is rare in this day and age because people do like to slate somebody for doing something that they enjoy,” he continued. “It’s insane. I don’t know, if it ends tomorrow it’s fun. I’m still making cakes anyway, so it doesn’t matter. It feels weird.”
He’s determined to keep on baking to bring joy to others and encourages everyone to share happiness online.
“At any age, anything you do and it makes you smile, don’t keep it to yourself. Make others smile,” he advised. “If it’s made you smile, it’s going to make someone else smile, so it’s going to make someone’s day.”
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