For Birmingham vegans, Veggie Fiend cakes are a dream come true. This Halloween, NuFlesh asked the incredible baker and chef behind Veggie Fiend, Amber Slanders, to create the cake of our nightmares. A terrifyingly accurate and gory delicious masterpiece that would leave any fan of John Carpenter’s 1982 film, The Thing, in complete awe.
Originally, criticized for its “visual repulsiveness”, the creature effects came primarily from the mind of Rob Bottin, who had worked with Carpenter previously on The Fog. Besides the transformed dog, partially created by Stan Winston, Bottin spent a year and five weeks straight, creating every creature effect in the film. In a time before CGI, these effects still stand up today and have been recreated in this cake from another world.
Let’s get down to the gory details. The inside, strawberry Biscoff was unbelievably delicious, and the outside, (extraterrestrial parasitic) vegan buttercream, to die for! I find anyone into horror films fascinating, and Amber was nice enough to be probed about horror and baking!
Coincidentally my two favorite topics.
Because of the amazing subject matter of this terrifyingly accurate cake, what horror films have inspired you?
I’ve always been super inspired by the makeup/creature work in movies like this one specifically (The Thing), Dead Alive, The Fly, An American Werewolf in London, etc. I always wanted to go into something like that.
What was your first favorite horror movie?
The two I was obsessed with as a child were the 1985 and 1986 horror comedies House and Critters.
What was the one that converted you to being a horror fan?
I think I always have been. I wasn’t allowed to watch horror movies at my mom’s house as a child, but my dad had a collection of hundreds of VHS tapes that I would steadily make my way through when I stayed with him on weekends.
Favorite genre of horror?
Ahhhh, can’t pick one to be honest. My type of horror is Lovecraftian/Psychological/Dark Fantasy/Sci Fi.
What is an odd cake topic that you wish someone would request?
I don’t know if it’s super odd really, but I definitely have been dying for someone to request a Hitchhiker’s Guide cake.
What excites you about a new cake order?
I get super stoked when it’s a subject/theme I haven’t had requested before, especially if they preface it with “I know this is going to sound weird, but…”
Have you had a design that challenged you?
God, yes. Cake is so fragile; I’ve come to a near nervous breakdown over orders before.
Birmingham is long overdue for a vegan boom. What challenges come with selling Bham on vegan baking?
I haven’t faced any challenges in that area, if anything there are more people than ever that are vegan/vegetarian with not enough options around for them. This is a big reason I started making vegan cakes, I could never find one for myself.
Are people generally ecstatic to learn what you offer?
How long is your list of converts? I am definitely one.
Well, shucks! Exceedingly long, I’d say half or less of my clients are vegan. The rest tried one of my cakes at a party and just liked them better or just tried them with an open-mind after seeing my work.
I’ve always considered you an extremely talented creative. How does baking and cake decorating measure up as an art form?
Shucks again! Honestly, for me, it has been the perfect marriage of my two favorite hobbies. It’s kind of satisfying in a weird way that people eat my art when they are done looking at it.
Without completely spoiling any surprises, what do you envision for Veggie Fiend’s future?
I am trying to get the wheels in motion to get a storefront happening. Beyond that, I just plan to always be learning new skills to make bigger and better cakes.
If you have been searching for the perfect vegan cake in Birmingham, Veggie Fiend is your fav! Amber can capture your concept perfectly. DM today! Veggie Fiend’s cake calendar fills up fast.
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Email: veggiefiendbham@gmail.com