ALMOST TOO GOOD TO EAT!

This Soweto mom's epic baking creations take the cake

- MELON RADEBE

IT LOOKS more like a carpentry workshop than a kitchen. But the saw, PVC cutter, spirit level, pliers and other tools laid out on the counter aren’t used for ambitious woodwork projects, but rather to put the finishing touches on Tshepiso Nyakane’s incredible cakes.

From a Ferrari with moving wheels to a smoky braai, guitars and designer sneakers, the self-taught Joburg baker’s hyper-realistic creations almost seem too good to eat.

After quitting her job in finance a few years ago to focus on baking, Tshepiso (36) initially made ordinary cakes. But she soon grew tired of that and started looking for a new challenge.

“On Pinterest I’d search for gravity- defying cakes.

“There were no steps on how to do it, but because I just love pushing myself, I figured it out,” Tshepiso says. It took quite a few flops, but in no time the mom-of-three from Soweto had it down to a fine art and the orders were streaming in.

Her love of baking started when she was in high school.