Move Over Ace of Cakes, Students in China Have Mastered 3D Printed Cake Design

Custom cakes are all the rage in the United States, sparked on by popular television shows like ‘Ace of Cakes’ and other bakery-based reality shows.

Now, a team of students in China have found a way to automate the process, by inventing a 3D printer that allows users to design and print their own custom cake.

The students at Anhui University, in Hefei China have garnered quite a bit of media buzz about their invention, while not the first of its kind, certainly represents a novel and highly marketable use of 3D printing.

According to one of the team members, the new cake printer can also open an entirely new market into fancy cakes.

“A recent market survey found that China’s current problem in the cake industry is that there isn’t much variety in cake design/style.” freshman Yanxing Chen said. “Now, 3D printing applications can be used to create these cakes.”

The 3D printed cakes can also create shapes impossible with handcrafted cakes. For example, the students recently created a triangular shaped cake that would have been near-impossible to sculpt with human hands.

While not quite ready for market yet, the students hope their new cake designing printer may someday change how cakes are made and sold.

Photo Credit: Custom Cake (Illustrative, this custom cake was hand sculpted)