By Annabelle Banfield

A plate of freshly shucked oysters or a medium-rare steak aren’t common birthday cake requests, but one baker specialises in the unexpected.

Amber Comadira-Smith had been in the cake decorating business for about 10 years when she felt ready for a new challenge and decided to try making hyper-realistic cakes.

“I did a hamburger – it wasn’t great, but it was the reaction from everybody going ‘wow, that’s cake’,” the talented baker told AAP.

“It was the laughter, the smiles, the kind of joy that came from everyone in that reveal that really kind of made me obsessed with pursuing this.”

Her work is a main showpiece at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair’s new cake decorating and sugar art pavilion, where she has been running masterclasses.

Her main trick? Don’t aim for perfection.

“The more imperfect and more organic it looks, the more real it is and the more you’re going to fool people,” Ms Comadira-Smith said.

And there is no sacrifice of taste for looks.

“Chocolate is my favourite go-to with ganache and fondant,” she said

“I always try and make it taste delicious as well as making it look good, because what’s the point in making cake if it’s not going to taste good?”

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