For many of us, eating sweets has been a constant pleasure, especially given the rollercoaster ride 2020 has taken so far. But at least we have Nina Gudkova’s candy-filled Instagram account to fall back on. Her creations combine freshness, color and aesthetics to create whimsical delights that connect us far more than the meticulously crafted Insta perfection that already exists.
Texture is a big part of this baker and pastry chef’s signature style. She loves to dip things in pastel shades, different berries, and whipped finishes. This goddess runs a baking company called “Friends Forever,” which started in Nina’s own cafe. Now it is famous for its cakes, cookies and much more.
Its online reviews make it seem like anyone who’s eaten at Nina’s cafes has experienced a little piece of heaven, with one reviewer calling it “the most amazing cake I’ve ever tasted” and comparing the place to a pastry shop invented by Willy Wonka.
The critic would not be wrong. Many of Gudkova’s pastels are about fantasy and escapism. Consider a single bite that combines fresh cream, light layers of marshmallow, ribbons of caramel, and fresh fruit that tastes like it came from an orchard—all sandwiched between hundreds of layers of crepe cake.
One of this beauty’s most recent creations is this cloud-shaped pavlova, an homage to classic Russian desserts. The combination of berries, figs, pavlova and strawberry shortcake embodies the whole atmosphere of summer and an aura of love. We should all strive to recreate this cake while we’re stuck inside!
We cannot forget the skill with which Nina Gudkova integrates berries into her cakes. We’d even dare to call it berry art. Other cake artists tend to rely on drawn flowers or intricate fondant art to add that va-va-voom factor to their cakes, but the way she piles them up and piles them up on different surfaces shows a natural instinct for these things.
It also has that distinctive brushstroke style that often appears in her work, such as on the surface of these mini pastels. In addition to the pastel peacock-shaped cheesecakes, there are some pink and blue encrusted cookies—the whole scene is a cotton candy dream and fit for a princess.
