If you are an avid follower of Confetti Fair, you’ll know that we love talking trends. I am still amazed at how social media can unearth these! So, a new trend I have seen emerging on Instagram in the last month or so is ‘faultline cakes’. I had no idea what they were called til a couple of weeks ago. This trend is literally spreading like wildfire now! I am totally obsessed with them!
What are faultline cakes?
It’s basically a design that looks like a piece has been ‘ripped’ off the middle of the cakes’ outer layer. It adds real interest and some amazing designs are emerging from it.
I first noticed it on Cake Design By Sheri, a caker who has done quite a few of these now:
Where did the faultline cake trend emerge?
I am not quite sure. I first spotted it in the post above. The technique did seem reminiscent of a style I had seen. I then remembered I had seen it on the Insta page of by. Aletoso. I dug around a little and found the actual source:
Upon making the connection, I decided to reach out to Camilo Murcia the face behind by.Aletoso. Luckily, he happily obliged!
Thanks for your time today Camilo! What inspired you to create this technique?
My first “fault-line cake” came from order by one of my customers. They wanted me to make a cake for their boss who works in the city, yet is passionate about the ocean and spends all of his weekends on the water. So, my idea for the cake was to showcase something surprising inside. In this case, the boss’s little known passion for the ocean that’s inside his regular, urban life. I named the cake “Finding Nemo” for two purposes -–obviously the reference to the movie, but also as a reference to finding the inner passion inside.
Do you have a name for this technique?
To be honest, I hadn’t decided on a name for the technique until recently. I’ve been asked many times what my name for it is and I have it referred to in many different ways, including ripped line, ripped cake, missed line, cracked line and cracked cake.
I have decided “fault-line cake”, is the most accurate from my perspective. I’m not sure who was the first person to use this name, but I’m happy for them to take credit for the name if you can find out who they are! (my Instagram investigation skills are not that advanced yet! – Maria)
Where do you find your main sources of inspiration?
I am inspired by all aspects of the world around me; shapes, colours, textures, patterns. One cake could be inspired by a dress, and another by the textures of bark. I have an album of photos on my phone of all of the concepts that may inspire future cakes. The one thing I don’t take inspiration from is other cakes.
My background as an industrial designer also provides with a rich tapestry of ideas and concepts that I use in the creation of my cakes.
Each cake I make is unique and tells a story about the person, event or company that it honours. Even if a customer wants me to repeat a design, I will always put a new twist on it to ensure that it is original. I feel very lucky because my customers trust me to create new every time I make a cake.
Your cakes are very artistic and unique. Do you ever have clients requesting specific designs, or do your clients prefer to be advised?
99% of my customers ask me to surprise them and blow their mind with the design. I always ask for a few details to inspire me, including occasion the cake is for and what is their preferred colour palette. Even those people who came to me with a specific design in mind often tell me to create something unique when they see my Instagram account. With the customers that have a particular idea for their cake, I will work with them closely to bring their idea to life.
Like the work of Katherine Sabbath and other superstar bakers, I expect to see a lot of by.Aletoso’s techniques influencing both cakers and consumers, and starting the next phase of decorating trends.
What I love about this faultline style is that you could easily combine two styles into one. For example, you can have a really simple and elegant black cake (like above), that looks like its been ripped in the middle to reveal some super fun sprinkles!
Fun fact: when I started this blog post on the 18th May, there were 256 posts tagged #faultlinecake. Now there are 2,793!
You can read more about 2019 party trends here.
– Maria
About by.Aletoso
Inspired by shapes, textures, colours and symbols; Camilo Murcia’s baking is a demonstration of artistry combined with his personal signature: his passion to create the most beautiful cakes in town.
Camilo originally comes from Colombia and has lived in Brisbane, Australia for the last 11 years. He started playing with shapes and models as a professional Industrial Designer, but it was really when he studied to become a Chef that his style, craft and attention to detail flourished. Over the years he has particularly focused on making gorgeous and mouth-watering cakes that are almost too beautiful to eat, but impossible to resist! He has consistently been told that his cakes are innovative, as well as being delicious, so, at the insistence of friends and customers, Camilo started showcasing his cakes on social media and was blown away by the response. This convinced him to start his own company in 2017, ‘By.Aletoso Luxury Cakes’.
Since starting By.Aletoso Luxury Cakes, Camilo has quickly become known as one of the best buttercream cake designers in the world. He has taught across the Australian and in every continent except Antartica. In 2019, Camilo was one of the featured presenters at the Brisbane International Cake show, where he also won “Buttercream Artist of the Year” and “Teacher of the Year” and he placed first in the category, “Contemporary Art in Buttercream”.
Yes, you can order cakes from him too!
Whatever the event – weddings, birthdays or other celebrations – Camilo offers unique pieces. Not only are they beautiful and delicious but stimulate people’s senses to bring the ultimate customer experience. His services offered through By.Aletoso Luxury Cakes are designed for those who want to savour Camilo’s signature ingredients: attention to detail, style, artistry, taste, and most importantly: an unforgettable moment. You can savour Camilo’s designs on his socials – Instagram and Facebook: and he can be contacted on email at by.aletoso@gmail.com
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