Dessert artist Liz Joy of Inspired to Taste decorates pies and cookies with exquisite, sugary designs that almost look too good to eat. She combines her experiences in illustration and art direction with baking to create eye-catching pastries for parties, brands, and promotional events. Although Joy's extensive portfolio includes a variety of sweet treats, she is best known for her amazing fantasy pies.
Red Riding Hood, Peter Pan, ballerinas, fairies, and mermaids are just a few of the subjects she's depicted with her sugar art. “I love pies especially because they almost always feel wistful,” Joy says. “One of the best things about pies is that you have a set round canvas. I always know that I want to build into that shape and that frame.” The food artist begins each new dessert by sketching different design ideas on paper. She then starts preparing the dough for the pie and the different decorative elements. After the pie is prepared, Joy spends considerable time working on the design until it is to her liking. She uses a variety of textured stamps and molds to enhance the icing and applies layers of sugary paint with a brush to render light and shadow to her figures. All of the ingredients she uses are, of course, completely edible.
In addition to her remarkable pies, Joy also makes cookies that look like different, fashionable garments and accessories. These miniature masterpieces are cut into the shape of jeans, dresses, tops, or shoes, and then decorated with layers of textured icing to complete the effect. She even adds finer details to emulate different materials such as lace, denim, and knit. Some of these cookies even take inspiration from glamorous runway and red carpet looks.
Scroll down to see more amazing dessert art by Joy, and follow the artist on Instagram to keep up to date with her latest creations.