


  • Has anyone done anything like this?
  • Any problems with it?
  • Is there a better way to go about it?




  • I hadn't thought about threading at all - great idea, thanks. – user6150 May 16 '11 at 22:51
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  • The pudding/custard sounds fun... I personally don't like cauliflower, and was looking for a sweet dish rather than veggie, but nice idea. – user6150 May 16 '11 at 2:46


  • I'd considered the marbling, but really wanted a way to get nice stringy red veins ;) – user6150 May 16 '11 at 22:50

I can't say I've done exactly what you're trying to do, but I've had quite a few attempts at setting gummi laces into jello, and I really don't think it's going to work to bake them in.

You have a few major problems:

  1. Gummi laces do strange things when they get wet. They swell up to about 2-3x their size (in every dimension ... so 8-27x volume), diluting the flavors and make for a really nasty texture.

  2. Gummi laces melt when they get warm. (exact temperature depends on the concentration of gelatin ... but setting them in a wet batter means the gelatin will dilute ... I'd expect them to melt well before the cake sets).

  3. Gummi laces really don't like to hold their shape. Especially when wet or heated, they'll attempt to go back to whatever shape they were originally made as. (I had tried using these red coil ones which were thicker ... caused other problems).

So, some suggestions, first to get the brain look to the cake:

  • You can buy silicone molds that will give you a brain-shaped cake.
  • If you make a stiffer cake (eg, pound cake), you could carve creases into it by holding a sharp paring knife so the tip is just barely exposed at a 45° angle, then cut grooves into the cake (cutting a 'V' trough with two passes).
  • Using fondant will allow you to have the groves show through. (frosting will just cake into the groves).
  • You might be able to just use a stiff cake and fondant, and then use something to press the groves into the fondant.

update (and deletion re: setting the laces under the frosting):

For the arteries on the brain (note, arteries are red, veins are blue), you'll need something to afix the laces onto the cake. You'd likely best off using something to 'glue' to the laces onto the cake that isn't too wet ... unfortunately, I'm not really sure what that is. Typical food-safe glues are royal icing, egg whites, or a dab of corn syrup. Unfortunately, all of these have a lot of moisture, are might cause your veins to deform (as they absorb the moisture).

I honestly don't know what the best solution for that would be.

If you were to use a buttercream frosting for the cake, you'd have issues with losing the creases of the brain, but you might be able to set the laces into the frosting before it's hardened. For this, I would pre-cut bits of the lace so that you can both work quickly and not have to worry as much if the laces decided to start changing shape on you.

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    I'm not 100% sure, but as I read it OP wants the veins inside - as opposed to just a big lump of poundcake or sponge. – Stephie Feb 1 '16 at 14:22
  • @Stephie : I took 'veins' to mean 'blood vessels', and assumed they're going for the arteries, which are on the outside of the brain : nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/9441.htm ... which now that I look at a picture ... aren't actually in the groves. – Joe Feb 1 '16 at 14:25
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    Some nitpicking: Veins are not blue, veins are red. Blood vessels can appear blue through the skin, but when you expose the flesh, they are the same color, red (while still full of blood). The blue veins in anatomy textbooks are a convention. Of course, somebody making a cake could want to use both red and blue blood vessels, simply because the reality will appear fake to people accustomed to color coded pictures. – rumtscho Feb 1 '16 at 14:50
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    I was going more for "cool" than reality - so veins through the brain, rather than just on the surface... – user6150 Feb 1 '16 at 22:12

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