Ben Cullen, originally from Yardley in Birmingham, has become a viral sensation on social media as “The Bake King,” despite starting out with no interest in baking. Known for his astonishingly lifelike ‘illusion cakes’, Cullen creates edible masterpieces that mimic objects like raw chicken, a pint of Guinness, and even the World Cup trophy, all cleverly disguised as cakes.
Now based in Chester, the Birmingham City fan and father of two plans to design a cake featuring his team’s new stadium, adding a personal touch to his artistic portfolio. Although there’s a playful debate within the family about which cake he made first, Cullen’s journey into baking began in 2016, when he was pursuing a career as a tattoo artist.
Inspired by a client’s mother who fashioned toys from sugar paste, Cullen’s first ventures into cake making included a castle cake for his wife and a birthday cake for his father. His passion for creativity over traditional baking led him to become an illusion baker, a field where artistry and culinary skill merge.
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Cullen attended an event at the NEC called Cake International, which cemented his path in this niche. He typically completes his cakes within a week to ensure they taste as good as they look, maintaining high standards in both craftsmanship and flavour.
During the pandemic, the popularity of hyper-realistic cakes grew rapidly, fueled by Netflix’s “Is It Cake?” series. This surge brought Cullen’s work into the spotlight, rapidly expanding his audience. He remarked, “Everyone was bored and stuck in their house, they needed to be entertained and illusion baking got discovered. It was massive for me, I had been doing it for years and was one of the few baking before the trend.”
With a following of 500,000 on Instagram and over 13 million likes on TikTok, Cullen’s creations have ranged from a remarkably realistic Grinch figure to a deck of playing cards. Each piece showcases his skill and imaginative flair.
Reflecting on his career highlights, Cullen shared, “I flew out to Slovenia to work with Ray Ban on an advert that ended up in Times Square. It was an out of body experience, but those cakes wouldn’t make my top ten. I love horror cakes, but I also enjoy pushing myself artistically. Cars are really difficult to make, and capturing humans is challenging too-the Cristiano Ronaldo sculpture springs to mind. It always feels like the last cake you made is your favourite and it’s always fresh in your mind.”
Despite his success in baking, Cullen doesn’t have a sweet tooth and sees cake making as an art form rather than just culinary practice. Without formal catering qualifications, he credits illusion baking with enabling him to combine his artistic passions with a professional career.
He added, “The closest I ever got to cakes growing up was when my mum made me scones in the morning. I had no interest in baking or cooking, but I’ve always been interested in art-graffiti, illustration, graphic design-all forms where I could express creativity. Luckily, I don’t have a sweet tooth; I’m more of a Balti pie at St Andrew’s man. Sometimes I bite into a cake for social media and surprise myself by how nice it is. I’m conscious of calories and quite a healthy person. If I was going to waste calories, it would ideally be on chicken Balti pies.”
Ben Cullen’s story is one of unexpected passion and creativity, proving that it’s never too late to find your true calling and captivate millions by turning an art form into extraordinary edible illusions.