Bake-Off finalist and fan favorite Sandro Farmhouse has created a showstopper inspired by Google’s Year in Search to ring in the end of the year – the five-tiered spectacle brings to life the people, topics, events, and questions that the nation turned to Google for in 2022
Decorate with colourful squares, the cake marks the year we all went crazy fro wordle, with other stadnoutts including a glitter candy floss layer inspired by the Pink Ladies of Grease in honor of Olivia Newton-John, and a section dedicated to Stranger Things, complete with string lights and a rift. Kate Bush also makes an appearance thanks to the resurgence of “Running Up That Hill” in the season. A top layer of royal icing adorned with Union Jack roses marks a notable year for the royal family, with the Queen’s Jubilee and her passing leading to a significant number of searches. The cake also includes a heart-shaped Ukraine fondant flag in honor of the Russia invasion.
Reflecting on the cake-fulled collaboration, Sandro Farmhouse says: “The challenge of creating a cake to bring the top Google Search Trends from the year to life was one that I couldn’t be more excited about, and it’s great to look back at the moments that made the year in the best ever format – a cake!”
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Hi Sandro, how are you?
I’m very good. Just a little bit tired today, but I’m awake and ready. I have just been back to back non-stop but I’ll be in London and the South of France over Christmas
Congrats on the project! How did the collaboration with Google come about?
Google reached out and I was so surprised but also amazed they reached out to little old me to be a part of this huge project to celebrate this year in search. At first, it was a bit wild but I do like the challenge. Google gave me the flexibility to be creative in my own way to show those themes and those trends in my own creative way. So I was really pleased that I even got that opportunity.
How did it compare to being in the Bake Off tent?
They both had time pressures but I get to be a little bit more creative and have a little bit more flexibility with this. The guidelines weren’t so strict, it didn’t have to be five finger sandwiches or something.
Are there any secrets you can tell us from the tent?
Let’s see. I’ll give you one little secret. On the day Janusz left, I went in to give him a kiss of his cheeks and he went in for a kiss on my lips so we ended up pecking. That’s pretty juicy.
Very Juicy. Were there any trends that really surprised you?
To be honest, wordle because I had no idea what it was but now I’m like scheduled to play it today, so I can see what the fuss is about There’s an even harder one, querdle, which made it into the top 10 of the Google search list as well. So we clearly needed something to do this year.
Which was the most fun theme to interpet?
Definitely Stranger Things. But I also love the fact that I was able to make a cake for the Queen. I wanted to make a 100th birthday cake but unfortunately I couldn’t so this was still a way for me to dedicate something to our Lizzie. It was a crazy year, the whole thing is a representation, of how much the year has been up and down?
What about you? What have you been googling this year?
I spent a lot of time google Ukraine at the beginning of the year, I think we all do. Then for the other half of this year, I was Googling myself! I get so obsessive about it and I just want to know what people have to say.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve read about yourself?
It keeps going round that I do ballet! I haven’t done ballet in many many years but I must have said it in my application on Bake Off and they ran with it. I suppose if strictly calls I’ll be there with my ballet shoes.
Are there any trends you think we need to leave in the past?
I’m not really one to follow trends, but I used to follow the cake trends. Especialy the unicorn trend, that went on for ages. With ‘trendy things’ like movies I have to wait until the hype goes down. I’m not going to do it if someone tells me to.
Any fashion trends you regret?
Oh always! I’m sort of upgrading now, so I don’t really live with regrets.
Lastly, what’s next for you?
So much! I will be working on my Baking on the Spectrum programme, working with families and individuals on the spectrum. So that’s something that I’m really focused on. And then, of course, I will have a little book here and there and maybe a few TV appearances, who knows?