The Timeless Game
Chocolate Showpiece, 2024-2025
Duration: 2 months
Co-Designer: Kylie Yeh
This project was created for the fifth episode of British Bake Off: The Professionals, responding to a brief to design an artist-inspired showpiece with fruit as the hero. Drawing on Dalí’s surrealist style, we incorporated optical illusion techniques to make the apple appear as if it were floating in the air.
Concept- Why Dali? Why Apple?
Inspired by Salvador Dalí’s surrealism, we hope to translate his dramatic, dream-like style into a three-dimensional chocolate sculpture. The apple was selected as our hero ingredient for its floral aroma, crisp texture, and versatile character, complementing the whimsical and imaginative nature of Dalí’s work.
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The concept began with a melting apple, floating with mini apple pastries sprouting from its branches.
However, the unstable foundation made execution difficult (left). We then turned to optical illusion, taking advantage of the rhythmic repetition of a chessboard pattern to make the apple appear as if it were suspended in mid-air, deceiving the audience’s perception (right).
Execution- Chocolate Structure
We began by molding chocolate into an apple shape — initially a challenge, but easier once we built it from multiple spheres rather than a single form. Distorted Clock details were then added as a tribute to Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory (1931). To create the illusion of a floating apple, we used a checkerboard pattern: the elevating box was painted to blend seamlessly into the backdrop, while a shadow below enhanced the visual effect.
Execution- Dessert
With fruit as the hero of the showpiece, we chose apple and yuzu — their refreshing flavors complementing the apple’s floral notes. The mini apple mousse was crafted by layering shades of green and red cocoa butter, then melting them slightly to mimic the natural texture of apple skin. Finally finishing off with chocolate decoration that represents the stem and leaf.
Execution- Finalizing Details
The chocolate apple centerpiece was airbrushed with shades of green and red, blending naturally into a surrealistic rainbow effect. It was then positioned on the checkerboard base at a precise angle to create the intended optical illusion. The pastries, styled as chess pieces, were arranged around it to complete the surrealist chessboard composition.
Some Assembling Process
Watch Full Episode on Channel 4
Watch Full Episode on Channel 4
Special thanks to our head chef, Yago Doamo, and to all our amazing colleague for their continuous support and understanding. And of course, a big, big thank you to my teammate Kylie for making all of this possible, I will never forget the countless nights we spent practicing until 5 a.m.