How can I draw a cake using TikZ?

Question

It is always someone's birthday. I would like to use TikZ to draw a birthday cake. There are all sorts of cakes. What I would like is a cake that looks nice and tasty. Preferably a cake with lots of chocolate and vanilla custard. How can I draw this with TikZ?

Here is something to start with:

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{tikz}

\usetikzlibrary{shapes}

\newsavebox{\mycandle}% From https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/39211/5701
\savebox{\mycandle}{ 
\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=.1]
  \shade[top color=yellow,bottom color=red] (0,0) .. controls (1,.15)
  and (1,.3) .. (0,2.5) .. controls (-1,.3) and (-1,.15) .. (0,0);
  \fill[red!70!blue] (.4,0) rectangle (-.4,-5);
\end{tikzpicture} }

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}[>=stealth, shape aspect=.5]
  \draw[fill=yellow!16] (0,-0.2) circle [x radius=1.59cm, y radius=0.29cm];
  \node [cylinder,cylinder uses custom fill, cylinder end fill=yellow!6,
cylinder body fill=yellow!12, shape border rotate=90, minimum width=3cm, minimum
  height=1.2cm, aspect=2.5, overlay, draw] {};
  \foreach \candle in {(-0.32,1.05), (0.32,1.05), (1.2,0.9), (-1.2,0.9), (0.65,0.7), (-0.65,0.7)} \node at \candle {\usebox{\mycandle}};
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

Oh, and apparently someone already made a pink cake but without providing a recipe.

Answer 1

I'm not sure that this will win any prizes for elegance ...

This is the pink cake referred to in the question:

And here's the recipe:

\documentclass{standalone}
\usepackage{tikz}
\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}
\fill[white!80!black] (3,-.2) circle[x radius=5.05,y radius=1.66666];
\fill[white!80!black] (3,0) circle[x radius=5,y radius=1.66666];
\draw[white!75!black] (3,0) circle[x radius=5,y radius=1.66666];
\fill[white!75!black] (3,0) circle[x radius=4,y radius=1.33333];
\begin{scope}
\clip (0,0) arc[x radius=3,y radius=1,start angle=180,delta angle=180] -- ++(0,2)  arc[x radius=3,y radius=1,start angle=0,delta angle=-180] -- ++(0,-2);
\foreach \k in {0,...,60} {
  \pgfmathparse{Mod(\k,2) ? "pink" : "purple!50"}
  \let\linecol=\pgfmathresult
  \draw[line width=1mm,\linecol] (\k mm,2) -- ++(0,-3);
}
\end{scope}
\fill[opacity=.3] (0,2) arc[x radius=3,y radius=1,start angle=180,delta angle=180] -- ++(0,-.5)  arc[x radius=3,y radius=1.25,start angle=0,delta angle=-180] -- ++(0,.5);
\fill[pink] (-.25,2) .. controls +(0,-.5) and +(-2,0) .. ++(3.25,-1.25) .. controls +(2,0) and +(0,-.5) .. ++(3.25,1.25) -- ++(0,1) .. controls +(0,.5) and +(2,0) .. ++(-3.25,1.25) .. controls +(-2,0) and +(0,.5) .. ++(-3.25,-1.25);
\draw[pink!80!black] (-.25,3) .. controls +(0,-.5) and +(-2,0) .. ++(3.25,-1.25) .. controls +(2,0) and +(0,-.5) .. ++(3.25,1.25)  .. controls +(0,.5) and +(2,0) .. ++(-3.25,1.25) .. controls +(-2,0) and +(0,.5) .. ++(-3.25,-1.25);
\fill[pink!80!black] (.75,3) .. controls +(0,-.25) and +(-2,0) .. ++(2.25,-.75) .. controls +(2,0) and +(0,-.25) .. ++(2.25,.75)  .. controls +(0,.25) and +(2,0) .. ++(-2.25,.75) .. controls +(-2,0) and +(0,.25) .. ++(-2.25,-.75);
\foreach \i in {0,...,5} {
\pgfmathsetmacro{\yshift}{-\i * (5 - \i) * .07cm}
\begin{scope}[xshift=\i * .5cm,yshift = \yshift]
\fill[purple!70] (1.5,3) arc[x radius=5pt, y radius=2.5pt, start angle=-180, end angle=0] -- ++(0,2) arc[x radius=5pt, y radius=2.5pt, start angle=0, end angle=-180] -- cycle;
\fill[pink] (1.5,5) arc[x radius=5pt, y radius=2.5pt, start angle=-180, end angle=180];
\fill[yellow] (1.5,7.5) ++(5pt,0) .. controls +(0,-1) and +(.5,0) .. ++(0,-2.5) .. controls +(-.5,0) and +(0,-1) .. ++(0,2.5);
\end{scope}
}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

Answer 2

Here's another cake :)

\documentclass{minimal}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{decorations.markings,svg.path,shadows,shadings,patterns}
\begin{document}
\pgfdeclarehorizontalshading{candle}
  {4cm}{rgb(0cm)=(.9,.9,.9); rgb(2cm)=(1,1,1); rgb(4cm)=(.9,.9,.9)}
\tikzpicture[
  cake/.style={text=white, draw=white, ultra thick,
    outer color=black!5, inner color=white},
  decoration={markings,mark=between positions 0 and 1 step 1cm with {\shade[
    pattern=crosshatch dots, pattern color=red!80!black, ball color=red,
    xscale=-.8, path fading=south] (0,0) circle (.3);}}]

  \shadedraw[cake,draw=black!40,rotate=180]
    % "artsy" perspective skew
    svg "M24,150 l-10,-70 c10,-50 150,-50 160,0 l-10,70 c-10,35 -130,35 -140,0"
    node {the cake is a lie};
  \shadedraw[cake] (-3.3,-2.8) ellipse (2.7 and 1.25);
  \path[postaction={decorate}] (-3.3,-2.5) ellipse (2 and .7);
  \fill[shading=candle] (-3.5,-2.6) to[bend right] ++(.5,0)
    -- ++(0,2) to[bend right] ++(-.5,0) --cycle;
  \fill[outer color=transparent!0, inner color=orange] (-3.25,-.3) circle (.25);
\endtikzpicture
\end{document}