Studio Visit: Rustcakes

Hidden beneath the cosy Café Neundrei near Hackescher Markt in the heart of Berlin Mitte lies a tiny basement kitchen filled with the scent of buttercream and stacked high with boxes of food colouring paste. Here, Hana Betakova is busy crafting cakes that look as though they have emerged from an alternate dimension. You half expect a tiny nibble of those dazzling creations to whisk you away into Alice’s Wonderland.Originally from the Czech Republic, Betakova founded rustcakes, a space where she turns traditional baking into a surrealist art form, in 2020. Her kitsch cakes with their glossy, neon-splattered domes, outlandish shapes, and textures that seem almost too alien to eat, defy expectations. And yet, what seems almost artificial at first melts into a complex explosion of flavour.

Betakova’s aesthetic is deeply nostalgic, blending elements of gaming, film, organic shapes, and her childhood memories into something that feels entirely new. But Betakova is not interested in chasing trends or shock value. She wants to craft something that stirs emotion, challenges perception, and lingers in your memory long after the last crumb is gone. It is this tension between the futuristic and the familiar that has made rustcakes’ edible sculptures a magnet for the avant-garde, attracting customers like Billie Eilish and Eartheater. SLEEK visited Betakova in her kitchen at Café Neundrei to watch one of her playful creations come to life. Between mixing, piping, and airbrushing, she discussed the inspirations behind her cakes, the philosophy of impermanence in food, and why she will never open a bakery of her own.

LINA KÜRSCHNER What inspired you to start rustcakes?

HB Absolutely! My all-time favourite is one of my older cakes from two years ago, which I made for a film. It was this pinkish-yellowish blob with delicate shavings, a touch of airbrushing, jelly, and tiny white basil leaves. The concept was quite simple; the focus was more on texture – it looked slightly grotesque yet incredibly soft and beautiful. It had this organic quality, almost like a refined, aesthetically pleasing version of a human organ, but in the most stunning way. I enjoy it when my cakes don’t immediately resemble food at first glance. And then, there’s also a Chester cake I once made – these two were definitely pieces of art!

LK Do you have a personal favourite among your creations?

HB Absolutely! My all-time favourite is one of my older cakes from two years ago, which I made for a film. It was this pinkish-yellowish blob with delicate shavings, a touch of airbrushing, jelly, and tiny white basil leaves. The concept was quite simple; the focus was more on texture – it looked slightly grotesque yet incredibly soft and beautiful. It had this organic quality, almost like a refined, aesthetically pleasing version of a human organ, but in the most stunning way. I enjoy it when my cakes don’t immediately resemble food at first glance. And then, there’s also a Chester cake I once made – these two were definitely pieces of art!

LK Can you tell us about your inspiration behind your unique cake designs? What influences your creativity?

HB My inspiration is often deeply rooted in nostalgia, tied to emotions rather than specific memories – especially childhood nostalgia. If I’m not working on a custom request with a specific topic, I tend to rely on my feelings as a creative guide. Nature plays a huge role in my designs, but I’m also influenced by contemporary culture – things like gaming, films, or anything that visually captivates me. It really depends on my mood; sometimes I take a more conceptual approach, while other times I struggle with inspiration, especially in winter. When I feel stuck, I trust that whatever I create will turn out fine, and if not, that’s ok, too. If I really have a creative crisis, I look back at my previous work to see what resonates and build from there, but I always aim to create something new.

LK How do you strike a balance between artistic expression and customer preferences when designing a cake?

HB When people place an order, there’s a note on my website explaining that I have full creative freedom over the design. They can offer suggestions, but if someone is too particular about the details or design, I sometimes have to decline the request. I don’t want to disappoint anyone, and I also don’t want to feel that pressure. It’s important to me that I can stay true to my artistic vision.

LK What is the most complex cake design you’ve ever created, and what made it so challenging?

HB For me, complexity is mainly linked to how time-consuming the process is. For example, intricate details like snakes or dragons can take forever to perfect, though they aren’t really complex, strictly speaking. In general, the level of complexity really depends on the size and design of the cake. For a smaller cake, like one for ten people, the baking and preparation take about an hour and a half, then the assembling and decorating can take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half. So, in total, about three hours. Usually, I bake the cake one day, assemble it the next, and decorate it the day after. The largest cake I’ve made was for 80 people, and that took a lot longer, as you can probably image.

LK You don’t just design cakes, right? I saw you’ve also made some acrylic sculptures. What came first – the cakes or the sculptures?

HB The cakes definitely came first. I started making sculptures later because I wanted to have a creative outlet at home. I used to work with fillers and plaster, using piping techniques similar to cake decorating but with inedible materials. I also experimented with thermoplastic, making things like props or weapons. But for now, I haven’t done much in that direction. It’s nice because you can keep sculptures, unlike cakes, but I actually love the idea that cakes are meant to be eaten in the end. There’s this social aspect to it, that people come together, share, and get excited about something weird looking yet delicious.