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Home › Recipes › Blog

Updated on August 14, 2026 by Liz Marek · This post may contain affiliate links ·

The Best Kind of Relief is Bas Relief

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Bas relief is a sculpture term meaning a pattern that is raised up from the surface. Bas relief was brought to the cake world by the fabulous Maggie Austin and we have been better for it ever since. It is absolutely gor-geous and can be done in so many different ways to create entirely different styles with the same technique. It is a hot trend for 2017 weddings and I have 10 stunning Bas Relief cakes that will leave you speechless.

Starting with a cake from the innovator herself, Maggie Austin shows us just how unique you can get with the Bas Relief style. Fruity, flowery and colorful, this little cake leaves a big impression. Ha! A relief that made an impression, you don't see that everyday...get it? *crickets*

Maggie Austin Bas Relief Cake
https://maggieaustincake.com/

Next we have a fairy tale wedding cake that is truly breathtaking. This is Bas Relief at it's finest. *swoon*

2939602_orig
https://www.sugarrealm.com/

I love this cake that was inspired by a piece of fashion and emulates metal. Another unique version of the Bas relief technique.

eliesaabcake
https://www.threelittlecakes.com/

This is a classic white on white design and it is nothing short of mesmerizing. Shannon Bond Cake Design never disappoints.

img_5256esbcd
https://www.sbcakedesign.com/

This cake showcases a large and simple Bas Relief that makes a big statement and looks beautiful against the lightly water colored tiers. Beach wedding maybe?

sky-blue-bas-relief-mini-tiered-cake-white-elegant-21-1
https://ffeabysawsen.com/portfolio/occasion-cakes/

It's not very often you see black on black. Very striking and very cool, even as a mod wedding cake!

black_bas_relief_cake
https://cakesbygrannie.com.au/

As if the fact that this cake is gold and black wasn't enough, they added Bas relief to the mix. Triple awesome.

lolita-pin
https://www.theabigailbloomcakecompany.com/main-gallery/

Although it is hard to pick a favorite, this one is definitely a strong contender for me. I mean seriously? Love at first sight.

900_905997dwqh_wedding-cake
https://www.lemon-tree-cakes.co.uk/cakes.html

This cake shows how simple a Bas Relief design can be and yet is still absolutely stunning! A lovely design for an ivory wedding cake.

bas-relief-square
https://weddingcollective.co/suppliers/happyhills-wedding-cakes/

Ok, so this may be a "saved the best for last" situation. I don't mean to pick favorites but I just did. Elephants are one of my favorite animals and this is just phenomenal! The style is amazing and it truly looks like real sculpture, totally amazing. It's no surprise that my personal top two were both done by Lemon Tree Cakes. Check out their site as Bas Relief seems to be one of their specialties.

a659c6a87c2573fa57544e584de2808b
https://www.lemon-tree-cakes.co.uk/cakes.html

I am going to assume you're not still bothered by me pointing out my personal fav's. All of these cakes are equally gorgeous and well executed, I just have a style preference and who doesn't? Doesn't make me a bad person right? Don't answer that.

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About Liz Marek

Liz Marek is a professional cake artist and recipe developer who has been teaching baking and cake decorating since 2008. She founded Artisan Cake Company in Portland, Oregon in 2009 and now runs Sugar Geek Show, where she publishes kitchen-tested recipes, food science explanations, and step-by-step tutorials.

Liz is best known for sculpted and hyperrealistic cakes. She won Netflix's Is It Cake? Holiday 2 in 2025 with a hyperrealistic Santa cake, and has competed on and won Food Network cake competitions. Cake Masters Magazine named her one of the top 10 cake artists in 2017. She is the author of Artisan Cake Company's Visual Guide to Cake Decorating and a graduate of the Oregon Culinary Institute.

Her focus is on explaining not just how a recipe works but why it works, so bakers can troubleshoot instead of guess. Every recipe on this site is tested before it's published.

Liz teaches full-length cake tutorials, including sculpted and hyperrealistic cakes, at Sugar Geek University.

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Hi, I'm Liz! I'm a cake artist and recipe developer, and I won Netflix's Is It Cake? Holiday 2 with a hyperrealistic Santa. I write foolproof recipes that explain why things work, not just how.

I also teach full-length cake tutorials, including sculpted cakes, at Sugar Geek University.

More about me →

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