The International Cake Exploration Societé (ICES) was founded in Monroe, Michigan, at the National EXPO Cake Show, based on cake decorators sharing and caring for their craft. At their Annual Convention and Show, held in a different U.S. location each year, members enjoy demonstrations and classes, and displays of amazing cakes and sugar art.
Although sugar sculpting for festive occasions had become a specialty of Italian chefs as early as the 1600s, it wasn’t until nearly a century later that these decorations began to be applied to cakes. "The Experienced English Housekeeper," written by a Mrs. Raffald and published in 1769, includes three successive recipes for a rich cake, marzipan, and icing.
When Charles II returned from exile in France with a deep love for pastry, he was accompanied by some of his favorite French pastry chefs. These men, who were less than inspired by rather dull-looking English almond buns, suggested they should be iced with a crust of sugar, then embellished with trinkets.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, culinary tastes were more and more influenced by travelers to foreign lands coming home with exotic new ideas; in the late 1500s, cakes molded into shapes and decorated with almond paste (similar to today’s marzipan) began to appear at extravagant banquets.
