Q: It’s my best friend’s birthday, and to celebrate, I’d love to put an incriminating disco-era picture of him onto one of those photo-cakes I’ve seen.
A: Edie Connolly at Cakes n’ Shapes (403 West 39th Street; cakesnshapes.com; 212-629-5512) can reprint any snapshot in edible ink on paper that dissolves, on contact, into the icing of a cake. (Your choice: fondant, frosting, or buttercream.) Baking for everyone from Julia Roberts to Rudy Giuliani keeps her busy—call at least two weeks in advance. Prices start at $65 for a cake that serves ten; photo cookies go for $7 apiece.
For those who prefer the old-fashioned touch, Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes (102 West 87th Street; confetticakes.com; 212-877-9580) uses food coloring to hand-paint her confections. Trained at the Art Institute of Chicago, Strauss can reproduce a photo (color, black-and-white, even sepia) in sugary shades. Cost varies with size and intricacy but generally runs from $10 to $20 per serving; give her at least two weeks, and she’ll deliver it, too.