Chow Downton on This Amazing Cake

It’s that time of year again! Downton Abbey kicked off 2015 with its Season 5 premiere on January 4th, and we can’t wait to see what happens both upstairs and downstairs! Will Lady Mary pick a suitor? Will word spread of Lady Edith’s secret? What about Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson? And what sly remarks will the Dowager Countess whip out in the coming episodes? There is so much to look forward to.

Photo: PBS SoCal

It seems we aren’t the only ones excited about the newly commenced season. Georgia Public Broadcasting hosted a premiere party at Atlanta’s The Fox Theater and commissioned cake and confectionary artist Karen Portaleo to create a cake suited to the event. The result? A life-size bust of Dowager Countess Lady Violet Crawley.

Photo: Karen Portaleo

The cake took a whopping 18 hours to make and consisted of vanilla cake, buttercream and a (very fitting) Earl Grey Tea soak.

Photo: Karen Portaleo

Photo: Karen Portaleo

What better way to enjoy your Sunday nights, than with a piece of (Dowager) cake and a spot of tea! We think even Dame Maggie Smith’s alter ego would be duly impressed and, as evidenced by Portaleo’s Instagram picture, it seems that despite all her airs, the matriarch of the Crawley family is actually quite sweet on the inside.

Photo: Karen Portaleo via Instagram

For more jaw-dropping creations by Portaleo, you can visit her site here.