Hyperrealistic Cakes With Cake Artist Julie McAllister

Today’s guest is Julie McAllister, a Charleston-based baker known for her hyperrealistic cakes. Julie transforms cake, fondant, and modeling chocolate into lifelike creations—from magnolias and oysters to designer handbags and Charleston architecture. She has also been a contestant on Netflix’s “Is It Cake?” and Food Network’s “Holiday Wars.”

Julie joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her baking journey, from childhood cake mixes to discovering her love of decorating in grad school after a memorable Christmas tree cake attempt. She shares how she taught herself how to decorate cakes from cookbooks, her early days juggling a...