At first glance, it’s hard to believe what you’re looking at isn’t a mounted fish or trophy buck—it’s cake.
Dusty Sinclair, known as “The Cake Taxidermist,” has turned her passion for hunting, fishing, and baking into Sugarbelle Sweets, a one-of-a-kind cake business where realism reigns supreme. Her hyperrealistic cakes have become sensations, often ordered months—sometimes years—in advance.
From Nature to Edible Art
Born in Mineral Wells and raised in Port Aransas, Sinclair grew up immersed in outdoor traditions. Her love of nature was matched only by her early love of baking, a craft she began with her grandmother at age three. Inspired by a family legacy of taxidermy and time spent painting with her mother, she merged these interests into an unconventional form of edible art.
Sinclair launched Sugarbelle Sweets in 2014, originally focusing on small cakes and cookies. By 2019, she was sculpting cakes resembling wild game and shifted to artistic rather than character-themed cakes.
Entirely self-taught, she builds each creation from scratch, starting with a custom support frame, then layering cake, frosting, modeling chocolate, and painting the intricate exterior by hand. Her medium of choice—scratch-made modeling chocolate—offers strength and rich flavor, elevating the experience beyond fondant.
Cakes Too Real to Cut
Sinclair’s Great Aunt Jo—called the first known female taxidermist—encouraged her to use as many photos and reference points as possible to achieve realism. She credits that advice for her cakes’ lifelike results.
Though many customers commission Sinclair for wedding cakes—both classic and offbeat groom’s cakes—her specialty lies in the unexpected: deer, hogs, turkeys, marlin, bass, and even a replica of Reveille, Texas A&M’s mascot. At events, signs remind guests not to touch what looks like preserved wildlife: it’s dessert.
Sinclair particularly enjoys painting the vibrant colors of offshore fish, while whitetail deer—her most requested cake—are among her favorites. It’s no wonder: when not sculpting in the kitchen, she is outdoors with her family, bowfishing or hunting.
Whether on the water or in the kitchen, Sinclair brings artistry to everything she bakes, her creativity and deep connection to nature evident in each masterpiece. Her cakes may look wild, but they’re made with care—and a whole lot of buttercream.