Article
Courtesy of Dinara Kasko
Math, Cool STEM Jobs,

Delicious Designs

Pastry chef Dinara Kasko serves up desserts in sweet shapes

By Ariel Bleicher
From the February 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will create their own cake design using 3-D items and then find the volume of their “cake.”

Lexile: 880L; 680L
Focus Area: Geometry,
Standards
  • CCSS: 5.MD.C.5 TEKS: 5.6B

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Lexile® measure

  • 880L
  • 680L

 Courtesy of Dinara Kasko 

Dessert at Dinara Kasko’s house is always a surprise. It might look like a golf ball, or swaying pink pyramids, or even red cherries piled inside an invisible box!

Kasko is a pastry chef, and these strange and beautiful structures are all edible cakes.

Dessert at Dinara Kasko’s house is always a surprise. It might look like a golf ball. It might be shaped like pink pyramids. It might even look like red cherries piled inside an invisible box!

Kasko is a pastry chef. These strange and beautiful structures are all cakes you can eat.

Baking Geometry

Courtesy of Dinara Kasko

Kasko designs and makes her cakes in her kitchen in Kharkiv, Ukraine. On the outside, they resemble geometric shapes or familiar objects. But inside are layers of cake and sweet fillings.

Kasko’s cakes are influenced by her passion for geometry. Before she became a pastry chef, she trained and worked as an architect. But Kasko loved baking cakes for her family and experimenting with the recipes.

Kasko designs and makes her cakes in her home kitchen. She lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The cakes look like shapes or familiar objects on the outside. But inside are layers of cake and sweet fillings.

Kasko bakes cakes this way because Kasko loves geometry. She trained and worked as an architect before she became a pastry chef. Kasko has always loved baking cakes for her family. She enjoys experimenting with new recipes.

Courtesy of Dinara Kasko

Chef Dinara Kasko

Eventually she learned how to make molds for her tasty creations. This lets her invent entirely new shapes. “I don’t want to just copy what other bakers do,” Kasko says.

Kasko learned how to make molds for her desserts. She can create new shapes using these molds. “I don’t want to just copy what other bakers do,” Kasko says.

Making a Mold

To make her molds, Kasko starts by drawing a model of her cake on a computer. Then she creates the model using a 3-D printer. A 3-D printer is a machine that builds three-dimensional items out of layers of material. Next, she pours a rubberlike material called silicone over the plastic model. In a few hours, the silicone hardens into a flexible mold. Now it’s ready to be lifted off the plastic model and filled with cake batter.

Kasko’s first step to make a mold is to draw a model of her cake. She draws the model on a computer. Then she creates the model using a 3-D printer. A 3-D printer is a machine that builds three-dimensional items out of layers of material. Next, Kasko pours silicone over the plastic model. Silicone is a material similar to rubber. The silicone hardens after a few hours. It becomes a flexible mold. Then she lifts the mold off the plastic model. She fills it with cake batter.

Courtesy of Dinara Kasko

Apple cake creations

After she bakes the cake, Kasko carefully peels off the silicone mold. She often sprays the outside of the cake with a shiny, brightly colored glaze. Sometimes she adds decorations such as sugar lace or chocolate ribbons.

But she’s not done yet. Her final step is to share photos and videos on social media. “Just a few people get to eat the cake,” she says, “but everybody can see it.”

Kasko carefully peels off the silicone mold after she bakes the cake. She often sprays the outside of the cake with a shiny glaze. The glaze is brightly colored. Sometimes Kasko adds decorations. She may add sugar lace. Or she may attach chocolate ribbons.

But Kasko is not done yet. Her final step is to share photos and videos on social media. “Just a few people get to eat the cake,” Kasko says, “but everybody can see it.”

Kaskoʼs Cake

STEP 1: Use computer software to design a mold.

STEP 1: Use computer software to design a mold.

Courtesy of Dinara Kasko 

STEP 2: Print a model with a 3-D printer.

STEP 2: Print a model with a 3-D printer.

Courtesy of Dinara Kasko 

STEP 3: Make a mold of the design using silicone.

STEP 3: Make a mold of the design using silicone.

Courtesy of Dinara Kasko 

STEP 4: Fill the mold, bake, and enjoy!

STEP 4: Fill the mold, bake, and enjoy!

Courtesy of Dinara Kasko 

Math Talk

What kinds of measurements would be important to a pastry chef?

Math Talk

What kinds of measurements would be important to a pastry chef?

Hands-on Math: Build a Cake

Kasko bakes geometric cakes. Create your own geometric “cake,” then find its volume!

Materials

several sizes of boxes (rectangular prisms or cubes) • colored pencils, pens, or markers • tape • buttons, stickers, ribbon, and/or other decorative craft items

Procedure

STEP 1
Choose 2-4 boxes to build your cake. Make sure your boxes are rectangular prisms or cubes!

STEP 2
Build your cake by taping your boxes on top of one another to create a stack.  

STEP 3
Decorate your boxes with a colorful, geometric design. Use Kasko’s designs as inspiration or create your own!  

STEP 4
Find the volume of your cake. Measure each box’s length, width, and height, then multiply them together. Add the volumes of each individual box to find the cake’s total volume.

STEP 5
Share your design and its total volume with the class!

Hands-on Math: Build a Cake

Kasko bakes geometric cakes. Create your own geometric “cake,” then find its volume!

Materials

several sizes of boxes (rectangular prisms or cubes) • colored pencils, pens, or markers • tape • buttons, stickers, ribbon, and/or other decorative craft items

Procedure

STEP 1
Choose 2-4 boxes to build your cake. Make sure your boxes are rectangular prisms or cubes!

STEP 2
Build your cake by taping your boxes on top of one another to create a stack.  

STEP 3
Decorate your boxes with a colorful, geometric design. Use Kasko’s designs as inspiration or create your own!  

STEP 4
Find the volume of your cake. Measure each box’s length, width, and height, then multiply them together. Add the volumes of each individual box to find the cake’s total volume.

STEP 5
Share your design and its total volume with the class!

Analysis

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Create a bar graph of your classmates’ cake volumes. Analyze the results. Did anything surprise you?

Create a bar graph of your classmates’ cake volumes. Analyze the results. Did anything surprise you?

Which of your own cake’s boxes had the largest volume?

Which of your own cake’s boxes had the largest volume?

If you wanted to double your cake’s volume by adding only 1 box, what could the dimensions of that box be?

If you wanted to double your cake’s volume by adding only 1 box, what could the dimensions of that box be?

Continue Your Learning

  • Rewatch the video “Delicious Cake” (above). Then imagine you are a pastry chef like Dinara Kasko. Come up with a recipe for a cake or dessert item that you would find tasty. Write down each ingredient you would include and the approximate amounts you would use of each. (You can look at other recipe labels to help with accuracy!) Then decide on the shape and size of your cake. Make a sketch of your cake, labeling its components like number of layers, flavors, decorations, and its height/width. Finally, decide on a price you would charge for your tasty creation!
  • Find 3 items in your home or classroom that are cubes or rectangular prisms, such as books, tissue boxes, or cereal boxes. Use a ruler to measure and record the length, width, and height of each item to the nearest inch or centimeter. Then find the volume of each item. Compare the volumes you found. Did anything surprise you?

Continue Your Learning

  • Rewatch the video “Delicious Cake” (above). Then imagine you are a pastry chef like Dinara Kasko. Come up with a recipe for a cake or dessert item that you would find tasty. Write down each ingredient you would include and the approximate amounts you would use of each. (You can look at other recipe labels to help with accuracy!) Then decide on the shape and size of your cake. Make a sketch of your cake, labeling its components like number of layers, flavors, decorations, and its height/width. Finally, decide on a price you would charge for your tasty creation!
  • Find 3 items in your home or classroom that are cubes or rectangular prisms, such as books, tissue boxes, or cereal boxes. Use a ruler to measure and record the length, width, and height of each item to the nearest inch or centimeter. Then find the volume of each item. Compare the volumes you found. Did anything surprise you?
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