Russian Buildings that Look Like Gigantic Desserts

St Basils Cathedral, Moscow, Russia

I can see food in almost everything before me. A dog’s nose for an olive, crayons for sweeties, a poodle for candy floss and the list goes on. 

The problem with this object-food response is that it makes me think about food 90% of the day. Even if I’ve just eaten and I’m not hungry all these sights and stimulants soon make my inner voice scream ‘Feed me! Feed me! Feed me!’ It’s the struggle of two selves battling against each other.

To date, my biggest test has been Russia. I saw so many buildings in and around St. Petersburg and Moscow that reminded me of desserts in giant-sized portions. From ice cream to trifles, and from cream buns to five-storey weddings cakes; seeing them ignited my sweet tooth into party mood for the entire trip. So I ate, and I ate, and I ate.

By the time I got back from Russia my skin was a mess and the top button of my jeans had burst open. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration but you get the picture. I’m still trying to undo the damage. But I might just embrace it instead. It’s certainly easier. Plus, with the days getting colder and winter soon approaching it will be useful in case we have a really bad winter, and I can’t leave the house. That’s not likely to happen with climate change but let me have my excuses.

So viva wobbly bits! Viva curves! Viva love handles! Viva cake!

Now here we go:

St. John the Baptist (Chesme Church) – Barbie Wedding Cake

Chesme Church in St. Petersburg

 Address: Ulitsa Lensoveta, 12, St Petersburg. Architectural style: Gothic Revival.

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour – A White Wedding Cake (With a Little Bling!)

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow

Address: Ulitsa Volkhonka, 15, Moscow. Architectural style: Russian Revival

Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood – Soirée of Ice Creams

Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood, Russia

Address: Griboyedov Canal Embankment, 2б, St Petersburg. Architectural style: Romantic Nationalism.

St. Basil’s Cathedral – Fairy tale Castle Cake

Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia

Address: Red Square, Moscow. Architectural style: Russian and Byzantine. Additional info: UNESCO Site

Kanzan Cathedral  – Upside Down Trifle

Kanzan Cathedral, Moscow, Russia Address: Red Square, Moscow. Architectural style: Russian

Bonus treat

Just in case these Russian desserts didn’t take your fancy. How about this one I stumbled across in Lodz, Poland?

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – Cupcake with Original Flavoured Icing

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Lodz, Poland

Address: Jana Kilińskiego 56, Łódź, Poland. Architectural style: Russian-Byzantine.

As you might notice, this church has a very ‘Russian’ appearance. This is because Poland was part of Russia in the late 18th century. The country was divided into three parts and shared with Prussia, and Austria. Prussia got the northern portion, Austria got the southwest, and Russia got the largest portion; including Warsaw. 

Further reading: Russian cuisine: a tasty introduction

Which one made your mouth water?

Russian buildings that look like gigantic cakes

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Hi, I'm Shing

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15 Responses

  1. Ha, this was great! Giant-sized portion church desserts. I will go with St. Basil’s Cathedral as my favorite because – well, cake! They are all very beautiful and your food references are very funny, Shing. I highly don’t see a “fat girl” in you, my friend. A dog’s nose as a juicy olive, huh? Too cute 🙂

    1. St.Basil’s Cathedral doesn’t even look real does it?! Ooou yes, a juicy olive. You see it right? 🙂 Hope you have a lovely weekend Mike!

  2. Loved how you looked at these amazing structures with a different eye, it’s great! I’d have looked at these buildings thinking at their stunning architecture (which is very interesting for me) but I like your approach too, it’s nice to see things in different ways it opens imagination and creativity I guess.

    1. Hi Franca! Haha, don’t get me wrong, foremost I looked at them for their stunning architecture, but Little Miss Sweet Tooth was thinking about something else…

  3. Oh I was away for too long. What a colourful buildings! It is amazing how the culture so close to my own seems so exotic 🙂 I love Orthodox Church buildings, they always look like from fairy tale. And gold, they are always gold!

    1. Hi Ola, nice to see you here again! They do look exotic don’t they? So dream-like. Indeed the gold, my eyes always wander to where the gold is!

  4. Watching a doc with my 10 y/o daughter about the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor explosion. Thought I’d look up some of the neat architecture for her. We both got a kick out of this. 🙂

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