It all ends in tiers as Taylor Swift cake pulled from show after hands fall off

A life-sized Taylor Swift cake intended to be the star of an international competition has been withdrawn after the hands were shaken off in transit.

The cake, wearing an an outfit from the singer’s Eras Tour, was created by Elza Baldzhiyska for the Cake International show at the NEC in Birmingham.

But the award-winning cake artist and the show organisers decided to pull it from the show after it was damaged while being transported in a van on Thursday.

Pictures of the cake sculpture show it bent sideways at the knees and missing both hands.

The three-day event at Birmingham’s NEC, which brings together cake artists and enthusiasts from all over the world, features live demonstrations and workshops alongside the competition.

A Queen Elizabeth I cake on display at the Cake International show at the NEC in Birmingham (Jacob King/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jacob King

Competition entries are expected to be in the thousands, with the judges adding a wildcard category for people to enter – creating a wearable masquerade headdress from cake.

A life-sized Queen Elizabeth I cake, created by sugar artist Emma Jayne Cake Design, is also being showcased.

Other extravagant items on display this year include a Mrs Macabre’s Toy Emporium showpiece from Sugar Screams, a seven-foot-tall birthday cake to celebrate 30 years of Cake International and a large dragon slayer cake from film industry expert sculptor Gary Pollard.