Slice of life

One of the weirdest inventions in the history of modern civilisation is the Salad Shooter. Rather than shredding your cold vegetables by hand and then moving them to the plate, the Salad Shooter enabled you to propel your chopped food items directly into a bowl. Well, you didn't think it was military might that helped make the US the greatest country on Earth did you?

Now, someone has taken that same kind of innovative thinking and applied it to everyone's favourite baked treat. So if you've ever found your enjoyment of a Victoria Sponge curtailed by the mundanities of having to physically place it in your mouth, you'll be delighted to learn about PushCake.

It's based on the principle of the Push Pop - those sugary lollies encased in a plastic sheath. Simply apply pressure to the base of the unit, and force one of four delicious cakes out of the top straight into your gaping maw. All you have to do is remember to chew and swallow at regular intervals.

According to CakeSpy, although "the push pop mechanism doesn't change the taste of cake at all, it does make it fun to eat". But only if you've always dreamed of deep-throating a Black Forest gateau. Personally, I've always objected to the use of the word 'fun' when describing treats - there's nothing 'fun' about getting a smaller than average chocolate bar. I think the word that Mars was looking for is 'cheap'.

Anyway, I know that I have food issues. I can't stand items touching on my plate, and I hate sauces drizzled on things - I need a dipping bowl on the side. But I can't be the only one disturbed by the idea of eating a cake vertically. The whole point of it is that you experience all the different layers at once. By using a contraption that excretes them one-by-one into your mouth, you miss out on all that.

And yet, despite my reservations, I'm not entirely against the idea. If nothing else, PushCake could make for some fantastic wedding photos. Just try not to be too heavy-handed when feeding the blushing bride.