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Writer's pictureRyan Holmes

Cookies and Marmite? Mars team with Google Cloud to create AI-powered Maltesers cake

Updated: Apr 19, 2023

To find out if flavors could be digitized, Google Cloud teamed up with Mars Wrigley UK to create the world’s first Maltesers AI Cake.

Cookies and Marmite?  Mars team with Google Cloud to create AI-powered Maltesers cake

Google Cloud engineers created a machine learning model to combine hundreds of existing recipes from baking trays to cupcakes with insights from Google Search Trends. Result? An AI cake that features both cakes and cookies with a Marmite buttercream frosting topping.


To do that, a top Google Cloud engineer created a Machine Learning model that used hundreds of existing recipes from baking trays to cupcakes to develop a new way of creating cakes called Maltesers AI Cakes ( 4d6172730a), for Brits not familiar with binary encoded values, is the hexadecimal for ‘Mars’.


AI Cake is, technically speaking, a ‘cakie’ (a combination of cookies and cakes), which includes both an AI-generated cake and cake element. The dish is topped with Marmite buttercream frosting after Google Search Trends revealed a top search for “sweet and savory” as “sweet or savory Marmite.”


To test this new AI-powered baking sensation, the two brands have come up with a recipe to face off against Peter Sawkins – season 11 winner of The Great British Bake Off – in the ultimate #BakeAgainstTheMachine confrontation.


However, humanity is still not ready to give up the kitchen. 2020 Great British Grill winner, Peter Sawkins was skydived to create his own competitive grill recipe and played his part in the #BakeAgainstTheMachine showdown.


Peter has adopted a more human-centered and nostalgic approach, removing an old recipe passed down by his mother and giving it a creative twist – soy sauce!


Speaking of his Maltesers® masterpiece, The Great British Bake Off 2020 winner Peter Sawkins said: “I wanted to repeat what makes Maltesers® so delicious, so I incorporated malted milk powder. and soy sauce to give a delicious flavor to other baked goods that are very sweet. It’s important for me to think about creating interesting textures. There must be a contrast with the crispiness of the base, the thick and rich mousse and the soft caramel in the middle.


“Baking with the machine is a fun challenge. Not many people can say that they have gone head-to-head with Google Cloud’s AI. “


Kerry Cavanaugh, Marketing Manager Mars Wrigley UK said: “Cake and computers; and Maltesers® and Marmite. The most unbelievable thing in couples. We’re in the business of creating better moments at Mars Wrigley, and with a special spirit of fusion, I hope you find your own weird-but-will-like-dessert this weekend. This Easter. We’ve done the hard work for you with some amazing and questionable recipes available online, so all you’ll have to do is rinse!”


Reflecting on her passion for baking and AI, Sara Robinson, Senior Developer Advocate, Google Cloud, said: “AI is a powerful tool and I love thinking about new applications, its interesting. In this case, maybe it will even inspire other amateur bakers out there to build their own creations! I started building a model using Google Cloud AI that could provide the basis for a new recipe featuring Maltesers. Baking is an art as well as a science – it requires a delicate balance of ingredients and a bit of magic. AI is the foundation, and human creativity combined with technology has made this project shine.”

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